How We Adventure.. Part 2

Spring 2016 near Spokane Washington

A large part of our traveling and adventures is hiking! It is perhaps my favorite part. Many people feel that if you have kids and love to hike that you need to find a sitter and leave them at home. For some hikes that is true, but for many it is not necessary. I suppose, it just depends on what your ultimate goals are and why you are hiking.

I began hiking and fell in love with it for a multitude of reasons. The fresh air, open space, exercise, and ability to experience places not easily seen by everyone. Through the years more reasons have been added to my list. When I hike with my children they help me slow down and notice the little things. We pick up sticks, find cool rocks, and investigate the leaves. We talk A LOT and about anything and everything. We talk about hiking, how to be safe, how to take care of the trails and nature. We don’t make good time mileage wise, at least not yet, but we make memories that last. I would not trade them for anything.

We started hiking with our kids before they could walk. A quality child hiking pack is important at this stage. As they reached toddler years we started having them walk safe portions of the trails. We let them hold sticks and leaves (not always very pleasant for my head). The older they got, the more they walked and the slower we became. It was a necessary sacrifice to help build their comfort outside as well as their stamina.

Our two oldest children at ages 3 and 1 getting ready for a hike.

Spring 2017 hiking in Northern Alabama.

As they were growing and starting to get harder to hold we needed to help encourage them to push through and continue hiking. At this point we offered each of them a goal. We told them if they successfully hiked three 2+ mile hikes in a row without being carried they would earn their own hiking bag!! This was actually very motivational for them. It also allowed us to give them their own water bladder and to have them begin carrying their own snacks and small toys if they wanted them. Once they earned their bags then if they complained or wanted carried we could simply remind them that they have proven they CAN hike, even when it is hard or they are tired.

Our youngest earned her hiking pack after our Georgia trip! We picked it up at REI in Chattanooga, TN.

Our oldest is turning 10 this summer and is a very confident hiker, and our younger two are also well on their way. We are starting to be able to hike further and a bit faster these days. Speed to me is not the most important thing, I love that they enjoy hiking and nature. I hope this will be something that will carry us through their teen years and help us to continue to feel connected.

Our tips for hiking with kids:

• Find a comfortable Child Carrier.
• Bring lots of snacks. Space them out on the trail (they are great motovation for kids).
• Choose a hike based on the abilities of all in your group, including the children.
• Encourage the child/children to hike as much as possible on their own. This will sometimes feel frustrating but in the long run it is beneficial. They are learning to hike. Try to make it fun for them!
• Familiarize yourself with first aid and other safety measures. Hiking with young kids often means first aid will be necessary.
• Slow down and enjoy nature. Use the slower pace as an opportunity to teach and connect with your child.
• When they are old enough get them a backpack sized correctly for them, and add a water bladder. We LOVE the child sized day packs by REI.

Georgia 2017

Spring 2020 in Lake County, Oregon

I hope you feel inspired to get out and hike and explore with your children. If you don’t have kids of your own, hopefully this information will help if you ever join a family/friends with kids on a hike! Our children love encountering friendly hikers on the trail. Hikers who understand how kids hike and encourage them are immensely inspiring for our children.

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

Shirk Ranch

We had the pleasure of visiting Shirk Ranch this spring. Shirk Ranch is a historic ranch located in the Guano Valley near the small town of Adel, Oregon. The ranch was first Homesteaded in 1881 and was purchased by David L. Shirk in 1883.

David L. Shirk operated his ranch on the property until 1914. The property went through a few exchanges and was eventually acquired by the US Government in the year 1942. The ranch is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Map from Wikipedia

We had fun walking through the abandoned house, barn, and all the other buildings. It was fun to imagine what it must have been like to homestead there 100 years ago. There are still a lot of items left to see on the property and beautiful views any direction you point your camera!

I highly recommend this visit. Please remember to be kind to this, and all other, pieces of living American history. It is a protected historic site, so remember to take only memories and pictures, and as always, tread lightly. Items on the property need to be left for others to enjoy (though we did remove some garbage left by other recent visitors). Also, keep in mind that this is not a developed recreation site so there are no restrooms or trash collection, so plan accordingly.

