My first encounter with the Cottonwood Ranch came several years ago while on a two-day hike across the O’Neil Basin in northern Nevada. In search of some drinking water on a warm September evening, I ...

A sign nailed to the wall of a wooden shed — next to a mounted cow skull — lays down the law: $5.00 fine for whining. But kids are not likely to grumble at the Cottonwood Guest Ranch, where horseback ...