MerryOtt's Owl'sLoft (near Spirit Mountain Casino)

AWAY FROM IT ALL BUT NEAR THE BEST--Oregon Private entrance, breath-taking views, clean, spacious, serene, secluded, rural, 5 acres, studio apt. above garage. Approx. driving minutes to: Oregon coast/Lincoln City(40); Spirit Mnt Casino(10); wineries(15-40); golf(25); fishing(40); WhipUp trailhead: 103 trails for cycles, bikes & hikes(15); McMinnville: Linfield College, 3rd Street restaurants, shops & wine bars(30); Willamina(5); Sheridan(10); Delphian School(15); airports: PDX(90), Salem(45). The space The MerryOtt's Owl's Loft is on 5 acres with million dollar views atop a secluded hill in a rural, serene and wooded setting. No big city lights, no big city traffic. Easy access to the main roads that head to the best of Oregon like the beach, wineries, golf, trails, fishing, charming smaller towns, Spirit Mountain Casino, and Portland and Salem. When the weather allows, you'll have no trouble seeing a star-filled-night-time sky. Looking through different windows in the loft, you can see either the tops of trees, Ollie's (the Owl) Big Old Oak tree, or our part of the Willamette valley with the nearby coastal-hills backdrop. It is common to see birds of prey flying nearby, beautiful sunsets and visiting rainbows after a fresh Oregon rain. Listen for the chirping birds, the howling coyote, the donkey, and other sounds not commonly heard by most city dwellers! The Loft has a fully equipped kitchenette (i.e. small refrigerator, hot plate, microwave, toaster oven, blender, dishes, pans) making it possible to prepare basic meals while you are "in the boonies"). It is equipped for short term AND long term stays. And for when you don't want to prepare a meal, you are 3 miles from a small town grocery store and restaurants, or 12 minutes from around-the-clock food service at the Spirit Mountain Casino, or 25 minutes from highly rated wine country restaurants in McMinnville. Our MerryOtt's Owl's Loft is conveniently located to access some of the best that Oregon has to offer. We are AWAY FROM IT ALL BUT NEAR THE BEST! While our cleaning and sanitization practices might not be unique (as we hope all AirBnB hosts follow standard guidelines), there are many things that we consider unique to our location, including: 1. Seclusion & beautiful vistas, very rural on 5 acres, but cell signal is almost always stable using WiFi. Quiet and serene environment. 2. Centrally located and easy access to some of Oregon's best places to visit. 3. High Speed Internet that allows working from home even though we are rural. We have high speed internet with 1 gigabit. All is run using WiFi. (Devices that are not gigabit ready will likely experience 3-400 mbps). Our bandwidth is high and we have not had typical country living complaints from those staying with us. Deer Haven Guests: Please bring your own ethernet cables if you'd like to plug in instead of being wireless. Loft Guests: I've been told you can play video's at 720 megabits/sec (1080 is not likely). 4. LOFT: 1 flat screen TV Loft with an Apple TV device so you can access your own subscriptions (such as Netflix). 5. Mid-stay cleanings can almost always be arranged--for a fee. 6. More lodging is on the property: If you are traveling with others and want lodging near each other, see if our other options are available: MerryOtt's Deer Haven (located on the bottom floor of the main house): 1 bedroom apartment with great amenities with the option of an additional twin bedroom/office suite (adjoins the basement apartment). 7. Over 100 trails are a short drive away and good for walking, ATV's, motorcycles and more. 8. Spacious Studio Apartment, equipped for short and long term stays. 9. There is 2nd bed (comfortable floor futon) located under the queen bed with linens in the bench seat. Guest access While on our 5 acre property: Ollie Owl's Big Old Oak: The grounds by the big oak trees are for all guests to enjoy during the non-rainy months. You'll likely see the oak barrel swing. Ollie Owl's Vista Point (outdoor seating area just outside the Loft's private entrance): Enjoy the million dollar views above and beyond. We, as owners, claim the seating right in front of our home (by our front door), and Bird Haven Hill (the rock garden). Deer Haven guests (bottom level) have exclusive access to the grounds directly in front of their apartment. WASHER/DRYER: Loft guests use the new (2022) laundromat in Willamina, just over 3 miles from the Loft. Clothes Drying: If you don't want to use the dryer, a drying rack is provided next to your the bathroom sink or in the garage, and there is a clothesline outside. PET WASH: Willamina has a self-service pet wash next to the laundromat. Other things to note Health: Guests who book at a time of a pandemic or other such happening are trusted to arrive healthy and to follow national, state and local guidelines or mandates. Of course, we use the official guidelines for cleaning and sanitizing. Power Outages/Surge Protectors/Generators: We have experience short power outages. Guests are advised to bring their own Surge Protectors for computers, etc. We have never had electronics blow up, and