Lighting up the holidays at Suttle Lake

A fantastic Christmas wonderland sprung to life over the sprawling 21-acre grounds of The Lodge at Suttle Lake Saturday night.

Breaking from the dark forest as you descend and cross the Link Creek Bridge to the Resort, magical islands of beautifully lit cabins, trees and teepees appear out of the inky night.

As you pass Santa and elves playing with a carousel, the majesty and scale of what has been done becomes breathtaking as you roll up to the lodge. Over 30,000 lights have been strung throughout the property, a project that Facilities Supervisor Tomas Landa and his team have been working on every day for the past month.

"This is a really fun part of my job," Landa said.

He is especially proud of the towering firs standing at the water's edge that will greet the eyes of travelers over the lake miles away as they wind their way down the Santiam Pass in the dark of night.

The Lodge itself is festooned with the spirit of the holidays. A nativity scene graces the front entranceway of the Lodge with Indian Spirits carved in the doors by Skip Armstrong woven in to also help safeguard the young baby Jesus.

The display was fired off to the voices of carolers at 5:30 p.m. Saturday night and Santa made a special visit to welcome all the wide-eyed children.

Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments greeted all as a welcoming staff toured guests and visitors throughout the lodge and cabins.

After a VIP tour the Lodge rooms and dining at the Boathouse long time Sisters resident Bonnie Clayton said "It was just beautiful. The staff and the ambiance all blended together so well. All that was missing the snow."

An open invitation is extended to all to drop in and share the experience. Complimentary sleigh rides (or carriage rides, depending on weather), around the resort will be offered Saturday evenings, December 13-27.

The restaurant will be open for business as usual and reservations are recommended. More information is available at http://www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com.