West Livaudais, Champoeg
Written by Miles McCoy*
ALPACAS CREATE UNIQUE BACKDROP
TO WILLAMETTE VALLEY B & B
Nestled next to the famous and
spacious Champoeg Park, the Inn at Champoeg sits in an
exquisite rural setting, providing visitors from around
the country a truly memorable Oregon experience.
The Inn’s adjacent pastures are
also home to a small herd of Alpacas, which provides
that “something different” to intrigue those seeking
more than a traditional wine country visit.
“This was part of our dream for
many years,” explained owner West Livaudais. “The other
half of the venture, Alpacas of Champoeg, is also moving
ahead with our growing young herd.”
Livaudais was a physician and
surgeon in Florence before semi-retiring and moving to
the Willamette Valley with his wife, Paterese, a decade
ago. They moved into their home two years ago. “Soon
after, we started the B&B business, putting up a Web
site and creating a brochure,” he continued. They
opened 18 months ago and have already been booked
several times. So far, the Inn at Champoeg has had
visitors from throughout the United States, Canada, New
Zealand and even Singapore.
The Inn tries to serve multiple
clients, according to Livaudais. Wine tours and fine
dining are, of course, a first priority since the Inn
literally sits in wine country. “Wine is definitely a
huge draw, with events like the annual Pinot Festival in
McMinnville bringing hundreds of visitors into the
area,” he said.
But with historic Champoeg Park
bordering the property, they also promote the many
nearby trails to naturalists. Meanwhile, Aurora’s
intense collection of antique and collectible shops
draws a different crowd. Other attractions include the
Woodburn Company Stores outlet mall and unique
businesses such as Heirloom Roses.
One recent guest from Washington,
D.C. wanted to experience Oregon wine country and found
the Inn online. The guest also took advantage of
Champoeg Park’s hiking trails with an afternoon spent
experiencing the area’s wooded trails, watching
unassuming deer and discovering a field of mint before
ending up back at the Inn.
It turned out the guest was a food
editor with the Washington Post and wrote a rave
review about the visit. It was advertising they could
never have paid for.
But the real sparkle comes to [Livaudais’]
eyes when he takes guests to visit the alpacas. He has a
small herd, but plans to expand it over the next few
years. When Livaudais enters the pasture, the alpacas
gather around like a group of old friends. Even
strangers are tolerated as long as they do not try to
get too close.
“We are new to this business, so it
is a continual learning experience,” he explained. He
said the herd’s nutrition is a key concern to keep them
in good health. They also have had to learn a bit about
animal husbandry and about birthing techniques.
Organizations such as Alpacas Owners and Breeders
Association (AOBA) and the Columbia Alpaca Breeders
Association (CABA) have been crucial to their success,”
he added.
“Alpacas are generally docile
animals and easy to care for,” he said. “And they don’t
spit like llamas.” They feed mainly in pastures that
Livaudais reseeded with orchard grass, a variety that
contains 18 percent protein. They also add pellets rich
in nutrients to provide supplemental minerals.”
They raise two types of alpaca:
huacaya and suri. “Just happened to be what we stated
with, which were the all-white colored animals,” he
continued. “We now have one with a new color called
roan.”
Livaudais maintains segmented
pastures and rotates the animals among them on a regular
schedule. It’s enough land to support about 50 animals,
but he said they plan to keep the herd at abut 20. “It
already takes an hour-and-a-half to handle the chores
now,” he said with a laugh. Since he is semi-retired, he
does not want his love of alpacas to turn into a
full-time job.
The unique combination of a
bed-and-breakfast destination with a working ranch makes
the Inn at Champoeg a useful model for other
agricultural operations to study and emulate as “ag
tourism” becomes increasingly popular. |
