The Getaway
The kiddos
The Roger!
With the weather creeping up my girlfriend Keri and I decided to make a run for cooler tempurtures in Payson. Having just been there a week before I knew exactly where we should stay! Dead Mule Ranch, Geno and Roger (his dog) are the owners and visionary of this peaceful getaway.
Dead Mule Ranch is located outside of Payson, Arizona on a dirt road nestled in the woods. Most of the time all we heard was the wind blowing thru the trees and our two kids running screaming and playing! It was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a while. For the most part my phone didn't work except in the meadow- sometimes, no t.v. and it was perfect.
Our day consisted of eating, sending the kids outside to play while we sat on the porch, small walks in the woods (this places backs up to National Forest), walks to other parts of the property and that was it! The kids had so much fun they played outside all day, they didn't fight and they ate their vegetables (hee hee). I was worried we would be bored or they would, but it was just perfect (have I said that yet?). The night sky was so dark and there were so many stars. It felt so nice to just slow down and enjoy, well the porch.
The cabin was reconstructed by Geno and he has such a great eye for rustic design. The stove is from the 1930's and the refrigerator is from the 1950's you know a time when they made things to last... If I'm not mistake all the wood used is reclaimed so it's a green building. The one thing that stands out in my mind is that yes it's all rustic but it's made well so nothing feels fragile or old.
The price is so reasonable! We rented the place for $125 a night. The rates may change with the seasons I'm not sure but it was so worth it and I want to go back. Every morning I would wake up and hear Keri's son say, "This is awesome, I never want to leave". He also said, "I will remember this trip for like a year!" I love it, he's 5 years old.
Geno was so great and so accommodating. Roger the dog is such a cool old dog he hung on the porch and when Geno said "bang" Roger would roll over and pretend to die. The kids loved both Geno and Roger and asked several times to go to Geno's house to ask him questions about spiders, bones and elk...
If you want to escape the heat, see some snow, or elk go to Dead Mule Ranch! I promise you'll love it. Stop at Safeway (for supplies) in Payson and don't plan on leaving the ranch, trust me you won't want to! I added a few photos below from the Facebook page of Dead Mule Ranch. I don't get anything for posting this I just love it want to share this spot with all of you!
Elk in velvet. This is the back yard!
The neighbor.