Road Trip Part 3
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009
When I mention to people that my friend has an alpaca farm, they usually imagine a couple of animals on a couple of acres, but Great Lakes Ranch has nearly 50 animals on nearly 150 acres of land and is one of the country’s premier alpaca breeders. I didn’t even realize it myself until last year, while honeymooning in Utah, when Deborah and I ran into a couple at the welcome center to the National Bridges National Monument. I noticed they had an alpaca sticker on their car, so I said, “I know this is a long shot, but I have a friend who raises alpacas. I wonder if you know him, Brad Sprouse.”
Not only did they know him, but they had just bought an alpaca from him and raved on and on about his knowledge and expertise.
“Huh,” I remember saying to Deborah, “I guess Brad and Jandy really have something going in the alpaca world.”
And they do. Despite its size, it’s still a small family business. Brad and Jandy have two teenage kids at home who help when they aren’t in school, but for the most part, it’s just Brad and Jandy taking care of it all. To see the impeccably maintained farmhouse, assorted barns, small garden, and pristine fields, it’s hard to believe. And seeing a photo album of what it all looked like before they bought the property didn’t make it any easier.
As we sat having cocktails in The Rose Lounge the night of our arrival, the Sprouse’s asked us to make a loose list of things to see and do while we were visiting. Top on Deborah’s list was alpacas. Ever since learning that Brad and his wife, Jandy, lived on an alpaca farm, and seeing the pictures on their website, Deborah has been obsessed with seeing them in person.
Winnie told Deborah that she has a picture of herself with the alpacas on her Facebook profile and Deborah decided she needed one too.
Brad couldn’t care less about “Facespace or Mybook or whatever the hell any of it is called,” but he got a kick out of Deborah’s excitement.
“We can make that happen,” he said.
He explained that it would be best for us to get there before 9 a.m., before he let the alpacas out into the field. Arriving in Michigan as late as we did and being exhausted from the drive, we knew we weren’t likely to get there in time the next morning.
“No rush,” said Brad. “We have a few days. We’ll get it done.”
And a few days later, we did.
Once we were a little more in sync with farming time, we made it to the ranch for a photo shoot. The animals had been fed and were waiting at the gate to be let out. The alpacas are curious and will walk right up to you, but they don’t like to be touched and will turn away as soon as you lift an arm to pet them. But they’re used to Brad, and he can work with them easily. “Pick out a baby for your photo shoot,” he said, “and I’ll round her up for you.”
Babies were dropping out of their mothers like ripe apples in October, and every day there was a new one, so there were more than a dozen to choose from.
Deborah pointed to a little tan one with smoky eyes. “How about that one?”
“Oh man,” said Brad. “Her mom is a bitch. I can try to get her, but unless you want to get spit on, I think maybe you should pick another one.”
“Um, yeah, no to the spit. How about the little white one over there?”
“That I can do.”
