Cottontail Creek Ranch Comments

Summer 2007

A year ago, thanks to Elisabeth, our 3 generation family discovered this rare place where one can enjoy a panoramic view of mountains without another house in sight and the true brightness of the stars at night. All this without any concession to the comfort and recreation facilities that make a family vacation enjoyable at all ages. The oldest one of us was very happy to find here an excellent opportunity for using his telescope and the youngest played a lot of Ping-Pong.

"The Party House" as our hosts call it is a true family house, proud of its history, preserved with love. So all of us were eager to return though not all could make it this year.

We will be back next year! The Schlag Family

Fall 2007

I feel so at home here at the ranch. What a beautiful property and a beautiful life you have. Your warmth and thoughtfulness make me feel like a long time friend.

I really enjoyed my rides in the hills-Lovely views and so nice to meet "Pumpkin" That is the closest I've ever been to a cow.

Warmest regards, "The Mom", Patricia

Summer 2007

Cottontail Creek Ranch is indeed a special place and I feel fortunate to have spent a few day there. You provide a chance to soak up some of the most beautiful country in California and your warmth and attention to every detail to ensure the comfort of your guests only adds to the glow. Thank you for sharing your bounty with us in so many ways.

Gratefully, Mary Rehrig

Dearest Susan and Chop

The CTC is an amazing place for rebirth and renewal. In the quiet you can hear God through the beauty of his creation.

You are awesome caretakers. Hiking to the ridge was rejuvenating and inspiring.

Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in wine, fresh cookies, smelly good stuff for the spa, the excellent map and on and on!

This was a beautiful, beautiful home for our retreat. The environment was spectacular! Every little detail from the fresh eggs, fruit, and home made cookies was absolutely wonderful. We loved being here.

This was a beautiful, beautiful home for our retreat. The environment was spectacular! Every little detail from the fresh eggs, fruit and home made cookies was absolutely wonderful. We loved being here.

Thank you so much from the Holy Cross First Women's retreat.

