1KHO 788: Become the Most Useful Person You Know | John Sowash, Bear Woods Resort & Campground

Summary

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 788: Become the Most Useful Person You Know | John Sowash, Bear Woods Resort & Campground

Host: Ginny Yurich
Guest: John Sowash (Bear Woods Resort & Campground)
Date: May 4, 2026

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Overview

This episode centers on hands-on living, entrepreneurship, and the value of gaining practical skills while creating outdoor memories. Ginny Yurich welcomes her longtime friend John Sowash, co-founder (with his wife Nellie) of Bear Woods Resort & Campground in northern Michigan. Their lively and honest conversation covers everything from family adventures and starting a campground from scratch, to the real sweat (and setbacks) of entrepreneurship, and why becoming “the most useful person you know” is a life goal worth striving for.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Friendship, Travel, and Outdoor Memories

[00:30–03:26]

• Ginny and John reflect on their 15-year family friendship, trips together, and how outdoor-based travel has strengthened those bonds.
  • “It is a rare thing in family friendships where the wives connect, the husbands connect, and the kids connect.” – Ginny [01:13]
• Emphasis on location-based memories: “With each of the trips, it’s kind of easy to remember them because of the location in part.” – Ginny [01:37]
• Examples of unique stays, such as being the first guests at a converted Kwanzan hut in Tennessee.

2. The Bear Woods Resort Backstory

[03:26–06:33]

• John shares how the Sowash family’s outdoor values led to buying a run-down 65-acre property in Bear Lake, MI.
  • “Just to give you some context, the first thing we had to do was remove more than 2,000 abandoned tires...” – John [05:05]
• Bear Woods is located in small-town Bear Lake, “not much there but a lake, a couple restaurants,” yet is close to iconic West Michigan attractions: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan, Traverse City.
• The property’s transformation began with just “a year of getting rid of junk.”

3. Variety of Camping & Lodging Options

[06:33–12:09]

• Bear Woods caters to all comfort levels: tent camping, RV sites, glamping tents, A-frame cabins, and a renovated farmhouse (“Meadow Cottage”) with a hot tub.
• Designed for extended families and groups: “Some people have tents, some people have RVs, some…just want a bed. So, something for everyone.” – John [11:41]
• Focus on encouraging multigenerational gatherings where “everybody needs a different thing, but you’re close enough to be together.” – Ginny [12:09]

4. Realities of Entrepreneurship & Hard Roads

[13:15–19:10]

• Ginny and John discuss the unpredictabilities and hardships of entrepreneurship:
  • “The definition of an entrepreneur is doing something where you don’t know if it’s going to work.” – Ginny [15:41]
  • From dealing with “worse than nothing” property (filled with junk, derelict structures, and even rodeo fencing) to relentless problem-solving.
• John: “There is nothing worse than shelling out good, hard American money to get rid of stuff you didn’t want in the first place.” [15:19]
• The importance of learning as you go, weathering setbacks, staying creative under constraints, and showing their kids resilience:
  • “The constraints of life force you to be creative. Though, in the process, it’s miserable.” – John [17:10]

5. Learning Diverse Real-World Skills

[24:52–33:03]

• John lists the countless skills he’s picked up: electrical, plumbing, heavy machinery, construction, trenching, problem-solving.
• “I’m not good at anything, but I’m okay at everything.” – John [25:05]
• Admiration for trades and the humility that comes from building something real:
  • “Physics don’t care about your feelings... Creating things in the physical world is so challenging.” – John [30:37]
• Aspiring to become “the most useful person you know,” inspired by their chief work-camper Glenn, a man in his 70s who “has done everything.” [32:18]
  • “He’s the most useful person I have ever met.” – John [33:03]

6. Vision, Teamwork, and Following Through

[38:29–39:58]

• Nellie, John’s wife, is credited as “the visionary,” able to see the hidden potential in rundown properties.
  • “Nellie has an incredible ability to see something for what it will be, not for what it is.” – John [38:50]
• The couple complement each other: she dreams, he executes.
• Stories of taking multiple “horrendous” houses and making them special, learning grit and confidence with each project.

7. Designing Unique, Family-Friendly Amenities

[41:34–43:54]

• Unique bathhouse built from a repurposed grain silo (“The Bin”) with full bathrooms, laundry, community space, and WiFi.
  • “Nellie came up with this idea... build a bath house out of this [grain silo].” – John [41:43]
  • “Triple the size of any campground bathroom you’ve been in.” – John [43:14]
• Community pavilion, playground, games, and trails.
• Aiming to deliver the comforts and flexibility Ginny desires as a traveling family with kids.

8. Grit, Grit, and More Grit

[45:10–48:35]

• Weather, curved structures, failed attempts (“The roof flew off”), and construction complexities.
• Documenting the construction “highlights and lowlights” on their Instagram page for transparency and encouragement to others.

9. Michigan Summers and Outdoor Traditions

[49:49–54:54]

• Michigan framed as an underrated summer paradise—cooler, abundant lakes, wildlife, and space to roam.
• Building Bear Woods to help families make lasting memories, offer tradition, and “double” their 1000 hours outside.
  • “Anybody who comes and stays with us, your hours actually count for double.” – John, jokingly [50:47]
• Ginny shares glowing guest reviews highlighting the property’s peacefulness, amenities, thoughtful host touches, and how much easier it is for families than hotel stays.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The definition of an entrepreneur is doing something where you don’t know if it’s going to work.” – Ginny [15:41]
• “I’m not good at anything, but I’m okay at everything.” – John [25:05]
• “Physics don’t care about your feelings...” – John [30:37]
• “You’re never disappointed in the skills you have. You’re only disappointed in the skills you don’t have.” – Ginny quoting Joel Salatin [32:05]
• “Glenn is the perfect example of this... He is the most useful person I have ever met.” – John [33:03]
• “Nellie has an incredible ability to see something for what it will be, not for what it is.” – John [38:50]
• “The owners were incredibly friendly and responsive... Our kids loved the playground. The location is ideal. Very close to a camp store... and a perfect jumping off point for exploring... We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.” – Guest review, read by Ginny [54:02]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Getting to Know John & Family Friendship: [00:30–03:26]
• Intro to Bear Woods / Bear Lake: [03:26–05:47]
• Property Transformation: [05:47–06:33]
• Lodging and Experience Variety: [06:33–12:09]
• Entrepreneurial Struggles & Resilience: [13:15–19:10]
• Learning-by-Doing & The Value of Trades: [24:52–33:03]
• Vision and Execution Teamwork: [38:29–39:58]
• Unique Bathhouse Creation: [41:34–43:54]
• Michigan Summer as Destination: [49:49–54:54]
• Listener Reviews and Real-Life Feedback: [53:56–54:54]
• Final Invitation: [54:54–57:01]
• Childhood Outdoor Memory & Sign-off: [57:47–58:16]

