![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550746cropLO_zpsa2vqhvnn.jpg)
I'd convinced myself that somehow Cambria was on the way from San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles, where I was headed anyway to see the Field of Light at Sensorio.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550757lo_zps34ud4bec.jpg)
In actuality, it added about two hours' worth of driving to my trip.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550747lo_zps30r4nod0.jpg)
Needless to say, it was worth it.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550703lo_zps2kodcxjm.jpg)
You might think if you've see one red barn, you've seen them all.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550693cropLO_zpsb0llxtzo.jpg)
But this barn, at Stepladder Ranch and Creamery, was the 100-year-old creation of Dutch boatbuilders—with a roof shaped like a hull.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550720lo_zpse65iw1u9.jpg)
You might also think that if you've met one goat, you've met them all—but nothing could be farther from the truth.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550718lo_zpskpqtbe0u.jpg)
As soon as I crouched down with my camera to take a photo, one goat jumped on my back and started munching on a big clump of my hair. Another soon followed suit. They had to be yanked off me. That was new.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550745lo_zpstejtm3c3.jpg)
Although some of the other goats at Stepladder were a bit more shy...
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550737lo_zpsclk3epsh.jpg)
...they'd mostly been hand-reared and bottle-fed...
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550736cropLO_zpsn0rri8y3.jpg)
...which means they seek out human companionship, even more than regular goats do.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550740cropLO_zpslx4ns11h.jpg)
They licked my camera lens and nibbled on my elbow. That was new, too.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550742lo_zpsr3repe1j.jpg)
One of them suckled on my thumb, like a baby. I've never wanted a baby (goat) more in my life.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550712cropLO_zpsuessilyd.jpg)
These Lamancha goats were only four months old, from this year's kidding season—too big to cradle, but young enough to be feisty and unfraid.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550728lo_zpshkgcfsyd.jpg)
They've got tiny little ears, like seals.
![](https://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l93/pandisoo/2019/Stepladder/P1550723lo_zpsb781cktt.jpg)
And the does produce a lot of milk, which is high in butterfat—perfect for making cheese, the primary output of Stepladder.
But they're also really nice to hang out with—even just for a little while.
*Note: Tours are by advance reservation only.
Related Posts:
Photo Essay: A Goat By Any Other Name
Photo Essay: Making Soaps with Goats
Kidding Season
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