We headed out to explore the surrounding countryside and discovered that once things dry out a bit more, there would be a lot of roads to explore. There is a scenic reservoir, nature area, and you can even take some dirt roads into the back side of Hart Mountain. This would make for a wonderful trip, but it was too early in the season for us to make it very far. They were very muddy in sections and the snow level was still too low in elevation. We hope to go back this summer and make the loop.

We were reminded of a one of the most important rules of adventuring, especially in the Oregon Outback:

If at all possible you should make sure someone knows your plans and when to expect you back. This is a remote area with little to no cell service, which is absolutely a large part of the fun, but not somewhere you want to get stuck. Being prepared is always a priority in this area.

I hope you take some time and make a trip out to Shirk Ranch! Check out Doherty Slide while you’re there and eat at the historic restaurant in Adel. There is plenty to see in this area! If you are planning to visit and want more ideas feel free to comment or send us a message and we will be happy to share some ideas!

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

The gravesite near Shirk Ranch

Check out wikipedia for more information about Shirk Ranch. Driving directions coming soon. We used Google Maps and made it safely but we had a clear idea of where we were heading and what to expect.

Wild Goose Chase 2019

Today we attended the 19th annual Wild Goose Chase which is organized by the Lakeview Rotary Club. The proceeds each year go directly back into the community. This year they went to providing much needed pool covers for the Town of Lakeview’s Pubic Pools.

Each little goose released has a number on the bottom of it. That number matches it to a ticket that was purchased by a member of the community. There were amazing prizes for the winners!

This was our first year attending the Wild Goose Chase and I was very excited to see what happened and how it all was done. My husband is a new member of the Lakeview Rotary, so we made sure we were there early to help set up. We were pleasantly surprised to find people gathering and visiting before the event. There was even a bbq where they made hamburgers and hotdogs for those attending!

Right on time at 12:00 they released the wild Geese into Drew’s Creek where they would travel about 1/2 mile (what I heard) down the creek to the catch spot where we would be able to collect the winners.

After the release we all ran across the road to see them start their journey down the creek.

Then we made our way back to the finish line. It took approximately 12 minutes until we found the first ducks approaching the finish line. The excitement was real as the first 3 battled for the winning position!

This was a really fun community event! The rotary does a great job with it, it was organized and well planned out. I still think it is amazing to see how the community comes together for events such as this one. The prizes were amazing for those who won, but really all of Lakeview wins because the money goes directly back to the community to a worthy and needed cause each year.

Geocaching in the Outback

My daughter requested a treasure hunt for her birthday and I thought Geocaching would be the perfect way to fulfill that request! At first I didn’t know if there would be many geocaches located in our area, but I was pleasantly surprised to find there were quite a few located right here in Lakeview! We downloaded a Geocache app to help us find and record the ones we find.

A screenshot of geocaches located in or near Lakeview Oregon.

Off we went! Our first stop was Lakeview’s Tall man! We had never stopped to visit this spot before so the kids really loved being able to get out and check around the area! We were able to find the hidden Geocache!

Looking for a geocache – 4/12/2019

After finding a geocache at Tall Man we headed to the next few areas, we were able to find a few more geocaches in Lakeview and then we headed out and found many more on our drive through Surprise Valley! There are many more to be found as you drive through the Oregon Outback, our goal is to find them all as we continue exploring the area.

This is a great activity with kids if you are in the Oregon Outback or staying in Lakeview. Another treasure hunt to go on while you are in Lakeview is searching for painted rocks! There is a group in Lakeview that paint them and hide them around town throughout the year! If you find one be sure to take a picture and post it on the Lakeview Rocks facebook page, they love to see the rocks bring a smile to someones face!

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

Sunstone Collection Area

Our Visit:

We went and explored the Sunstone Public Collection area in January 2019 between snowstorms. The kids were excited because they love collecting rocks and looking for gems is something we had never done! A lot of our exploring in a new area is done without planning ahead so we did not prepare by bringing shovels and sifting screens. I do definitely recommend bringing at least some hand shovels and a way to sift the rocks and dirt. Despite our lack of preparation we were able to find quite a few small Sunstones, we each found at least 15 or 20 during the short time we were looking.

The kids requested a return trip with shovels and screens and more time to look around and explore. We will also make sure we have ample food and water as well as extra water to wash hands and rise the Sunstones. The area is mostly sagebrush with no shade to speak of so sunscreen and hats are also on my list.