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Tone and Style

Warm, candid, and encouraging. The conversation is filled with humor, humility, and practical wisdom that offers both reassurance and inspiration for families, entrepreneurs, and anyone who appreciates the outdoors or learning new skills.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode offers a heartfelt, detailed look at how building family memories outdoors can intersect with entrepreneurship, learning handyman skills, and living a fuller, more hands-on life. Through the story of Bear Woods Resort & Campground, listeners are encouraged to embrace challenges, value real-world skills, appreciate community, and perhaps book their own immersive outdoorsy getaway. The episode is full of actionable inspiration—rooted in the real, the imperfect, and the joyous successes that come from sticking with a dream even when the future is unclear.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urchin, the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. We're going to be talking about getting in your outside hours over the summer through spending time at a campground or glamping or just being at a place where the kids can be outside. And owner and founder, co founder of Bear Woods Resort, co founder with his wife, Bearwoods Resort and Campground, John Celwash.

[C]

Welcome, Jenny. It's great to be here. Um, it's. It's been a journey with this campground, but I'm happy to share and tell the story.

[B]

So this is a unique. I don't know if I've hardly ever had any of my, like, good friends on the podcast, but we've been friends for a really long time. And I was thinking back about when I met your wife, Nelly, and I can remember where we were. You know, we were at Oak Point Church. I can remember the room. We were in a mom's group together. And then I was like, I have no idea when we met John. And also, it is a rare thing in family friendships where, like, the wives connect, the husbands connect, the kids kids connect. And so I feel like we've kind of found this golden unicorn. But I was thinking about, you know, we met close to 15 years ago. At least I met Nelly close to 15 years ago. And we've gone on some pretty cool trips. And I was thinking back on the ones that we've gone on with our families. Like, we've gone to North Carolina together and we've gone to Virginia. Sandbridge. We've gone to several places in Michigan. We've gone to Tennessee.

[C]

Tennessee? Yep.

[B]

South Carolina. Paulie's Island. And, you know, I was just thinking about how with each of the trips, it's kind of easy to remember them because of the location, in part. So we stayed at this really cool place in Dale Hollow, Tennessee, called the Holiday Hut.

[C]

That was a wild one. That was a wild one.

[B]

That was a good one. It was, like, made out of a Kwanzan hut, and it was, like this huge. And I always tell people, like, when I Airbnb, I always pick the one that's never been picked before. It's like, brand new. You know, they usually, like, drop the price a little bit because they know there's going to be some kinks. You know, it's like, oh, the air conditioning and what stuff's not working. So we were the first people, I think, to stay at that holiday hut.

[C]

It had all 10 of our children. It was great.

[B]

Like a basketball court. Like an incredible. So anyway, I just think, obviously our families have done a lot over the years, but those. Those are foundational, like pillars of a friendship. And some of them have been bigger, like the Quantum Hunt. And some of them have just been like, you know, we're going to hang in Grand Haven for the day, and all these parents are camping and you're camping, and we're gonna come over for a day trip. So you are providing that. And I know it's been a long road, but this is something that you are providing for other people. And I know campgrounds get filled up, but Michigan is an incredible place to come in the summer. And so you're kind of expanding that. There's more offerings. So if you. We're going to walk through. I know it's been a long road of entrepreneurship, but just an overview of Bear Woods. Where is why it's such a cool place. What you have.

[C]

Yeah. So my wife and I, we certainly subscribe to the concept of thousand hours outside, getting our kids and family outside as much as possible. And that through many, many circumstances and life experiences, led us to purchase a very dilapidated piece of property in northern Michigan. So the campground of which we will be speaking is in Bear Lake, Michigan, which, before I purchased this property, even as a lifelong Michigan resident, I have never heard of this town in my life. I mean, if you blink, you will miss it. There are two restaurants, one gas station and a bank. I mean, Bear Lake is not much.

[B]

I do think that you're doing the gas station. A little bit of a disturbance.

[C]

We'll get to the saddle up. That is a gem. There is a lake in Bear Lake. It is a very large. I think it is the third or fourth largest lake in Michigan.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Aside from the Great Lakes, obviously it doesn't get a lot of PR because it is not connected to Lake Michigan. It's close, but it's isolated. So it's. It's not as popular as a boating, fishing destination as some other places. But we are located like a half mile from it. Bear Lake, this is not a video podcast, but in the state of Michigan, we hold up our knowledge. And so if you're looking at your. Your Left hand. It's kind of right where your pinky meets your, your finger in that area. So your pinky meets what?

[B]

What finger?

[C]

Or your, your hand.

[B]

Oh, where your pinky meets your hand. Oh, yeah. That's a good way to look at it.

[C]

Pretty close. Roughly.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

A wonderful location to explore. The best of West Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan, Traverse City. You know, all of the amazing places on the west coast. So our campground is a great jumping off point for everything over there on the west side of the state. So we bought this very rundown piece of property. I mean it was horrendous. Just to give you some context, the first thing that we had to do was to remove more than 2,000 abandoned tires, which is not an easy task.

[B]

And they're, some of them were huge

[C]

truck tires, tractor tires, I mean three, four hundred pounds for a tire. My wife did a masterful job of figuring out how to dispose of them because getting rid of tires is not easy. You cannot just throw them away. You have to dispose of them very carefully. So for a whole year we just got rid of junk. And the goal, the idea, the vision behind this was to turn this 65 acre piece of property into a campground and family resort. So somewhere where people can explore, experience the outdoors and like you said, have a wonderful time as family with friends, exploring West Michigan.

[B]

And so we both have five kids and our, each of our sets of five kids is almost exactly to the day, ages apart. So like, I mean eight years almost to the day from your oldest to youngest. And same with ours, yours are slightly closer, like maybe five days or something from oldest to youngest. And so when we've gone on our trips together as both families with these 10 kids or you know, when we've gone just on our own, I think that something that's really special about glamping or camping. So you have got, and we'll talk about what you have. But there's a lot of options here. There's a house you can rent, there is a cabin you can rent. There's a, there are two a frame cabins you can rent. There are glamping tents, There's a place to put your rv, there's a couple spots for those. And then there's tent camping. So there's a lot of options. But we are the type. So some people like to stick around. You know, some people when they camp, they stick around for the day. And you can totally do that at your place. I mean there's a, a ton of stuff there. You got, you already have the Dog park. You got the playground. There's trails, there's ponds. There's a lot to do just if you stick at the, in the area. But like you said, it is very close to Crystal Mountain, which has skiing and golf. It's very close to Arcadia Bluffs, which is like an incredibly cool golf course. Josh said it's like one of the top. I don't know what he said.

