I took a horse drawn sleigh to Trail Creek Cabin for dinner the other night.

It was spectacular, extraordinary, awesome, amazing... you get the picture...

I've always wanted to ride on a sleigh with real sleigh bells dinging and donging all the way - or was it jingling and jangling. Bill and Barney were the horses and Bill is the one here smiling for the camera.

We started at the Sun Valley Inn and took a very scenic route through the local golf course. There is obviously no golf being playing as this point in time - something to do with a few feet of snow covering up the holes. We went down dale, up yonder hill, over the river and around the lakes. All at dusk so the light was very pretty.

The meal at Trail Creek was good too, butternut squash soup to start - simply divine - pan fried red trout (cooked to perfection, although a bit muddy tasting, but thats the joy of river fish in general) and a glass of local red. Finished with choc mousse. Not bad at all.

We came home the not so scenic route and were trailed by a few foxes looking for the bread or dog biscuits that are in plentiful supply for the return journey.

Alan was the driver and he is the first real cowboy I have ever met. Quite frankly if all cowboys are as lovely as Alan, the world would be a much improved place. He was softly spoken and gentle, but knowledgeable and humourous. He liked me very much when I said I was from NZ and went on to tell me many stories of Australian flavour. At first I thought he may be being funny then I realised when I said NZ he heard Australia... Hmmm, not sure how that happened... lucky for him he was too sweet to feel any bitterness towards.

I am so pleased to have been able to take the sleigh ride. It really was the high light of my time here.