For the lease term, visit the password-protected Names, Numbers, Addresses, & Maps section of the ski cabin web site, and then click on the contact card for "Ski Cabin".  Or visit the Calendar section and look for the start date.  If you are already signed in with your own personal YahooID, you may need to "sign out" and then sign back in using the Yahoo ID and password for ski cabin members.

There will be a key lock box on the front door.  For combinations to the lock box, go to the password-protected Names, Numbers, Addresses, & Maps section of the ski cabin web site and then click on the contact card for "Ski Cabin".

There will be house keys on the kitchen counter.  Please feel free to take a copy on the first day that you visit the cabin.

The key also opens the overhead garage doors.  You may have to turn the key pretty hard.  But it works.

There is a burglar alarm system.  I don't think we need to use it.  But in case somebody (like the maid) turns it on, please make a note of the disarming procedure located in the contact card for the "Ski Cabin".

Opening Procedure:

• Locate the water shut-off valve.  The water shut-off valve is usually a copper rod shaped like a "7" or a "T".  Turn it on when you arrive.  (It should be about a quarter turn counter-clockwise.)  For the house at 14579 Northwoods Blvd, it's a "T" located in the downstairs hall closet.
• Turn on the heat only in the bedrooms that will be used.
• Set the heat to a comfortable temperature in the living room.  Use only the thermostat located next to the fireplace.
• Turn the ceiling fan on low.  It really helps keep the room warm by pushing the warm air down.

Closing Procedure:

• Locate the water shut-off valve.  Turn it off before you leave for the week.  (It should be about a quarter turn clockwise.) For the house at 14579 Northwoods Blvd, it's a "T" located in the downstairs hall closet.
• Set the upstairs thermostat (next to the fireplace) to 50 degrees. (Heat "on". Fan "auto".)
• Turn off the upstairs bathroom baseboard heater but leave the bathroom door open so that the gas fireplace furnace will keep the pipes from freezing.
• Turn off the baseboard heaters in the bedrooms, the upstairs bathroom, and downstairs hallway.
• Close the doors on all bedrooms.
• Leave the downstairs bathroom's baseboard heater on low (so the pipes don't freeze) and close the door so that the bathroom heater doesn't try to heat the whole house.
• Turn off any lights (including garage and exterior lights), appliances, or space heaters.
• Lock the doors.

• Please park in the garage if possible.  It allows the snowplows to clear the driveway.  It also allows others to park closer to the house, and efficiently utilize the driveway.  Fold your mirrors in or do whatever you need to do to park in the garage.  Don't make others climb up the driveway or move your vehicle.  Any SUV except a Hummer will fit on the left side.  Only short vehicles fit on the right side.  If you have a vehicle that fits on the right side of the garage, please park on the right side, so that bigger vehicles can park on the left side.
• If you can't park in the garage, please pull all the way up to the garage door-- especially if it might snow.  Or pull all the way up to the vehicle in front of you.  This allows the snow-blowers to clear behind your vehicle.  And it means that there won't be much shoveling to do for the vehicle in front of you.
• If there's a choice, please don't park someone else in.  But if you park someone in, leave your keys on the kitchen counter so that others don't have to waste time finding you or knocking on every bedroom door to find you in the morning.
• Vehicles parked on the street are subject to be towed.

Turn the ceiling fan on low while you're there.  It pushes the warm air down from the cathedral ceiling and makes a big difference.  There is a white remote control for the ceiling fan.

The bedrooms have electric baseboard heaters which are relatively expensive to run.  Please be sure to turn the baseboards down when you leave to go skiing.  Please turn them off when you leave for the week.

It's cheaper to use the upstairs bedrooms and let them be heated (at least when you're not sleeping there) by opening the door and letting the gas fireplace heat the upstairs bedrooms rooms.

Please keep the downstairs bedroom and bathroom doors closed at all times, so the heat doesn't rise up the stairwell.

• Straighten up after yourselves.  We have a maid but until she arrives, nobody wants to deal with others' messes.
• Put your dishes in the dishwasher, not in the sink.  Run the dishwasher when it's full.  Empty it when it's clean.
• Shovel around the garbage shed near the end of the driveway.  Keep the deck reasonably clear of snow.  Shovel the front steps and around the garage doors.  This house has very little shoveling.  Fresh snow can be cleared in a few minutes.  But if you trample the fresh snow it will turn into dangerous ice overnight and it will be nearly impossible to hack out.  So if you trample the snow, please shovel it right away.
• Take the garbage and recycling bins out when they're full, and put them in the garbage shed at the end of the driveway.  If there is a "Yes/No" sign, set it to "Yes".

Our snowplowing company is only obligated to clear snow from our driveway if it's 18" or deeper, but they will usually plow after any reasonable snowstorm.  However, they generally don't plow until after a storm is over so there may be times when you can't pull into the driveway.  If you get up to the cabin and you can only pull part-way into the driveway because there's too much snow in the driveway, please call for urgent plowing as follows.

Urgent Snow Plowing

1. Call the snow plowing company (visit the password-protected Names, Numbers, Addresses, & Maps section of the ski cabin web site) and tell them the situation.
2. Tell them to call the cabin right before plowing so you can move your car out of the driveway.
3. If they call and to say they are on their way to the house, move your car onto the street, ASAP-- before they get there.
4. Keep your eyes peeled for the plow anyway, just in case they forget to call.
5. After they finish, move your car off of the street or you may get ticketed.

The snowplow drivers are extremely busy after/during a storm and they typically drive in T-shirts and sneakers so they will not walk up to the front door and ask you to move your car out of the driveway. If the plow pulls up and the driveway is blocked with a car, they will leave and they won't come back.

If even just one person keeps the driveway from getting plowed, it could really result in an icy nightmare, so please be careful to enable driveway plowing.

Broadband Internet:

There will be high speed Internet service with a wireless router.  There will be no security on the router so anyone can use the connection.  Visit the password-protected Names, Numbers, Addresses, & Maps section of the ski cabin web site) for details.

Long distance calls can only be made with a card. To make an AT&T long distance call, dial 1-800-321-2088.  However, most cell phone services seem to work at the cabin.

Hot Tubbing:

Firewood:

The house at 14579 Northwoods Blvd has an efficient gas fireplace/furnace in the living room.  No firewood is needed.