Not so familiar with the area around La Grande, but I am learning/have learned what you mean about Oregon. I'm a California Central Coast girl, born and bred, and still love it down there ... but we have been up here now for 10 years, and love it too. The hills and forests around this part remind DH of parts of Germany, and I keep getting flashbacks to the California that I knew as a child, 50 years ago. My friend (since we were ten) lives in Oregon now too, further south, and she agrees - OR is so very much like parts of CA
used to be.
All that fiber was really quite a shock. My friend said that it was four animals worth of shearing, but then arrived with the back of her van filled with bags! I thought it was one year's worth, turned out to be two. And then, a couple of months later, the alpaca owner asked if we wanted to come watch the shearing for last year - very fun afternoon! - and gave that to me as well. There are 3 different qualities of fiber - really nice, pretty nice, and not at all so nice. I used the middle grade to practice with the spinning - it was great! There was so much of it that I could spin and spin, and it didn't matter how long it took for me to *get it*. Had I bought the fiber I would have been so parsimonious with it that I might never have truly learned. The scarf for hubby was from the best quality. And, I must admit, the 3rd quality (short, rough, full of grass, seeds, etc) went onto the veggie beds as mulch
It is possible that I will get invited to the shearing again this year; I will need to think of something really nice as a gift for her. I should probably get busy spinning, and take her a large hank of yarn (she knits)
). About a year ago, through a mutual friend, I was given (given! 
Luckily, there is a lady here in town who knows about such things, and showed me the way, and let me use her equipment until I could get my own. 
At least I get to ride!)
