September 20, 2017 - Snow (in Summer?!)

I headed up to the lodge this week to work on the new hearth for our cast iron stove that we are installing in the screened-in deck.  Jim finished re-inforcing the deck framing the last time we were up at the lodge, and added the 3/4 inch plywood that was needed for the base of the stone tile and the heavy stove.

I had the task of adding the hardiebacker and tiling the base with random, slate.   Usually, this would not be too difficult of a task - but Jim's base measurements were a bit off (the hearth was about 1 1/2 inch too deep for the deck flooring).  So, after two trips to Colfax, running supplies down the hill in a rain downpour and adding another layer of Hardiebacker and 1/2 inch of base mortar, I was finally able to thin-set in and the stone tile (picture below).

Another layer of difficulty, it started to snow (yes, snow!) on Thursday which made the screened in deck close to freezing (well actually it was freezing since it was snowing).  On our last visit had not put up the storm windows or shutters yet (it was only September and officially still summer) nor have we pulled the portable heaters out of the attic yet so the job got quite chilly.  I kept running up to the kitchen for hot water for tea and to add to the thin-set.

But all is well and next week I will be mortaring the stone to the back wall of the hearth and adding the grout to the hearth floor.  I see a lot of warm fires in our future!

I also managed to refinish a new addition to our fireplace lounge chairs.  I scored a maple western chair on Craigslist last week which is much like our existing chairs.  But, as usual, it had to be sanded stained and varnished.  And it still needs new cushions - but it is a great add to the living room.

The bad news about this stay - due to the snow, there was a jackknifed semi truck up at Cisco (resulting in a fatality) and several piled up cars that smashed into the accident scene.  The traffic was back-up over the summit for 3 1/2 hours.  Luckily, I was in the screen room working when this all happened and did not hear about it until the nightly news.

When I returned home, I found that I have received an email from one of the descendants of the Laing Family (they owned Laings Pioneer Resort from the early 1920s to the 1950s).  The person who emailed me lives in Alberta Canada and could only tell me when the Laings moved to the area ( around 1903).  I told him that if I ever hear from the Laing descendants up on North Fork Place, I would advise them of his email.

And our dear neighbors Rad and Paula, have sold their cabin (papers signed yesterday).  So of the new people at Emigrant Gap (folks who purchased in the last 8 or so years) we are now the last ones (all of the folks who purchased at the Gap when we did, have now moved on).   It is hard to have a cabin in the snow.

Photo of the snow (it is the grayish white stuff on the ground) from the 21st.

New hearth for the screened-in deck.  Plywood wall behind will have stone added next week.

  

September 12, 2017 - Thoughts of Yellowstone

Last week, we took an amazing trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  Of course, we came home with lots of ideas for the lodge.  We stayed at the Three Bears in West Yellowstone for a part of the trip.  The owners (who we believe are in their late 70s), are also trying to preserve the history of their place.  When they remodeled in the 80's (after a nasty fire), they kept much of the preservable wood and used it to create furniture and wall accents.  They found layer upon layer of old wallpaper in one of the walls and used it to create a lovely framed history (no fiberglass in the 20s)  and added fuel to the fire.  Since their lodge was build around the same time as ours, the walls were filled with sawdust for insulation.  They worked at the Three Bears as managers for many years prior to purchasing the place.  They also took a road trip to southern California to meet with the previous owners, prior to their deaths in the late 80s.

We fell in love with the Old Faithful Inn and the rustic quality of the great hall.    We are thinking about adding some "log" look to the exterior of our place with some of our dying Cedar trees (we shall see!).  We were sad that they replaced the old dark Douglas Fir floors with something that looks like Pergo (though I think it is light stained hardwood).  But they were smart enough to recycle some of the old wood and make it into furniture and frames that they have for sale.

And whoever let them design the addition to the dining hall should be sat on a log and run out of town. It has none of the log quality that is in the older part of the hall. Why do \ designers sometimes feel they have to mess with a really really good thing.  The pillars in the room were pretty with a relief mural quality, but they did not fit in with the overall look and feel of the main dining hall.   And the lowered acoustic ceiling was atrocious.

We took many photos of accents at the main hall that we thought would be appropriate for our place.  Now - just to find the time.

Unfortunately, the Grand Teton - Jackson Lake Lodge was not as lovely as the Old Faithful Inn.  It was build in the 1950s during the time of budget constraints, concrete and linear lines.  We did not find many ideas there that we would wish to carry to our lodge.   But we were lucky to see a few moose out in the bogs from their deck.

We stayed at the Heart 6 Dude Ranch while in Grand Teton/Jackson area.   The owner is a collector of vintage Jackson items and had most on display in his main building.  Another lovely log great room to admire.  All the individual rooms are built in log ranch hand style.  During the peak season they offer tours into the back country on All Terrain Vehicles and in the winter on Snowmobiles.

Speaking of snowmobiles, here is a story of how the bad few have ruined things for the many.   In both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, during the winter season, people were allowed to snow mobile until recently.  A few idiot yahoos, were found chasing the already stressed wildlife with their machines, so now, the only way to take a trip on snowmobile is with a guided tour.  Not that I am a fan of snowmobiles in the park - but it reminds me of how much disrespect some people have for our public lands.

Additionally, (and I am ranting now), many of the boiling pools at Yellowstone have been ruined by people throwing coins and rocks into them (for good luck?).  Each year, the park has to fish out loads of debris from these pools and it has left them with bacteria that is killing the ecosystems.

We caught some foreign women collecting small rocks at the entry to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Of course,  they did not "understand English" as I asked them what they planned to do with the rocks.  I did follow them around for a bit to make sure that they were not pitching anything into one of the pools.  Such fools!

At our lodge, we have to deal with people who litter our streets with beer/soda cans and paper bags, drop glass bottles into our creek and dump their plastic garbage bags on the side of the street.  Sick though that is - it is not as bad as what some people believe they can do in our national parks.

One of our neighbors is trying to set up an "Adopt an Exit" for our neighborhood.  I will be happy to join her in that effort (since I already pickup everything I see), but I would prefer it if people would just stop littering!

One last thing.  I found a copy of a 1955 map of Emigrant Gap Area that I would like to add here - but alas - too big, so the URL is below.    It shows the route of Highway 40 and the railroad during this time.  With Siri and Google maps, I am wondering how long paper maps will be used?  For me, paper maps are dreamweavers and I hope they will always be published for our use.

https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/58954d34e4b0fa1e59ba62ac