I do miss Idaho

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - There's no room service, no swimming pool, no microwave oven, no coffee machine, no television, no electricity.

But the accommodations do include mattresses and wood stoves.

An 89-year-old retired construction worker this month began advertising cave stays in east-central Idaho for $5 per night, or $25 a month.

Richard Zimmerman, also known as "Dugout Dick," said his dwellings can double as bomb shelters and serve as mining sites for people who bring their own picks.

Zimmerman, himself a cave resident, has spent decades carving out a dozen quarters from a hillside overlooking the Salmon River rapids.

Now he said it's time to break from his labors and help jump-start tourism in this remote mountain community.

The caves stretch as far as 100 feet into the hillside and are bolstered by rocks, peeled fir poles, mud and straw.

So far, a few tourists from overseas -- one from England, another from Spain -- have taken him up on the offer. Zimmerman said they did not take to life underground.

"It's not for everyone," the self-styled Salmon River caveman acknowledged. But "I expect the trade will pick up anytime now."