The Schmidt herd is sheared once a year, and the animals are low-maintenance pets. "I call it cheate

What we all experience is not a tawdry bordello but a neat, 12.5-acre farm with about 45 curious, sweet-faced alpacas. I sleep upstairs, in a comfy bedroom whose window overlooks a field of the grazing animals. The Dubuque dams are outside, segregated from the others but with ample room to run, saunter or hide inside shelter.
The visiting animals quality accommodation bilbao are here to be bred by the award-winning Galileo, which the Schmidts co-own with other farmers. Galileo is a seven-time "get of sire" winner, which is pretty respectable in the world of alpacas.
Sabamba Alpaca Ranch Bed and Breakfast opened in 2009, seven years after Sally and Tom returned to their native Wisconsin from California. They wanted to be close to aging relatives, who now live only 10 minutes away.
Although "we like people, quality accommodation bilbao and I like to cook," quality accommodation bilbao Tom vetoed her idea to open a bed-and-breakfast in a three-story Victorian house. He is a self-employed computer programmer who was raised quality accommodation bilbao on a dairy farm near Kaukauna and envisioned the good life in another way.
The couple began to consider alpacas because of the viable industry they noticed in California. "People were buying them for a lot of money because of the novelty of the animal," Sally says. Paying $25,000 for a female, at the time, wasn't unusual.
The overall market and demand have cooled since then, but the breeding, fleece and companionship of alpacas remain as draws. Alpaca wool is not as heavy or itchy as sheep's wool; Sally compares the feel to a cross between cashmere and silk.
The Schmidt herd is sheared once a year, and the animals are low-maintenance pets. "I call it cheater farming" because it's not as time-consuming as traditional dairy farming, Sally says. "If you provide the proper conditions, these animals stay healthy."
She, Tom and a Two Rivers alpaca owner attended an auction while visiting a daughter in Oregon in 2006. That's where the Schmidts bought their first alpacas, dams Karousel and Silver Rose (which they still own), and part-ownership in Galileo.
So the couple had the start of a herd but needed farmland. What they found had a farmhouse in need of an overhaul and updating. By the time the project quality accommodation bilbao was finished in 2007, Tom and Sally had immersed themselves in the world of alpacas.
Overnight visitors stay in one of two upstairs bedrooms, have access to a roomy living room with fireplace and front-row views of alpaca life. Watching a slow sunset from a porch rocking chair is a bonus.
"People interested in alpacas stay here to see what it's like to have an alpaca ranch," Sally notes. The simply curious can – depending upon personal inclination and time of year – see these animals play, get sheared, quality accommodation bilbao give birth and – yes – breed.
Visitors pet the alpacas and walk them ("What if they don't want to go for a walk," I ask. "We pick the ones that do," Sally replies.) "The animals can sense whether you are in a good mood," she says. "When you're not, they don't want to have anything to do with you."
When I visit, Annalies and Black Pearl are due to give birth, but it doesn't happen before I leave. Timing is everything, although alertness counts, too. Sally says a mere 45 minutes typically passes between the start of a dam's contractions and delivery.
Each of the animals has a story, which the innkeepers are eager to share. quality accommodation bilbao I hear about Seymour, born at the 2010 Outagamie County Fair, and Moses, whose birth weight was almost 50 percent more than average.
A first-timer, like me, will see a herd of inquisitive but shy animals. Sally and Tom see individual personalities and quirks. Now they occasionally host seminars for new and wannabe alpaca owners, answering the same questions quality accommodation bilbao they had only a few years ago.
For more about Sabamba Alpaca Ranch Bed and Breakfast, 2338 Hickory Rd., De Pere: sabambaalpaca.com , 920-371-0003. Overnight rates are $99 to $115. A two-night stay, which includes a hands-on introduction to alpacas, quality accommodation bilbao costs an extra $100.
Culinary Clips Wisconsin wines: Fast-growing industry ready for global exposure? Germany at Christmas: marzipan, stollen, gingerbread go global Soup to nuts: recipes to ward off autumn s chill Appleton T-Mac BBQ team wins big at American Royal Farm-to-table work a natural fit at The Black Sheep, Whitewater On Our Mind apostle islands
Cozy Midwest B Bs for people who love winter sports: quality accommodation bilbao ow.ly/ttGIi fb.me/6IFL8KYVv 5 hours ago This beautiful day begins with a subzero sweat while snowshoeing along Lake Michigan beach, snow-covered dunes at ilresorts.com 5 hours ago Questions/advice about Wisconsin/area travel: ow.ly/tpg0B fb.me/3QOw1UCNA quality accommodation bilbao 3 days ago Morning mail: Old World Wisconsin, part of @WISitesMuseums , pays people to step back in time. Fun! Job fair March... fb.me/1dmd21wLP 4 days ago Morning mail: New, 7.5-mile skiing/snowshoeing trail connects trio of @lpwines quality accommodation bilbao near @TraverseCity ... Sip and... fb.me/6zNk3U6nn 5 days ago → Follow me Quick Quote
These articles began in 2002 and are the result of anonymous travel, independent travel, press trips and travel journalism conferences. What we choose to cover is not contingent on subsidized or complimentary travel.