ASPEN HOUSE #8, 13549 Valerian, Black Butte Ranch
(541) 595-2212
GENERAL WINTER INFORMATION FOR OUR GUESTS
(NOVEMBER through MAY)
We want you to have a great time at our cabin, but to a large extent this depends upon the care each of our guests give the cabin and the effort they make to leave it in good condition. We have tried to keep our regulations to a minimum; your help in heeding them should increase your enjoyment and will be appreciated by us and by those who follow you.
For more detailed information see the Owner’s Notes binder by the telephone. THANKS!
The floor has been insulated for your comfort, but this means that the water pipes in the crawl space get COLD, and pipes will freeze. Please help avoid expense and inconvenience of frozen pipes to you and to those that follow by following our TWO CRITICAL WINTER RULES: (1) Turn off the water heater and drain the water lines before leaving, and (2) Never turn the thermostat below 50 o, i.e., never turn heat to OFF.
● Check in at the Welcome Center, inside the front entry to the left.
● PLEASE no pets and no smoking under any circumstances.
● Your code to the keyless entry lock is on the cover letter sent with this information. Turn the indoor thumb latch to vertical to prevent the entry from automatically relocking. Return the latch to horizontal to relock.
● You are welcome to use the bikes in the storage shed on the front deck (key to shed on rack by kitchen light switch. They are to be USED AT YOUR OWN RISK, because we have no way of checking the bikes after each use. For your convenience a few repair tools are the bottom kitchen drawer next to the range. IMPORTANT: Oregon law requires bike riders 16 years and under to wear helmets; we urge adults also to wear them. Bring your own bike helmets or rent them at the Black Butte Glaze Meadow bike rental facility.
● You are welcome to make any local phone calls you wish. However, please do not make long distance phone calls unless they are collect or billed to another number. (Bend and Redmond are local calls. The house phone number is 541-595-2212.
● Internet -- Wi-Fi is available in our cabin. The information you need to connect to the internet Wi-fi should have been sent to you with your registration materials. This information is also in the AH8 information binder and in a note on the wall, both near the phone.
● Please treat our cabin gently. We care about maintaining a comfortable and inviting place to stay and ask that you help us take care of our cabin as you would your own. If you need to do some cleaning during your stay, you will find a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies in the entry closet. Thanks!
Upon Arrival -- CHECKLIST
___ 1. Turn ON water at the valve under the blue-painted white cover by the front steps. The water is ON when the handle is moved 1/4 turn counter clockwise. The handle may be stiff in the winter, so apply constant steady force.
___ 2. Close water taps. The previous guests should have left several water taps open to permit water to drain. These should be closed as soon as the water is turned on. If all is well and no pipes are broken, closing the taps should stop all sound of running water. If there are broken pipes, immediately turn OFF the water and call Black Butte Maintenance 541-595-1527.
3. Turn ON circuit breaker for hot water heater (it's located behind the wall hanging in the hall area opposite the inside stairs). Do this ONLY after the water has been turned on, water (not air) is coming from any hot water tap, and you have determined that there are no broken pipes!
___ 4. Adjust furnace thermostat to desired temperature (control is on the living room wall to the left of the sliding door). Even if the weather is warm, leave the thermostat ON; simply turn the temperature down (never below 50o).
___5. Fireplace -- If you use the fireplace insert, remember first to open the damper (push the control rod IN). Leave the door open slightly until the fire gets burning strongly, to improve the draft. Firewood is stacked on the ground beyond the deck, and a splitting maul is in the bike storage shed (to be used ONLY on the bare ground, not on the paving, deck or hearth!).
6. Barbeque – If you use the propane BBQ, please move it at least two feet away from any combustible material (e.g., the privacy fence where it is stored). Before igniting please check for and remove any grease or flammable debris that the previous guests failed to remove from the drip tray. It slides out from the rear. We had an unfortunate fire resulting from such an accumulation. Clean-up is aided by lining the drip try with aluminum foil before use.
Upon departure - CHECKLIST
___1. We do not have linen service, so please wash and dry the towels/wash cloths and sheets/pillow cases that you used – Rehang the towels on the bathroom towel bars, even if not dry when you leave. Please make the beds with the sheets and pillow cases that you used.
2. Clean up any unusual messes to be fair to our housekeepers. This means put dirty dishes in dishwasher, run the garbage disposer until clear, clean-up trash and spilled food on stove, counter, walls, and carpet.
3. Clean the grease tray of BBQ grill. If you used the grill, make sure that the propane cylinder is closed. The removable aluminum grease tray should be taken to the kitchen sink and cleaned for the next guests. Cleaning the grill is not a responsibility of our house keepers. If you used the spare cylinder (in the storage shed), please take the empty cylinder to House Keeping on McAllister Road for refilling. Ask that the cost be charged to our AH8 account.
___ 4. Turn OFF all lights and appliances. Unplug coffee maker and toaster. Please double check that the stove top and oven are OFF.
___ 5. Turn down furnace thermostat to 50o (Do NOT turn heat OFF, to protect the pipes against winter temperatures)
6. Close and latch the fireplace insert door (open damper fully to allow any fire to die out). If the ashes are cold, please take them to the dump to help the next guest, since this is not a responsibility for our housekeepers.
7. Open cabinet doors under sinks in both bathrooms and kitchen and open the dishwasher door. This will allow room air to keep drain pipes warm enough to prevent their freezing.
___ 8. Turn OFF water heater at the circuit breaker (Reverse the procedure for “Arrival” item 3). This is particularly important, since the water is to be turned off and the lines drained (see item 9S below).
___ 9. Turn OFF the water and drain the lines. (Reverse the procedure for “Arrival” items 1 & 2) When the outside water valve is turned OFF, a drain is simultaneously opened, but the lines will not drain completely unless air is allowed into each of them by the following actions:
BEFORE shutting OFF the water open the following taps, mixing both hot and cold water where possible. Only a trickle of water needs to flow:
___ a. Upstairs bathroom, either sink or shower
b. Downstairs bathroom sink and bathtub
___ c. Kitchen sink
AFTER shutting OFF the water:
d. Flush the downstairs toilet to open that valve
e. ONLY if you used either of the two outside faucets, open the faucet(s) to permit drainage for 2-3 min, then reclose the faucet(s). Do not leave either outside faucet open. You may ignore this, if you did not use either outside faucet.
10. Close the curtains to protect furnishings from sunlight.
___ 11. Close and lock all doors and windows.
12. Take trash and ashes to the dumpsters on your way out. Dumpsters and recycling bins are located at the Black Butte Recycling Center on McAllister Road, which is reached by going out the Fiddleneck Gate, turning right and going ½ mile. See the upper left hand side of the Black Butte map provided at the ranch when you register. (McAllister Road continues out to Highway 20, giving you a ½ mile head start back towards the valley.) REMEMBER, WE DO NOT HAVE TRASH PICKUP, so do not leave anything in the trash containers in the house
IF THE CABIN IS NOT CLEAN UPON YOUR ARRIVAL, PLEASE LET US KNOW. Also let us know of any other problems you find so that we may tend to them promptly.
Thanks very much for staying in our cabin, and thanks for your help in keeping it pleasant for those who follow. We hope you have a great vacation!
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:
John and Gretchen (in Corvallis) 541-752-3214
Cell: John 541-740-3559; Gretchen 541-740-6496
Black Butte maintenance 541-595-1527