A trip doesn’t always have to be to another country, city, or even last an entire weekend (though those are all nice options). Sometimes getting out of town for even a few hours can be a welcome break and provide new experiences. Last weekend my husband and I set out to visit Hollywick Farms, a nearby Alpaca Farm. Even though it’s in a neighboring town, we’d never been there. Turns out we were missing out on the cutest local attraction!
Hollywick Farms in Sandia Park, NM is owned by Kathy and Bill Herman. Bill was kind enough to take us in to meet the alpacas and show us around. Bill was a wealth of information and I learned so many things about alpacas and the alpaca industry in the U.S. Unlike countries like Peru where alpacas are used for their hair, milk, and meat, the U.S. only uses their hair. There’s also relatively few alpacas in the U.S. so it’s a small, friendly community of people who love these fluffy animals.
Though they look super huggable, alpacas don’t like being touched and will spit and kick. It took all my self-control not to snuggle up to one. I’m honestly still sad about it, but I kept my hands to myself. Bill did manage to hold one for a few moments so I could pet it. Luckily they were happy enough eating meadow grass out of my hands so I still got to be close to them.
An extra-special treat was learning how to receive alpaca “kisses.” Some particularly friendly alpacas will put their faces next to yours (but not touch) if they hear you “sniffing.” Three of the alpacas were kind enough to give me kisses. I swear I could feel their cute little faces smiling as they came close to me. How precious is baby Xena? She’s actually two years old, but still looks much younger than the others.
Alpacas hold a special place in my heart since my grandparents took my cousin and me to a different alpaca farm when I was younger. I remember having the best time feeding them and spending time with my family. I had just as great a time this second time around making new family memories with my husband.
Many of you live far from New Mexico, but I encourage you to go out on your own local adventure soon. If you are ever visiting the Land of Enchantment, definitely visit Hollywick Farms and say hello to these cute alpacas!
