The Kyles make sure nothing is left behind at Cedar Mountain Farm bed and breakfast.

Not memories — those are preserved in the antique furniture and black-and-white photographs inherited from past generations, now decorating the suites of the bed and breakfast.

Not the wood from the farm’s first barn that blew down — that was recycled in the walls of one of the suites, the barn’s original padlock hanging behind the door.

Not tractors. The Kyles still use the 1942 tractor Daryl Kyle’s father put to work when he bought the property in 1950.

And not dreams.

After more than three generations have lived on the remote homestead in Athol, which has adapted from dairy farm to women’s shelter to bed and breakfast, current owners Al and Daryl Kyle are going to follow their long-laid plan for its remote green fields and clean-kept cabins.

Helping their fellow man.

Their vision for the farm: A shelter for individuals in need, and a nonprofit equine therapy for mentally and emotionally challenged individuals.

“It’s been a dream and a passion for so long, it just won’t go away,” said Daryl, 64. “We’ve just been so blessed. So now, we want to pass the blessing on.”

Their plan won’t manifest quickly, the couple says up front.

It already hasn’t been easy these past 30 years to make a living on the expansive 440 acres, which they have used for logging, gardening and a new bed and breakfast — all the while raising seven children.

“Most people our age would think it’s time to quit,” said Al, 66, with a chuckle.

Not the Kyles.

Their new plan involves adding a vast campground to net in enough profits to fund the nonprofit additions.

Eventually, they will add on facilities like an indoor equine therapy center, accessible to nonprofits, schools and anyone else who wants to help a child develop by riding horses.

“We’ve seen lots of examples of using horses therapeutically,” Al said. “Something happens between the animal and the person, where it’s truly amazing how they come together.”

They would provide a shelter program for anyone in a rough patch, whether due to disabilities or just being down on their luck.

Those who participate, after careful screening, would be put to good, hard, character-building work on the farm, whether gardening or cleaning rooms in the bed and breakfast.

“They could have work to do to build self esteem and job skills,” Al said. “It’s just a place where people get their feet back under them again.”

The couple has already applied with Kootenai County to amend their current permit to add additional facilities and the campground. An examiner hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 19 at the Kootenai County Administration Building.

They’re also planning an open house to discuss the project from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Aug. 14 at the bed and breakfast at 25239 North Hatch Road.

“Anyone is welcome,” Daryl said. “We would love to hear any concerns or suggestions.”

Finances could be an issue, they acknowledge.

The predicted timeline of the project is about 25 years, if fundraising takes as long as they expect.

“We’ve probably only got about 20 years left ourselves. We’ve got to get busy,” Daryl said with a laugh.

Lengthy endeavors are nothing new to the couple.

They faced the same funding issue in 1989, when they decided to build a three-level cabin on the property for a women’s shelter.

“It’s just a passion of our hearts to help people in need,” Al said. “It (a women’s shelter) was an immediate need, something we thought we could help.”

They built the log facility themselves, over nine years.

With the help of about 200 friends, family and volunteers, Daryl estimated.

On a tour through the tidy rooms, the couple can point to every detail others contributed or taught them to install, like the fireplace and cabinets and elaborate tiling.

The couple held parties during big undertakings like roof building, Daryl said.

“It was kind of like a barn raising,” she said, smiling. “I stand amazed that so many people helped us. It’s kind of gratifying to bring people to do something like that.”

They ran the shelter for about a year and helped a number of women and families, Al said, before they were stretched thin between the nonprofit and raising several children.

“We were basically burned out in a year,” Al said.

Needing an extra source of income, the family agreed to turn the new building into a bed and breakfast in 2001.

Although the peaceful location attracts plenty of summertime guests, the family has always just gotten by, Al said.

Still, they stay.

Just like Daryl’s parents, the Hatches, when they discovered they couldn’t make a living with a dairy farm after working it for 10 years.

“They worked in town most of their lives, but they held onto it (the farm). They stuck it out,” Daryl said. “They loved it. A lot of it (our work here) is to preserve the heritage.”

Since Al and Daryl moved to the farm in 1974, the home has housed their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

They envision the farm, along with the nonprofit additions, being passed down and preserved.

So their good intentions aren’t left behind.

“Seeing it develop brings energy in itself,” Al said. “We feel this is what God wants us to do.”