[C]

Oh, I mean, it's, it's incredible. We've had chance golf there once. We, we go for dinner every once in a while because it's cheaper than a round of golf. But yes, I mean, you're looking at California coast level views in the Midwest. I mean, you've got the bluffs, the dunes, the Lake Michigan, which feels like the ocean. I mean, absolutely incredible.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And then this, the whole Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, this is Sleeping Bear Dunes, which I think most people have heard about. And then like you said, you're close to this really cute town, Frankfurt, and really close to the lake. Like the spot that we go over to the lake when we come and stay at Bear Woods. And then there's that spring. There's a spring there called Old Face Full. I'm like, that's clever. People are coming there forever. Yeah, they're coming to get their water. It's shooting out of the ground. So we tend to be the type that have a home base. We're going to go adventure during the day, you know, have a slow morning. We're going to go adventure during the day. We're going to go to these different spots and then come back. And when you have kids in particular, it is so nice that when you come back, there's space for them to roam. It's so different than going back to a hotel room. So can you talk about the different types of places that. Because you could come. What some families have done is they've come as an entire family or they're going to come as. Now this is new. Ish still. But they're going to come as a wedding party. And you know, grandma, she doesn't want to sleep in the RV or, you know, maybe she doesn't want a tent camp, but they could be in the house. And so this is a great place because there's so many different types of things there to come as a large group. So can you talk about. I took a bunch of notes here, but there's a lot of options. The meadow cottage, the maple cabin, the glamping tents, the A frames, the camping camp. It's a Lot. A lot to choose from.

[C]

Yeah, we fully understand. We want people to be able to experience the awesome things of northern Michigan and get outside. We recognize that that means different things for different people. For some people, like my grandparents growing up, camping was going to a hotel room like that was different. That was out of the ordinary. Absolutely no way. My grandfather was sleeping on an actual tent on the floor. Not happening. So we have an option to suit everyone. One of the first things we did was we renovated a 80 year old farmhouse, gutted it down to the studs and turned it into a very nice, you know, Airbnb style. It's two bedroom, sleeps about seven. We've got a loft and a pull out couch and things. So you can get seven in there. If you want a more of a traditional stay, we've got that for you. We have what we call camping cabins which are single room A frames. They have some modern amenities. They certainly have, you know, powers, a microwave, a refrigerator in there. There's no bathroom. Our bath facility is our, we call it the Bin. It's a converted grain silo that we converted into our shared bath facility. So if you can, if you want a smaller but more traditional lodging option, the A frames are awesome. Those will fit two adults and a small child. Couple kids, but there's, they're small, you know, you probably don't want your teenagers in there with you. That'd be tight. And then we have our a, our, our glamping tents. These are kind of your traditional big gigantic white canvas tents and they are enormous. They are 16 by 32. Those can sleep seven. So there's a king bed, a twin over full, a pull out couch. When we design things, we always think to ourselves, can our family stay here? So just like Ginny, we have five kids. So like can we stay in this? And yes. So the glamping tents would fit, you know, everybody in there. And if you want to bring your tent, we've got that. If you've got an RV pop up, we've got that. So something for everyone and. Exactly. We love when people travel as a group. Bring your grandparents, cousins. Some people have tents, some people have RVs, some people don't have anything and they're like ants not sleeping on the ground. Put her into glamping or in the A frame. So something for everybody. And they're all close enough that you can all definitely feel like you're together. But yeah, as well.

[B]

Yeah, you got, you got a little bit of your space. It's so perfect. So I was going to read a couple of the different reviews that people left. So at the cottage, the meadow cottage, this is the farmhouse that was renovated, and it is gorgeous. I helped paint, like, one part of one wall. That's it. That was my contribution. But this one's got a hot tub. And you always just add in things so that it's fun. It's fun for the families. The basement's really cool. So if you stay at the cottage, people. The review I read, it was, like, one of the most recent ones. It said, we loved our stay at the cabin. The hot. They called it cabin, but it's really the cottage. I'm sure that's confusing. You're like, that's not what it is. It's the house. It's the cottage. But they said the hot tub was perfect, that, you know, they end their day of skiing. So people can come up year round to some of the. To some of the different things. But I know we're heading into the summer, but they were up there for skiing, and they said they watched their shows at night. They had four college students and two parents. Everything was decorated so cute for the holidays. We'd love to come back. Thank you. So it's really cool to go through and read the reviews. Can you talk about the part where it's been really hard?

[C]

How long do we have?

[B]

Well, I want to say this before you kick it off. I listened to this thing yesterday. It was really short, but it was talking about entrepreneurship. And you are a family that is really dove into entrepreneurship. I know when I first met Nelly, and she's pretty humble about it, I kind of feel like I'm always finding out new things about Nelly. So, like, yeah, when I had that business, and I'm like, wait, wait, wait. What was that business? So just kind of this entrepreneurship thing. And I think when you've got a lot of young kids and you're just starting out and you're really young, you do kind of have to try and figure out, like, I need an extra hundred dollars. What am I going to do? And so this has sort of been part of your story from the beginning. Like, Nellie was a forerunner with cloth diapers. You opened a store here where we, you know, near where we live that sold healthy or, you know, like, not crappy. Baby, toddler. Yeah. More natural things for those early years. So this campground is a huge undertaking. I mean, this was a piece of property, I kind of want to say with nothing, but it wasn't with nothing. It had a lot of tires.

[C]

Pretty close. Yeah. Worse Than nothing. It was nothing.

[B]

It went to worse than nothing. Didn't it have, like. I feel like it had, like a broken down. It had broken down vehicles, trucks?

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah. So we bought it. The property used to be owned by someone who did, like, excavation for the roads. Like, I think this guy helped build a lot of the major highways, you know, in Traverse City area. And so, yes, all of these types of guys, they just collect stuff. The tires, trailers.

[B]

You never know when you might need it.

[C]

Well, yes. So we got the privilege of figuring out what to do with it. So, yes, again, we spent the first year just getting rid of junk. I mean, I'm talking dumpster upon dumpster of junk. And there is nothing worse than shelling out good, hard American money to get rid of stuff that you didn't want in the first place. So that was your one.

[B]

It was a rodeo.

[C]

Correct.

[B]

At some point, too. So there was like a huge rodeo fencing. There was that. So it was just a lot. So I like the phrase we took a property from worse than nothing, you know, to this point where it's a resort and campground. But the person who was talking about being an entrepreneur basically said that the definition of an entrepreneur is doing something where you don't know if it's going to work.

[C]

I can amen to that. Plus one.

