The Perfect Storm

Occasionally the planets line up and all the forces come together to form the perfect situation. One never know when it might happen so it is best to just dive in hoping that it will end up such an event. It happened for us this month as we prepared to open the resort and decided to do a little bit of long-overdue upgrading to the store and restaurant.  We weren’t sure how much we’d be able to accomplish before opening and the list was long, but we had the advantage of good weather, an early road open, and our long-time crew of dedicated and experienced resort-openers.

Then came the perfect storm part. Out of an almost completely new crew arrived Bill, Ron, Kevin, and  Anthony; and we were graced with the return of Melissa and Jason. Bill immediately became the “fix anything and everything” man and with his energy and expertise we knew we could move mountains in a short amount of time.

Dave arrived with Carl and Craig, and things started to happen all at the same time. Simultaneously walls were being rearranged, ancient linoleum was being removed, furnishings and equipment shifted around, regular opening chores like setting up tent cabins, putting up the overhangs and patio canvas cover were being magically completed, RVs were being hauled in, leveled and readied, the store was being stocked…

It was amazing. Through it all, Ron and Jason kept cooking and serving up the best possible food for a storm such as this, and never once complained about the dust and the commotion. At one time, all the dishes, pots and pans were stacked around in clean garbage bags and we’d have to go rooting around to find plates or a colander. But it really didn’t take long at all for order to begin to emerge from the chaos.

There are so many people I don’t have photos of who came to help over the first few weeks of opening 2013. Don the Plumber was crucial in getting the fixtures into the new bathhouse, and Mark the Electrician wired and installed all the lights and other electrical. Lester oversaw all the finish work and came up with creative solutions for many of the details of the shower areas – such as horseshoe hooks instead of towel racks. Gary was critical on the outside getting everything to happen even as people were sucked into the vortex of the store/restaurant – he did it all with a small but energetic crew. Dave W. was everywhere at once helping, snapping photos, providing an extra set of hands when needed, floating and showing up just when you needed someone’s help the most.

Thanks to the completion of the bathhouse, we were able to lose the store bathroom, which may not seem like a big deal unless you’ve worked in the store. If you have, you are applauding this now.  Gone is the cheesy paneling – never to show its ugly face again.

Now we have an alcove with extra space for merchandise – and its a good thing too, as we are expanding the store offerings this year. We’ll still carry all the backpacking and hiking / camping basics we’re known for, but we’ve slowly been expanding our soft goods and this year expect to see more clothing, more options for kids, more VVR-branded goods. We’re seeking out small vendors, like Dirty Girl Gaitors and Kara’s Earth balms & ointments. We’re carrying stickers from Alpine Signs in Bishop. Expect to see some awesome hats by XOB. And more.

We have a new logo this year that is gracing our ball caps and t-shirts. We’ll offer more hiker / camper friendly clothing, and carry lightweight camp shoes and flip flops. Our beer selection continues to amaze our visitors and we are happy to report that our distributor has expanded the microbrew offerings we can choose from. You won’t be disappointed! Vickie is making sure that the wine stays stocked so that Jim does not have to resort to selling her personal stash any more – and we have some good local wines we’ll try to keep on the shelves.

Along with the iconic VVR pies, we’re looking to bake more “grab and go” goods, such as the Magpie apricot oat bars (world-famous in Sierra Valley!), scones, rice krispy treats, cookies, and other tasty treats. Carol is being kept pretty busy by the grandchildren, but we hope she’ll be up to bake zwieback, her incredible staff birthday cakes, cinnamon rolls, and amazing cookies.

Another welcome sight is the linoleum-free floor in the restaurant. Tile is being set as I write and it will transform the look of the dining area to say nothing of making it easier to keep clean. We’ve been replacing all the carpet in the motel rooms with tile over the years and everyone from staff to guests gives tile a big thumbs up. Its durable, it looks good, it is easy to clean and it winters well. Another future plan is to install reproduction tin ceiling tiles in the restaurant.  We’re planning on making that a fall project, so look for it next summer.

Hats off to Dave and Carl, who did by far the majority of linoleum removal. It was no easy task. Even though they had use of a pneumatic tool that sort of wedged itself under the tiles, there were high traffic areas that resisted even that and the tile broke off in tiny chips. They were determined, and persistent, and won out in the end.

Most of the lumber used for this project was milled last summer by a small crew with a portable mill. We purchased some down trees from the USFS and over several weekends they were transformed into 2x4s and 4x4s. I photographed the milling and posted many of the pictures on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/vvr.edisonlake) and will try to do a blog post on it later this year. We may repeat the process if there are more trees available for purchase as it feels right to use local wood on this backcountry project.

I should mention, for those who may not know, that all this was done with power we generate ourselves with diesel generators as we are completely off the grid and 27 miles up a one-lane, winding mountain road. It is a good long drive to the nearest hardware store so this crew is good at making do with what we have.

Under the paneling on one of the walls we found some vintage wall-covering – I guess you call it linoleum as well – with 60’s stars, sparkles and colors. I kept a piece and want to frame it and hang it as a piece of the past.

Everything was insulated and dry-walled, which is going to reduce the noise clutter from room to room, and we choose some subtle paint colors to introduce into the store, a very pale sage green and a muted blue. We love the look of the wood siding we’ve added over the years, and the big beams that run through the store and restaurant, but wanted to add clean color to the mix.

I’ve been working with mountain home designers all winter and have some great ideas and input for adding “curb appeal” to the resort this year. There’s nothing like starting with an almost clean slate, too, and you’ll find that the store has a different layout this summer. Melissa has been a great source of ideas and action, and one of her many goals is to organize Jim’s command center. I wish her the best of luck, as I try all winter to keep his desk contained in one area but he is a “spreader” and likes to work with everything where he can see it.

This alcove added seating for 4-6 in our restaurant, and provides a space for larger groups and families to sit together. We removed what used to pass for a bus station in that area and now it is all dining space. In the opposite corner, under the TV, is now a beverage cooler so that our wait staff doesn’t have to run to the back of the store to fetch customer sodas and beer.

That little window on the upper right is over the new bus station, located now around the corner in the kitchen. It adds light as well as a way our wait staff can keep an eye on unruly customers (or people who just want more coffee) as they work back there. We scored last summer on some restaurant furnishings our scout, Carol, found at a Fresno thrift store. Carol and Vickie loaded up a flatbed trailer with nearly new chairs, tables, and two beautiful granite-topped cabinets. One of those has become the bus station and the other will either house the coffee station, or another, smaller utility area in the restaurant.

Old wood shelving was torn down and has been replaced with commercial steel shelving and racks. Our kitchen staff put their heads together to work out a more efficient kitchen and cleaned out a lot of old, unused stuff that was just taking up valuable space. It will take awhile to get everything back into its home and for it to be rearranged until it truly works, but again, starting from a clean slate is so much easier that simply rearranging old stuff.

Like many older resorts, we’re dealing with the hand we’ve been dealt in terms of the square footage and the basic layout of the buildings. Our kitchen is long and narrow and the only way to expand it is at the expense of something else in the building. Jim’s office is now a closet, but that’s okay as he’s rarely in there – he’s just taken over part of the front desk. We’re happy that computers have gotten smaller and we can almost do away with our big desktop monitor, tower, and desk and instead, perch anywhere with our laptops.

Everything has a fresh coat of paint on it and we’re off to a clean, fresh start to the season. We can hardly wait to see your response to the new and improved VVR dining experience. There’s more to come – the photographer had to go down the hill for awhile but I promise more pictures of the (nearly) completed improvements. Or, better yet, get yourselves up there for a first-hand look!