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!

Riding Racing Camels!

Oh I wish I had a picture for you!

Today, after we got the dairy farm cleaned and everything fixed just right, Gil, Bill and I set out to the pasture to train racing camels!

This is all about the BIG SURPRISE we will have to tell you about Saturday!!!

While I was at the Riverside County Fair with my bird show (totally fun by the way) Gil and Bill have been here at the ranch training Jamal and Camelot.

Using a food reward, Gil and Bill take the two geldings for a walk down the pasture.... about 300 yards, turn them around and then let them go running back to the tractor. The tractor bucket has grain in it. The two boys race each other to see who gets the grain first! (although there is grain for both)

Well, today, Gil showed me their progress. After three practice runs, we put saddles on the two geldings and prepared for their first passenger. (which for some reason ended up being me!)

I was pretty nervous up there! I rode Camelot first... he is HUGE but he will be transporting a special guest so we really wanted him to have the most experience. What made me a little nervous is that for their first runs, with no riders, they bucked and played from about 150 yards away all the way to me at the tractor. I watched those humped backs closely as they jumped and twisted and I wasn't sure if I could stay on for that!

Well, they were complete gentlemen! We did two runs with riders... my switching from Camelot to Jamal (hopping back-to-back which was fun!) for the second run. What fun!!!!!

They only trotted .... although on Camelots ride, I tried to coax him into a higher speed.

I just keep thinking... what fun! The way we are going about this training, the riders are really just passengers. We are concentrating on the camels listening mostly to the trainer calling them.

Partly because we are preparing for a Charity Camel Race for the Ramona Inter Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Fundraiser scheduled for July. We want pretty much anyone who can sit a horse to be able to get up there and race with our boys.

What fun... I just keep saying... what fun! What good boys. The best part was that they enjoyed it too. They couldn't wait to challenge each other.

I can't wait until tomorrow to try it again and I really can't wait to share our BIG SURPRISE with everyone!

Remember, if you are in the area, we have a public tour here at the Oasis Camel Dairy Farm on Sunday, March 1st starting at 1:00. We have gorgeous soap available too! For more information about the tour including directions and prices, remember to visit our website at http://www.cameldairy.com/

BIG SURPISE COMING NEXT WEEK!

I know, I know... I need to finish Boo Boo's Story! I will, I promise.

But for right now, I just want to let all the friends of the camel dairy that we have a really cool surprise coming NEXT WEEK!

We are really proud and really excited and we were asked to promis that we wouldn't tell anyone just yet what the surprise is!

It is going to be something that EVERYONE can enjoy and we are so very excited!!!! Now, if you already know what it is... and some of you do.... NO TELLING! PROMISE!

By the end of next week, I should be able to let the cat out of the bag. (what a bizarre expression) I have so many updates for you! I want to fill you in on Leala and her baby Jasmine (pictured here when Leala was so sick) I want to tell you about our new additions to the dairy and what an amazing year we are having.

Where does the time go!

I will finish Boo-boos story... maybe tonight!

Take care and check in often. You can also fallow this blog or follow me on facebook (although I am just figuring it out... I do enjoy it and it gives me a chance to share other things and get to know people better.)

Oh! We have lots of soap for sale in our store at http://www.cameldairy.com the batches came out BEAUTIFUL! WE also have a brand new, ADA handicap accessible bathroom at the farm for our guests on the tour. Our friend Larry put everything in and we painted it. It is the most beautiful room in our unconventional house!

We are also starting to train our camels for our NEW SAFARI RIDES at the farm starting this summer and two of our most athletic geldings, Jamal and Camelot, are starting training for a special Charity Camel Race to be held this summer for the Intermountain Volunteer Fire Department. A very good cause!

Ok... now I have to go on stage and sing with some birds.... (its a long story!)

HOW DO YOU LOAD A 2,000 LB BULL CAMEL PART 2: INTO THE TRAILER....

With much prodding and encouragement from the Oasis Camel Dairy "fans", I am back on the keyboard to finish our story.

Before we go there I have to ask.... where does the time go? The telling of this story began in May and here we are on the first of February. Before we blast back to the past let me begin by saying that "Boo boo" is a gorgeous huge gelding who has incorporated beautifully into our herd and is becoming a favorite among guests to the dairy. He is friendly and his giant sized is dwarfed by the magnitude of his gentle nature.

But for those of you who read the first installment of this story, you already know it did not begin this way. Don't worry that it has been a long time since the story actually took place. It is vividly etched in minds of all participants.

As we approached the enclosure, the giant mountain of a bull camel sprang easily to his feet to come over and say hello. Not a mean bone is his massive body, he simply wanted closeness, touch, affection and treats. He was truly one of the most spectacular camels I had ever seen. Glistening straight cinnamon colored hair covered his giant frame. Large, dark searching eyes were shaded below lush, long curling eye lashes. He was in a word, magnificent.

However, Mister Magnificent quickly demonstrated his lack of training and handling. Treats are great, hay is stupendous but wearing a halter and walking into a trailer... no thank you! Over the next forty-five minutes, we tried everything in our "bag of tricks" to get the big boy on board.

