Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section below…
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Check out the new, updated photos of VML!
I had Deb from Deborah Scannell Photography come out the day after Memorial Day to take some new photos of VML and they turned out amazing! Let me know what you think...
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VML gets a visit from WeddingMarketNews.com...
...and a mention in the Greeneville Sun!
Read the article at GreenevilleSun.com
Star Mays, of Still Hollow Farm, left, shows Julie Albaugh, center, and Tammy Kinser around the grounds of Still Hollow Farm. Albaugh, owner of Wedding Market, was in Greene County on Monday to visit several wedding sites.
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Thanksgiving 2014 at VML
Happy Holidays everyone! My parents, Shannon, and I spent a wonderful week at VML over Thanksgiving. We performed some routine maintenance as well as making some really sweet upgrades. Although we were on vacation, it was a typical cabin work week (which we all love BTW).
One of the big issues that got resolved was the leaky upper pond. I had a contractor come in, remove the old 6" outlet pipe, and replace it with a new smooth wall 12" culvert. This involved pumping down the big pond, cutting out the concrete apron, digging out the leaking material and old pipe in the bank with an excavator, installing the new pipe and fittings, back filling with clean clay fill, and seeding the disturbed areas. This repair should prevent the pond from overflowing during heavy rain and also stop the leaks that were eroding the bank. It wasn't cheap, but I am glad to finally have a pond that holds water like it should!
Mom and Shannon worked on updating the bedding and curtains in the downstairs bedroom, and as you can see, they did a marvelous job!
Before...
After...
The girls (Mom, Shannon, and my sister) have been on me for years to replace the gigantic 1970's microwave oven that was in the cabin when I bought it. I finally relented and moved into the 21st century...
Before...
After...
Pop and I took down the old, crappy lighted medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom and replaced it with a nice framed mirror and wall sconce...
Before...
After...
And finally, the biggie... We replaced the all of furniture and bedding in the bedroom over the living room, including a new queen bed, two nightstands, a 4 drawer dresser, and a 6 drawer dresser, all handmade from dead standing aspen logs. It took an entire day and the whole team to move out all of the old furniture and bring the new bedroom suit upstairs from the delivery truck. And yes, it's just as heavy as it looks!
Before...
After...
As you can see, it was a very productive week! I won't even begin to bore you with all of the other items and issues that got fixed, adjusted, repaired, replaced, rewired, moved, discarded, donated, or purchased. Suffice it to say, we spent virtually all of our time working on the cabin during our vacation.
A big, huge thank you goes out to Mom and Shannon for spending hours upon hours shopping for things VML needed, decorating, and adding the little things I would have never thought about that make this place great. And to Pop for his willingness to tackle any job big or small, no matter how difficult or daunting it may seem. His knowledge, skill, and determination are legendary and he's the driving force behind getting things done when we visit the cabin.
Enjoy the pictures, and I hope you all have a safe, happy holiday season!
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Memories of Viking Mountain
The Greeneville Sun published a follow up article to the one from Oct 11, featuring local folks' memories of the ski resort development on Viking Mountain. Click on the picture below to read the story.
View of Valhalla Inn from Blackstack Cliffs
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I love you too Bean!
The Valhalla Inn
The Greeneville Sun published an interesting article this weekend about the history of Viking Mountain. Click the photo below to read it...
Aerial view of the Valhalla Inn at Viking Mountain; circa 1970's
Enjoy!
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RUSTY DOG!!! We miss you buddy!
Memorial Day at VML
We had great time at the cabin over Memorial Day. I got to practice with Shadow's band, we hiked the Laurel River Trail, Mark and I went ziplining while the girls went to the spa, we swam in Chuck and Val's pond, had some friends over for dinner and s'mores, and in between it all we did some much needed maintenance. BTW, I highly recommend walking the Laurel River Trail if you get the chance. Here's a couple of photo's from our trip...
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Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!
Rusty's resting place
Here are a couple of photos I got from Janet & Junior, Rusty's owners...
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A very sad day at VML
R.I.P. Rusty Dog - 5/1/2014
Rusty, the quintessential mountain dog... We'll miss you buddy.
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Hand sketched logos...
I sketched out a couple of logos this morning to add a little personal touch to the website.
What do you guys think?
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Happenings...
Owning a vacation rental that's a 10 hour drive from where you live has it's advantages and disadvantages. I depend heavily on people like Lynn, Charlie, Brian, and Junior to keep an eye on the place and address problems that creep up all too often.
A few months ago, I got a call from Lynn telling me that she found a water leak from the line to the ice machine on the fridge. The bad part is, it was a slow leak that went undetected for an undetermined period of time causing significant damage to the flooring in the kitchen and dining room. The good news is, now there's brand new wood flooring installed in both rooms! It was a significant amount of work for Brian and Charlie, but the finished product should be more durable and wear better than what was originally installed.
