quirks
Some quirks to note about Cloudcroft and the cabin:
cloudcroft
altitude
Cloudcroft sits at ~9,000 feet above sea level, so you won't able to process as much oxygen as you do at lower altitudes. The atmosphere contains the same amount of oxygen at every altitude (20.5%), but, with lower atmospheric pressure, there is less force driving oxygen into the alveoli in your lungs. So you get less oxygen. For example, at sea level, the partial pressure of oxygen is 158.8 millimeters of mercury. At 9,000 feet, it's 113.2, about 30 percent less. That's a lot (less)! And if you're a fat slob like me, you can feel it.
In my case, I feel it when I exert myself, such as going up the stairs multiple times in the cabin or going up a rapid rise in elevation during a hike. I find that I'll start breathing heavier as my body says "Where's that damn oxygen!?!?" I sometimes also experience headaches on my first day at elevation. Each person experiences elevation differently, and for some, it can be quite serious, so be careful.
The first thing to remember is to not freak out (I thought I was having a heart attack after hiking up three flights of stairs at a VRBO). This was a major reason we sought to have the living spaces and primary bedroom suite on one level without the need for too much stairwalking. The second thing to do is consider having a mellow first day (no major exertion) to get your body acclimated to the altitude. If it's too much to move around at full altitude, pick a spot at a lower altitude to hike and whatnot.
monsoon season
Every mid-to-late summer in New Mexico is monsoon season. Monsoon season generally runs from June 15th through September 30th. During monsoon season, it rains (almost) like clockwork from about noon to six PM every gol-dang day. And it gets chilly when the rains come due to evaporative cooling. If you are in Cloudcroft during monsoon season, you want to do your outside stuff such as hiking in the morning and then hunker down (or drive to see something at lower elevations) in the afternoon. You may still get rained on at lower elevations, but you can duck and bob the storms. In Cloudcroft, the afternoon rains tend to be constant.
The best time of year to be in Cloudcroft (unless you love snow!) is May through mid-June when temps are at their warmest and before the monsoon season. However, during droughts, monsoon season is more touch and go.
garbage
Cloudcroft has centralized garbage collection, which means you'll have to haul your trash to one of the many dumpsters located around town. The nearest one is on Geronimo and is walkable, at least for us.
recyclables
Cloudcroft also has centralized recycling located behind Bigfoot Industries. They take cardboard, paper, tin cans, aluminum, and two types of plastic. There are also dumpsters there in case you discover something that is not recyclable. They do not recycle plastic bags or glass. We have a recycling bin on the left side of the sink (when facing it) and sorting "bins" in the utility room off the front porch.
winds
Sometimes it can get quite windy in the spring. Fortunately, the cabin is somewhat protected from these winds because it rests just below the mountain crest to the west (when you look west down Geronimo from the driveway, the top of that hill is the top of the mountain range here). When it's particularly dry and windy, gypsum dust from White Sands and rusty dust from the rest of the basin can top the mountain and be in the air. Be aware
low humidity
The humidity is quite low up in the mountains, so if you arrive from a humid cesspool, get ready for chapped lips, bloody boogers, and possible nosebleeds. Be sure to bring or buy chapstick (and be careful picking your nose!). However, during monsoon season, the humidity is higher due to evaporating the day's rains.
cabin
the pooperpumper
Because the cabin sits below the city sewer line, we have a pooperpumper in the basement. The pooperpumper is a sewage pump that pumps everything that goes down the drain up into the city sewer. This is why it is critically important to NEVER FLUSH "FLUSHABLE" WIPES IN THE CABIN!
Flushable wipes are flushable in that you can flush them down the toilet, but because they are made of fibers that hold them together, they WILL clog up the pooperpumper. If you do not want to meet your good friend Tommy the Turd again (you will smell him first...), DO NOT FLUSH FLUSHABLE WIPES IN THE CABIN!!!
Also, do not flush feminine products either. The only things that you flush should be the three Ps: poop, pee, and paper.
I'm told that you should not put fish bones down the sink either. But you should NEVER FLUSH "FLUSHABLE" WIPES IN THE CABIN!!!
you never want to meet the pooperpumper
getting there
There are two roads to cloudhaus: Geronimo and Apache. Apache is rather steep and, without maintenance, can be quite rough, requiring four-wheel drive. I've had a loaded a Honda Element not able to make it up that gravel road in the summer. The preferred path is to come in via Geronimo. There are several ways to do this from downtown—one is shown below. If you have four-wheel drive, knock yourself out on Apache!
the lock
fireplace
To activate the fireplace, slide the switch to its highest-most position and wait about a minute (like, seriously, 60 seconds). Check out the video below for an example (it will turn on faster with repeated use). You'll hear a bat-ton of clicking, some silence, and then the fire will roar. Note that use of the fireplace just warms the public spaces and will suppress temperatures in the bedrooms and bathrooms (it warms the thermostat). We recommend not using the fireplace in the morning until everyone is out of bed and out of the shower.
