Doll Diaries: Willowwind and Western Adventures

Back during mid/late June, Star Stable brought back the bazaar for another whirlwind week of discounted horses! The breeds featured this time were the English Thoroughbred, the Connemara, the American Quarter Horse, and the Tennessee Walker.

We passed over the Tennessee Walker in favor of the Paso Fino last time they were on sale, back in October. (Love you, Riverrock! <3) Little did we know, we'd get another chance within a year! This time around, it was no contest - all our eyes were on the Tennessee Walker. (We love the other three breeds in real life but are not especially impressed by the Star Stable versions.)

Back in October, Bethany gushed about the red roan pinto.

We all do love this coat - how could we not? However, we are far from alone - it seem to be the most common TWH being ridden around on the game. So, we decided to pick a different one for variety's sake. (Felicity wasn't thrilled about this, but she was overruled.)

The two contenders were the chocolatey silver dapple:

and the peanut-buttery amber champagne:

It was a super tough decision that almost came down to a coin toss. We even came up with names for both! However, since there seem to be fewer champagne horses on the game than dark horses with pale manes, we eventually agreed (on the last day of the bazaar, no less) to go with champagne.

Welcome, Willowwind!

Here is Clara proudly riding her for the first time!

Due to lack of special events and very limited playing time (read on), it's been taking us longer than usual for Willow to gain experience. This seems to suit her just fine, though. She seems pretty chill.

Mom and her human fam just got back a few days ago from an awesome vacation in Oregon. Many of the Michigan contingent travelled there together to attend Mom's cousin's wedding south of Portland, then vacationed in Bend for a week afterwards.

Day 1: flying to Portland, driving, and the rehearsal dinner

Definitely not in Michigan anymore!

A very early morning (3:30 am!) combined with gaining 3 hours made for an exceptionally long day.

Day 2: the wedding!

It was an idyllic summer day! Beautiful ceremony, delicious food, and lots of dancing.

(Mom didn't dance, ha ha, but she enjoyed the music and watching the dancers.)

Day 3: visiting Agate Beach, then driving to Bend.

Contrary to its name, Oregon's Agate Beach is sandy and relatively stone-free: not an agate to be seen.

Mom enjoyed the cold water and mist, watched various pet dogs frolicking, and observed some tiny shrimp-like creatures swimming around.

They then wound their way through towering coniferous forests and impressive Cascade mountains to the high desert. (Three cheers for non-drowsy Dramamine! Mom would've been miserably carsick otherwise.)

By evening, they arrived at their rental on the Deschutes River.

Day 4: scenic drive and a dusty hike to the top of Ann's Butte

alpine forest views

lots of snow piles remained this high up, despite the warmth, flowers, and lots of bugs

meadow mountain view

the desert trail with its crackle-barked ponderosa pines

everybody's shoes quickly turned brown from the dust clouds

at the top of Ann's Butte

Day 5: Lava Butte

So many jokes, but this was super cool. Mom and fam took a shuttle bus to the top of this one, thankfully - it would've been a long, taxing walk.

Lava Butte is actually a cinder cone that spewed loads of lava thousands of years ago. What you're seeing in the foreground is part of the extensive lava field.

They walked around the rim of the crater and admired the views, then took the shuttle back down.

They also explored the museum-y building at the bottom and walked a winding trail on the lava fields for a bit until it got too hot.

Mom bought her one souvenir of the trip in the gift shop here: a little chipmunk. <3

He hung out with Ruby for the rest of the trip.

Day 6: Smith Rock

This has a more Arizona feel than Oregon! It was also formed by volcanic activity.

It was a hot, steep descent to the bottom. Everybody was grateful for the small patches of shade and then the sprinkler going at the bottom, ha ha.

They walked on the shadier side of the river and took in the views.

This is a popular place for rock climbing, for obvious reasons, and they did see two climbers on one shady rock face.

Day 7: Pet Parade in Bend and floating down the Deschutes River

The Pet Parade was very well attended! It was dominated by dogs and their owners.

It consisted of a section for large dogs followed by a section for small dogs.

After that came "Odds and Ends," which featured some more exotic pets, such as:

a bearded dragon on a skateboard

a wallaby

a donkey

and horses!

In the afternoon, Mom and several other family members took a leisurely float on a lazy stretch of the Deschutes River. Mom says the water was super cold, but it was so hot by this point in the week that this was not a bad thing. (The daily highs got steadily warmer throughout their trip. It was in the high 70's when they arrived and high 90's by the end.)

Day 8: hike around Todd Lake, visiting Bend

some sections of the trail took them through shady forest

and some through picturesque meadows with wildflowers and baby streams

the relentless mosquitos and wet shoes (so many muddy and marshy patches!) reminded them that this was real life, not a fantasy, but wow, so pretty!

Mom was less impressed by downtown Bend, mostly because it was blazing hot and they never did find any touristy shops. (No Bend souvenirs for us.) However, she did quite enjoy standing on a breezy bridge and watching tubers and surfers in action on a more exciting section of the Deschutes River.

Day 9: visiting the High Desert Museum and Mount Bachelor

The museum had more traditional exhibits inside but also exhibited a variety of animals both inside and outside. Some, like the ravens, chipmunks, and ground squirrels, were "free" and just naturally there but were still very interesting to Michigan-dwellers.