Mike Rowe and the crew of Dirty Jobs TV Show come for a visit

MIKE ROWE SAYS "LETS GET DIRTY"!

What a day! I have been bursting to tell everyone about our amazing adventure filming Discovery Channel's HUGE HIT, Dirty Jobs at the Camel Dairy!

Show producer, and one of the coolest guys on the planet, Dave Barsky warned me not to spill before the shoot. The fan base for this show is so ginormous, we could have been inundated with Mike Rowe's enthusiastic fans. So Gil and I kept it quiet until shoot day.

The weather leading up to shoot day was horrific. Lots of rain and freezing cold. With me performing the bird show at the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival for the previous ten days and our dear friend and employee, Teri out sick from surgery (she is going great by the way) Gil was pretty much left alone to get everything ready for the shoot day. Rich are we in good friends; many pitched in to help Gil get ready. Still, Gil had to feed and clean all the animals, prep the camels for the shoot and cut for his crystal clients. (You didn't know Gil did that? Go to http://www.crystalcutting.com/. He is AMAZING.)

Weeks earlier, after several telephone conferences with Michel and Ira from Pilgrim Films, we pretty much got the "order of the day" set. Michel and Ira really helped us hone what the day would look like. They kept reminding me that this wasn't an interview, Mike Rowe would be doing the actual work and animal handling. During the weeks leading up to the day of shooting, Gil and I kept that in mind, making sure we had lots of interesting work for him to do.

Shoot day, February 26, couldn't have been more beautiful. Spring-like weather with light, bright, puffy clouds billowing high over lush, green pastures made for a perfect backdrop to showcase our wonderful ranch life.

Before you even have a chance to ask, the answer is yes, Mike Rowe is really as funny, charming, friendly and handsome in person as he is on the show. In fact, the entire crew was friendly and engaging.

Our first two shots where of Mike opening the show with just the camels and then meeting Gil and I... asking us a few questions, things like that. Truthfully, I was nervous... with four camera's pointed at us, a big TV star and Lealla, our sweet cuddly camel poised for petting, the opening felt a little stiff for me. I just didn't feel in my element. Inside, I was actually worried about how the day would unfold.

But then we got to work. Worries over! Everything just flowed. Gil and Mike and I moved camels, milked camels, groomed, blew, fed and rode camels. With a natural ease, Mike transformed from star to ranch hand and we set about teaching him everything we could. With every passing shot the crew moved more easily and everyone joked and laughed and enjoyed some very intimate moments with the camels.

Fifteen of our camels all eat together. It can be quite chaotic when you have to nudge your way through the herd to separate the flakes of bermuda hay. Mike pushed his way in like a real camel jockey and at one point, I just had to stand back and marvel at our wonderful herd. As Mike, Gil and I crouched underneath Sheba, medicating a small sore on her pedestal pad, four camera operators, a sound technician, a still photographer and director mixed and mingled in the tightly gathered herd just as naturally as if that is what we did every day.

With Romeo (our beautiful bull camel) very much in rutt, we embarked on a breeding. After a safety overview for host and crew, Mike led Goldie into Romeo's paddock with Gil and I in tow. Once engaged, Gil motioned to the crew that they could enter the corral. Romeo was perfect. Regal and all business, he took the strangers in stride as we explained the importance of our breeding program. Once again, I marveled at the calm and confidence of our beautiful camels; allowing such a close up look at their fascinating world. I could almost not stay focused on the segment... I kept wanting to break the moment saying "this is really amazing that you are all in here! This is incredible!" But I didn't. I was just so proud of our animals.

I don't want to dish on everything that happened but needless to say, not everything went by the book and luckily, the camels threw in one or two wake up calls that caught crew members by surprise. Every exciting moment was capped off with producer Dave shouting "did you get that?!" At least one camera operator would be looking at his screen, grinning ear to ear nodding, "got it!"

The tape is off to editing now and as soon as I hear of an air date, I'll be sure to post it here.

In many ways, the day of shooting Dirty Jobs was a lot like having the tours at the dairy: Lots of laughter and a few surprises; New friends making contact with our beautiful camels while soaking in their gentle, comical nature; all on a beautiful day miles and miles away from the ordinary world. Just a magical, wonderful day.

Oh and as a side note... I got to touch Mike Rowe's butt. I don't mean graze either. I mean full on, cup a cheek and steady him on the camel as Clyde got up from a cushed position. I probably didn't have to do it... but Clyde was not wearing a saddle and I was afraid Mike would slip off. But mostly, I thought of my girl friend Carrie and how totally psyched she would be! Carrie... that was for you!

Oh and before you can even ask... yes, he works out.

Thanks a million times a million to Mike and the intrepid crew of Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs!

Don't miss it!

If you would like to come visit the dairy, be sure to first visit us at http://www.cameldairy.com/. Upcoming tour dates are listed as well as information about setting up your own private tour or even taking a safari camel ride at our ranch!