The Beauty of Utah Parks.....

LLAMA DAY

We booked this hike several months prior and have been so excited for this day.

I was online looking for things to do in Capitol Reef and Rent A Llama or Hike with A Llama kept coming up so I thought I better take a look.

I called Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas and spoke with the owner, Beau. He seemed like a very nice, down to earth kind of guy. When I got off the phone, I felt like I had just spoken with Chip Gaines! WOW! It's a Win Win. I want to book this tour and I love Chip! He, Beau not Chip, suggested I watch this video.

I Loved it! Abby Loved it! I called Al, who was out of town, and told him that I found this great tour in Capitol Reef. Oh, great, I assume you booked it already?

No, I wanted to make sure you were okay with it. We can take any hike we want in the park alone with no guidance, OR we can rent some llamas and drag them along with us. We can't ride them and we really don't have any gear for them to haul so, they really serve no purpose but we can feed them treats, pose with them, give them hugs....... I know it's crazy, but we really want to do it.

So I booked the hike and we counted the days until Llama Day. In the meantime we watched some fun videos about llamas.

We have watched this one about 100 times and shared it with so many friends.

So, here we are 3 months later and Llama Day is finally here!

Abby was so thrilled! I think this was the highlight of her trip. They didn't quite know how to approach each other at first.

But it didn't take long. Abby's llama was absolutely terrific. She immediately loved him. His name is Tokyo and he was 5 years old.

Here we go - off the farm and onto the trail.

He started out a little stubborn,

and thirsty.

Llamas are native to South America and have been used for thousands of years to carry heavy loads.

Llamas typically don't spit on people, unless you happen to be in the line of fire. Llamas spit at each other, sometimes over food or because they become annoyed or agitated by another llama. Just watch for the ears, and look out!

We did not witness any spitting. Thank goodness.

Al's llama, Tadpole, was also pretty cooperative. He was 7 years old and definitely a good hiking partner.

He always let Al go first - maybe to see if he made it through whatever situation we encountered before attempting it himself.

I noticed that they seem to make the same faces......

Even their little grins are similar.

Even from behind - lol

One last one.

Llamas eat grass, plants, and just about anything else, but not meat. Even if it is offered to them, they will refuse it. Tadpole was upset because he was not allowed to eat the trees.

They loved their special cookies though.

They took them gently right out of our hands.

Llamas are related to alpacas, but are noticeably larger. Both are used for their wool or fiber, but alpacas are more known for their softer hair. We visited an alpaca farm a few years ago and thought they were so cute!

Alpacas have a lot more hair on their faces and have a different face and ear shape.

Llamas are also related to camels, even though they don't have a hump, but require little water which makes them great working animals.

Meet Koi, my 11 year old companion for the day.

He was kind and gentle, but he didn't seem to like me. My guide said it was not personal. He was skittish around most people.

I tried to take a picture of him looking at me, but has soon as I raised the camera, he turned his head. I think if he had hands, he would have lifted his hand to me and said 'talk to the hand.'

Abby's guy was such a poser.

He did everything she wanted him to do......

....except wear the cute little sombrero that Abby bought for him.

Al tried to show him how it worked, but he wasn't having it,

so Al's buddy offered to step in and be the hat hero.

Another attempt to take Koi's picture.

I'm patient.....I'll just try again.

Meanwhile, Tokyo was happy to read the paper with Abby.

I think the police blog had them cracking up.

They were all happy to pose for a group photo.

Once we were far from the farm, it started to rain, not just rain, but pour. Plus the wind picked up and the rain came in sideways!

We abandoned our llamas and ran for the trees.

Poor guys. They looked a little scared. Luckily the rain only lasted a few minutes.

After the rain stopped, we got back on the trail.

I think Tokyo was scolding Abby for abandoning him during the storm.

Looks like they made up.

Again with the newspaper.

Our best selfie for the day - even though I attempted many. Even though my guy wasn't the friendliest, he was very polite and respectful. Every time the path narrowed, he always stepped aside to make room for me to stay on the path and walk in front. Gotta love a gentleman!

Part of our return was through a wash, which would typically be flooded during the wet season.

Some parts of it were pretty deep.

We came together for one more family picture.

Heading Home. The farm, Capitol Reef Resort, is in the upper left corner.

It was just about time to say our goodbyes.

I think someone is going to be sad.

My final attempt to make friends with Koi - not having it!

Goodbye Sweet Tokyo

One more super cute llama video.

What does the llama say?