Meanwhile Back at the Ranch is six acres of heaven tucked away in the sprawling metropolis of Greater Phoenix. Literally at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, we stayed in the Pioneer Cabin, a cozy studio which was the original "Feed Barn" when the ranch was built in the 1950's. Joy, the owner for 39 years, was just as sweet, welcoming and hospitable as you'd want a B & B owner to be.

There's not much in terms of restaurants nearby and so we brought food to make our own dinners. The kitchen appliances are old and small, so you can't get too ambitious, but everything is adequate to prepare a good meal.

There is a hiking path right behind the cabin and we saw lots of deer. The sunsets were simply gorgeous!

Joy prepares a lovely breakfast baskets and was very accommodating to our schedule and dietary restrictions (my husband has a gluten allergy). Before leaving, Joy gave us a tour of the main house and told us some of the history of the... more