Bill Clarke is back for more One Tank Trips -- places you can drive to and enjoy on a tankful of gas and his first stop this year was Cherokee Ranch and Castle.

It's just south of Highlands Ranch and an easy drive into Douglas County, down Interstate 25 or Santa Fe Drive. At the end of a gravel road, there's a ranch house like nothing you've ever seen.

The castle was built back in the 1920s, from stone quarried nearby. The castle was modeled after those in Scotland but its Colorado style was the work of Denver architects Burnham and Merrill Hoyt.

"For 75 years this was a home. It was also the headquarters of a working ranch north of Castle Pines," said Jill Skinner with Cherokee Ranch.

Today, the ranch house is run by a nonprofit foundation and open only by reservation for tours and special events. There's history everywhere you look -- from the ceilings and walls to some artifacts best suited to a castle.

For nearly a half-century the castle was home to Mildred "Tweet" Kimball and her family. One thing she did well was raise show cattle.

"She named each of her cows after saints, philosophers, artists. And while the cattlehands would know them by a number, she would know them as Socrates or Rafael," said Skinner.

Like any castle, this one has a circular staircase, but no ghosts, they say.

The library's off limits to most visitors. But inside, Bill Clarke found thousands of volumes, some of them dating back to the 1600s. From the top of the turret you can see a lot -- Castle Pines, Sedalia, and Highlands Ranch.

If a man's or woman's home is their castle then your drive to Cherokee Ranch shows you one of the best homes in Colorado.

For more information on tours and special events, call (303) 688-5555 or go to CherokeeRanch.org.

Bill's Trip Notes

Getting to the Cherokee Ranch is fairly easy. The simplest route is down US 85, Santa Fe Drive, past the community of Louviers. Shortly before you get to Sedalia, you'll see Cherokee Ranch Road on the left. Go up to Daniels Park Road, turn left again and drive a couple of miles till you get to the Cherokee Ranch Gate. The Web site www.cherokeeranch.org has another set of directions going down I-25. But if you follow that set, you might find yourself lost when the paved road becomes gravel a quarter mile or so before you get to Daniels Park Road.

If you do not have a reservation for a tour or special event, you'll be trespassing. But if you have made the advance reservations (303-688-5555), you'll be in for some great surprises. Two things to remember, though. Cherokee Ranch does not serve meals except for the afternoon tea events. And it is not a bed and breakfast spot. What it is, is something very amazing and wonderful. And the folks who run it through a nonprofit foundation are very gracious and proud of what they've done over the years. The web site will explain more about the cost of the tour or the teas. And the property is available for rent for special events like weddings. This one is a one-of-a-kind.