Day 6 -
Exploring Zanesville, Ohio
Every Village, Town, and City has something truly unique.
Something they are rightfully proud of. Zanesville, Ohio is no
different, and has many interesting possibilities.
After carefully considering all of the literature that we had picked
up about the area, we decided to make a trip to "The Wilds - Animal
Park", located close by and offering safari type jaunts
amongst the animals. We called to find their hours and were told
"Only on weekends this time of year". That was a let-down after our
careful planning.
Okay, a minor setback, but we are nothing if not resilient! Our next
choice was the local Alpaca Ranch where we heard we would see
championship caliber stock roaming free on many, many acres. We
called and received the same answer, "No tours today, sorry!".
Next, we decided to just hop in the truck and drive around the City
of Zanesville. The "Y Bridge" sounded interesting and found that the
best vantage point was from the lookout on a hilltop in Putnam Park
on the other side of said bridge. We drove up to the Park and found
it to be beautiful as well as the panoramic view of the City.
We next decided to head a few miles North of town to visit a series
of locks from the old days that were still manually operated. On the
way, we received a phone call from the Alpaca Ranch's foreman who
said he would be glad to give us the grand tour.
Finally, something was going to work out as we planned, BUT, getting
to there from where we were was the challenge. He said there was the
long, roundabout, but easy way, or the shorter cross-country route.
Of course we chose the more challenging route which took us across
some 17 miles of hills, dales, and gravel roads of backcountry Ohio.
We did get to see landscape, forest and hardscrabble farms that few
other tourists have had the privilege to visit.
We arrived without incident, and were met at the gate by the
owners', (Dr. Albert
& Rebecca Camma) son-in-law, Shane. He spent nearly 2 hours
with us telling all about the ranch, all of its inhabitants, and
amazing things we never knew about Alpacas until now. Niki's love of
animals prompted many questions that Shane happily answered. We were
introduced to his wife Jamie and shown through the small store they
have and the many samples of the different types and grades of
alpaca fleece.
It's well worth the time to pay a visit to the ranch if ever in the
area. It is actually located about 20 minutes from the
campground at
The day was over much too quickly and we finished our
explorations with dinner at Bob Evans which is also very near
the campground.
Now for a good night's rest and a day on the road tomorrow which
will lead us to our next stop at Grandpa's Farm in Richmond,
Indiana.
On the Road and glad you are still with us,
Niki, Jack and K.C.
Good Fuel Stops:
Pilot - I-70, Exit 10, 16 miles before
the Grandpa's Farm Exit
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