Parking
The designated parking area is behind the fences, left of the artificial rock.
Trash
PLEASE DO NOT PUT ANYTHING BUT LARGE KITCHEN BAGS IN TRASH CANS AND PLEASE KEEP THE LIDS ON! The trash is collected by Lynn on Fridays around 10:30am. Lynn will drive up to the driveway in his big red truck to do this—be sure you are parked in the designated parking area. Please don’t use small grocery bags for trash in the cans. Sadly, there is no recycling service. We encourage you to please take your recycling with you. There is a recycling station in Rosman at 3015 Old Rosman Highway that is open until 4pm.
A/C and Heat
The cabin has a heat pump with vents in the main house. There are ceiling fans in the sunroom and the living room to assist with air movement when it gets warmer. The remote to the living room fan must remain in its location. A lost remote will result in forfeiture of your deposit. There is no other way to power this fan other than the remote. The standing fan next to the French doors (or in the closet next to front door) can be used to push cool air into the sunroom by placing it on the other side of the floor vent between the French doors. The gas propane appliance next to the fireplace is for heat only.
Carpet/Rugs
Carpet stains, mud, etc., are not covered by your cleaning fee. Please use rag towels on the shelf above the washer and the carpet cleaner that we keep in the bin in the utility closet or the Windex under kitchen sink.
Cell Phones
We have a Verizon antenna. Verizon users can make cell phone calls easily. Other services may use Google Voice (Gmail account) to make long distance calls (VOIP) before changing to Verizon. If you do not have Verizon, you can forward your phone to the cabin (828) 862-3807 to avoid missing any calls while you are here. Wi-Fi calling is also available.
Circuit Breaker Boxes
The main panel is outside on the corner of the bedroom downstairs. There are a few appliances with breakers on that box. The other panel for the house is upstairs in the utility room. This is also where the well pump can be turned off and on in case there is a problem. The water heater (outside breaker) must be turned off when the water pump is shut off for more than a few hours.
Driving and Walking on Round Mountain Roads and Trails
While driving on the mountain please do not drive on Frank’s Cove Road without 4-wheel drive. Please be sure to keep the “Visitor of Brooksong” pass (which are available in the guest binder in the living room) in your vehicle in full view for proper identification as our guest. You have permission to walk on our 6 acres, but the rest of the mountain is considered private, including the pond you passed on Round Mountain Road. Walking on gravel roads that have road signs is fine, and there are several trails on our property. One is at the top of the driveway to the left of our sign. This trail will take you to the other waterfall on our property.
Gate
You may use the gate at the top of the driveway during your stay.
Driveway
The driveway to the house has a relatively steep incline. We recommend you keep your momentum up to avoid stalling and generating ruts in the gravel drive. We ask that if you do create ruts, you rake the gravel back over them using the rake kept at the bottom of the deck stairs.
Fireplace/Woodstove/Fire Pit
The woodstove is very efficient in heating the main part of the house; the booklet for its usage is on the shelf near the stairs. Please use only approved hardwoods for burning. The fireplace has a damper. It is recommended that you take a flashlight and look up at the damper to see how it functions; it is ok to leave it open. Keep in mind the stove and fireplace use the same chimney and the dampers need to be kept in check depending on usage. Please stack wood to the right of the fireplace and not on the deck outside. Only empty the ashes if the fireplace is getting full. In that case, please leave 1 inch of ashes under the fireplace grate and use the white bucket to dump extra ashes behind the woodshed on the ground (please not in the mulch pile). The fireplace should only be used during cold weather seasons (please don’t use the fireplace if the air conditioning is running), but the fire pit by the stream can be used all year long. Please extinguish fires with water from the stream using the fire pit bucket (by dragging it through the stream using the attached rope) located next to the firepit.
Information and Travel Guides
Brochures and guides are stored inside the table between the two recliners in the living room.
Internet
Comporium, (828) 884-9011, is the DSL provider. To reboot unplug square modem box and Linksys wireless, next plug in modem, wait 30 seconds, then plug in Linksys wireless box. If you are unable to get a connection, please call Comporium
Kitchen
Due to the septic system please do not put meat waste, grease, fat/oils and vegetable scraps down the disposal or drains. Please instead put discarded meat (and bones) into ziplock bags before putting them in the trash. The ziplock bags limit odors that attract scavengers at night in trash cans—including bears! We ask that you put the coffee pot and sink brush through a dishwasher cycle on departure. Please leave the refrigerator clean. However, please feel free to leave unopened goods that have a stable shelf life for the next guest.
Dishwasher
There is a switch on the wall over the counter to the right of the sink (and directly over the dishwasher) that must be switched on for the dishwasher to have power.
Gas Stove
Please be sure that the gas elements are turned completely off. If there is a loss of electricity you should be able to light the burners with a match or lighter.
Pet Debris
Please remove pet debris from the lawn, garden, and walkways. Please dispose of it in a kitchen trash bag and put it in the garbage cans outside.
