The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

BDN: ‘Survivor’ winner opens ‘glamorous camping’ retreat in lavish Durham yurt

By Beth Brogan, BDN Staff

Posted Jan. 29, 2014, at 2:04 p.m.

DURHAM, Maine — On a January day when the temperature barely reached double digits, 63-year-old Bob Crowley pulled the earflaps of his hat tightly to his head before steering his four-wheel Polaris Ranger through the woods of rural Durham to Fisher Ridge Yurt.

It was cold, but the 2008 winner of “Survivor: Gabon” showed no sign of the arctic conditions, except for an ever-reddening nose, as the temperature seemed to continue to drop.

After a five minute drive, Crowley led a group inside his insulated yurt, the heat from the wood stove beckoning, prompting Crowley, his wife, Peggy Crowley, and their guests to shed their coats and gloves.

Circular, portable tent-like yurts have been the traditional homes of nomadic people in Central Asia — particularly Mongolia — for thousands of years. The circular shape makes a yurt resistant to the region’s strong winds, and the structures are easy to erect and dismantle, making them particularly suitable to the roaming lifestyle.