♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Continue west in Linn County for the chance to hoof around with some unusual companions.

Prairie Patch Farm, located just south of Cedar Rapids near Shueyville is a 50-acre wildlife refuge and nature preserve best known for its colorful bunch of llamas.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] From spring through fall, the farm opens its barn doors to offer guided hikes and quality time with the herd.

♪♪ [Kahle Atherton-Boutte] We have a little bit over a mile, 1.2-mile hike and folks come out and they get introductions to the llamas.

We talk about their history, their care.

Well trained llamas won't spit on us, but they commonly spit on each other.

So, if you get spit on today you either didn't duck fast enough or you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Kahle Atherton-Boutte] And then they get to take their own llama out on a walk on these lead ropes.

We'll venture out onto the trail and the llamas will graze along the way and we'll have an adventure off on the nature preserve.

Good job.

This is called llama wrangling.

You're doing a great job.

We walk on the left-hand side of our llamas.

So, just imagine you're the driver and your llama is your passenger.

Other left.

♪♪ (intermittent chatter) [Kohlsdorf] Before it became a home for llamas, this land belonged to Kahle's uncle.

She purchased the property after his passing in 2008 hoping to find a way to honor his memory.

[Kahle Atherton-Boutte] We wanted a way to kind of memorialize him and continue keeping this a preserve and the conservation farm that it is.

So, getting a couple of llamas, they're so ecofriendly.

It was kind of a no brainer to keep them and then quickly finding that taking them on the walks, we enjoyed it with our family and friends.

And we're like wow, well might our community like this?

Who wants to walk a llama?

Well, I found a whole following of people who are not only obsessed with llamas, love llamas, but get to come out and have this really unique experience while also enjoying kind of the natural landscapes of Iowa itself including the prairie and our oak savanna and our forest reserve here.

I am all about people having more positive experiences, nurturing experiences in nature, being able to get up close and personal with animals that they may not interact with otherwise.

[Bryan Rennekamp] My llama hike experience was fantastic.

I got to meet Alby here and Alby wanted to take a bunch of munches on grass.

These guys have a mind of their own.

But they're so calm and fun.

(laughs) Just, you know.

[Shay Kaalberg] It was fun to just be with llamas.

I don't have any experience with them so that was nice.

It was much easier than I thought.

I thought they were going to spit.

I thought they spit more.

But we didn't have a problem with that.

They're just so friendly.

[Kahle Atherton-Boutte] I think it's just a really hard thing to put your finger on to explain the magic that the llamas have when you're around them.

♪♪ Their little lips feel so funny.

[Kahle Atherton-Boutte] People come here and their eyes are lighting up and they're like, these are the cutest animals I've ever seen.

And they are, they're the best.

I'm mean, look at him.

Just look at him.

That's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

He knows it too.

Don't you know it, Earl, you know it.