Ideally, we could take several days to train him to walk into the trailer... ideally. But, with new camel calves on the ground at home, we were in no position for a mini-vacation in the desert. Plus, judging by the large scrapes and scratches on his broad chest and the spaghetti like bends in his paddock, he was not long for captivity.

We began by coaxing him to the edge of the trailer with treats. We easily slipped a lasso around his neck and secured him within three feet or so of the back door. He hit the breaks as we anticipated he would, and we all stayed with him, supporting him and actually pushing into his hindquarters with our bodies. Although he stayed taught on the lasso, he did not twist or fight. With this tautness, it was easy to slowly, carefully fit him with a camel halter and lead.

Just before haltering him, I made probably one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made handling an animal. Instead of walking around the back of the camel and trailer to go retrieve the halter, I decided, with time being of the essence, that I should quickly duck under the taught lasso and go through the trailer.... a much more direct route.In an instant, I was on the ground! Struggling to recover my breath, I had been struck with what felt like a piece of 1 inch square stock steel or a piece of re-bar swung by a large man. Of course, the large man was the camel and the re-bar was his left canine. (camels, especially bulls have very large canine teeth. Usually called fighting teeth, they can easily put an African lion's to shame) When I ducked in front of him, he came down on me with a side sweep, hitting with the tooth as opposed to biting with it. I am not ashamed to say for a forty six year old gal, I can scramble pretty fast!

Cool side note: I don't want to brag but I did get the coolest bruise on my back! It was huge! I felt like a real cowboy I mean girl.

That was pretty much the only time he moved forward. All his other intentions where back, back, back. With the halter now on quite comfortably, we could take a moment to develop and try a new plan. We weren't going to be able to just coax or pull this 2000 bull into the trailer. Gil came up with an idea. Something to try anyway. He would go to the cab of the truck and pull the truck forward. This of course would pull the camel forward and then.. just when all his momentum was forward, Gil would "back up really fast while we used the halter and our bodies against the camels rear legs to maintain the gained ground." We rehearsed our plan with NASA worthy precision and coordination.The execution was perfect except for one detail that we now can share with you: Camels can back up really, really fast. By this time, our big bull was seeming to enjoy his ability to physically dominate the entire situation. He calmly held his ground while we moved this way and that way, trying to leverage even an inch of his giant body into the doorway of the trailer. With hands petting, massaging, pushing and nudging, we slowly made our way, inch by inch to the wide aluminum threshold. With a handler on each leg, we moved him closer and closer, coaxing and petting, nudging and pushing, inch by inch. We could see success within our grasp. We could almost get a foot up onto the trailer edge. Although weary and reluctant, he worked with us making minuscule baby steps to the opening.

But just when we thought we had him going with the program, he unleashed his secret weapon. With one grand sweeping gesture he leaned back, whirled his massive neck, kicked his feet out from under himself and landed on his side on the ground. He scolded and squalled. I felt horrible. I think we all did. I felt we had broken the spirit of this magnificent beast. And then... he tipped his hand.

As Gil went to readjust ropes to make sure the camel was safe and comfortable, he moved the grain bucket out of his way. In the blink of an eye, that camel went from victim to brilliant scam artist! Keeping his body prostrate on the ground, he lifted his head and blinked his beautiful big brown eyes. Ears forward and voice soft, he searched the bucket. What we had just witnessed was a hand raised baby camel tantrum ... super sized! He wasn't a raging bull, he was an overgrown baby boy who had no friends, no mates and no clue.

As he laid there on the sand, Gil and I sat facing him on the lip of the trailer entrance. Still magnificent although, somewhat silly looking, Gil observed him for a long while until finally submitting; "I don't think this is going to happen. I don't think we can take him" I was so disappointed. We both just knew that if we could get him home and start working with him, he had a chance at a great life. But how can we tell him that? We needed something bigger and stronger to help us get him into the trailer. Fortunately, his owner, who is just one of the nicest guys we have ever met, could see his chance and his property fences slipping away. Quickly he sprang to his feet announcing that he had a 100 feet of 3000 lb test rope and a Toyota Tacoma. Game on!

We waited until Camel got tired of laying on the ground in the aftermath of his tantrum. After he got up, we gave him some grain and just petted him for a while. While petting him, we began to rub him with trucker's tie downs: large, two inch yellow webbing.. thick, strong and smooth. We worked the webbing over his shoulders and carefully joined it between his front legs. We also attached a piece at each shoulder back around the hump. Still petting and talking to him, we tied one end of the 100 foot rope to the web ends pulled forward between his front legs. Gil then fed the rope through the trailer, out through the front side panel across the driveway to the Toyota.

The camel, back to his more confident self, stood chewing his cud, watched us with great amusement. With everyone at the ready, we counted down to initiate operation "you're comin' home."

And with that I will say goodnight... but I promise to finish our story very, very soon.

As always for more information about the Oasis Camel Dairy, our camel milk soap or to visit our dairy farm, please visit our website: http://www.cameldairy.com/ See you very soon... I promise!