Our guests often ask how we close up the Kantishna Roadhouse at the end of the season to prepare for winter. So we decided to share a brief overview of what goes on after the last visitor has left and we ready the property for the winter months, where even the high temps may fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
One of the primary tasks is to get the pipes ready to the freezing temps. We do this by blowing all of the water out of the pipes using an air compressor and hose. And then we blow and blow and blow. This can take up to five days working from dusk until dawn.
This year, it was so cold when we started that we had to use torches to defrost the line openings just to get the water moving so we could do the blow-out.
We winterize all of the toilets, sinks and drains, by draining them, adding -50 antifreeze in the systems and shutting off the water. We remove all of the plants in the greenhouse and flower boxes. Finally, we board up all of the windows and doors, power down the generator and lock everything up tight.
The good news is that this year we had a lot of mist and fog moving in and out while we were closing up the property, so we got to enjoy some really spectacular mountain views. There was also still a lot of lot foliage around—much more than in some typical years, so the hills around us still had some color at the very end.
It’s always a bittersweet experience to close up the property and head out. But we look forward to returning again in the spring and reversing the process so we’re ready to greet visitors arriving for the new season.
1 thought on “What happens when the last guest leaves Kantishna Roadhouse in September?”
Very cool. Thank you for sharing this. We look forward to seeing you in a week!
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