The Featherbed Railroad blog is about things that are happening in and around one of the most unique resorts in Northern California - the Featherbed Railroad. For those who like blogs and social media stuff, this is a fun follow that we promise will have some good deals and fun ideas for planning your visit.
View From Wright Peak - Mount Konocti
On a clear day, you can see forever. That’s what the musical claimed way back in 1965. Apparently they had been to the top of Mt. Konocti. I had the chance to enjoy the view of forever this week, and it is as breathtaking and spectacular as I had heard.
Mt. Konocti County Park opened last fall, and we’ve had a few guests make the trek and tell us how wonderful it is. So when I got an invitation to accompany a county co-worker to the top, I jumped on the chance!
Expect a good workout. The trail to Wright Peak is 3 miles, and part of it is decidedly steep. And don’t forget, you have to turn around and get down from the top, too. The elevation increase over those 3 miles is over 1,600 feet. In the interest of time, I skipped the historic side-trip and the super-steep and slippery path to Howard Peak, which means I’ll have to go back. Soon, I hope. There is a fire tower at the top of Wright Peak, which fascinates me in a way I don’t entirely understand. Maybe it’s like Tony and his love for lighthouses; I just have a thing for fire towers. I’ll call ahead before my next trip; if a docent is available, I want to climb up in that tower!
The Cleanest Air in California - Again
The American Lung Association (ALA) released its annual State of the Air 2012 Report. State and local area air quality are graded on an A through F scale by comparing local ozone and small- particulate concentrations with the federal air quality standards. Although many areas, especially within California, were given failing grades, Lake County passed with flying colors.
Lake County received an “A” grade for Ozone, a “B” grade for short term particulate pollution, and is ranked the 8th cleanest county in the Nation for annual particulate average concentrations. Out of California’s 58 counties, Lake County is 1 of only 9 that did not have any days of ozone air pollution levels in the unhealthful range. This impressive record has been documented by continuous air quality monitoring from 2008 through 2010, which showed that ozone in the air never exceeded allowable levels during that time and small particulate only exceeded the allowable limits during the 2008 wildfires.
The wildfire impacts have affected Lake County’s rating for several years as the grading is based on three years of data from 2008 through 2010. Even with the wildfire impacts, Lake County is the only county in California to place in the top 10 cleanest counties in the country for small-particulate levels, with Shasta and San Benito counties being the only other counties in California to make the top 25.
Nerdy Stuff - Social Media and the Innkeeper
I usually try to write blog posts about fun stuff in the area or things of general interest but this time we're going in a different direction. This post is about social media. I can see all the normal people clicking away from this page already and wondering where the recipes are.
So why focus on this today? Simple - I've been listening to recordings from the most recent innkeeper's conference and it's amazing how many of the workshops weren't about things like better breakfasts, happier guests or cleaner rooms - they were about social media.
Like all small businesses innkeepers face the reality that we, too, are business people as well as hosts, greeters, computer techs, maintenance specialists, chefs, painters, decorators, housekeepers, chauffers and dog sitters. And that's just before noon! While making guests happy is always our first priority, all that other stuff has to get in there too and it better be done with the same level of enthusiasm.
But this focus on social media only reflects the importance of this aspect of our business reality to our little mom and pop operations.
New Beds
We've got a lot of things we hope to accomplish to make the Featherbed Railroad a better place to stay. There are little things and big things - important things and really important things. One of those things got checked off the list last week - the mattresses. If we could blink our eyes like Jeannie we'd have done this a while back; however, things don't work this way.
Fortunately many of you have chosen to stay with us this year already and, because of that, the new mattresses were purchased. We got to work with Clearlake Mattress Outlet in Clearlake and got some really high-end beds for Orient Express, La Loose Caboose, Wine Country and Casablanca. Furthermore, the beds were also improved in all the rest of the rooms, too. Clearlake Mattress Outlet is a local store which is locally owned by Phil Davis, a gentleman who's got 35 years in the furniture biz. He also has several other stores so it gives him the flexibility to buy in larger quantities.