of course the safety of your electronics is up to you. If wanted, guests can be given instructions on how to activate the generator that is designed to run the essentials in the loft should there be a rare power outage.. (The main house has a separate and automatic generator). WHERE TO GO (for hikes, good food, etc): See the GuideBook in Your itinerary. In there we have listed some local locations that you might like to visit. By local--usually very close or within 2 hours from our place. FOOD: While we don't provide food or meals, there is a local grocery store 3.4 miles from the Loft. Small town--stores are not usually open late. I try to leave a little coffee to help out until you can get to the store! RENTAL DISCOUNTS: Weekly and monthly stay discounts will show up on AirBnB if you add dates, etc. THE ROAD/OUR HILL: Snow days have happened. You could pack a pair of snow boots if you like to be prepared for anything, or bring a car that does well on hills with snow. Currently, Silverado Road is mostly gravel with some bumps. Our driveway is gravel. WATER: We pump water into a holding take into the house water. Our water (which is treated, inspected, etc) is from Grand Ronde Water service. VEHICLES: A registered guest is allotted 2 parking spaces for vehicles that are car/pick-up sized: one just outside the loft facing the private entrance, the other near the entrance to our property/driveway. If you have a longer vehicle or more than 2, contact me to see if, for a fee, we can accommodate your special parking needs. WIFI/INTERNET: We are in the boonies and while we have no issues in the main house, the loft operates off of a signal extender (Eero). You might experience interruptions/buffering moments, but usually it is very stable. Guests don't stream extremely high definition due to buffering issues. Please do not risk infecting all of our devices by opening unfamiliar sites or porn sites (which our tech guru says causes more viruses than most other sites). As of this writing, we provide an Apple TV. (We removed the DVD player due to apparent complexities using all the remotes!). Disconnection issues are usually handled quickly by unplugging the Eero device, counting to 30, and plugging it back in (and keeping it by the window near the window seat, not the window bar. THE WOODS IN OREGON: While there is no hunting on our property, if you are out hiking most anywhere in Oregon, beware of hunters. I've never seen hunters around here but occasionally we've heard far-off shots (or nearby ones if we are doing our once a year target practice off the deck). There are insects and wild animals nearby. If you are walking in the woods, make noise to give animals notice of your approach. Deer come very near the house but they are not tame. As tempting as it can be, please don't feed any animals that are not yours, not even an apple to the horses at the bottom of the hill. Once a year for about 2 weeks we are visited by lady (stink) and Boxelder bugs and seem to get into the house, handled by using the vacuum. They hurt no one but if you are squeamish, beware! Starter package (no extra cost): To help you get started before you have a chance to get to the store, we try to provide (but it is not required) a few things such as dish soap, tea, maybe a few coffee pods and powdered creamer (I'm not always around to restock!). "EXTRAS FOR A FEE" POSSIBILITIES: If you need something not usually provided, just ask. For the right fee, we can usually find help for you, even when we are out of town. Examples: you want beach towels, chairs, etc. If you use my stock of toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.) please just leave a little moola or do a similar replacement. RESTAURANTS: Call them in advance to be sure they are open (especially during a pandemic). This is not LA! Few things are open late. --WILLAMINA (5 minutes away by car) favorites: Wildwood Restaurant (breakfast yum) and Sunday night dinner/open mic night, Coyote Joes (try the maple bars!), Old Fellows Pizza. (There is also a grocery store if you want to stop and pick up supplies on your way to the Loft). Fort Hill Restaurant and bar (a favorite)--head toward the Casino but turn right onto FortHill well before the Casino. --SHERIDAN: Mexican restaurant over the bridge. --GRAND RONDE (10 minutes): There are various restaurants at the Spirit Mountain Casino, some food can be found day and night. --MCMINNVILLE (30 minutes) Some of our favorites: The original Wildwood cafe (breakfast), Community Plate, Pura Vida, Golden Valley Pub (try the Tuscany Chicken Salad); Harvest Fresh Market Deli, Humble Spirits. --DUNDEE (40 minutes): Red Hills Market (try the open face roast beef sandwich with blue cheese!). AMITY (30 Minutes): The Blue Goat, (and check out the Blue Raven fruit stand down the road with it's home made pies, and more). --FINE DINING: Many in McMinnville. A FEW FAVORITE WINERIES: Sheridan (10 minutes): J. Wrigley Winery (rustic, on a hill). Dundee (40 min): Domaine Serene (for the view, grounds and buildings), quaint Zerba (for the good prices and tastes). Youngbergs. Namaste on the way to Salem--beautiful. And so many more!