[B]

It's like, oh, it is really an interesting thing, because if you step into. Now, I know you're an entrepreneur in your daily life as well. But, like, if you. We were both teachers. Nellie was a teacher too. Like, if you step into a role like that. Yeah, you might lose your job because they caught funding, or you might lose your job because they redistrict or something like that. But the job of teacher is not going away. Like, you know, that next year there's going to be kids coming through here. But with entrepreneurship, you're like, we're gonna try. We've never done this before, but we're gonna try and build a campground and a resort and, you know, and we hope it's gonna work out. So I know your timeline has been slightly longer than you hoped. I know that there's been a lot of so many things to figure out. The. Well, the power, you know, how do we call the company? And. And even just the shuffling john of like, what. What are we going to do first? Do we do some landscaping? Like, you know, and then a tree falls and it hits the garage and, you know, I mean, it's just. There's so many things. So can you talk about.

[C]

He's not making any of these details up. These are all actual things that happen. I mean, we had a cranky neighbor who caused me absolute chaos for like a year and a half. We had a tree fall, like, right before we were about ready to open a tree fell and caused a bunch of issues. We've had, well, problems. I mean, yes, we've experienced it all. There's no roadmap for, for this. You learn a lot. You learn a lot. And, you know, my hope, our kids are. I mean, they're pretty involved. We don't, you know, try to pressure them to, to do any more than they feel like doing. And this is definitely mom and dad's thing. And if some one of them is interested, wants to take on more responsibility as they get older, that's, you know, you know, we're certainly welcome that and are open to that. But we hope that they, the kids see how Nellie and I handle some of these challenges, how we communicate with each other, how we stay calm. Certainly it has strengthened our faith for sure, 100%. And this is this. I hate, I hate what I'm about to say, but it is true. The constraints of life force you to be creative. Many, many times. Nellie and I, we look at other people and again, Instagram and social media gives you a very, you know, shallow view. But we see other people doing projects where they get like, $5 million in funding or whatever. And like, oh, my goodness, wouldn't it be amazing if we had that? We just do everything we wanted to. But in some ways, having that easy path doesn't force the creativity that results in something truly great. Now, I absolutely hate the truth of this statement because it's miserable in the process. It is not something that's, that's fun. But you're right. I mean, one of the most challenging things that we have to do is like, okay, you have X amount of money. You got 800 things you could potentially do. You can't do them all. So which one do you pick? And you really have to wrestle with, you know, what, what do we need? What's going to give our guests the best experience? What's going to help us move to the next step? And those conversations, you know, are constant. And sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't.

[B]

Right? And I, I mean, I think that's part of the whole story, is that sometimes you get it wrong. So an example of that would be, and I thought this was a really cool thing. Like, Nellie was like, oh, you know, there's 65 acres here, so you Guys have got like, there's paths through the woods and let's talk about some of the things that there are. There's two disc golf holes, there's tetherball, there's a volleyball court, there's Gaga ball, there's hammock, there's long games, hiking trails, dog park, fishing ponds, a playground that's like not like your typical plasticky. The playground's super cool. You got high speed WI fi. At the bath house, there's a community pill pavilion with grill station. So there's a lot here. And the bathhouse itself is just absolutely stunning. We'll talk about that. As we move towards summer, everything starts to look a little different. The schedule loosens up. There's more time outside, more travel, more life happening. And that's a really good thing. 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We may sign up today at ixl.com 1000hours Visit ixl.com 1000hours to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Your outdoor space should feel like you. And for the longest time, ours just didn't. We had those random plastic chairs that somehow followed us from house to house. A patio that felt more like a pass through than a place to gather and and a grill that we kept saying we'd replace someday. It just wasn't a space we were excited to use. And then I found Wayfair and everything kind of clicked. We added simple, comfortable seating, an outdoor rug that grounded the space, and a few pieces that actually matched the look I had in my head. Now it feels like an extension of our home. We eat outside more, the kids linger longer and it's just easier to be out there. What I love is how simple Wayfair makes the process. You can filter by size, style, budget, read real reviews from real homes. And with Wayfair Verified, you know you're choosing from items that have already been vetted for quality. And having everything in one place, from seating to lighting to decor, made it feel manageable instead of overwhelming. Get prepped for patio season. For way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair Every style, every home. Can I just say there was a time when I felt like the family calendar was living in six different places. Some things were in my phone, some things were in Josh's head, some things were written down somewhere and a lot of it was just missed. And that constant feeling of what am I forgetting? Is exhausting. That is why I love the Skylight Calendar. It brings everything together in one place. Appointments, activities, even grocery lists. And it syncs seamlessly with Google, Apple, Outlook, all of it. So wherever something gets added, it shows up. But the feature that really surprised me is a tasks section for kids. It turns everyday responsibilities like chores or getting ready for the day into something visual and trackable. It helps build independence without me having to constantly remind everyone. And because each person has their own color, there is no confusion. No more. I didn't know. It's all right there. Skylight Calendar is designed to help families work together, which means less stress and more margin for what actually matters. And if you're not completely thrilled, Skylight offers a full refund within three months, no questions asked. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendar. When you go to my skylight.com 1000hours, that's M Y S K-Y-L I G H T.com/1000hours for $30 off. But one of the things that I remember when you so you get the property at the end of 2021 and in Michigan, so people aren't familiar, you can't do anything. You know, you got in what I remember, you're like, you're waiting for ground freeze dates. You know, it's like it's got to be a certain amount before trucks can go. You know, there's this whole waiting period of when can we do things. But you get this property at the end of 2021. And one of the things that I don't remember how soon it was, but it's like you put in a big garden area and I, I just remember thinking, John, I was like, that looks like a lot of work.

[C]

You're like, there's a lot of work

[B]

post, post hole, you know, the post hole digger and it's a big garden and Nellie was like, gonna have this really cool, like flowers and pumpkins, which is super fun, you know, especially if you're staying there. You could go. I mean, obviously stuff only blooms for a short period of time, especially in northern Michigan, but you know, and then that was one of the things that you ended up discarding.

[C]

Yeah, it's challenging. I mean, you make the best decision you, you can when you're in the moment and then you pivot and you, you have to, you have to hold a loose grip. We haven't done it yet, but we're probably gonna end up expanding more RV sites into the garden area just because of the location, proximity to the septic and, you know, well, and all that. And yeah, I mean, that's likely to continue. You, you make your best decision, you test something out and then you see, you see what works. And that's why we have so many lodging options. You know, we really just wanted to see what resonates. Do people like the tents? Do they like the A frames? Do they like the RV sites? And that's where I think you could potentially get yourself in trouble. If you had again, $10 million and just do it all, you might find out, well, gee, we just did a bunch of things that people don't like. So, yeah, benefit to going slow.

[B]

Yeah. And starting a little bit smaller. Okay, so think back, John, to Pre November of 2021 to now. Can you name a couple skills that you have that you did not have before?

