Photos by Cheryl Landes

Alpacas are among my favorite animals. They’re cute, mellow, quirky, and always have smiles on their faces. One of my favorite places to get my alpaca fix is in Terrebonne, Oregon, at Crescent Moon Ranch. The 42-acre ranch is conveniently located 22 miles north of Bend, the largest city in central Oregon, on U.S. Highway 97, which runs north to south in the center of the state.

The ranch welcomes visitors to walk around and get to know the alpacas. Bags of alfalfa pellets are sold at the Alpaca Boutique, the gift shop at the ranch, to feed them.

Spring is a fun time to visit and see the cria, the name for the baby alpacas. They love to romp around solo, or play with the other cria and their mothers. They also know how to relax, as you’ll see in some of the pictures from our trip there last spring.

Enjoy the tour!