On the edge of the San Luis Valley, near Crestone, Colorado is an unexpectedly pleasant and exotic sight of happy Tibetan Yaks grazing in a field. There are many unexpected sights in these parts... tall otherworldly sand dunes designated as a national park, alligator farms, migrating Sandhill Cranes, Buddhist stupas, tent dweller-dreamer marijuana growers, and, some claim that this San Luis Valley is a UFO hotspot, too.
The San Luis Valley is an important agricultural region. Crops include potatoes, head lettuce, barley grown for Coors beer company, alfalfa, and, even quinoa. There are water wars here, too, resulting from the overuse of pivot irrigation which has been depleting groundwater in this region. The Rio Grande River, confined and unconfined aquifers, and natural flooding are all a part of this diverse and interesting geographical and ecological area. It is a large high plains basin on Colorado's southern edge at an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet above sea level.
Cho ku rei Ranch Home of Happy Yak
Above is a photo of the sign for the yak ranch, on top of the loading shoot, which faces the road.
This is a view of the ranch's yaks in a naturally flooded field in the month of June, 2015, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. The ranch began raising yaks in 2007.
A very peaceful setting, with black and white yaks close up. It was pleasant to hear the yaks sloshing through the water while they grazed.
Here is one more long range view of the yaks in the flooded field.
Yak ranch website here.