[C]

Oh, absolutely. So many. I mean, I'm not good at anything, but I'm okay at everything. I mean, I've done electrical, I've done plumbing, I've fixed wells, done way too much trenching, dug way too many holes in the ground. I can now run heavy machinery. We, one of the things we bought was a bobcat skid steer, you know, front end loader. And I mean that thing is incredible. That's the most awesome machine ever had. Never run one of those in my life. I mean, I'm picking it up, you know, and it's a eighty thousand dollar piece of equipment. Driving this thing was, they're like, all right, here you go, two minute training and, and you're off. So I've been running that for a few years now. I feel a little more confident than when I first started. But so many Skills and thrill. I mean, I hope my kids pick up some of those as well. Again, I. No one's going to be awesome at everything, but everybody needs on a little bit of electrical, a little bit of plumbing, a little bit of construction, a little bit of, you know, mechanical machine maintenance. We do a lot of it and a lot.

[B]

There's a lot of problem solving along the way, which is like, where does this well go? And so many. So much problem solving. But I mean, it is something to. To. There's something to be said about this. You know, here is this beautiful resort and campground where people can go. And I. Especially in Michigan, a lot of the state parks, which. Which, truth be told, don't have as much to offer. I mean, there's. There's a lot here for families and. And couples. You know, you come as a couple. But Michigan is such a great place to. To camp. And often these campgrounds are full, the state ones, because you have to. Actually, this is kind of a crazy part of it. You have to like six months in advance. I hate this. It's so stressful.

[C]

You are stressful.

[B]

In the state parks in Michigan, they open up for reservations six months in advance. So if I want to camp in June, I have to know my dates in, like January or. I mean, that is.

[C]

State parks in Michigan is absolute cutthroat now. I mean, the one thing the state parks have is location. I mean, these are on the shores of Lake Michigan, but I mean, the Grand Haven State park is the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen. It is on Lake Michigan. Like, you're looking at the lake. Yeah, it is giant parking lot. This is not a joke. It is a cement parking lot with. I mean, what would you say, Jenny, 700 RVs? I mean, you can reach out your door and touch the next person. No, I mean, I'm always wondering.

[B]

I mean, I would get in an accident. There is no way I could ever park in rv.

[C]

Incredibly stressful to back those things in. I've. I've done it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So. And they're completely booked now. We are trying to offer a little more of. A little more space. Our RV sites are much more. I mean, you have a lot of space. You cannot touch your neighbor. We have trails. We are not trying to cram hundreds of people into the smallest amount of space possible. So you're going to get a much more scenic, peaceful experience. State park camping is great. People love it and is booked. So if you want an rv, but this summer, come see me because.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[C]

For June and July. It's too late.

[B]

Exactly. Okay. The one that we've gone to is called Hoffmaster. So talking about location, like, it is in some ways a good location, but you do. You do have to, like, walk so far to get to the beach. And when you come back up and it's like this. Up this huge hill and you're like, dragging all of your kids and all their stuff, your feet are burning off. So, I mean, in. In some ways, yeah, it's close. I mean, that one's closed, but it's like. I mean, you're not that much further and you just hop in the car. So as opposed to making that trek down there. And you don't have to be at. At your computer at 8am on January 14th trying to get your camping site.

[C]

So someday I will be able to tell people they need to book their spot six months in advance. But at this time, we. It's new availability.

[B]

It's new. Okay, so people are gonna go to bearwoodsresort.com you can go there. You can go to Bearwoods Resort. Is it going to be bearwoods resort.com 1000 hours?

[C]

Yes. Just 1000.

[B]

Just 1000. I'm gonna put that link in the show notes. We're gonna do a giveaway for Mother's Day, so you can look in the show notes for that. But the whole thing is, like, you provide this service for families, a place for them to make memories. And also, along the way, you are learning a tremendous amount of skills. And I think as a father, you know, and eventually a grandfather, it is. I mean, it's a big deal to have those skills, you know, to be able to say, I can drive a skid. You just never know. You never know when you're going to need to drive a skid steer.

[C]

So I'm going to make an interesting comment because I know that you have listeners from all walks of life. So my day job, the job that pays the bills, what I've been doing for a long time, is actually in the tech world. So tech consulting. Like, I spent a lot of time on the computer doing stuff, and I'm very grateful for that. I do think I provide a valuable service, but I have so much respect for the trades because creating things in the physical world is so challenging. Like, I can write code, I can write words. Like, and that's fine, but physics don't care about your feelings. You know, trying to get water to go where it's supposed to go and not go where you don't want it is incredibly challenging. Electricity, you know, all of the physical things. I have so much respect for the trades. And so working in. Working on a very physical project has given me a lot of respect and humility for what people have been able to. To create and build. Now I do like having both. I come home and I type in my computer, and people pay me for that. I'm very grateful for that. And then I go to the campground and dig holes and drive the skid, steer around and try to carve things out of the earth. And that humbles me every time I go.

[B]

And my favorite farmer named Joel, he talks about how one of the things that really can increase your community and. And just really increase your value in life is to be able to do things 100%. And I think that when you've done all of those types of things, even if it's just a touch point, you're like, okay, I'm not an actual electrician, or I'm not, you know, by trade or haven't gone to plumbing school. You. You become the type of person that someone's like, oh, well, maybe I'll ask John, you know, maybe I'll, you know, he knows how to. He's done this there. And so maybe he's got an idea of. Of what might be the thing. And that's a big deal. Like Joel says, it's a really big deal, you know, as you get older, to be the person that people call. He says, you're never disappointed in the skills you have. You're only disappointed in the skills you don't have.

[C]

Should we talk about Glenn for a minute?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Glenn is the perfect example of this. So Glenn is our work camper. So I don't live on site. We live downstate a couple hours. And so all summer long, we have someone who kind of manages the property and oversees things. Glenn, I don't know how. I think he must be in his early 70s. And he has done everything. He is the. He's quite. He. Glenn will never listen to this because I don't even know if he knows what a podcast is, but every time I go to Glenn, I'm like, glenn, have you ever done, you know, such as. I was like, oh, yeah, I did that for a while. I mean, he has run equipment, he has replaced, he has dug wells, he has done plumbing, he's done. He has done everything. He is the most useful person I have ever met.

[B]

Like, wow, anything you need.

