Connect with nature, at this unforgettable escape, in our cozy, fully remodeled, updated garage. While near its original 1940's farmhouse, relax and unwind, with peace and quiet on our horse ranch. Enjoy a view of the horses, who call the ranch home from your private deck, complete with gas firepit and chairs. We have resident barn owls, deer, and birds.
Wander up the hill to Lookout Point for a panoramic view of the ranch. Sit at the table, watch the horses, and soak up the country air.
The space
The cottage features one full bedroom complete with Queen sized bed, heated mattress pad, and closet with hangars and mounted clothing rack. There is a 4K LED Smart webOS TV.
The cottage has a split system for heating and cooling of the main room. Instructions are in the welcome manual.
There are individual Cadet heaters located in the bathroom and bedroom.
While the entrance has no steps, there is one step down to enter the bathroom. Parking is directly outside the door putting you steps from the front door. There is a privacy gate which you may keep open or closed, your choice.
For those needing, or wanting to work, during your stay, there is an alcove complete with desk, comfortable office chair, and light. The desk can easily accommodate a laptop or a tablet.
Internet is provided by StarLink. The log in and password are in the welcome manual on the kitchen table as well as posted on this website.
The living room area features a queen sized futon, and what is known as a click clack couch, which can be made into an additional bed. It is also called an RV, 3/4 or antique bed, depending on how much you want to pay for bedding. I discovered RV bedding is the most expensive while antique bedding is least expensive. The bedding for the futon and click clack bed is located in containers across from the dryer in the bathroom. There is a 4K LED Smart webOS TV.
The window on the north side of the living room area, faces the red barn, and paddock area, for some of the horses who call the ranch home. We occasionally have a horse or two in the pasture across from the front door.
The dining area has a table and seating for 4. There is a fan with lights over the table along with a picturesque view of horses grazing in the south pasture .
The kitchen is complete with pots, pans, waffle iron, and bakeware, salt, pepper and cooking oil. We also provide coffee, flavored, and unflavored creamers, as well as sugar and a variety of artificial sweeteners. It has a full sized oven and stove, as well as a full sized refrigerator with freezer.
We have some of the sweetest, most wonderful tasting well water, right out of the tap, however, we do stock the refrigerator with bottled water. We also provide a welcome basket of goodies for your arrival.
Roy has one restaurant that serves great hamburgers. Yelm is 11 miles away and also has some wonderful restaurants. We would be happy to recommend our favorites.
The bathroom features a walk in shower, with non-skid mat, as well as a full sized washer and dryer. Laundry detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets are provided. There is a shelf full of various sizes of towels for you to use.
Outside the bathroom door, is a private deck with gas firepit and chairs. You can see the pastures to the south and east, as well as to the north. You can also see Lookout Point where you can walk or drive up the hill to sit at the table, enjoy a meal or snack and have a panoramic view of the ranch as well as neighboring properties.
We strive to keep the cottage clean and sanitary for our guests. We have antimicrobial covers on the mattress, and pillows. All bedding is washed between guests, so you can rest assured you are coming into a clean environment.
The sinks, countertops, toilet, shower, and floors are also cleaned between guests. We only use products that are environmentally safe without strong smells for those, like me, who have sensitivities.
We have a hospital grade ozone disinfection unit we run between guest stays, once the cottage is clean and ready for occupancy. Prior to us acquiring it, the unit was used to clean and disinfect hospital surgical theaters.
Guest access
There is free parking directly in front of the cottage. it can easily accommodate 2 vehicles. For your safety, there is a security camera which faces up the driveway towards the road. If you are traveling with a trailer you are welcome to park it next door, inside the gate to our ranch, where it will be safe during your stay.
There is a private deck and small unfenced back yard for your enjoyment. There is a fenced yard across from the front door for your dogs. We do ask that you clean up after your dog and provide the tools and lined bucket for pet waste.
We have a few children's toys, which we can provide upon request. There is a paved area for bike riding and we have a couple of small children's bikes and scooter. We will be happy to show you where they may ride.
The asphalt pathway, which you can see from the private deck, leads down to the arena. Please stay out of the barns unless accompanied by either a staff member or Ray or me.
We have resident barn owls who call the ranch home.
During the spring and summer they nest in the rafters of our arena. We are happy to show them to you and you are welcome to take pictures of them. They are not the least bit bothered by us.
Other things to note
While we do have the cottage listed for 4 people, now that we have the click clack bed we can increase the number of guests, upon request, prior to booking. There will be an additional fee so that we can provide the extra dishes, flatware and chairs needed.
We are excited to offer some unique horse experiences to enhance your stay while at the ranch.
Please go to our Rusty Bar Ranch website to see what we have to offer. If you contact me prior to your arrival I can book out time to created an experience for you. I would love to put something special and memorable for you. Our website is an overview of what we offer.
We would love to give you a tour of the ranch. We can bring you up to our house to feed some treats to our chickens, geese, and ducks. All of these animals were seized by Animal Control from horrible environments around Pierce County. They now have their forever home with us. They are thriving and loving life here at the ranch.
If you are traveling with horses and need overnight accommodations, we have rubber matted stalls with individual runs. All horses must have Health Certificates, negative Coggins' tests, if they have come from out of state and must be fully vaccinated by an equine veterinarian. Proof is required. Check with us for nightly rates.
We also have a fully enclosed arena and round pen, full time trail obstacle course, and a few riding trails on our property. The ranch is very close to miles of riding and walking trails at JBLM.
