Neat TRAVEL
Haute dogs! Winter sleigh rides at Mt. Bachelor

What fashion bliss! Mushing through the snow on a crisp winter day, bundled up in a posh outfit and pulled by a team of perky pups. Listen up, ladies, this doesn’t just happen in an Hermes ad – you can do this yourself on Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor for about $75. We’d probably advise leaving your bazillion dollar orange alligator handbag and puppy at home. And maybe not wear high heels? But the rest of it is totally do-able.

Jerry Scdoris and his daughter, professional dog sled racer Rachael Scdoris, own and operate the Trail of Dreams dog sled rides at Mt. Bachelor all winter (snow permitting). Rachael has raced some of these very dogs in the Alaska Iditarod races, so you’ll be pulled by pups as profesh as they are cute.

Don’t worry about being cold or uncomfortable – they provide warm blankets to snuggle beneath while the sleigh glides smoothly through powder. And not to worry about the pups’ comfort, either. Trust us, they love it. They woop and prance and dig their noses happily into the snow, eager to get going if you make ‘em wait.

This is a new favorite winter pastime, and frankly it’s a lot easier to enjoy the brisk (and sometimes wet or blizzardish) outdoors while sitting pretty and playing with puppies than it is trying to master a snowboard halfpipe. Plus, you can make a whole romantic and/or adventurous Bend winter weekend out of it!

Check in somewhere cozy, like Pine Ridge Inn (left) where some rooms have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs for two. The Inn does some extreme decking of the halls during the holidays, so you feel like you’re staying at someone’s private mansion overlooking the snowy Deschutes River.

Cuddle up by the fire, browse Bend boutiques for holiday gifts (antiques, designer handbags, wine, you name it) and take an exhilarating dogsled ride with Trail of Dreams. Best winter winter weekend of your life!

p.s., They should have named it “Tail of Dreams,” right?

Trail of Dreams dogsled rides
One-hour: children $30, adults $75
Five hour: 52-mile half-day runs + lunch, $450 per couple
Sunrise Lodge at Mt. Bachelor, 1-800-892-2442
Directions: From Bend, Ore., take Century Drive 18 miles to Sunrise Lodge
www.mtbachelor.com

Pine Ridge Inn
Rates starting at $129/night
1200 S.W. Century Dr., Bend, Ore.; 1-800-600-4095
www.pineridgeinn.com

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