Power Outages
From time to time the power will go out on the mountain. This usually lasts less than 10 minutes. If the power is out for more than an hour, call Haywood Electric at 966-4215 for information using the vintage-looking, non-electric phone hanging on the wall under the stairs. You must unplug the wireless phone and plug the back-up phone in the same phone jack. To report an outage, enter telephone number (828) 862-3807 when prompted.
Vintage Phone
The vintage phone is not a toy. This is the only phone that will work during a power outage and is for emergency use only. To use, you must plug the telephone cord into the phone jack the normal wireless phone is currently plugged into.
Safety
Please remember you are in the mountains and are responsible for your own safety. The fire pit is near the creek and is a place to burn wood, cook, roast, etc. Please be sure embers don’t burn the surroundings and do not leave the fire pit unattended; there should be a plastic water bucket to assist putting out the fire (see above in “Fireplace/Woodstove/Fire Pit”). Please also make note of and comply with the “fire danger” level noted on the sign along Round Mountain Road near the pond. Rocks that look green are slippery because of moss growth. Please exercise extra caution walking on them and any other rocks in or near the streams and waterfalls. The deck by the waterfall and the steps off the cabin deck can be slippery too. During the months of May through October, every once in a while, you might see a snake. To limit any snake surprises, walk or hike on small trails before 10am, hike or walk on gravel roads after 10am, stay clear of wood or twig piles, and proceed with care under bushes. Black snakes are good and friendly. Brown snakes near the creek are usually water snakes and will scurry back to the water. Brown snakes away from the water (in the grass or bushes) may be copperheads, which are poisonous. However, copperheads do not want to be near you any more than you want to be near them. Unless you purposely antagonize them, they too should scurry away (and if not, you should).
The fire extinguisher and a fire blanket are in the pantry.
Bridge/Parking Lights
Please use the lights on the bridge and for the parking area (both under the blanket ladder in the sunroom) only as needed. There are two motion detector lights over the driveway. They can be shut off via the sun room light switch panel; please also use only as needed. Please ensure they are off during the day and before departing.
Streaming TV
Each TV has streaming capability. The TV in the sunroom is a smart TV with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. available for your use. The downstairs bedroom TV has a Firestick for your use. Please log out of each before you depart.
Septic
Due to the log cabin’s septic system, only human waste and septic-approved toilet paper shall be flushed. At no time may you dispose of sanitary napkins, wipes, or even “flushable” wipes in the toilets. Furthermore, grease, oils/animal fats, food debris or coffee grinds shall not be poured into any drain. A grease can will be available for your use. Coffee grinds and food scraps must be thrown into the trash.
Supplies
We will provide you with a “starter kit” of basic supplies, which will include: two rolls of paper towels in the kitchen, three rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom (please note, each bathroom also has a bidet – please ensure that it is off after each use), a roll of trash bags in the pantry, one dishwasher pod per day plus an extra, and one laundry pod per day plus an extra. We also supply dryer sheets, hand towels, bath towels, an extra set of sheets for each bed, whole-bean coffee, a coffee grinder, and coffee filters.
Spring Season
If cars and the deck are yellow and dusty, it is best to keep the windows closed unless it rains. The pollen is sticky and difficult to remove from fabric.
Trails, Waterfalls, and Streams
There are a number of trails on our 6 acres with a few ropes to help with steep hiking; test the ropes before trying them to be sure they are secure. These are wilderness trails and elements are changing every day. The second waterfall is marked by signs. The trail begins towards the top of the driveway. The mountain can receive 90-120+ inches of rain a year that feeds the waterfalls and streams. Rocks are slippery all year long. YOU MUST TAKE CARE AT ALL TIMES!! Your safety is up to you. Two Streams Retreat owns the main waterfall and the steep acreage behind it. The roped trail on their property is dangerous. Please do not trespass on that trail.
Utility Room
The dryer’s duct is very short, so please do not move the dryer. We appreciate you washing/drying any linens that you use, but please do not leave wet linens in the washer. In other words, if you start a load in the washer, please wait until the load is completely dry (after the dry cycle) before you leave.
Water Heater
It is located under the kitchen in the 4.5-foot crawlspace. The door is located under the stairs of the deck; the light switch is inside the door attached (above) to the floor joist; during the warmer months beware of snakes up, down, and around. We haven’t seen one in there for quite some time.
Well Water
Our water is sourced from a well and is delicious! The well filter is just to the right of the water heater in the small crawlspace. The well pump is located on the driveway and looks like a big rock. Should the water stop working it is possible the well filter is full of dirt and just needs to be cleaned. You can see it from the basement entry door hanging from a white PVC pipe. The bucket in the pantry can be held under the filter to catch running water running through the filter to clean out the dirt from the well.
ATV Visitor
Once a week a young lad from The Wilds Christian Camp, the camp you passed on Old Toxaway Road, comes to pour a solution into the stream from our bridge. This has been happening for many years. The additive keeps the biting bug population down! The solution is completely harmless to our wildlife. He will stop at the bridge and then head back up the driveway.
Departure
Please read the Departure Procedures (kept in the Brooksong booklet and on the table under the vintage phone) and be sure to lock the door when you leave!
If there’s anything else you need, please feel free to contact us. We wish you a wonderful stay!
Thanks,
The Brooksong Team