Camp With Camels in San Diego's Backcountry

By Nicola Bridges

Horse and cows, yes. Mexican longhorn Corriente cattle, yes. Llamas? Quite possibly. Goats? For sure. But camels in San Diego's backcountry? And I'm not speaking of the dromedaries at the world-renowned San Diego Zoo Safari Park, also a great place to see camels.

No, I was 45 minutes east of San Diego exploring the backcountry when just after rounding a bend on State Route 78 -- the main meandering road to the mountains and desert beyond -- I hit the low-grade hill's bottom straightaway and saw camels in a spacious pasture, moseying around between large boulders and grazing on the scrubby grassland fauna.

Then I saw the sign, Oasis Camel Dairy, and how could I not turn in?

Oasis owners Nancy and Gil Riegler have welcomed visitors to get up close and personal with camels since opening almost 25 years ago. Feeding the camel snacks on hand, it's not long before my elbows are dripping watermelon juice while the camels softly chomp away, their big rubbery lips flapping, exposing their gnarly teeth and batting their adorably long eyelashes.

Nancy encourages me to pet them.

"They're super friendly and patient and just love being loved on and groomed." she says with enthusiasm. "It's a big part of why Camel Camp is sooo fun!"

Camel Camp is held several times a year and allows you to stay overnight either in your own RV or tent or the one available private farm apartment for rent. It's an intimate way to immerse in all things camel: Learn how to feed them, groom them, halter and walk them safely and generally get down with the dromedaries -- or up on one for a ride.

"It's about learning how they think about things and how the camels communicate," Nancy says as we tour the camel enclosures where a mama, Luna, is nuzzling her adorable 3-week-old baby girl camel calf, Pandora. The rest of the curious camel crew saunters over, including the baby's grandmother, Sheba, one of the elders.

"We separate Mom and baby from the herd to make sure the little one can fend for herself by the time she co-mingles with the camels in the pasture," Nancy says, beaming with pleasure. "But all the other camels absolutely adore her. They're perfect with her and gentle, and she runs along the fence frolicking and kicking her feet in the air."

A few more mamas-to-be are enjoying (or perhaps enduring) various stages of their baby's 13-month gestation period to add to the 23 camels that currently call the dairy home. Most of the moms' milk goes to feeding their offspring, but about 10% is milked to make lotions and soaps, which the dairy sells at the farm and online. This year, they are also branching out with their first 5-acre U-pick lavender crop.

You can also watch Nancy and Gil's animal show, which features a camel and exotic talking birds. Other residents of the farm include spotted Appaloosa horses and a unique breed of miniature spotted sheep the Rieglers developed through crossbreeding, which they humorously anointed "Lambradoodles."

The couple also frequently does camel outreach at county fairs, taking some of their majestic beasts for show and tell to educate people about camels. They explain the camel's history throughout the world and raise donations for their nonprofit foundation to support the sanctuary arm of the farm that cares for displaced dromedaries and some with health issues.

"We have a couple right now that are emotionally damaged," Nancy says. "They came in with a lot of emotional baggage, and the foundation helps fund safe living for them."

Camel Camp weekends also help support the sanctuary.

"It's a unique and fun thing for people to do and a little unusual and odd to come and hang out with camels, of all things, in San Diego County," Nancy says. "But it's wonderful camping right by them and sitting around the firepit at night, enjoying camel milk chocolate s'mores and watching the stars in our backcountry's vast, dark skies.

Visit www.cameldairy.com for Camel Camp rates and farm open days schedule. Admission $15. Private Tours $200 for up to 10 guests, $12 each additional. Camel rides $15.

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Nicola Bridges is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.