Grant's Farm

I'm so glad I decided to go to Grant's Farm today.  Because this is the last week they are open for the season.  Grant's Farm is at the historic site of Ulysses S. Grant's farm/home.  Right next door to the family home of the Dents - and his wife, Julia Dent.  It was such a beautiful day - sunny, 80 degrees, that I just didn't want to be inside today.  The fall foliage here in Missouri isn't very colorful.  Several people were remarking on that around me.  I would guess it is because they had such a hot dry summer.  The leaves are turning pale color, drying and falling quickly.

My first stop - big surprise - was the Clydesdale barn.  This farm is owned by the Anheuser/Busch family.  And they originally used part of Grant's Farm to breed Clydesdales.  However, due to the size of the operation, they have moved the breeding operation to a larger farm outside of St Louis.  I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but the wrought iron gates that the wagon comes out of in some of the commercials is here at Grant's Farm.  The horses they do have here still are some retired carriage geldings, three weanlings and a couple of young colts.  It was fun to pet them - although they mostly ignored everyone.  And I paid to have my photo taken with one of them.  His name is Dave.  He was a pretty good natured 10 year old gelding, retired early from service due to health reasons.

After the Clydesdales, I caught the tram ride through Grant's Farm to the center Farm.  While on the tram, we went through Deer Park - lots of deer, ducks, geese, and also Bison, Texas Long Horn cattle, a brahman cow, an ostrich, zebra, one antler antelope, etc.  The center farm had a petting area where kids and adults could feed pygmy goats with bottled milk.  It's nice to pet the goats, but I actually hate these type of things.  The goats were mostly full and not interested in the bottles.  A good third of them were exhausted by all the attention, confusion, screaming and chaos of the kids - and they were trying to find places to lay down and sleep.  Most of them had a blase attitude - the indifference of self preservation.  I hated seeing it.  They had some other exhibited animals - none that could be petted (thank god), but they too stayed at the back of their pens to avoid the confusion.  They had 2 elephants, a few wallabies, 2 bald eagles (they were on logs on the ground due to permanent injuries), chickens, horses, donkeys, calves, llamas and camels. Still, it was a nice day to meander around and I'm glad that I went.

Part of farm, near the famed wrought iron gates, is fenced with curious wrought iron --- which turned out to be made from the barrels of rifles from the Civil War.