Fall Preparation

Fall is transition time around the resort each year. With the quickly changing weather patterns, you may not have many consecutive days to fit in a long project. There are always a handful of tasks for each cabin to consider at the end of each season. We usually have some open days or weeks for some of the cabins until we fully close down, so it does limit the amount of work that can be done. We do not want to be too disruptive while guests are staying with us.
One of the first tasks and sign of the end of summer is closing of the pool. We do not fully drain the pool for the winter period, rather we drain it down fall enough that we can blow out the intake and return lines and fill them with antifreeze. Once that is done, we quickly get it covered to limit the amount of debris that falls from the trees or blows into the water.
Fall can be a good time to get some cabin painting done, specifically on the outside, we have completed a few but with our older cabins they also must be sandblasted which adds additional time needed. It can be challenging as temperatures must stay relatively warm even at night when painting; so that window is short.
Another big task we try to keep up with is ground cleanup, mostly pinecones, pine needles and leaves. With all the trees we have they quickly accumulate as temps drop. We blow and vacuum as much as we can, load into our dump trailer and make many trips to the transfer station to unload. We probably have two full weeks of nonstop ground clean up in the fall, but can come to an abrupt end with the first snowfall.
As soon as we can, we pull out the roll in docks which usually can be done in a two-day period. Then turn our attention to blowing out the water to the cabins to winterize them. That takes four separate efforts, one per well, to complete before freezing weather sets in. You hate to turn the water off as it then limits what can be done around the resort.
The fall preparation and prevention steps are so important to do correctly as it will keep the spring opening smooth. You never know how much time you will have in the spring; mother nature dictates that.