These great folks came and "retired" our old beds for us while setting us up with brand new mattresses. These mattresses are terrific and will make a huge difference in the comfort in these rooms.
All Washed Up
As you may know, we love to buy things from local producers. A thriving economy based on locally-owned small businesses is the best solution to the financial conditions which afflict our country now. But enough politics - we've got new soaps!
At a Chamber of Commerce function we met Mama Walker who produces a whole line of eco-friendly soaps, lotions and other bath and body products. Mama Walker is Cassie who is really interested in listening to her customers and producing products that will thrill them - kind of like us.
The process of choosing new soaps started with Cassie dropping off a whole bunch of soaps and bath products for guests to test out. There were all sorts of smells and formulas including watermelon, pikaki shea butter and then some of the wilder ones like leather and even monkey farts.
Tony like the monkey soap the best, but where is that a surprise? Of course it smelled like banana.
At any rate, we finally chose Apricot Chamomile. Both the gentlemen and the ladies seemed to like this one the best and, coincidentally, it matches the bubble bath that we use.
The Eagle Flies
I had the privilege of running into Nina from Ceago Vinegarden who read our post about the Osprey and indicated that she had seen bald eagles on the Ceago property. I was really excited, especially when she mentioned that she had taken some pictures of the eagles!
Sure enough, Nina came through with these two shots of a bald eagle on Ceago's vineyard right along the Lake.
If you haven't enjoyed a trip to Ceago yet, maybe its time to schedule one. Ceago is a biodynamic vineyard that is absolutely beautiful. They grow a variety of grapes and produce a good selection of wines including several dessert-style wines.
Owner Jim Fetzer prides himself in creating a natural, biodynamic atmosphere on the property. It's great and well worth a visit.
One of the cool things about Ceago is that it's close enough to bicycle to or paddle to via kayak. It's one of the few wineries in North America to have a boat dock, so you can go by car, bicycle or boat. In fact, you can even arrange a helicopter flight to Ceago!
Return of the Birds
We've been told that Lake County is one of the premier birding destinations on the west coast. According to information from the Visitor's Center, over 200 different types of birds travel in and out of Lake County in a year making their way to and from their destination.
One of the birds' favorite stopping points is Rodman Slough, a protected "finger" of water just a hop, skip and a jump up the road from the Featherbed Railroad. Rodman Slough's attractions include its being protected from the rest of the lake by a relatively narrow inlet that's covered by a bridge which means that there aren't any faster boats in this body of water.
For kayakers, Rodman Slough is a beautiful oasis of tranquility and bird watching.
But the point of this rant isn't Rodman Slough, but the Osprey family that calls Lake County its summer home.
Osprey are large birds that are very, very adept at fishing. No, you don't see them in a canoe with a pole and a Budweiser, they're actually keen at spotting the fish that populate the Lake and capturing them from the air.
Thoughts About Lighting
Tony here. I love nerdy stuff. Technology makes me happy, whether that be the old-fashioned kind of technology that turns water into steam which thus propels a train over a grade, or the new stuff where scientists use chemical compounds to generate light from very little electricity.
Today, I thought I'd focus on lighting technology.
As the government requires manufacturers to phase out incandescent light bulbs a lot of interesting choices are making their way to market.
Most people think of energy saving lightbulbs as those "pigtail" light bulbs that used to be rather pricey but today are very, very affordable. These compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs have gotten better and better over time and cheaper as well, with subsidies by the electric companies making them free or almost free in some cases. But the choices today are widespread.
New tech lightbulbs are one of the many things that really intrigue me and I've looked into this extensively. You'll find that most of the lighting at the Featherbed Railroad is of the energy efficient type - predominantly compact fluorescent lighting.
Imported From Nice
There's a car company who's using the tag line "Imported from Detroit" in their advertising. It's really effective and pretty cool. We've got something like that, too. Well, sort of.
Recently we were at a local craft fair where artisans of all sorts displayed their wares and in the corner of one table there were some absolutely beautiful hand-crafted leather goods. After conversing with the lady at the table, we found out that her husband was the person responsible for this beautiful work.