On another note, I also had to have the washing machine replaced just a couple of weeks ago. So travelers, don't be afraid to head home with clean clothes!
Sometimes owning and maintaining an old log cabin up in the mountains can be a challenge, but every time I sit out on the deck in the crisp, clean mountain air and listen to the crashing waters of Paint Creek, I forget about the struggles and it all seems worthwhile...
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Thanksgiving
We had a wonderful trip up to VML for the week of Thanksgiving. Pop and I installed a vanity, mirror, and light fixture in the downstairs bathroom...
We also completed the new gas range installation and replaced the toaster oven...
As an added bonus, I got an early Christmas present from my folks in the form of three new bar stools for the bar in the kitchen!
On Tuesday night we got about 6" of snow, and with the on and off flurries during the day on Wednesday we had about 8" of accumulation for Thanksgiving Day! We got to throw a few snowballs, make snow angels, and we even went down the road to our neighbor's house to do a little sledding. I'll have to follow up with some pictures later.
Overall, it was a great vacation!
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New range!
Well, the issues I've been having with the oven are over. I had a brand new Frigidaire Gallery 5 burner gas range with convection oven installed last week...
Frigidaire Gallery Gas Range
That should make cooking Thanksgiving dinner a bit more enjoyable! I hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
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Prepping for another trip
The Crew is meeting up at VML over the long Labor Day weekend. We'll be doing a little maintenance work, a little outdoor adventure, and hopefully quite a bit of relaxing. The plan is to spend a day on the river with Amos and do a 7 mile day hike on the Laurel River Trail. I haven't hiked this trail yet, but I'm eager to do so. If it turns out to be as good as expected I'll be adding it to the VML Visitor's Guide.
Oh yeah, we're going to cook every meal for the trip outside, either on the grill or over the fire pit. Eggs and bacon in a cast iron skillet and a little fruit for breakfast, grilled sandwiches for lunch, and foil wrapped baked potatoes, grilled veggies, and marinated pork chops for dinner! I better bring a camp dutch oven with me too...
Only two weeks to go. I can't wait!
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The last trip
The Crew met up at VML over Memorial Day week to get our last outdoor adventure fix before summer fully set in. Here's what our schedule looked like...
5/24 - Ten hour drive up from Florida for Shannon and I, seven hours down from Virginia for Mark and Joy
5/25 - Breakfast at Ma & Pa's, grocery shopping for the week at Ingles, taking delivery of and putting together the new deck furniture (it's awesome, btw), unpacking gear, settling in, and then dinner at Shadow's cabin in the evening
5/26 - Horseback riding at Mustang Alley in the morning, complete deck furniture assembly, then have Shadow, Gail, and Hannah over to VML for dinner to return the favor
5/27 - Nine mile whitewater rafting trip on the French Broad with our friend Amos, an hour in the tubs at Hot Springs Resort, and dinner at the Iron Horse
5/28 - Navitat zipline tour from 9 am to 1 pm, lunch at Smoky Mountain Diner, then load up our gear and hit the AT in the afternoon for an overnight backpacking trip
5/29 - Up early to cook breakfast and pack up camp, hike 5 miles back to VML, soak our barking dogs in the creek out front, spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the cabin, then cook hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks over the fire pit for dinner
5/30 - The girls leave us guys to our own devices, the rest is CLASSIFIED...
Man, what a great trip. If you've got a hankerin' for some adventure, come visit VML!
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The transformation is complete!
Whew! It's been a lot of work, but getting this website up, running, and finally complete has been worth all of the effort. It will be an invaluable source of information for our guests. Here's a few things that have changed over the last few months:
New name established - Viking Mountain Lodge (old name - Lonesome Pine Lodge)
New website launched - www.VikingMountainLodge.com
New email address obtained- Alan@VikingMountainLodge.com
New toll free phone number secured - 1.855.VMLodge
New Facebook account created - www.facebook.com/VikingMountainLodge
New logo designed -
Are you seeing a pattern here?
In addition to all of those things listed above, there are some pretty cool features of this website. If you've poked around at all, you probably saw the password protected "Guests" section. If you're going to be staying at VML soon, you should have received an email with a link to this website and a password to get into this area. Inside is an electronic copy of the welcome book, check-in/check-out procedures, a copy of the rental agreement, and an entire section dedicated to maps and specific driving directions from VML to every point of interest mentioned in the visitor's guide under the "Things to See" link. Very cool, and hopefully, very useful to folks looking for things to do while staying at The Lodge.
You can contact me through the "Contact Us" link at the top of the page if you have any suggestions, comments, or questions. Thanks for checking us out!
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Wait for it...
Big things are happening here. Check back soon...