We took a short trip to a friend's cabin near Angel Fire, N.M. and stopped at this alpaca ranch on the way. This is the Victory Ranch just outside Mora, N.M. where they have one of the largest alpaca herds in the U.S. It was spectacular! You can watch the alpacas grazing, feed them (at designated times), and browse the shop with clothing made from alpaca fiber and, best of all, YARN! I'm on the left in the picture above, with my friend who does not understand yarn addiction, but was kind enough to indulge my passion for yarn. They even had a spinning wheel set up for people to try. They had several different weights of yarn, although not all of it was from their herd, and supplies for spinning. I kept my purchase to four skeins of worsted weight, actually from Peru, because it was a great black/purple blend; I'm going to make myself a scarf when I can decide on a pattern. They have a website under construction, victoryranch.com, and will be selling their products online in the future. They also sell the alpacas - I was highly tempted! They had a wall full of the awards their animals have won at various shows and fairs.

Anyway, for those in the area or traveling in the area, this is a great place to visit. We also stopped at a weaving place in Mora, where a group obtained a federal grant and set up a place to teach weaving and get the craft going again in the area. They are currently working on setting up equipment to spin their own yarn also. And, just down the road from the alpaca ranch, is a raspberry farm where people can pick their own fresh raspberries, or be lazy like me and just buy jam already made.