A short conversation later revealed that he was very interested in doing some custom work for us and agreed to provide a sample. That sample was so beautiful we ordered all-new key rings for every room as well as new business card holders for ourselves.
We're firm believers in buying from local vendors - the closer to home the better. By shopping locally we can help support the economy in the area and help other people live out their American dreams too.
Each room has a brand new set of beautiful leather key rings with the customized name and logo on them. We were so tickled by these we got a few extra sets without any name at the bottom in case someone twisted our arms to get one of their very own.
Did You Learn Something?
When I was a kid I remember having friends whose dads went to conventions. When I asked their moms what they did there, the answer essentially boiled down to the fact that they had a tremendous amount of fun. I'm sure they accomplished good things, but the fun was the most memorable.
Fast forward a few decades and you'll find Tony & Peggy at the Innkeeper's conference in Sacramento. This year there were two competing innkeeper's conferences on the same dates - one in Sacramento, the other in Arkansas.
Among other things, there was a lot of information about the Internet and marketing thereon. This is the kind of stuff that Tony liked the most.
Peggy got to attend workshops about rural tourism and all the cool things having a rural B&B can mean. These are things like shopping at local farms (which we do) and arranging farm tours or other agricultural journeys.
For example, you can tour through the back country on horses, if you like. You can tour a variety of walnut and pear orchards. There are farmer's markets, wonderful strawberries and more.
View from the top
With the absolutely beautiful weather that we've had this January at the Featherbed Railroad, a number of our guests have decided that a nice hike would be in order. It seems that a number of our guests are really intrigued by the hike to the top of Mount Konocti.
Mount Konocti is the largest peak on Clear Lake towering over the lake it helped to create many thousands of years ago. While considered inactive, Konocti is not a dormant volcano as the largest geothermal plant in North America sits on its south slope (sort of) and provides 725,000 megawatts of electricity - enough to power all of San Francisco!
In 2011 the County of Lake purchased the land leading up to Wright Peak, which is at the top of Mount Konocti, and has been working hard at building trails up to this incredible spot. Now you can trek the 4 mile trail up to the top of the mountain and take in views that are just incredible. The Konocti Trails website has details about hiking Konocti.
Considering the fact that you will be peering through the cleanest air in all of California, the view is amazing and we've seen photographs where you can see so far you take-in the curvature of the earth. It's incredible.
Building a Bus at the Featherbed Railroad
One of the questions we hear the most is "what's there to do while I visit the Featherbed Railroad?"
Typically we answer by offering up a list of the wineries, hiking trails, restaurants, antique shops or other permanent area attractions. We are happy to make reservations, as needed, or provide maps and guides to area attractions.
But Kim & Alex had a better idea. Their plans while visiting the Featherbed Railroad were to build a VW Bus! This was no ordinary Bus, either, but a really spiffy and quite detailed Volkswagen Camper.
Okay, it was a Lego kit so no grease, oil or gasoline were involved. That being said, the couple do actually own several full-size VWs but this was going to be a project for indoors.
The perfect caboose for such a project is Celebrations as it has the dining nook which gives the ideal amount of space for building such a project.
Building this Lego VW Bus is no small matter. There are over 1300 pieces to this puzzle and the instruction manual for the completion of this project encompasses several volumes. It's a good project.
Christmas 2011 - Birth of a New Tradition
We're not big fans of forwarded e-mails, but we recently received this and couldn't help but want to share.
As the holidays approach, the giant factories overseas have been in high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of goods - merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year can be different. This year Americans can give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!
It's time to think outside the box. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?
Almost everyone gets their hair cut, for example, and that money stays on these shores in the hands of an American business owner who spends it in their community. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. Many people use the new year as a jumping off point for a healthier future and you can help with a gift certificate to the local gym.
Best Themed Resort
Visitors to BedAndBreakfast.com, the leading website for bed and breakfast resorts around the world, recently voted the Featherbed Railroad as the best themed resort in the country. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of themed bed and breakfasts, the Featherbed Railroad was chosen from among them as a favorite. The voting was based on response to a survey mixed with favorable guest reviews on the site.