Barrett Family Phoenix, Arizona	April 2008 Well we were not quite prepared for the spectacular setting and the graciousness of all you have offered us--we are still on stimuli overload!! Thank you for the tour and this wonderful retreat far beyond our our expectations==our friend who couldn't join us missed the trip of a life time. Barrett Family
Cyndy Albany, California	March 2008 My family had a wonderful time this past weekend. There was so much to do, and so much that we had planned to do, that we couldn't take you up on your generous offer to come down for wine. A little (or a lot of) hiking, a little hot tubbing, a little wandering in the orchard and picking oranges, a lot of cooking, and the time just flew. I could have spent the whole time gazing out at the hills in their spring greenery and sitting under the lilac. We saw the resident quail and wild turkeys and heard the coyotes (and the frogs, who could miss the frogs). We loved the house - room for everyone to be together and to get away. Thank you again for extending your time to us during our visit, and for creating such a wonderful place to gather! Cyndy
Renee, Chris and Dax Portland, Maine	Thank you for a magical week at Cottontail Creek Ranch. Our visit was more than we had ever hoped, and each member of our extended family and friends found wonderful amusements, relaxation and memories. For Chris, Dax and me, it was fantastic. Perhaps the most fantastic for Dax! He has been telling everyone in Maine about Chop, Pumpkin, Muffin, the bulldozer, the fire truck and the backhoe. The birth of the lambs has also gotten a lot of press. He gets so excited that his stories fall over each other, and yesterday, he insisted on wearing his Cottontail Creek hat when we went out to shovel the snow (finally). The ranch is wonderful. The hikes and rides (of all types) were very special and brought my level of relaxation to a whole new state. When we rented the house, we never expected all of the extras and the incredible warmth you provided; and we truly appreciate it. We all want to know if Pumpkin had her baby! I hope this was the first of more visits and a long friendship with you, and wish for you and yours a happy and healthy 2007. Fondly, Renee, Chris and Dax
The Rohaw, Lacey, Carsey and Reese Families	Winter 2007 What a great time we had in your gorgeous place for our Mom's 85th birthday celebration. your hospitality was a delight and we thank you for your attention to our aesthetic, creature and tourist comforts. The Rohaw, Lacey, Carsey and Reese Families
The Schlag Family Beverly Hills, California and Boulder, Colorado	Summer 2007 A year ago, thanks to Elisabeth, our 3 generation family discovered this rare place where one can enjoy a panoramic view of mountains without another house in sight and the true brightness of the stars at night. All this without any concession to the comfort and recreation facilities that make a family vacation enjoyable at all ages. The oldest one of us was very happy to find here an excellent opportunity for using his telescope and the youngest played a lot of Ping-Pong. "The Party House" as our hosts call it is a true family house, proud of its history, preserved with love. So all of us were eager to return though not all could make it this year. We will be back next year! The Schlag Family
Patricia	Fall 2007 I feel so at home here at the ranch. What a beautiful property and a beautiful life you have. Your warmth and thoughtfulness make me feel like a long time friend. I really enjoyed my rides in the hills-Lovely views and so nice to meet "Pumpkin" That is the closest I've ever been to a cow. Warmest regards, "The Mom", Patricia
The Knapps Menlo Park, CA	From the minute we stepped into your lovely ranch home, we started talking about our next trip to Cottontail Creek! Thank you so much for the beautiful getaway. The ranch was absolutely beautiful, not to mention spacious and extremely well equipped! We all had a fantastic time and are definitely planning on coming back next year. I think our only complaint was that our visit was too short, so plan on seeing us for a few more days next year! Susan, thank you also for taking the time to give us a tour of your ranch. We really appreciated it and loved all the views.
Richard Osbourne and the wine aficionados Orinda, Ca.	Our group had a fabulous time. Thank you to Roger and Kris for their hospitality and sharing their beautiful property. We came for the wine but we are coming back for the ranch
Mary Rehrig	Summer 2007 Cottontail Creek Ranch is indeed a special place and I feel fortunate to have spent a few day there. You provide a chance to soak up some of the most beautiful country in California and your warmth and attention to every detail to ensure the comfort of your guests only adds to the glow. Thank you for sharing your bounty with us in so many ways. Gratefully, Mary Rehrig
April, 2006 Holy Cross First Women's Retreat.	Dearest Susan and Chop The CTC is an amazing place for rebirth and renewal. In the quiet you can hear God through the beauty of his creation. You are awesome caretakers. Hiking to the ridge was rejuvenating and inspiring. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in wine, fresh cookies, smelly good stuff for the spa, the excellent map and on and on! This was a beautiful, beautiful home for our retreat. The environment was spectacular! Every little detail from the fresh eggs, fruit, and home made cookies was absolutely wonderful. We loved being here. This was a beautiful, beautiful home for our retreat. The environment was spectacular! Every little detail from the fresh eggs, fruit and home made cookies was absolutely wonderful. We loved being here. Thank you so much from the Holy Cross First Women's retreat.
10/7/05 Coburns and gang...Yorba Linda	Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful home with us "city slickers". We are all so enamoroued with your ranch and your hospitality. We have no idea how all those empty wine bottles got into you recycle bin. Probably someone snuck in at night and put them there? See you next year! God Bless you and keep you,
9/05 Carpenter Group, San Diego	We are so excited that we happened upon your ranch. It was perfect for a weekend away. You have created such a lovely retreat. We only wish we could stay longer....The fire pit was awesome and flowers and surrounding gardens beautiful. The table you set for us was so welcoming and made our dinners extra special. We'd love to tell more people about it but then it might be too booked and we won't be able to stay. We hope to see you again very soon. god bless
8/05 Judy & the extended Joyce family New York	We had an awesome time at the ranch and are only very slowly getting back to our lives. What can we say? The hills were beautiful and probably the stars of the vacation. We hiked in them. We gazed at them. They were the setting for our yoga and kick boxing (!) I loved the garden and we ate everything that was ripe: strawberries, basil, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, lettuce, chives, rosemary...I think that was it. Of course we ate oranges or drank orange juice every day. We visited several vineyards and Ted managed to buy lots of local wine wherever he found it. We hiked in Montana d'Oro and Mt. Bishop and were suitably inspired. The grill was everything Ted could have wanted. We used it almost every night. The weather was wonderful -- only the last couple of days were really warm, and then we went to Cayucos and could not have been happier. Regrets? Yes. That we didn't make a fire around the fire pit, and we didn't play volleyball or go kayaking. Michael was delightful and took us on a ride to get our first views of the ocean between the peaks. A nice touch: he brought us cookies. We could not have been more delighted with our vacation and do hope to come back. Ted and I are also thinking of where we might want to move when we retire and the Central Coast just about blew us away (we wouldn't be retiring for a while...but it's fun to think about). I also have fantasies about a second career (I'm an epidemiologist) in something related to horticulture and your orchards and the landscaping around the ranch gave me much to think about.
5/05 The Ministry Group Los Osos	Thank you again for your incredible hospitality. Our 5th annual Minister's Prayer Retreat was exceptional as always. We are all so grateful for your generosity and kindness to us. Cottontail Creek Ranch is the ideal location for all of us--We always come away from here refreshed and renewed. Our time this year was very fulfilling. We had lots of time for prayer and sharing plus plenty of recreation. Thank you so much for stopping by on Tuesday evening. It was a wonderful treat to get to know both of you better and to hear some of the behind the scenes stories regarding the Hearst Ranch conservation. We have been praying for both of you, especially during that process.
11/26/04... Thanksgiving #5 The Hewitt Gang San Francisco to San Diego	We say every year that we cannot recreate this experience...but we do for 5 years and now are looking forward to our sixth! Loved the new bathrooms, the bathrobes, patio and always your warm welcome. Our parents (90 &91) literally live every year for this experience and while they are here, they are happier and healthier. Thank you for letting that happen!
	Blast from the Past
New York and UK	“Fabulous! We couldn’t have had a better time. Everything was perfect–even the Coyote Barbershop Quartet–such harmony and rhythm. We’ll look forward to a rematch shortly.”
The Broders Los Angeles, CA	"Thank you for a wonderful vacation. You were such warm and generous and gracious hosts. Our days were so memorable, we think of moving to Cayucos or at least returning soon... We had a blast.”
The Wheatley Group	Cottontail Creek Ranch was the "best", the "favorite" family vacation yet! The site and accommodations superb; the graciousness of Susan and Roger fabulous. Wonderful memories to be carried in our hearts for years to come!