Monday, July 28, 2008

Keepin On at Seven Oaks

Checked out the progress this past Friday and Saturday of our two big projects. No pics this time but a whole lot, I mean a lot of dirt has been moved. Picture in your mind the top pulleys from the former Keaston surface lift and that is the elevation we are nearing as the top of our mountain gets higher. It is the goal that when you get off this chairlift (named Valley View Chair Lift by the way) that you will ski and carve all the way to the bottom. Seems with the continuing weather pattern, we get a day or two in, then get rain so we wait for a couple days to let things dry out and then repeat the process. Do you think this rain pattern will be our snow pattern this winter!?

.....and on the lodge, the new entrance (ticket sales and retail) is finished. Have to put the bulbs in the canned light fixtures in the ceiling and eventually get the ceiling fan purchased and installed but I think we will start using the space this weekend, even without the floor covering. Looking Good!

Friday night is our August Friday after Five......DJ, Chair rides, drink and food specials, all B4 the kids return to school.......so come on out and enjoy with your SCHOOL COLORS.

Also getting ready for the State Fair (booth in the varied industries building), had a big class reunion last Saturday and a wedding reception this Saturday, lots of canoes, kayaks, tubes going out and several paintball groups.....and wow was there a lot of tent campers last weekend....whew.......and it should continue like this for at least six more weeks........hope you are taking advantage of the summer weather too.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

getting closer

Howdy ole faithful Bloggers,


Here is a view of the ticket and retail room looking north. There is a hallway to the right of the window that when entered from the parking lot allows patrons to take a left when they enter which will lead to the two new restrooms with shower or take a right and enter the ticket/retail room.


this is a picture inside the hallway looking at the entrances to the two restrooms.


This pic is the new door (near the glass retail counters inside the old lodge) that will lead to the much needed new men's restroom.



Work continues on the earth moving for the chair lift as well. More pics on that area in the near future.
Remember our monthly Friday after Five will be August 1.........just a couple days before the State Fair. Have you booked your river float yet........let's go, it's great!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Progress comes one nail and one cubic yard at a time

Progress continues to be made on the two major projects currently underway for the summer.

Here are a couple pics of the ticket/retail room as the knotty pine is being installed....one nail at a time and there are a lot of nails!


The door on the left side that you can see goes into the lodge and the door to the right leads to the sidewalk between the bridge and the former entrance to the lodge. I think you will like it.

And here are a couple shots taken yesterday of the reshaping of the top for the ultimate installation of the triple seat chair lift........and many, many cubic yards of dirt are being moved. This is going to make these four ski trails sooooo cool. Can't wait.



Abbys Alley, Freeway, Central Park and Kenzies Korner will be longer runs and all easisly accessed by the new chair lift.

All this is happening while we see many of you for a full service river float or one of the many paintball groups.


Hey, make sure you stop and say hi at our booth at the State Fair in a couple weeks. North wall in the varied industries building.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

A Progress Report on the Chair Lift

Saturday, July 12, the equipment arrived and started moving dirt at the top of the Freeway--near the Keaston surface lift to create the unload area for the additional chair lift being installed this year. The Keaston has been removed. Here is a photo of the Keaston before work began.


And two quick pics of some of the equipment being used to make the runs longer and the top of the lift higher.


Goal = Keaston removed; runs higher & longer


On Sunday, July 12 we began the disassembly of the chair lift. Step one is to remove all the chairs so they are ready to transport to Seven Oaks. ... and so the cable can be inspected before it is removed. Here are the chairs removed from the haul rope and ready to load onto trailers for the ride to their new home at Seven Oaks.

This is the shot of the LAST chair to be removed after six and one half hours of work. Twigg, Joel and son in law Jody did the work....... I represented management!

And a couple shots of the chair lift before the disassembly begins. You will note that the terrain at Seven Oaks is much steeper than here.


This chair will also be a rear load chair.

Then on Monday, July 14, Joel accompanied the inspector from Missouri as he gave a "thumbs up " on the condition of the steel cable (haul rope). The process has begun! We'll keep posting photos as work continues. Snowmaking in November will be here before you know it!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Interior lodge work

Thought it was time for a lodge addition update as it has been a while since I blogged. The plumber is done with all that he can do on the interior until he can install fixtures which will only be done once the carpenter is done. The electrician is moving along. He has the entrance completed so the carpenter this week got all the interior walls insulated and soon they will start with the knotty pine on the walls and ceiling in the 14 foot vaulted ceiling entrance which will be used for our summer and winter ticket sales as well as our retail sales. I will get some photos of the knotty pine once it is done........really, I will!

Later......
ps. the full service river floats are going gang busters again. Goood Hotttt Summer days is what everybody was waiting for and now it's here......plus the flood to be behind us!