Alpacas!

We drove to the other side of Montana and stayed at the Heart and Soul Alpaca Farm, where we had our first experience camping with no hookups- that means no electricity, water or sewer! Luckily there was a nice breeze so it wasn’t too hot, and we had a lot or water ready to go to drink, wash and flush 😉

We got a tour of the alpaca farm from Russell, one of the owners (with his wife Karen), and I have to say- THE ALPACAS ARE SO CUTE!! There are 2 different kinds of alpacas (huacaya and suri) who have different fleece- the first is described as looking like a teddy bear (fluffy) and the second is described as having fleece that looks like tiny dreadlocks.

They had both on the farm, and one was fluffy and felt like cashmere and the other had stringy fiber that felt more like silk. Here are several pictures of them:

Karen and Russell have some of the top alpacas in the country, and they sell a few each year to breeders. They also rescue alpacas who are mistreated or whose owners cannot care for them. Russell also teaches classes to vets about treatment and medication, as alpacas are sensitive to medications and cannot tolerate what would be expected for animals of their size. It was fascinating!

We saw several deer in fields as we drove into town that evening: