Fortunately for us, we stayed in Sisters longer than planned and found our darling Ollie.

Olliebobs, Holly Ollie, Jolly Ollie, It's a Jolly Ollie Day, Olz, Ol, Olliebaba, Good Golly Miss Ollie, Boo Boo, Curly Wurly Girly.

​Our sweet girl.

As April 1st approached, Kim and I drove up to the pass to see first hand what the roads were like. We did not anticipate the banks of up to 20 feet of snow at the height of the pass. However the roads had been salted and ploughed and if the day time temperatures reached 40 degrees or more, we felt pretty confident we could maneuver the trailer over the mountains.

We checked the weather every day and made contingency plans to stay longer if necessary, but on April 1st the sun was up, the sky was blue and the temps were in our favor and so we said a fond and grateful farewell to Sisters (and Cibelli's Pizza) and headed off towards the Oregon coast and our next site, Whaler's Rest in Newport.

We made it out!

We spent many days hiking the trails around Sisters, Oregon. Ollie bouncing and skidding about in the snow made it extra special. We enjoyed seeing all the birds; the Piñon Jays, Mountain Chickadees, White-headed Woodpeckers and an array of warblers and nuthatches. The American Robin was always a welcome sight on the trails too. We saw plenty of deer watching us carefully, ready to run. 

The small town had olde worlde charm particularly with the Christmas lights and decorations during December. Filled with small mom and pop shops we spent many a happy day exploring. Henry and I particularly enjoyed the Antique Mall where he managed to snag a retro handheld Nintendo Black Jack game. His love for Antique Malls was born.

After buying a pair of Birkenstocks in Bend and thoroughly enjoying pottering around Antique Malls for hours, I think Henry is turning into me!

There was a lovely food truck called Brunchies where we stopped for a late breakfast one morning before our hike. It was very windy and we ended up chasing after food wrappers. Ollie loved the game!

Alpacas with full winter coats grazed lazily at the north end of town at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge. It reminded me of my sister Caroline's 50th birthday when we walked alpacas through the woods on a sunny June morning last year. The alpacas were so friendly and calming to be around. Known for spitting if they feel threatened, I kept a beady eye on them as I took the circular walk around their huge enclosure, but they were quite happy to have us come quite close and whisper messages of love and gratitude to them.

Here are some more pics from our time in Sisters.

We finally got snow in Oregon!

For me it was dreamy, Narnia, fairy tale snow. I could watch it fall from the sky and shake off from the surrounding pine trees for hours on end. It was magical. When the sun came out the snow literally twinkled! I made snow angels, caught flakes on my tongue and made a snowman. So much fun!

For Kim the snow presented new challenges in the trailer. With nightly temperatures dipping to -22 degrees we upgraded to an insulated and electrically warmed water hose, we kept the heating on 24/7, particularly ensuring the underbelly of the trailer stayed warm and dry as the snow began to drift and pile up around and under the trailer. Kim went out every morning to clear the steps and a pathway to the car. Gas bottles needed to be filled daily. Daily inspections for leaks from potential pipes freezing and cracking were carried out. Any snow that built up on the roof or the slide outs had to be cleared so the weight didn't cause any damage. 

For Henry it meant lots of snowy walks with Ollie. To see them both playing in the snow was heart melting. Ollie loved the snow and enjoyed playing off the leash in the little dog park on site. Henry began to train Ollie with some simple commands like sit, spin, shake hands. Treats and poo bags were in his pockets at all times. Days in the powdery snow with family and a beloved puppy bounding about with pure joy is a winter gift I will remember forever.

​So much love!

For Christmas, Henry got a brand new pair of Vans snowboarding boots that he picked out in a great little store called Tactics in downtown Bend. He also picked out some woolly green Ron Weasley (Burton actually!) knee high socks.  He also got a season pass for Mt. Bachelor. He was ready to ride!

The Mt Bachelor ski resort is the largest in Oregon and the 2nd largest single mountain ski resort in the entire US, after Vail, CO. At 9070 feet high, 4,323 skiable acres,  boasting  3,365 feet of vertical drop and offering skiing, snowboarding, hiking and biking trails, snowshoeing, zip lining and even sled dog rides, Henry was simply thrilled to learn they had loads of powdery snowboarding runs on the caldera with challenging obstacles and natural features. 

​He took the shuttle up the mountain as often as he could over Christmas. It was hard for him to say goodbye to Ollie for the day!