To see the face of progress, Nick Schultz just has to catch the reflection in his computer monitor.

When he wakes up, he can get ready for school in a specially built shower stall. Then the connected buildings at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside allow the freshman to buzz between classes.

And, if the computer science student decides to make Web design his career, customers won't care that he's in a wheelchair. Just whether he rolls out snappy sites.

For all of the progress that policies have driven on life's essentials, though, things have puffed along in a lower gear when it comes to making fun stuff accessible. Take camping. The one time the family tried to get Nick into a tent on a relative's farm, it started to pour. Soil is one thing you can't stop from discriminating against wheelchairs.

"I was trying to get back to the house," Nick recalled. "It was hard to push me through the mud."

They found an accessible cabin in Mirror Lake State Park, near the Dells, and Nick was hooked. They could fish or rent a pontoon boat.

A few others are sprinkled throughout the state, but his dad figured one closer to the big population centers - and their home - would help. Dave Schultz offered to build it at Bong State Recreation Area.

"They asked me how I expected them to pay for this," he told me. "I said, 'I don't.' "

Instead, it became a civic project of his local Kiwanis club, along with other organizations and builders. On Wednesday, I went to get a sneak preview of what's come to be known as the "K-Cabin." After $125,000 and almost a year of labor, its dedication ceremony will be Saturday at 10 a.m.

Colette Peterson guided me through the maze of Bong's roads to find the place. She's a longtime Raymond resident but grew up close to the Schultz family when both lived down the road from the Bong property.

Now they joke she's adding the role of surrogate mom for "Schultzie." His mother died recently, barely missing the chance to see the finish of a project she adored. She even helped stain the cedar half-logs that frame the cabin walls.

During her illness, Dave had even more reason to spend time at a spot he calls "therapeutic." He kidded that this cabin is his penance for stressing her out as a boy.

"So I told her, when I'm done with the cabin, my conscience will be clear," he said. "I've got two more days."

The place screams "second home" more so than "roughin' it." Dave pointed to the spots where hospital beds and a lift will go, along with a gate for ambulances to drop off quadriplegic campers.

Inside, volunteers smeared with grout scrambled to lay out the bathroom tile. Outside, Dave shared his mental picture of the fire pit, confident it would really be there within 65 hours.

The calendar proves his is no solitary vision. Dates are already booked into October, though some weekends and most weekdays remain available. The place, which sleeps four to six, can be rented for $34 per night including fees.

Deservedly, the Schultz family will christen the cabin themselves. Just another family going camping.

"I can't believe it's actually happening," Nick said.

* For more details or a reservation application, call the park at (262) 878-5600 or go to

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/access/bigcabin.html

Mike Moore's local news column runs each Friday. He can be reached at (262) 631-1724 or

mike.moore@lee.net