Wow!
Mark has been an outstanding host on a Mountain that has lacked great service, modern cabins, and a fun place to mingle with other sledders.
There are very few places in Colorado where you can ride right from your cabin and have some of the best riding 5 minutes from your door. That alone is worth $140 a night.
I spent the last 2 days on the Mesa and have watched Mark talk to every person that walked in the door, take reservations, pump gas, help fix sleds, stock the fire, and even bring out food to hungry patrons. Mark is making a name for the TML through customer relations and great customer service, something many other business owners forget about when they are overhelmed with starting a business or hire some yahoo to run it for them while the owner is off in Mexico or getting a massage. Thanks Mark for taking great pride in your new business and transforming the mountain back to it's glory days.
As for always out sledding, every person needs a sanity relief, and unlike most of us, Mark is lucky he can go out and ride for 2 hours and be back at the lodge well before most of us can even get to our riding areas by truck. Dont reduce your riding time, heck add a few extra hours a week and you wont forget why you moved to Colorado in the first place.
As with any business, it will take time to get the right people in place that you can get to understand your vision of what you want the TML to become, you are doing everything right from the start by building the brand name, and offering to the "T" what you sell.
As for gas, I'm sure the kind ladies would have sent you over to the GML to fuel up, cause I know if there was 3ft of fresh snow I would have found fuel even if it meant driving down to Cedaredge 15 minutes away. NOT SITTING IN MY CABIN!
If I'm ever disatisfied with a product that I paid for, somone will hear about it that I bought it from, and I know Mark stands behind what he sells. From sledders to the ever so demanding xc skier, Mark caters to the customer and not his wants or needs, a big change from the previous owners.
Call and Mark, he will make it right.
See ya soon Mark! Thanks again for making the TML the primere destination for lodging on the Grand Mesa... oh yeah and good times too!