[C]

He's like, oh, yeah, I did that once. And I aspire to be that kind of a person in my life, it's like, oh, I mean, he's not an expert at anything, but he can do a little bit of everything. And I hope my for my own kids. Nellie and I talk a lot about, you know, what we want to be as, like, grandparents and whatnot. And I hope that I can be the person who can fix all the stuff for my children. Like, hey, dad, the faucet's dripping. I need a new French drain. I gotta, you know, pour some cement, you know, do all this stuff. Hopefully I can be the person who's like, all right, we can, we can handle that. We can, we can build that wall. We can fix a closet and whatnot. So

[B]

lately I've been more intentional about what I wear day to day and being drawn into pieces that feel effortless, comfortable, and still put together. It makes getting dressed so much simpler. And honestly, Quince has been my go to. The fabrics feel elevated, the fits are flattering, and everything just works without overthinking it. Quince makes it really easy to refresh your everyday this spring with pieces that feel as good as they look. They use premium materials like 100% European linen, organic cotton, and ultra soft denim. So everything feels high quality right from the start. Their lightweight linen pants, dresses and tops start at just $30. And they're breathable, easy to wear, and perfect for repeating throughout the week without getting tired of them. And I have to say, the everyday fleece joggers have been such a win for me, especially on those cooler spring mornings. They're soft, they fit really well, and they still look put together enough to wear out of the house, which I love. Everything at quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. So you're paying for quality and craftsmanship, not brand markup. Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to quince.com outside for free shipping on your order and 360, 65 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C e.com outside for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint.com outside it comes from, like you said at the beginning, being kind of forced into it. You know, it's not ideal. Ideal is that you'd be able to hire out for everything. But even hiring out obviously costs money. But it also can be tricky because you're like, well, we don't know these people. I mean, part, part of the story is that, like, some people Were kind of like criminals, you know, Like, I

[C]

had experience with contractors. Yeah. Well, the, you know, the joke goes, I didn't come up with this, but the joke is, you know, how do you know how to do so much? And the answer is, I'm poor. You can't pay for everything. You gotta figure it out. And this is just dumb stuff. Like, I had a bunch of leaking. We winterize everything. You turn it all on Michigan in the fall. You have to drain all the water from everything. And you hope you do it right. And when you open everything back up in April, you find out if you did it right. Now, no matter how hard you try, there's always something that happens. So you turn on the water and you, where are the drips? Where are the leaks? And then you got to start plumbing and fixing. And so, I mean, all this last couple weeks, you know, we're changing shower cartridges, you know, patching some pex lines. You know, none of this is hard, but if I hired a plumber, a would take two weeks to get them scheduled.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And you know, they charge you hundred, hundreds of bucks. I mean, it's just 200 bucks show up.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Plus the repair. So you got to do it.

[B]

Yeah. So it's just become this accumulation of knowledge and skills over time. Over five years, a huge accumulation of skills. And so I think that's. I mean, that's a really. At the end, it's hard through it, but at the end, it is a. A really cool thing to have all those skills and to build your confidence set so that someday the, you know, the hope is that your grandkids will be like, granddad is the most useful person I know. Like, who do I call when I have a question? That's who I'm going to call. Because he's done all these different things. I. When I. We started this podcast, I, you know, I remember meeting Nelly. Nelly is like a can do. She had one. One when she had one of your kids, and one of your kids came early, and it. It was like, so nobody was expecting there to be a baby. And then she showed up at this mom's group with a baby, and everyone was like, wait, but there's a baby? And she was like, I had her seven hours ago. And it wasn't that, but it was like, you know, she'd been born just like a day or two ago. So Nellie is just kind of like a. A person who. It's like, I can do it. You know, I've got this confidence. I'm gonna. I don't you know, I'm gonna start a diaper business before anybody knows about cloth diapers. I'm going to ship them. I'm going to get this little spot. So, you know, she's. She's done a lot. And I remember, John, when she came with, like, a piece of paper and was like, we're going to have this campground and this where everything's going to. I mean, she had drawn the whole thing out. Not an architect, but, like, she had this whole plan of, like, we're going to have this here and that there. So can you talk about Nelly's like, her. It's not foresight. It's a skill that I'm like, I would never have that I would never be able to look at a property. And even to the, Even to the. The grain bin, bathroom thing, I mean, it is one of the coolest things you'll see. And then there's all this, like, common area there. Right. So you've got other. You can tell people what you've got in there. But I was like, I would just be like, we're gonna get a bathroom. It's made of bricks, you know, I mean, I don't. It's like, where does that even come from?

[C]

Nelly is a visionary. I mean, we're.

[B]

That's a good word for it.

[C]

But she, she's the vision. I am the execution. Yeah. So, I mean, Nellie has an incredible ability to see something for what it will be, not for what it is.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so we, the very first time we went to this property, we met with the. The owner and, you know, drove around. I was like, this is a piece of junk. I mean, again, the tires, all the stuff was there. But in her mind, she looks at things and she sees what it will be. And this is how. This is not the first time. I mean, this has happened. We've bought multiple. We. We've bought a bunch of foreclosures as houses which were trash.

[B]

Okay, wait, let's talk about that for one second. Because the current, the current house that you're in, I, I, we were friends with you when we're like, we've been friends with you for, I guess, two houses, but we weren't friends with you when you renovated first one, the original house that you were in, but it's. And it was gorgeous. We entered. When we entered your story, I was like, dang, these so ashes, but like, a total mess. Foreclosure. But the second one, I was friends with you. And I remember Nelly, you were traveling for work and Nelly went and saw the house and was like, this is it. Like, she knew. It's like she just knows. Like, we're not going to put up a regular bathroom. We're going to put.

[C]

Bought a house. That's kind of how it went.

[B]

But it was all of the ceilings. I've never heard of this in my life. All of the ceilings, they have painted the same color as the walls. So, like, if the room was purple, so was the ceiling.

[C]

And the colors were atrocious. I mean, I don't. The house was beautiful. I mean, it was a custom made home. But they were the worst. They'd ruined it so bad. So, yeah, I mean, it was absolute. I mean, no one wanted to buy it because it was so rough. But Nellie walked in, she's like, this is it. And it took a tremendous amount of, you know, effort and sweat equity to bring it to where, like, I think

[B]

she picked you up from the airport and was like, we're. We're gonna go see it. We're out. We already bought it.

[C]

I mean, I had a swimming pool that was broken. There was a crack in the line. We didn't know what the problem was. And it was. I mean, it was an actual cesspool of green sludge. And she was like, this is it. It's gonna be great. And we fixed it and it's great. But it was. It was scary, for sure.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So. So translating that, you know, into several, you know, decades into adulthood and now you're under your t. You know, it's like all of those. They're not smaller projects, but they're smaller than a campground. All of those things. Along the way, I think you build confidence and you're like, I can. You know, we figured it out before. We're going to figure it out this time. So the vision for this campground. This is a gorgeous piece of property, and there's so much that you can do there. And then the bath house is. I've never seen anything like it.

