Dogs

Netarts Bay

Posted by Lisa Eirene

We had a lovely, relaxing, (fairly) quiet weekend at the coast. We met Michael’s mom and stepdad at a house they borrowed from a friend in Netarts, right on the bay. It had a lovely view of the water (and it was a nice, scenic drive through the Tillamook Forest to get there).

The house was really nice. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a deck with a view. The master bedroom was downstairs with the most amazing king bed we’ve ever slept in. Then there was a small bedroom with two twin beds for Logan. Upstairs had two queen beds.

 

 

Friday night we enjoyed some pizza for dinner and then went for a walk nearby.

Then I got to enjoy some quiet time in the magnificent bathtub with my book, some candles, a glass of wine and Francoise Hardy on the radio.

Everyone slept great and we got to sleep in a bit on Saturday. Then we got up and Michael made everyone omelettes and potatoes for breakfast.

Then Michael and I went for a run while Logan chilled with grandpa and watched Ice Age!

The run was so nice! The weather was perfect. A little cool but not cold and the air smelled fishy and crisp. We ran along the bay and saw a ton of people fishing and trying to catch oysters.

 

We also saw some huge herons looking for their breakfast.

We did just under 3 miles, got back to the house, showered and got ready for the day!

First stop: Oceanside beach. It was 2 miles from the house we were staying in. I love Oceanside because it’s a quiet beach that is rarely crowded.

It was a bit foggy that morning, but not too cold, so that was nice.

Bella had a BLAST running around and being a crazy dog. She loves the beach.

Logan had fun walking up and down the shoreline and playing in the sand.

Then it was lunch time. We headed back and had a mish-mash of leftovers. Leftover pizza, grapes, goat cheese and crackers, plums, trailmix. Totally random but good enough!

Logan went down for a nap and I decided to be lazy and read in bed for a bit and then I fell asleep for a short nap. More to come!

Old Salmon River Trail

Posted by Lisa Eirene

We had a nice, low-key Labor Day weekend. I took a half day on Friday and went swimming,shopping and had some time to myself. Michael went out with a friend so Logan and I had a “mommy and Logan” date of pizza and playing at the park. It was nice!

On Sunday we went for a family hike up on Mount Hood. We did the Old Salmon River Trail. It’s near a trail we’ve done several times before, Salmon Butte Trail, and this one is one I’ve read about on several kid blogs. It’s very kid-friendly (and easy).

This particular trailhead is right by a little area that people do rock climbing at. We parked at the rock climbing lot and then walked a bit to the trailhead.

The trail was pretty easy and flat and right along the pretty river the entire time. Logan was able to hike about 85% of it easily. We had so much fun walking on the trail. He liked to point out and touch all the fallen trees.

The trail was well-maintained and not very crowded. We also saw some camping spots along the trail.

The river sounded so nice! We saw some people fly fishing in the river.

There were two small bridges along the trail. It’s funny because Bella hates bridges and gets kind of freaked out but Logan loves them!

We got to the end of the trail, which was the parking lot and trailhead for the other hike. We turned around and Logan was starting to slow down a bit. We hiked a little bit back and then he wanted to go in the carrier. So for the last 3/4 of a mile or so he was in the carrier. I’m glad we brought it.

Even if he’s getting a LITTLE too big for the carrier!

Here are the stats:

It was a nice little hike. Perfect for kids–flat, easy, lots of stuff to look at and touch along the trail but no cliffs or drop-offs that are sketchy. We will definitely do this one again.