The fireplace is ventless (!!!) since it burns the LP gas at something like 99.6% efficiency. However, there's still that 0.4% that makes us a little nervous, especially since you can maybe smell combustion products. Therefore, do not leave the fireplace on all the time (especially at night). Use it for spot ambiance and for heating the public spaces when needed. Otherwise, turn it off. We do have a carbon monoxide monitor/alarm in the kitchen. So far, it has never squawked.
stovetop
The stovetop is cool as batpoo but, like Nick Cage, ain't quite right. The sparkers aren't working properly yet on all the burners. Therefore, please use matches to light the burners. An electronic "match" is located in the swing-down cubby hole just below the countertop where the stove is.
four-wheel drive
If you plan to come during the winter (October-November through March-April), you really need four-wheel drive and perhaps chains. Our driveway is quite steep and requires four-wheel drive (and maybe a little shoveling down to gravel) to get out. The roads to our cabin may also require four-wheel drive during snow season. The outdoor storage space (the black door in the front entry) has shovels and whatnot if needed. In fact, if you are here during the winter, don't go down the drive. You can park at the top by the telephone pole—just be considerate of the neighbors.
rainwater harvesting
[We're working on some glitches with the rainwater system, so when you visit, the cabin will be on city supply.]
Rainwater is the primary supply for the cabin with the city supply (groundwater [but eventually also direct potable reuse]) being the back-up. Our water system also has a water softener. When we are not there, we switch over to the city supply to keep a chlorine residual in the lines. [for the time being, we are only on city water]
windows but no window treatments
Our windows are untreated, and that's the way we like it. However, shy guests may feel uncomfortable walking around in their skivvies (or less) in the cabin. In this case, please consider bringing your housecoats or PJs when you visit. Maybe at some point we'll provide housecoats, but for now, plan to bring your own. The forest is open to the public and folks do, from time to time, wander around in the valley behind our cabin (not uncommonly to spy the cabin from the forest side!).
windows but no window overhangs
With the exception of a few windows (one in the kitchen, two in the dining room, and one in the downstairs bathroom), none of the windows are under overhangs. Therefore, please close the windows whenever you leave the cabin, especially during monsoon season. Otherwise, the rain will pour in and really make a mess of things.
that TV
That TV is something called The Frame. It is meant to look like a piece of art hanging on the wall when not in use and will turn on whenever it detects someone in the room (and will turn off after a period of time after folks leave). It's OK: it's not haunted. Enjoy the art.
The TV is hooked up to the Yamaha amp via an optical connection. Using the Yamaha controller, turn the amp on by pressing "AMP" and then press the "OPTICAL" button. The volume controls on this controller then control the volume. Note that the TV requires more volume than the other bits (turntable, bluetoother), so be sure to turn it down before using the other bits. You have to point the controller straight at the unit for it to work.
To control the TV, use the Samsung controller. Press the home button (looks like a house) and then press the return button (an arrow turning back on itself). This gets you to the home screen for the Apple TV. Sometimes the system forgets the wifi password, so you may have to re-enter it.
Fubo is the general TV. Netflix is at the bottom. HBO is on there. Oh look: there's Disney! You should also have access to movies we have bought via Apple. Please do not rent or buy stuff on our account unless you plan to pay us for it.
You can play music from your phone or bluetooth-enabled device. Look for and connect to B06+ to connect, select Input 1 from the Yamaha controller, and rock out. Be considerate of the neighbors.
no wine glasses
Actually, we do have wine glasses. We do what the good grape-drinking folks along the Mediterranean do: use our every day glasses for wine. As my momma always said, if it's good enough for orange juice, it's good enough for whiskey.
attack of the killer moths
Adult moths appear in late June and peak in early July and are freakin' EVERYWHERE. During moth months, please do not leave the balcony/porch doors open in the evening hours, otherwise you will be starring in Kevin Costner's little known sequel "Sleeps with Moths." The moths like to hide in the door jambs of the sliders and in the casement windows (although I think I solved the latter issue on a recent trip...). I don't know how the little light-seeking bastards get in there, but they do. I keep the handheld vacuum cleaner handy to vacuum them up (the vacuum is in the cleaning cabinet in the kitchen). Once I get a load of them flame-seeking sumbitches, I walk a distance from the cabin, stand upwind, and release them back into the wild.
wildlife
We have elk, deer, and even wild horses making appearances out back. Some neighbors down the way at 1313 Victoria provide water for the wild horses (which is fine by us). Haven't seen the horses on our property since we built the cabin, but the elk and deer will come across the fence and hang out. We've seen raccoons, skunks, and crows around the cabin as well.
nightlights
The front porch light ain't that bright. If you want to "leave a light on" for when you return, turn on the ring lights in the stairwell. Light pours out the front windows.
computer
You have access to the computer via guest login; however, you will not be able to save anything to the hard drive.hidden door in the fridge
The Fridge has a hidden door that allows you to access drinks and filtered water. You open it by pulling on the center of the bottom of the upper left hand door. It only opens when your hand pulls on the center.
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