So Mr. Barrett is awesome. He lives on the property in a small camping trailer, and could probably build a teleporter with all the tools, lumber and know-how in his brain. He runs at a slightly slower pace than the rest of the world, probably intentionally ;-)
The property itself has a ton of heart and character. Richard will probably want to give you a tour of the entire house and show you every little knick knack, but has done this long enough to know what to highlight. You can tell this was his family home where he and his wife raised their kids. Lots of love, care and history here.
If you're looking for a Marriott or Hilton property, this ain't it. It's clean but homey. Well organized, but definitely rustic. A couple of the guys who stayed with me this week are from rural Wyoming & Colorado - they felt right at home.
The kitchen is well stocked and organized - the Barretts definitely know what large groups require in a vacation home. The furniture is comfortable and spacious, and fits the space well.
The Master bedroom is huge, includes a sitting area and a walk out deck that overlooks the backyard. The master bath is bigger than some of the bedrooms, and has 2 separate sink cabinets, plenty of linen storage, bath and shower, etc.
The other bedrooms were fine, and could easily accomodate a large family. One of the bedrooms was quite small, but was decorated like a farm kid's bedroom, complete with a secret hide out!
The deck off the living room was amazing - we didn't even use it for its intended purpose, but you could easily fit 30+ folks around the tables and BBQ your heart out. The 2nd fridge and oven combo on the deck worked out super well for us, we had flexible storage for drinks, desserts, etc.
The community is VERY quiet, and the homes are spaced far enough apart, the parties happening around the neighborhood the week we stayed were not noticeable at all inside the ranch.
Cell service (AT&T) wasn't awesome at the house, others with different carriers had varying results. Never turned on the TV with Apple TV unit, but it looks nice.
Cristol O'Loughlin, Mr. Barrett's daughter was a joy to deal with - our conversation quickly solved a small misunderstanding on our checkout day. I'd love to take the Barretts to dinner one day and hear more about their history and family.
Overall, I am 95% sure I'll be booking the Ranch for NAMM 2021 - it was a fantastic experience that I'd love to repeat!
CJ Lewis