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trails that wind through crowds of cen- Finding sanctuary
turies-old redwoods, across open meadows
in the Valley of the Moon, past the remains Charlie’s Acres is where locals go for
of the four-story, 26-room stone mansion cuddly wellness: sheep meditation, goat
that burned to the ground just days before yoga, tummy scratches.
Jack and Charmian planned to move in. When I used a rake to scratch Gilbert’s
Steps away, visitors find more remains. belly, the 470-pound pig didn’t just lean
At a small fenced cemetery, Jack’s ashes into it, he flopped and rolled, exposing
rest under a lichen-covered stone; he died more of his hairy pink paunch, clearly sa-
in 1916 at age 40. When Charmian died in voring the pleasure. His pleasure became
1955, her ashes were placed beside Jack’s. my pleasure. As he basked in the moment, I
To make the most of your time at the did too. He surrendered; I retreated.
park, sign up for a free docent tour. I “We’re not a petting zoo,’ said guide
lucked out, spending an afternoon with Greg Ord. “We’re a sanctuary for rescued
longtime volunteer Ben Lefson, whose pas- farm animals. The animals you’re interact-
sion for the place is contagious. ing with want to be with you. This place is a
174 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2025