“With all the choices they have, we are totally thrilled that the readers of BedAndBreakfast.com chose us,” said Featherbed Railroad’s co-owner Peggy Barthel, “We were thrilled when we found out!”
Of course some of those who voted were you, the people who read our blog and stay here frequently. We really are appreciative and want to say thank you for the great reviews and all the recommendations.
Haunted Bed and Breakfast
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the editors of USA Today once again cast the specter of fame on the Featherbed Railroad as they announced our being one of the 10 Best Places to Sleep with a g-g-ghost. Does that make us a haunted bed and breakfast?
Some folks think that all this talk of haunting and spooks is a bunch of ridiculous nonsense. Indeed we have hundreds of people who stay in our popular Celebrations room every year, and nobody mentioned seeing anything out of the ordinary.
But that doesn't change the fact that several people did mention having seen someone in a striped outfit in the room.
That begs the question about this photograph taken as we prepared the room for its transition to Halloween decorations. Is this really a photograph of something out of the ordinary, or just a Photoshop trick?
Christine Hutt
You may hear a new voice when you call us; that would be Christine, our new addition to the office staff. Christine has plenty of experience organizing private events, most of which center around food. She loves to cook and earned a certificate in cooking after taking an intense 12 week course from a professional cooking school. Besides cooking, she is a passionate gardener and enjoys entertaining friends in her home. She is a people person and is here to help you make your plans and have a great stay at the Featherbed Railroad.
Stuck On You - our new magnets
Our partners at Deneen Pottery are very creative folks when it comes to making things out of ceramics. Recently we got a shipment of magnets bearing our logo for our gift shop and we were so thrilled, we had to share them. These magnets are made of the same quality ceramic material as their hand-made mugs. The obvious difference is that these don't hold a cup of our wonderful coffee, but they will stick to your fridge, car or even that plate in uncle Fritz's head. Trust us on the last one.
Each hand-made magnet is slightly different and they sell for just $10 with the government's share. Deneen Pottery shipped us a case but they've been going home with lots of people so get yours while they last.
Linda Becker-Bayhi
Local artist Linda Becker-Bayhi did a beautiful job of capturing Easy Rider in an original oil painting. We've seen this painting in the courthouse for some time and always loved it so this morning Linda brought it by and hung it in the dining room. You can see this beautiful work of art when you stay with us. If you'd like, Linda will even be happy to sell it to you as well.
We hope to see you soon where you can enjoy this work of original, local art as well as others.
Al Fresco Dining
A guest staying with us this weekend mentioned that there used to be dining Al Fresco in the past. Our response to that was that we will be happy to take Al Fresco's reservation if he wants to stay. They told us that meant that there used to be outdoor dining.
Ohhhhhhhh - and what a great idea!
So today we pressure-washed the front porch and put several tables out there. What a perfect place to enjoy breakfast! This morning all the outdoor tables were occupied and the guests told us they loved the experience.
On the same day as the Al Fresco suggestion, another guest said they really enjoyed smoothies at another B&B. That's a good idea, too!
So today we had strawberry-banana smoothies this morning, which really turned out well with our German pancakes and roasted garlic chicken sausages.
We love suggestions and these are two great ones!!
Clear Lake Algae Update
Worried about the algae on Clear Lake? Well, we have come up with a solution that has worked really well here at the Featherbed Railroad. We just go in the pool!
No, really, Tony did think of a method for breaking up the algae mats off our beach.
It’s very simply a big rotary sprinkler along with a floating fountain that we operate with lake water. It may look funny to be “watering the lake” but in essence what we are really doing is aerating the mats and breaking them up. The newly-formed Thrive! Lake County group of business owners is interested in our idea, and are developing a contest to promote the idea to everyone around the lake! There is talk of a challenge involving lights and more - we might turn the natural beauty of Clear Lake into a haven for creative fountains!
What Causes the Algae?
Honestly, for many, many years Clear Lake was plagued by tailings from a mercury mine that was a legacy of the California Gold rush. Mercury is used in gold mining and we were one of the many sources in California. It used to be fashionable to just dump your excess pollutants in a nearby body of water and Clear Lake was that body of water.