By "bed & breakfast without the host" we mean we provide the food to make breakfast - Krusteaz pancake mix, Log Cabin syrup, Quaker instant oatmeal, fresh ground Aspen Select Gourmet Texas Pecan coffee, specialty teas and hot cocoa. We also pamper our guests with 100% cotton line-dried sheets that are ironed smooth and oh, so inviting. You won't find that at just any cabin!
Wildlife, comfortable furnishings, WiFi, TV with DVD player, lots of family and kid movies, stereo with a wide variety of CDs, lots of books and games, and many extras to make your stay special. Cedar Lodge does not provide cable or dish service, and there is no TV reception on the mountain. We also do not have A/C, like 98% of the cabins on the mountain, as it is so rarely needed. We provide fans in the summer and when you leave the windows open overnight, it cools the cabin off and can be down right chilly by morning. We cater to families, yet pamper like a bed & breakfast!
It is recommended that you have chains or 4WD during the winter months. They're not always needed, but it's better to be prepared. I've had people write and ask if 4WD or chains are needed to access the cabin. 98% of the time, no, but if we get a big storm on the day you're scheduled to arrive, you may wish you had one or the other.
If you're into geocaching, there are LOTS of great sites nearby!
For our protection and yours, there is a security camera on the side exterior aimed at the driveway and another on the back side of the cabin.
Cedar Lodge sleeps 8 with three bedrooms and one bath - two bedrooms upstairs and one down. Each bedroom has a queen-size bed, with an electric blanket (fall/winter, only) and quilt or comforter, to keep the chill away. One bedroom has both a queen and twin bed. The twin bed doesn't have an electric mattress in the winter, but we put on warm flannel sheets and plenty of blankets and quilts. A second twin bed is located in the alcove between the two bedrooms.
We do not allow smoking on the property - inside or out, and we do not allow pets. Fire restrictions are usually high, but you may always use the propane grill on the deck.
Cedar Lodge boasts a roomy kitchen and a handmade 8' table and benches, allowing everyone to eat together. It's also a great place to play board games! The kitchen comes with a full size stove and refrigerator, microwave, toaster/convection oven, toaster, and drip coffee maker, and is fully stocked with dishes, cookware and crock pots, as well as a Weber gas grill on the deck. We also have a reverse osmosis water faucet at the sink. And just in case you get the urge to cook or bake, we have a well-stocked spice cupboard, as well as flour and sugar.
For those families with babies, we provide a wooden portable crib with bumper, mattress pads, and sheets (multiples of both, in case of accidents), high chair, booster seat, Bumbo seat, and baby jumper. Cleanliness is very important to us, so we try our best to make sure everything is as clean as possible, especially all baby items.
In the bathroom, we treat you to quality handmade soap and lotion from Thymeless Bath, which will leave you feeling and smelling wonderful. Our bathroom comes stocked with a blow dryer, curling iron and a flat iron, as well as extra toilet paper.
Cedar Lodge invites you to relax and leave the hectic city life behind. Our living area includes a large comfortable couch and chairs to curl up in and watch the fire. An antique writing desk is a good spot to catch up on correspondence or you can just relax in the rocking chair with a good book. Heat is available from the wood stove or furnace.
An ample deck provides the perfect spot to watch the hummingbirds up close. There is a wide variety of wildlife around Cedar Lodge, and we frequently spot deer (and occasionally, elk) around the cabin. Over the past 18 years we've seen white tail deer, mule deer, elk, porcupines, bears, raccoons, squirrels, and a variety of birds including lots of hummingbirds in the summer.
At Cedar Lodge, the summer daytime highs can be anywhere from 50 to 80 degrees with the overnight lows around 45 to 60, so bring a sweater or light jacket. June is the warmest month of the year and can sometimes reach 85, but it cools off beautifully at night. The rains usually start by the first of July and when it rains it can go from 75 to 55 in the middle of a summer day. It's the best feeling ever, especially coming from the desert!
Winter daytime highs can range from 20 to 50, with overnight lows very cold, so you'll definitely need a warm jacket! Electricity goes out quite a bit in the mountains, so the stove and microwave clocks are always needing to be reset. The good thing is it's usually back on within 30 minutes! Once in a while we get a big snow or wind storm that takes down some trees and power lines somewhere, and the power could be out for several hours. Don't worry, we provide plenty of wood to keep the fire going, and lots of extra quilts and comforters to layer on and keep everyone warm 'til the power comes back on. We've heard from guests who have experienced that and the kids loved the adventure of it all. They made wonderful memories!