Contact (307) 383-2418,
www.ladderranch.com
Or Consider Aspen Ridge Resort in Bly, Oregon: (800) 393-3323,
aspenrr@starband.net;
www.aspenrr.com
A Clear View
After 23 years of living across the street from a farm first
founded in 1774, Bonnie and Charles Caserta of Walpole, New
Hampshire, weren't about to let developers ruin the view. After the
owner of the farm moved into a nursing home, the 105 acres sat
vacant for four years. "What we had to do was preserve it," says
Bonnie. In 1998, the Casertas - who run a financial-planning
business - decided their best choice was to buy the farm for
themselves.
"My parents love tradition and family history," says their
daughter, Jacqueline Caserta. "They loved the idea of keeping this
place together."
Then they had to decide what to do with it. The main house, which
has 17 rooms and two cottages, each with three bedrooms, "was
trashed," says Jacqueline. And the 100-year-old post-and-beam barn
"was just falling." While cleaning the farmhouse with Jacqueline,
Bonnie offhandedly mentioned that the house would make a great
B&B.
"She said, 'I'm game if you are,' " says Bonnie.
Though they knew it would be a "huge undertaking," the family
realized it was the best way to pay for the farm's upkeep and keep
the land in one piece.
After a major renovation and cleanup, the Inn at Valley Farms was
born. The inn includes rooms in the main house, which are "more
elegant and upscale," says Jacqueline, who serves as innkeeper. The
inn also features kitchen-equipped cottages designed to help
families with kids get a taste of farm life. Jacqueline also has an
organic garden that has become increasingly important as a
marketing tool: "It's part of the ambience," she says. There is
also a larger garden on the property where they grow garlic that is
sold to local restaurants, as well as "a little bit of everything
else, other than corn." Last year, a guest who helped harvest the
entire garlic crop was rewarded with a free night's stay.