Just a Tick

Ticks are something to be aware of especially during spring and summer hikes. After our last hike at the Oregon Dunes, we found a Pacific Coast Tick (photo above) inside our son's ear. Luckily it hadn't bitten him yet and we were able to scratch it off (although the sucker was really holding on!). After familiarizing ourselves with types of ticks, what they look like and the diseases possibly carried by each, and arming ourselves with a couple of tick kits, we feel much more confident that in the event of a bite, we'll know what to do. Most people are familiar with Lyme Disease, but there are others that ticks can carry as well. One great preventative tip is to remember to brush off after a hike to rid yourself, your children, and dogs of any hitchhikers before buckling up for the ride home. The hope is to find and remove them before they have bitten and inserted their heads beneath the skin for a meal. After which point removal is much more tricky and infection more likely. Using insect repellents such as OFF which contains DEET is one option, though you want to consider risks of toxicity especially when using it on small children. The APA has made a cautionary statement about the use of products containing DEET, particularly NOT to use a combination sunscreen/insect repellent product due to the risk of overexposure to DEET from repeat applications. Other "natural" insect repellents are also available and may offer some protection although their degree of effectiveness often varies due to the body chemistry of the individual and many choose to opt for lightweight long sleeves, pants, and netting over any chemical repellent. This does bring up the issue of mosquitoes and West Nile Virus, which fortunately, is rare in Oregon. Nevertheless, don't let these pesky critters dampen your adventurous spirits or your outdoor excursions. Take some simple proactive steps to educate yourselves and your children and keep first aid supplies handy. Lastly, keep in mind that everything has to eat. In adopting a curious attitude toward nature and our part in it (even as your hair begins to stand up on end, you suppress a shudder, and begin to recall several disease horror stories) you can encourage your own health and that of your children.

Oregon Dunes Overlook

The Oregon Dunes is a 40 mile stretch of sand dunes between the coastal cities of Florence and North Bend Oregon. They are very unique geologically, with converging habitats of coastal, open dune, wetland and forest environments. There are several hiking opportunities throughout the region. We chose a one-mile beach trek (2 miles round trip) called the Oregon Dunes Overlook trail. We began our hike in open dunes, and with the strong afternoon winds characteristic of this region. A pair of sunglasses is a necessity to keep sand particles out of eyes, mouth, etc. Sunglasses are especially important for kids since their eyes are so much closer to the gusts of sand kicked up by the wind off the dunes. There's nothing like huge dunes of sand to make everyone feel like a kid! Throughout the hike, we could hear the crashing of the surf; a powerful motivator for anyone to hike toward. We saw blossoming trees, lots of shore birds, loads of sand dollar shells, crab shells, and razor clam shells. This was a beautiful hike and highly recommended!

Sunshine on Silver Falls

Spring has sprung. Our family celebrated this day among the first of sunny days and warmer temperatures by hiking at Silver Falls State Park. With the runoff still high from this winter's snow melt, the falls are spectacular this time of year. We began at the South Falls, hiking up the Rim Trail to Winter Falls. This took us past some gigantic conifers (mostly Douglas-fir) probably 300+ years old on a very kid friendly trail (wide with no steep drops). My son hiked the first 1/4 mile all by himself with his very own little pack on his back. The little REI pack has a whistle built into the chest clip which my son discovered soon after we bought it. He happily traipsed through the forest blowing his whistle and carrying the map (he was really into the map.. who knew?!) and telling oncoming hikers "Hi! Here we come!". When my son was ready to be packed for a while, my partner slung him into our Sherpani pack and we took the Winter Trail up to the Trail of Ten Falls. This took us past Winter Falls and Twin Falls. Here is a picture of my sweetheart and our son in front of Winter Falls. We continued up to the North Falls letting our son down to explore the cavernous trail behind the waterfall. There were lots of butterflies under the rock overhang, possible having cocooned there. We then dipped our hands into the river before hiking back down to the South Falls (and our car) following the Rim Trail all the way. Long stretches of the Rim Trail were kid friendly; not too many steep drops off the trail edge, lots of wooden bridges, running water, trees, snags, stumps, sap, ferns, mosses, lichen, shrubs, wildflowers (lots of wild trillium blooming), insects, etc. With so much to explore and examine this is a great overall hike with a little one. When our son tired, I carried him on my shoulders. It'll be a sad day when I can't whisk his slender little frame up like that anymore. We hiked 4 miles round trip. I carried him on my shoulders most of the way back down. This 4 mile trek took us about 4 hours and was great fun.

Newport is for Lovers

Valentines Day 2008 we spent in Newport Oregon. We stayed at the Whale Inn, a quaint and rather run down, coastal motel off Hwy 101 in Depoe Bay. My sweetheart, spent all day in a conference while my son and I packed ourselves off to the Newport Aquarium. We then grabbed some lunch and drove out to Yaquina Head where we sat beside the lighthouse and ate. Appetites sated, we hiked up Salal Hill a quarter mile to the top. My son and Sam, our dog, ran the whole way up, here's a picture of the view. After looking at the ocean from afar, we decided to take a closer peek. We descended to Cobble Beach on the south side of the lighthouse. The cobbles were lots of fun to walk on and slide down, making such cool clacking and cracking noises. Since the tide was out, we were able to walk out to the tidepools. My son loved touching the sea anemones and sea stars. After the sun had gone down and my partner was all conferenced out, we collapsed into our little double bed in the motel room and fell asleep... despite the periodic whirring of the heater which sounded like a rocket was launching once an hour at our feet. If cherubs and arrows spell Valentine's Day then our gritty motel room, noisy heater and crowded little bed spelled Love.