[C]

Yeah, we had plans originally for very traditional, just. Just kind of a square building with like two or three bath stalls. I mean, we actually had someone ready to build it. We actually poured part of the foundation and we just started thinking about it. And, you know, the weather in northern Michigan is a little unpredictable. It's hot. It ra. So we're like, man, I mean, this bath house will work, but there's nowhere for people to go if it rains. And like, again, think of our family. Like, we have five kids. If we book a campsite and it's pretty much a guarantee that it's going to rain for one day of your stay. It just always happens like, what are they going to do? So Nellie came up with this idea and I have never seen this done before. So she didn't look. I mean, she just came up with this on her own. It is very trendy right now to repurpose old grain silos. You know those big giant steel looking things, they're circular, kind of pointy top. They're so over time they don't. They're no longer airtight, watertight. And so the farmers have to get rid of them. But there's. The steel is still good. So you can buy a grain silo for a relatively inexpensive amount of money. You know, a couple thousand bucks. You can get these, these grain silos and people turn them into gazebos and all kinds of different things. So Nelly said, let's build a bath house out of this. And that's what we did. I mean, I skipped over two years of pain and suffering, but we bought a grain silo. And then it is now a three stall bath house. We have three full, you know, toilet, shower, sink, very spacious. So I mean, whatever you've experienced in campground bathrooms before, triple the size. These are massive, huge showers. So three private stalls, a laundry room. And then we have all this extra space because if you think of a circle, you basically cut the circle in half. Half of it's the bathrooms and then the other half and the top. The loft is kind of a common area. So we have seating, we have a merch store, little snack shop. That's where the WI Fi is. So there's a counter for working if you want to.

[B]

I mean, that's amazing. Yeah, I mean like, seriously, I think about that a lot. Like, I mean we're. A lot of people have flexibility to go places because, you know, they can take their work with them. And so. But that is a consideration. Is there WI Fi? So you get to go in this cool space?

[C]

Yeah, it's great. Shout out starlink, great Internet anywhere in the world. Then the loft we've got, we're building that right now. We've got, you know, bean bags, we're doing a little shuffleboard, we've got chess tables. Just a lot of, you know, fun stuff for the kids. Again, if it rains, there's somewhere to go. It's got a huge wraparound porch with rocking chairs and cornhole and all kinds of stuff. So there's somewhere to go, somewhere to hang out. If it's, if it's hot if it's rainy. So it's a great community space and everybody in the resort gets access to that. The RV people can come over certainly for the glamping tents and the A frames. That's, you know, the bath facilities. We have a dishwashing station we're putting in right now. We've got a grill station. So you can grill, you can wash. We're trying to make this as plenty as possible for anybody who wants to explore Northern Michigan.

[B]

I love it. You skipped over the part where the roof flew off.

[C]

Oh. So again, physics and geometry. Don't care about your feelings. One of the challenges with working with a round building is that nothing is straight, which is incredible.

[B]

Similar to the Airstream because you're going to eventually have an Airstream up there too that people could rent.

[C]

Yes. I boy making just like square, like right angles seems like such a dream. Just like a regular house. Because when you're working in an Airstream or working in a grain bin, everything is curved, which adds all sort of complexity. Tremendous thanks and gratitude to my builder, Brian Kelbert. This is way beyond my capabilities place. I mean, I have a old family friend who is a commercial builder who has assisted us with the bath house. His creativity is unmatched. I mean, the, the solutions he came up with. Again, how do you put a straight window into a round area? I mean, unbelievably challenging thing.

[B]

The answer,

[C]

a lot of framing.

[B]

Wow. I didn't even think about that. I remember when you're trying to put the, like the roof is angled up. It's so cool in there. It looks so cool from the outside and from the inside. And this roof is angled up in. I mean it was just, it's windy up there, especially in the spring, like early spring. And it was all year.

[C]

I mean, fighting with northern Michigan weather has been a huge challenge. So we built, we started building this bath house in December 26th. Got the cement in and then Brian, my builder, God bless him, eternally built the bath house from January till July. And it was the worst winter ever. I mean, he would have to start by shoveling out 2ft of snow from the bath house before we, we got the roof up. The roof did blow off because of 60 mile an hour winds at one point.

[B]

And it wasn't like all fully attached yet. I remember, I remember because it was like it's going to be done at 4pm and then it was not done at 4pm it was like worse than nothing.

[C]

You know, the grain bins are, they're really, really hard because once they're up, they're incredibly solid. But imagine again, you have a circle and you're putting up like one tiny piece of the circle at a time. So until the whole thing is together, it's very precarious. Same thing with the roof. It's like a bunch of giant pie slices. We have to put them up one at a time. And so until you've got it all bolted together, it's very precarious. And the wind just ripped it off. He was not thrilled, but I'm grateful he came back and fixed it. Wow. If you're interested in any of the behind the scenes stuff on our Instagram page is Bearwoods Resort. I do have highlights, real highlights on there where you can see kind of the construction and low lights. Yes, all of the above. So if you're really interested in the behind the scenes, there's. There's lots of videos and photos up there.

[B]

But. Okay, but to the point that Nelly is a visionary, it has turned out phenomenal. Because I, I remember like, when she showed me the piece of paper and I was like, oh, you're gonna do what? You know, and then never, never, you know, and she had, when she showed me the piece of paper, John, she was like, okay, this is, you know, this is a two year plan. This is the five year plan, this is the ten year plan. So this could be a place that, you know as time goes by, like, this could be a place of tradition for your family. You know, it gets, for anyone who's listening, it like gets added on to. I had someone who reached out the other day that asked to come on the podcast and I was like, yesterday she had like a cool idea and then she was like, well, can I come do it in person? I would, I love to come to Michigan in the summer. And I was like, well, that's kind of awkward, but. So I haven't responded yet. There we go. But, but the point is, is Michigan is a stunning place to come to in the summer. And we have some mutual friends, the lollies that live in Tennessee. And so it's like eight hours to Florida. Or it's eight hours to Michigan and Florida, it's like you're getting hotter.

[C]

July. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So you come north. It's just absolutely stunning. You know, every once in a while you think about moving in February, but you're like, the summer's here are just tremendous. And so you have done an incredible, incredible job from paper, you know, a thing on paper, this dream to actually building it And I think there's something to be said about the fortitude and grit and perseverance it takes to do that, to be an entrepreneur where you don't, like, you don't really know if it's going to work. And then, and then here it is. It's. It's open. So people can go check it out@bearwoods resort.com. go to bear woods resort.com 1000. And we're gonna be doing a giveaway for Mother's Day for a stay, if you're interested in staying there.

