Cabin & Bunkhouse — Coyote Ridge Lodge

The cabin, the bunkhouse, and other details:

The cabin has a strong wifi signal and a cell-phone signal booster (more on this below). There is also a land line phone. Al will send connection info as soon as you make a booking.

Heat: The cabin should be warm when you arrive. You’ll find an adjustable thermostat in the back bedroom. For a cozy and low-energy alternative, feel free to light a fire in the wood-burning stove. Rotate the front knobs counter clockwise to get more draft, especially when starting the fire. When it’s warm enough, close the knobs to slow down the fire. For a fireplace effect you can open both doors, but – this is VERY IMPORTANT -- be sure to put the fireplace screen (behind the stove) over the opening to keep sparks from flying out. You’ll find firewood in the woodshed and kindling in a box on the front porch. When the sun is shining you’ll get a lot of passive solar heat through the big bay windows.

The bunkhouse (if your rental includes this option) thermostat is right inside the door.

Air Conditioning: Halfway up the stairs you’ll find the air conditioner panel. Open the window and switch it on. It’s an evaporative cooling system, very energy efficient in this dry climate, so don’t hesitate if the cabin gets too warm.

The walnut floor was built with surplus from a walnut furniture factory in the southern Black Hills. The floor’s major enemies are dirt and water -- try to keep wet, muddy or dirty shoes and boots outside. Or right inside the door on the boot trays.

Garbage: Please toss full garbage bags into the dumpster at the bottom of the hill. You’ll find more garbage bags under the kitchen sink.

Phone signal: The canyon walls block most cell reception. However, the cabin has a signal booster; you should get a connection most of the time, especially if you’re close to the white transmitter on the ceiling. I have no problem getting and sending texts. Photos take longer.

No cell service? Check the base unit beside the beam just inside the front door. If the light isn’t green, unplug it for 5 seconds to restart. If service is too spotty, call or text the person you want to reach and ask them to call you back on the landline. The landline works for local calls and incoming long distance. Or try wifi calling (see last below for wifi calling setup).

Other Cabin details

The Deck: Outdoor deck lights go on automatically at dusk; you can set the switch on the post so they go off after 2,4,6 or 8 hours, or turn them off completely.
- The Dutch door out to the deck – you can open only the top half if you wish.
- You’ll find a sun shade that can be rigged up under the deck arbor.
- The deck furniture cushions – put them in the storage box on the deck if you want them to be dry for your first morning cup of coffee outside. (Note the big cushions for the wicker loveseat won’t fit in that box; just bring them inside at night if you wish.)
- The dinner bell on the deck came from Nepal. The clapper is made from a yak horn.

Bedrooms:
- To make the back room futon into a bed, pull it away from the wall and then gently lift up on the front side and slide it toward you. To return to couch mode, lift up on the other side until it snaps back into upright position.
- You’ll find more bed sheets and blankets on the lower shelves in the bathroom. Extra blankets and comforters are in the space at the foot of the bed, or in the bedside closet, upstairs.
- From the loft bedroom you should see excellent sunrises, and great views of a sky full of stars at night.

The Kitchen:
- Hot water comes from a tankless, on-demand system in the basement. You may have to wait a full minute before hot water gets to the tap but it’s very energy efficient and you’ll never run out.
- The kitchen has a lot of appliances – microwave, dishwasher, blender, hand mixer, toaster, electric waffle maker, a crock pot, several coffee makers, food processor and a grilling machine with several attachments.
- The dining table has leaves (usually stored in the upstairs loft closet) that attach to each end, making it big enough for 10 people. Please feel free to carry the table into the center of the main room if you need more seating space.
- Some tablecloths are stored in drawers under the bathroom sink.- Be careful not to put very hot pots, cups or pans directly on the table surface.
- You will also find some folding chairs in the loft closet.
- The gas grill outside – sometimes the starter button doesn’t make a spark. In that case, just drop a lit match in after turning on the gas.
- In the unlikely event that the propane tank supplying the gas grill runs out, there should be a full replacement tank in the corner of the deck.

Other info:
- You’ll find a large-capacity washer and dryer in the half bathroom. Should be a supply of laundry soap and dryer sheets too.
- Occasionally there will be flies and/or small gnats in the house. They tend to cluster on windows in daytime and around the loft light fixtures at night. We like to suck them up with the rechargeable dustbuster (inside the loft closet). This is a fun activity for kids and works way better than a fly swatter.
- Also feel free to use the picnic table in the meadow.
- Kids love tromping around in the woods. False-Bottom Creek, at the bottom of the meadow, is a favorite (although it usually dries up in July). Beware of two hazards: (1) poison ivy -- watch out for it, mainly along the creek (three leaves, pointed end, sometimes droopy or shiny). And (2) barbed-wire fences. Please be watchful.

In the Bunkhouse (if rented)
- Look in the wicker trunks for sheets, extra blankets etc for the futon.
- Extra blankets are stored in the upstairs cabinets.
- Feel free to rotate the futon into whatever sleeping position you desire.
- You can flip over the top of the card table. There’s a push rod under one corner and a backgammon board, plus chess and checkers pieces, underneath.

Back bedroom (CAN SLEEP FOUR) and TV ROOM

TV, audio directions:
- On the TVs home page you should be able to access Netflix, HBO Now and Amazon Prime, plus a ton of Roku options. - To watch DVDs, select the DVD option in the home menu. Push the “open/close” button on the DVD player to insert a disk. Then use the black Sony remote for other DVD controls.- Feel free to rotate the futon couch around for a better viewing angle.

- For Audio only you can connect your phone or other devices to the TV sound system via Bluetooth.

Safety: you’ll find a first-aid kit in the bottom drawer in the bathroom, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in every room, plus a CO detector in the kitchen. The white fire extinguisher near the stove is specifically for kitchen fires. A window fire-escape ladder for the loft is stored in the space at the foot of the bed upstairs. There is one security camera. It looks only at the parking spot, nowhere inside.

Contact info for the Spearfish hospital, police and fire, and local pharmacies is available in the desk binder.

Departure: When you leave, please take off bed sheets and toss them in the laundry room hamper. We’ll also be grateful if you clean up the kitchen and take garbage down to the dumpster on your way out. If you have time to start a load of towels in the washing machine, please do. These few things will be a big help to our faithful cleaning team who sometimes have a short turnaround time.

Any problems?
- We would also appreciate hearing about any non-urgent issues -- leaks, broken windows, electrical or plumbing problems, appliances not working right, etc. We will endeavor to fix any problems asap.
- Finally, if you think of anything that would improve the quality of your stay in Coyote Ridge Lodge, please let me know about that too. We’re grateful for any feedback. We want to make the Lodge a fun, comfortable and relaxing adventure for everyone. I hope you have a terrific stay. And safe travels.

For WIFI phone calls (usually better than the cell signal) these are the Verizon
instructions I use to connect my iPhone:
1. Tap settings
2. Tap phone, or cellular
3. Tap wifi calling
4. Tap or slide 'wifi calling on this phone' (should be green when it's on)