After a three-hour trek that should have taken only two, we drove through sometimes white-out conditions from Anchorage to Cooper Landing with Keith at the wheel. The scene was breathtaking as we rounded the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet, hugging the coastline with towering mountains on one side and icy seawater on the other. Waterfalls right by the side of the road are immobilized by the cold into blue-hued ice sculptures. Unlike the earlier trip taken by Keith and Charlotte a few days ago, we didn’t see any dall sheep this time.
We dropped off our luggage at a neighboring resort, Eagle Landing, and fortified our cold-weather wear by pulling on snow pants before we headed over to Gwin’s Lodge. As we arrived, we were met by Julie, who has been tasked with keeping the grounds somewhat cleared of snow, well at least the entrances to some of the buildings. The snow has accumulated to waist high in some places, and my attempt to go through some unplowed areas had me in thigh-deep snow. I am not sure I’ve ever been so immersed in snow before.
We walked through some cabins, noting what work needed to be done. We decided that all the bathrooms needed a face lift — new flooring and new light fixtures for sure. A bare bulb is just not a good look. I’d like to have shampoo, soap, and shower gel dispensers installed in each unit so that we don’t have to deal with those tiny bottles. A much more environmentally friendly solution. All carpeting in the cabins will be pulled up and installed in its place some kind of hard surface. Almost all of the mattresses need to be replaced. All the futons will be tossed out in favor of sleeper sofas. The sliding doors in two cabins will need to be replaced with french doors that actually work. Non-functioning heaters will have to be fixed or replaced. The lovely paneling and linoleum walls of one cottage house need to be addressed. As we ticked off each item, I could hear a mental cash register ring up the dollars.
The 1952 spruce log structure that is the signature of Gwin’s Lodge is the restaurant. The kitchen was added on later, and has been added onto at least two more times. Its history can be easily seen in the hodge-podge layout where walls, doorways, and equipment are not placed in locations that made sense. There are ovens, ice makers, and other equipment that don’t work any more but are still sitting in the kitchen, taking up valuable space. There are equipment that, if used, would blow the circuit breaker. We discussed ways to add more ovens and countertop space to increase the capacity and efficiency of the kitchen. As much as I’d like to just overhaul the entire kitchen, we don’t have enough funds in the budget to do such a massive job.
In the seating area of the restaurant and bar, some of the furniture need to be replaced. We looked with disblief at a prior repair job of a bar stool — its broken leg was held together by baling wire and a screw that stuck out the other side by two inches. The screened windows of an added seating area also need glass to make the room weather tight. We also discussed building a deck around the restaurant and in front of the retail store building to add seating and general hanging out space for the guests.
One way to add more capacity to the kitchen is to add an entirely new kitchen in the retail store building. This secondary kitchen would serve pizza, ice cream, pies, and other food items. Of course, pretty extensive work is planned for this retail building. Among the tasks discussed: adding windows to improve the lighting of the interior, adding a second door on the other end of the building, adding a bathroom facility, moving the registration desk, and reworking the layout of the merchandize displays.
Oh, did I mention a whole septic system? Yes, it appears that we need to install another septic system so that we can properly utilize the pavilion and employee lounge buildings near the back of the property. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had been riding the prior owner of Gwin’s Lodge pretty hard. The latest seemingly still unresolved issue being the new pavilion building. It has ruled that the pavilion cannot be used for any purpose unless a separate septic system is installed to service that building. This material issue was not disclosed to us at any point by Wells Fargo, the bank, or the real estate agent. Needless to say, this issue needs to be cleared up before we close.
I sure hope Gary and his brother, our future maintenance men, and their future helpers are ready for this herculean task of getting Gwin’s Lodge back in order. God help us!
Copyright 2012 Wei Wei Jeang. All rights reserved.
How cute is this little gem of a log cabin?! This is one of the smaller cabins at Gwin’s Lodge.
There was quite a bit of snow accumulation on the property. It was thigh-high in some places. This is the Birch cottage house surrounded by beautifully adorned Spruce trees.
Everywhere we looked was postcard-worthy scenery. This photo was taken on the way from Cooper Landing to Soldotna.