[C]

But I mean, yeah, I have, I hear a bonus. So you're going to give away a stay. And I have it on the Authority of the 1000 hours outside high Council that anybody who comes and stays with us, your hours actually count for double.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

If you are outside for 100 hours while you're with us, it actually counts as 200.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

There's no charge for that. That's free. Anybody, Any podcast listener who comes and stays with us, you get double hours.

[B]

Yeah. You have to sign up for the email list, though.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

That's fine.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. And then, then you will get double hours for when you go and stay at Bear Woods Resort and Campground. So I just want to read a couple of the reviews that people have sent in so people can get a sense. And I, and I totally, I, I'm, you know, I'm in sales mode because I think from our own experiences as our family, individual family, these are the types of places that we spent childhood app. Because the kids can run around and you really actually get to have a break. You're. You're not really going to have a break in a hotel room. It just is how it is. And also between our two families, the location helps to really solidify your memories. So, you know, our family, the two of us, we went up to. Our two families went up to Little Lake Michigan up in the Upper Peninsula, you know, and that was another home base for us. It's like we went whitewater rafting on. In the border of, I think Wisconsin in Michigan. You know, there's white water rafting on the Menominee river up there. And so this is your home base and you can go do all these different things. So here's some of the reviews. Someone said this. We love Nelly's Cabin. Clean and well organized. Pleasantly surprised how well stocked it was. Coffee station, coffee syrups, creamer. The bathroom has so many unexpected things. I mean, you got the soap, the shampoo. You have traveled. And so you have got a really good sense. I think sometimes people who own Airbnbs or they haven't traveled and so you, since you have, I think you have a really good sense of, you know, what are people going to want and need. The hot tub was wonderful. We enjoyed walking the property with our kids and dog. The dog park was such a genius addition to the property. The entire cabin is adorable. Very clean. Everything is comfy. It's a great location if you want to see all the sites in the area too. Super place to say this. This person talks about the A frames and they said there's thoughtful touches in the room like the Keurig and the water dispenser. They're so helpful. We loved using the black stones provided by the host. The bath house was so fun and so unique. If you're used to campground bathrooms, be prepared to be blown away. These are 100 times better. Definitely would love to stay again. We're telling all our friends and family for the glamping tents. This place is a gem. They say. I was so excited to stay and didn't want to leave. The space is beautiful and so well appointed. The acres and space around the tent were peaceful. I mean you don't even see power lines out there. John. It is quite the view. The acres and space around the tent were peaceful and exactly what we needed for a few days. So much to do in the surrounding towns and great food. Can't wait to come back. And then about the RV sites, they they're saying we stayed with two kids and two dogs. The property is beautiful with plenty of room to spread out and take in the stunning views. The showers were fantastic. So nice that we skipped using the one in our van and happily walked to the bin instead. I mean who does that? John every. Most people buy an RV so they don't have to use the campground shower.

[C]

Things are not not known for being awesome so we're trying to elevate the experience.

[B]

Yeah. And you it's so memorable. The owners were incredibly friendly and responsive, making our stay even more enjoyable. Our kids loved the playground which was such a cool feature. Built with natural materials. The location is ideal. Very close to a camp store we didn't even talk about. Saddle up and a perfect jumping off point for exploring iron fish, the dunes and more of northern Lower Michigan. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. And we'll definitely be back. And one more we had a great time at John and Nellie's property. There are many well taken care of trails we use to walk our dog. It's close to Bear Lake and fishing spots by the Manistee river and about five minutes away from restaurants. The property is quiet, peaceful and the dark sky at night is astonishing. We are looking forward to staying there again. So what an experience to add to your memory banks. Also double hours outside, so double hours. You can't go wrong. Anything else you want to add, John? Great.

[C]

It's a great place to visit with a friend, with the family. We have a lot of people. We have two of most things. So, like, you could book both glamping tents which are, you know, close to each other. Book both a frames which are close to each other. Three RV sites. We do have a few, like, families that will book the entire property, which is a great way to either friends weekend or a family reunion. So that takes a little more coordination. Most of those have to be booked pretty far in advance to make sure I have everything. But we do have a wedding where I think they booked everything. So if that's something you're interested in, that's certainly an option. Yeah. And get in touch and we'll figure out what dates might be available. But we would love to. Love to have any of your listeners join us in northern Michigan.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. So go to bearwoods resort.com a thousand and you get on the mailing list so that you'll know what's coming up. I know you send out, you know, when we got an owner of a campground, they might send out updates like, hey, this is a last minute thing or a last minute deal or this is open. You got a big group. And so you, you'll know, you'll have that, that little bit of reminder. Our property's got like, where we actually live. Has got some property in the back. But there's like a massive cell phone tower back there, which I'm. Sometimes I'm like, is that killing us while we sleep? I don't know. But there's like a cell phone tower and there's like wire, electric wires, you know, I don't know. But your place, I don't even know how it does it. It's just like open, you know, there's just like this beautiful open. I was like, where's all the wire? There's like nothing. It's just beautiful.

[C]

Yeah. You see bald eagles flying overhead all the time almost every morning in the bald eagles are there. We do. We have had bears on the property. Very unlikely to see them. But I mean, it is Bear Lake for a reason. There are black bears. They're harmless. And it's more Rumor. It's a big deal in the whole community if, if you see one. But they're around, certainly deer. We had beaver in the pond, tons of ducks. There's fishing. So, yeah, I mean, if you want to explore northern Michigan and wildlife and nature, it's a great place to go.

[B]

But the actual place is just stunning. It's stunning. Like your view from the glamping tent. It's just a stunning piece of property. And so from having however many thousands of tires and a rodeo to this beautiful resort and campground with more to come. Nelly, if you knew Nelly's vision, I mean, she's got a vision for the years to come. So I'm so proud of the both of you. It's an incredible undertaking and I know that it's been so difficult, but you stuck with it and it is here and ready for people to come. And it just goes to show, you know, you have to stick with stuff and there's going to be unknowns. It's true entrepreneurship if you just don't really know what's coming. And so people can check it [e-mail] John, we always end our show with the same question. What's a favorite memory from your childhood that was outside.

[C]

Lots of time spent playing baseball, football with friends and my, my brothers. I have four. Four brothers. So we spent a lot of time.

[B]

Their names are John and then Matt Lu and then. And then Eric. This is great.

[C]

Ran out of. We ran out of gospels. So. Eric in there.

[B]

There's an Eric to us in there. John, this is fantastic. Thanks so much for being here.

[C]

Thank you for your friendship ship. We. We couldn't have made it as far as we have without the encouragement of you and Josh. So we appreciate very much.

[B]

You're welcome. For painting half of one wall.

[C]

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[A]

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Thanks for making all my favorite recipes.

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Hi ma. Thanks for your un unfiltered advice.

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Hi mom.

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Thanks for always being by the phone.

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Hey mom, Happy Mother's Day.

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