Irish Times newspaper (in Ireland- duh) included us in an artcle they called 10 Great American Holidays. We were very excited to make this list. The other trips they included were mostly general areas, such as Florida Family Fun, Fall For New England, Viva Los Vegas, and Shop in New York. The only other individual property featured was Canyon Ranch Resort in Tucson, Arizona. And, they are about 8 times our size!

I've attached a copy of the article, if you'd like to see it. Here's what they said about us: (no, we did not tell them we had log cabins...I don't even remember talking with the writer)

10 Ride the Oregon trail

If it's a dude ranch you're looking for, look no farther than Rock Springs, in Oregon. This 26-room venue punches so far above its weight that it has featured in National Geographic and won accolades from Condé Nast Traveller.

Visitors stay in their very own log cabin, and you know you've come to the right place when you hear a place advertise a lack of mobile-phone coverage and e-mail facilities as a plus.

Visitors are paired with horses for the week before setting out into the sagebrush and ponderosa pines. And when not doing your Billy Crystal City Slickers impersonation, there's yoga, massage, tennis, swimming, golf, fly-fishing and rafting to choose from, as well as more barbecues than you could shake a refried bean at.

It's a family affair, too, with a children's programme of riding (below), games, crafts and nature walks.

The ranch is open from June until the end of August, with some vacancies still available this summer. Prices start at about €1,785 for a week; the local airport is served by connections from Los Angeles.

00-1-541-3821957, http://www.rocksprings.com/