Saturday July 17 1999
Mail Tribune

Nestled in the trees, with the Illinois River nearby, Ronnie Chittim's home offers back-to-nature serenity. Besides the 1,800-square - foot main house, she also owns a 500-square-foot cabin. She rents out one or the other periodically and stays in the unoccupied building, so her guests can have solitude. Ronnie Chittim chuckles now at the newspaper ad that drew her to Oregon, the exercise in hyperbole that lured her to this secret spot on the banks of the Illinois River. "It said 'Shangri-la with two cabins'" she recalls. " Later I found out that the owner had been trying to sell it for six years." By then it was too late. Chittim, a former Los Altos, Calif., real estate agent, was already headed north. That was nearly 20 years ago.

" I just saw this country and it was over," she says.. Chittim bought the remote property and the two dilapidated dwellings that once served as riverside mining cabins. She spent the next decade dreaming about her land, and the decade after that visiting every six weeks. Two years ago, (1997) she tore the old cabins to the ground. A year ago, she began rebuilding. Today, Chittim, 61, lives in the wilderness home she once only imagined. More surprising, she earns her living at the site, renting out the 1,800-square-foot main house and a 400-square -foot cabin to guests seeking the same solitude and tranquility she so craved.

"Women's groups come up here for retreats, couples who want to be romantic and get away from e-mail and computers come here, so do older people who just want to be near the river," Chittim says. When guests come, Chittim goes, but never very far. If they've rented the main house, she makes the bed, packs her toothbrush and heads for the tiny cabin. If they've booked the cabin, she stays in the house.

"It's not odd at all," says Chittim, who also works as a hospice chaplain for Josephine County.

"People who come here are referred by others. They're usually very considerate, very spiritual. Those are the kind of people I attract, thank goodness. Visitors are attracted by the beauty of the remote location surrounded by mountains, trees, river and sky. But they stay for the comforts of the well-designed dwellings. With its wide bank of river facing windows, U-shaped kitchen and pine ceilings and floors, the main house exudes a relaxed welcome.

The downstairs living space revolves around a rock fireplace built from stones hauled from the river bank; soft couches beckon across a rough-hewn coffee table. "We've had 20 people in here and it worked real will," says Chittim, adding that the place comfortably sleeps at least six. Electricity is provided by hydropower, Chittim's only option.

Her stove and refrigerator are specially designed to use less electricity than conventional models. " The only thing I don't have is a dish-washer,"she says. " It just uses too much power." Upstairs is a single room housing Chittim's bedroom and living space. It includes a lighted nook fitted with a bathtub, a small bathroom, a laundry area and a sleeping platform- all with magnificent views. " As far as my religious practice goes, this is a great place to meditate," Chittim says. "It's what I envisioned."

Down a path and across a footbridge, the tiny cabin offers more seclusion. Cozy and comfortable, it boasts a beautiful view of river rapids and a wood -fired hot tub. There's no electricity; propane powers a stove, hot water heater and refrigerator. Décor in the house and cabin reflect Chittim's sense of style. Stained glass windows abound; the downstairs bathroom features a hand-painted blackberry vine curling across one wall. Rental rates are $200 for the first night at the main house and $180 for each night thereafter. The cabin rate is $100 a night. Chittim, who lives alone with two big dogs, prefers guests contact her for detailed directions to the site. So far, Chittim has been booked every weekend since she started renting space last year.

ON the advice of friends, Ashley Henry of Ashland tried the place last Thanksgiving. She liked it so much she has returned again and again. "It was so refreshing to get away and get out there, that I had my 30th birthday celebration there," says Henry, southwest field coordinator for the conservation group Oregon Trout. "It was like a girl's slumber weekend," she says. "As a result of my going out there, a lot of my friends are taking their friends and families." The draw, says Henry, is obvious to anyone who enjoys nature.

"For me it's a refuge, both geographically because of its isolation and spiritually because I feel really peaceful when I go there, "Henry says. Days are spent swimming, hiking or studying the river, one of the region's few unregulated waters. Evenings are spent relaxing indoors. "My most special moment was when I woke up on the morning of my birthday, I opened my eyes and I realized that I was 30 that day and It had snowed, "Henry recalls. "It was late March, so it was just enough to cover all the branches of the trees and lightly dust the ground. It was enough to emphasize the mystical qualities of the river." Although Chittim remained on the property, Henry never felt her presence inhibiting or intrusive. "Ronnie's the most hospitable host you can ever ask for," she says. " Sometimes I wanted privacy or to be alone, but other times I was feeling social. She was so compatible with either option. I never felt like I was in a strange place or anything."

Chittim says she provides guests with utensils, plates, towels, and other necessities. Visitors bring their own food. For Chittim, being able to live on the land where she makes a living is a gift that recalls her childhood in a small Idaho mountain town. Once you grow up with trees and mountains and water, it's not possible to live your whole life without dipping your roots back in," she says. After 20 years of trying, she's rooted once again.