My Story and Vision

Hi, I’m Tom Petrus. I was born at the foot of the Bavarian Alps and immigrated to the United States from the former Czechoslovakia in 1967, when I was just five years old. My parents and I escaped the Communist Eastern Bloc under the cover of night, leaving everything behind in search of freedom and a better life. We settled in Los Angeles, California, and began building from the ground up.

Over the next five decades, I built a successful fabrication business and enjoyed everything the American dream had to offer. But eventually, like many, I began to feel the weight of California’s changing landscape and decided it was time for a new chapter. I moved to the Arizona side of the Colorado River—trading city lights for wide open skies and a desert playground. It was ideal: the river out front, desert out back, and miles of open terrain perfect for an avid off-road enthusiast and 45-year bike racing veteran like myself.

But as any desert dweller knows, Arizona summers can be brutally hot—110 to 125°F on the regular. Being a lifelong RVer with over 30 years of travel under my belt, I started spending summers exploring the Pacific Northwest, chasing cooler weather and greener pastures. Eventually, my wanderings led me to Montana. After scouring Google Maps for the greenest forest I could find—and what I found blew me away.

The Yaak Valley is wild, dense, and teeming with life. Walk just a few steps into the woods and it’s like the world changes—sunlight fades, sounds soften, and you’re completely immersed in nature. If Sasquatch does exist, this is where he’d be hiding. It’s that remote.

After some local realtor adventures, my partner of 20+ years, Raquel, and I found the perfect slice of paradise: five serene acres with a quarter-mile of slow-moving Yaak River frontage. We fell in love immediately and spent the next two years grooming the land and soaking up the magic of this place.

Then one day, while enjoying a cold Rainier beer on our balcony, I had a realization: there were only two public campgrounds along the entire Yaak River—and neither offered much in terms of river access or amenities. As an outdoorsman and RV traveler, I knew firsthand how rare and valuable a good riverside campsite can be. So I decided to create one—simple, rustic, and designed for fellow adventurers.

Welcome to our little off-grid escape. We’ve transformed this special property into a small, private campground—aimed at overlanders, adventure bikers, Jeep clubs, and RVs under 24 feet. We’re not a KOA, and we don’t want to be. This is for people who want peace, privacy, and nature.

Here’s what we currently offer:

  • 6 campsites with privacy
  • Picnic tables, fire pits (with free firewood), lounge chairs, and lanterns
  • Cook stoves and wash sinks at each site
  • Trash removal
  • Free use of kayaks (fishing and ride-on-top styles)
  • Optional shuttle service upriver for kayakers
  • Water tower (for washing/showering)
  • Pit outhouses

Planned additions include a small supply shed with beverages, frozen meats, canned goods, and more. There’s also an extensive network of off-road trails and logging roads nearby—Mount Baldy Lookout at 7,000 ft is right behind us. We’ll be posting maps and recommended routes for riders and explorers.

This is still a work in progress, and we’re running this as a trial season—so we’d love your feedback. Each guest will receive a suggestion form, and we truly welcome constructive input. If something isn’t quite right, let us know directly so we can improve it—don’t judge us by early-stage hiccups.

We’re excited to share this hidden gem with fellow nature lovers. If this sounds like your kind of getaway, shoot us an email for booking details and availability.

Thank you and we hope to see you soon!

— Tom