🦝 March Madness, Raccoon Edition Or: Red Lodge, Please Pick a Season
March is basketball.
March is brackets.
March is people yelling at televisions like that helps.
Officially inspired by the glorious chaos of NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, which is basically 68 teams entering and only one surviving. I relate deeply. That’s just a Tuesday in short-term rental season.
🏀 March Madness… But Make It Cleaning
You fill out a bracket.
I fill out a schedule.
You’re predicting upsets.
I’m predicting how many bath towels a spring break group will use in 48 hours.
It’s the same energy.
Spring break hits and suddenly rental homes are full. Skiers. Families. College kids who say “we were super clean” and then leave behind what appears to be an exploded snack aisle.
Every turnover is a fast break.
Every same-day turn is a buzzer beater.
And I am a raccoon in a Beartooth Cleaning hat trying to run a full-court press on crumbs.
🌨 Snow? Maybe? Knock on Wood.
This winter.
What even was this winter?
Red Lodge has been living in what I call
“Spring of Deception.”
Sunny.
Warm-ish.
Snow melts.
Hope rises.
Then it snows two inches just to emotionally destabilize everyone.
The mountain tries. We try. The town tries.
We’ve had months of fake-out weather like Mother Nature keeps hitting the snooze button.
But March? March could still show up strong. It’s Montana. Snow in April is not illegal.
Knock on wood.
🌲 Red Lodge Waking Up
There’s something about March here.
The sidewalks feel busier.
Restaurants start stretching their hours.
Vacation homes wake up.
Cabins get opened.
Ski gear meets hiking boots in the same mudroom.
It’s not fully winter.
It’s not fully spring.
It’s that weird in-between where the town shakes itself off and says,
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
After the strangest winter we’ve had in years, it feels like Red Lodge is clearing its throat.
And trust me. When this town comes back to life, rental homes get busy.
🏡 Spring Break = Rental Madness
Spring break doesn’t care about your bracket.
It books anyway.
Families want mountain air.
College kids want snow selfies.
Everyone wants a hot tub.
That means:
• More laundry
• More same-day turns
• More “can we check in early?” texts
We don’t complain. This is what we train for.
Because a busy March means a strong summer.
And what you do in March?
You feel in July.
Maintenance now keeps cabins fresh.
Systems now keep turnovers smooth.
Marketing now keeps calendars full.
Momentum matters.
🦝 From the Raccoon Bench
March is chaotic.
It’s hopeful.
It’s unpredictable.
Kind of like running a cleaning company in a mountain town that refuses to pick a season.
But here’s what I know:
Red Lodge always comes back.
The snow usually does too.
Spring break always books.
And we will be ready.
Full-court press.
Hot tub checks.
Towel builds dialed in.
Bracket busted or not, we’re in the game.
Now if you’ll excuse me, someone just tracked mud across a freshly mopped floor and called it “rustic.”
Madness, indeed.
🏀 March Madness… But Make It Cleaning
You fill out a bracket.
I fill out a schedule.
You’re predicting upsets.
I’m predicting how many bath towels a spring break group will use in 48 hours.
It’s the same energy.
Spring break hits and suddenly rental homes are full. Skiers. Families. College kids who say “we were super clean” and then leave behind what appears to be an exploded snack aisle.
Every turnover is a fast break.
Every same-day turn is a buzzer beater.
And I am a raccoon in a Beartooth Cleaning hat trying to run a full-court press on crumbs.
🌨 Snow? Maybe? Knock on Wood.
This winter.
What even was this winter?
Red Lodge has been living in what I call
“Spring of Deception.”
Sunny.
Warm-ish.
Snow melts.
Hope rises.
Then it snows two inches just to emotionally destabilize everyone.
The mountain tries. We try. The town tries.
We’ve had months of fake-out weather like Mother Nature keeps hitting the snooze button.
But March? March could still show up strong. It’s Montana. Snow in April is not illegal.
Knock on wood.
🌲 Red Lodge Waking Up
There’s something about March here.
The sidewalks feel busier.
Restaurants start stretching their hours.
Vacation homes wake up.
Cabins get opened.
Ski gear meets hiking boots in the same mudroom.
It’s not fully winter.
It’s not fully spring.
It’s that weird in-between where the town shakes itself off and says,
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
After the strangest winter we’ve had in years, it feels like Red Lodge is clearing its throat.
And trust me. When this town comes back to life, rental homes get busy.
🏡 Spring Break = Rental Madness
Spring break doesn’t care about your bracket.
It books anyway.
Families want mountain air.
College kids want snow selfies.
Everyone wants a hot tub.
That means:
• More laundry
• More same-day turns
• More “can we check in early?” texts
We don’t complain. This is what we train for.
Because a busy March means a strong summer.
And what you do in March?
You feel in July.
Maintenance now keeps cabins fresh.
Systems now keep turnovers smooth.
Marketing now keeps calendars full.
Momentum matters.
🦝 From the Raccoon Bench
March is chaotic.
It’s hopeful.
It’s unpredictable.
Kind of like running a cleaning company in a mountain town that refuses to pick a season.
But here’s what I know:
Red Lodge always comes back.
The snow usually does too.
Spring break always books.
And we will be ready.
Full-court press.
Hot tub checks.
Towel builds dialed in.
Bracket busted or not, we’re in the game.
Now if you’ll excuse me, someone just tracked mud across a freshly mopped floor and called it “rustic.”
Madness, indeed.
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