Used to work at T-Bird

Boy, does this thread bring back memories!

I worked at the T-Bird for part of a season back in the late 80's. Might have been '87.

Part of my job was filling 10 to 12 5-gallon foodservice buckets with water and getting them up the lift, one per seat. The upper lift operator would kindly unload them for me and I'd haul them down and into the restaurant. I'm sure the lower operator did a lot of loading them on for me as well, the crew was quite accommodating. Freight went up the same way and we brought the trash down the lift also.

There is a cistern beneath the restaurant that catches rainwater that we could use for dishes and yes, there were outhouses outside until too many folks whined about the odor and they got rid of it.

The restaurant sits on solid rock. Digging/drilling/blasting a trench for a water line would be nearly impossible. There was a bathroom with a toilet downstairs but it was not used. Not sure where the waste water ended up!!!

A door under the building opens to the cistern. Rumors of bear habitation abounded. Never saw one myself.

"T-Bird" Tom would set up a telescope in the dining room on clear days. The Granite Mountain Lookout was pretty cool to look at. We had a Baked Potato Bar on the menu: buy a baked potato and load it up with bacon bits, grated cheese, taco meat, etc. from the potato bar. We sold canned soft drinks plus beer and wine. I don't remember the name of the event, but in the spring we would occasionally have a traditionally dressed (yes, lederhosen) accordion player ride up and play on the deck.