Setting:
The land here is hilly, sandy, and populated by grasses, cedar and juniper trees, wild rabbits, birds, coyote and the occasional antelope. We are stewards of 80 acres of formerly raw land, and we have attempted to make as minimal an impact on it as possible. We have put in solar panels, and set up a wind generator, so are off the national electricity grid. We have on-site water, we divert our gray-water for agricultural purposes, and gather some rain-catch in the garden. We have a Bath House on a septic tank, composting toilets in some cabins, and we compost our organic waste (unused food) to make soil amendments for the garden. We burn our trash, and take glass & metals to Flagstaff for recycling. We are a non-smoking facility and a drug-free zone, so don't even ask for permission to use - fire danger is ever-present during the dry, arid summers.
We use propane for heating and refrigeration, because firewood is less available and renewable for us at this time. We have a land-line phone, with its abysmally slow dial-up Internet connection; cell-phone service is spotty and unreliable here. We have satellite cable access for TV although we keep considering letting that go, until the Discovery channel produces something worthwhile or the new Sci-Fi channel season starts up again. All the comforts of home!
We have sited the cabins out of washes, but the wind and rain still erode. We have created walking paths with an eye to ease of use, but the wind and rain still erode. We have even fenced-in our garden with an eye to enhancing the likelihood that our tender plants will survive to grow strong and hearty, but the wind and rain still erode, and the sun bakes relentlessly. Its the high desert plateau, and this is how it is here.
Weather:
As the local real estate developers are fond of saying, "if you don't like the weather in Arizona, wait 15 minutes" and there are times this is true. For the most part, we have warm or hot, clear sunny days and chilly, clear star-filled nights, and the weather is easily accommodated in any season. Our period of being open for guests runs from late-March or by Earth Day in April, through the summer and fall until late October. Before and after those dates, we are liable to get snow or bone-chilling overnight freezes. Winds can seem relentless, especially March - May. We gratefully have a rainy season, which generally runs from late June through September, with up to a couple of hours of rain every afternoon, if we're fortunate to get that. We consider it a free shower, and often spend that time outdoors!
Your responsibility is to bring the following:
- sunglasses with UV protection
- sunscreen that you'll apply several times daily when outdoors
- skin protection for dryness, such as lip balm and lotion
- closed-toe, sturdy walking shoes, for uneven paths & cactus spurs
- long-sleeve, light cotton shirts for being outdoors for work or walks
- a jacket or sweater for cool nights, and the chill of rainy days
- a shade hat, protection for your face & neck (and top of your scalp!)
- a water bottle that you'll carry with you, as rehydration is a must!
We can pick you up from (and return you to) the bus station in Holbrook (off Interstate 10) for $10 each way, or the airport in Show Low (Hwy 60/277) and sometimes Flagstaff) for $20 each way. Otherwise, we expect that you will drive in. There are no gas stations for 25 miles, so don't come empty. We have no covered parking, so you'll want sunshades for your windshield - parking will be available beside your cabin, and we request that any 'traffic' be light and considerate of other guests & residents.