Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Education with a Destination 2013
Ok, I must admit that any excuse to go to Central Oregon is a no brainer but this year, we decided to join in on the fun at Education with a Destination. This four day, intense training covered many aspects of the alpaca business – fleece, history of the ARI, herd health and most of all, networking.
The scenery at Crescent Moon, Flying Dutchman and Marty McGee’s ranches were all impressive. That being said, the natural beauty of Smith Rock was so stunning that it was hard to focus on fleece training and breeding for superior fiber outcomes as we were in awe of our scenery. Cheryl Gehly....you did an awesome job teaching us!
Having four days to socialize with some of our friends was the highlight of the trip. We want to thank Jason & Deanna Skirving, Jakaila Alpacas for allowing us to stay at their beautiful home along with Gvido & Tina Bars, Stellar Alpacas and Floyd & Janis Smith, Aleutian Eagle Alpacas.
Besides gaining at least seven pounds from all the terrific food, we sharpened some of our alpaca skills and had a blast while doing so. The last event was the famous duck scramble to win some great prizes. The weather was not cooperative due to a freak thunderstorm that blew through with an incredible amount of rain, hail, thunder, lightning and wind but it didn’t dampen any of the fun. It was great to meet some new folks from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas and even from our backyard of the Pacific NW.
The pen sale was very successful and we saw some terrific alpacas. It was great to have fleeces there as it made purchasing easy for folks.
Definitely count us "IN" for next year.