POST 557; 03/02/12: ALISA'S RANCH

A warm day is greeted by the first blooming Daffodils in Karen's Columbia, North Carolina yard.

Karen invited me to visit her friend, Alisa and her three "rug rats" living on their private petting zoo 5 miles south of Columbia.


Barefoot Alisa upon our arrival.

Alisa and hubby, Chris, are Biologists. Chris cares for the local population of wild Red Wolves, while Karen home schools her children on their ranch...




Please say HELLO to daughter Ami.

At 10 years old, Ami is oldest of three children growing up on their own private Petting Ranch on the southern outskirts of Columbia, North Carolina...


All done herding up the ducks.


Stately Donkey


...gives a nibble of my hand.


...at the ranch home of Alisa and Chris Lucash..

Hailing from the Chicago area, Alisa and Chris, both practicing Biologists, moved 13 years ago to Columbia to raise their home-schooled children.


Currently raising two sets of twin goats, one horse, one donkey, a flock of ducks, numerous chickens, two dogs, and one parrot.

Alica is focusing on native birds while Chris works with the local population of wild Red Wolves.


Karen Estey cuddling a two-day old goat.


...while I take a turn holding the same two-day old, named "Swift".


two-week old set of twin goats.


Please say HELLO to Alisa, coaxing Swift's Mother to accept two-day old "Swift".

One male sibling died during birthing of triplets.


Alisa's goats love attention


...exhibiting Ecstasy being scratched just there.


Multi-colored fresh eggs.


Alisa bottle feeding one of the two-day old twins while Karen looks on during tea-time break for 6 year old Noah, four year old Eden and 10 year old Ami.


Noah, Eden, Ami and me snuggling the soft furry two-old baby goat.


Alisa mothering one of her baby goats..while glancing coquettishly at Karen.

In the morning, I plan to continue my walk, following this route:

Leave Columbia, walking West on US 64 to local 45... then, local 46 to Roanoke Rapids village; continuing on Route 46 into Virginia.

46 becomes US 460 to Farmville to Roanoke...continuing on local 311 to the West Virginia border at the town of Allegheny.

Pick up US 60 to Charleston...then on Route 35 to the Ohio border, crossing at Kanauga.

Continuing on US 35 thru Dayton and still on US 35 into Indiana to Richmond, where we change to local Highway 32 to Noblesville, where we pick up Highway 38 to Lebanon, where we pick up US 52.

We stay on US 52 through Lafayette and on to the Illinois border.

Still on US 52, we walk to Pontiac, where we change to local Highway 23.

We follow Hwy 23 all the way to DeKalb, Illinois, here we visit my sister, Carol.

Continuation route west beyond De Kalb to the Peace Arch near Vancouver, B.C., Canada is yet to be determined.