About the Sunstones:

Thirteen or fourteen million years ago in the Steens Mountains, a volcanic eruption occurred producing feldspar (a combination of minerals that form into colorless/pale yellow crystals) within the lava flow. The area was covered by a large lake. The lava remained submerged for thousands of years, but when the lake dried up the lava began deteriorating. Sunstones – also known as feldspar crystals – were then released from the lava as it decomposed into the top layers of soil.

Tumbled Sunstone. Picture from Geology.com

Important Information:

The Sunstone Collection area is located in the Rabbit Basin of south-central Oregon. It is Managed by the BLM and there is no fee to use it, but you are only permitted to collect for personal use. The BLM states that you may not collect sunstones to trade or for Commercial purposes. Camping is permitted anywhere within the public collection area, but be advised it is a very remote location, come prepared with water and food as there is not store or restaurant facility nearby. The collection area does have a pit toilet and some covered picnic tables available for use.

For directions and more information check this website: Sunstone Collection Area

This area is located very close to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. We had a large herd of antelope cross the road in front of us on our way out of the Sunstone area. Keep your eyes peeled for them as your drive around the area!

A Southern Oregon Loop

On Sunday morning we took a drive from Lakeview out to the Crooked River Railroad Bridge about 30 minutes north of Bend and then South towards Lakeview along highway 20.

Heading north out of Lakeview on hwy 395 you will be on the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway. One of the first interesting geological features you will notice is Abert Rim which is one of the highest fault scarps in the United States. It towers over the valley rising to 2,490 ft above the valley floor and is definitely a site to be seen. Abert Rim is well known in the hang gliding communities because of how the thermals are created when the warm valley air rises up against the cliffs.

About halfway through your drive you will come to a rest stop in the town of Summer Lake. I recommend stopping here to take a rest, stretch your legs, and really take some time to appreciate the beauty in the area. My kids love the rest stop here because there is space to run and rocks to climb! As a bonus I have always found the bathrooms to be clean and well stocked.

Playing at the Summer Lake Rest Area March 2019

We continued our trek north after stopping in Summer Lake. We were on a tight schedule on this particular morning so we enjoyed the beautiful scenery from the car until we reached the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint.

As you enter the viewpoint you will notice plenty of parking, nice fields with picnic tables, and some bathrooms. Also of note at this point are the warning signs. The canyon cliffs are steep and drop off almost immediately over the rock wall. Please keep kids close and plan on keeping pets in the car or in the designated pet area away from the bridges and cliffs.

We were pleasantly surprised to find the old highway bridge is open to visitors which provides amazing views of the canyon and the railroad bridge. While we were on the old highway bridge we even got to see a train cross over the railroad bridge. The kids all got a kick out of it, I posted the video below!

It was a beautiful day and we loved the effect the remaining snow had as you looked down in the canyon. The kids loved seeing a train bridge so closely and really thought the canyon was amazing. We also all really enjoyed watching the birds flying through the canyon, including a bald eagle! This spot is well worth the time to stop and learn a lot more about the area as you walk along the paths.

After we finished our picnic lunch we stopped and did some shopping at the factory outlet stores in Bend we then headed south on highway 20. We found the landscape of the highway 20 to be much different than the first part of our drive, as it goes through what is known as the Oregon Badlands. We passed may OHV/Dirtbike areas early on during this section of our trip, as well as some hiking trails. There is a lot to explore in this and we are excited to get out there on our motorcycles and quads to see what we can find once the weather warms up.

You will notice the landscape starts to change and the dirt turns to sand. Then you will pass some of the area sand dunes, which are open to exploration also.

There are two rest area along this route which was good because our kids needed both of them. The second rest area was in a beautiful part of the drive and had a lot of informational signs about the area landscape and rattlesnakes. We got to this rest area just as sunset was hitting and as you can see by the 2nd picture below the area is not heavily traveled at this point in the evening.

You will turn onto highway 395 not long after this and enter about 90 miles of open range so be sure to watch for cattle, deer, and long horn sheep as you get close to Abert Rim. We were amazed to see how large Lake Abert was as we went through. Lake Abert is an alkali lake and as such fish cannot live in the water, however because of its high salinity it does support Brine Shrimp which provides an excellent habitat for a wide variety of shore birds!

We made it back to Lakeview by about 8pm. The kids had a good time, although they said we needed to stop more to explore on our drive home. Lakeview has some great hotels, a hotsprings, and restaurants so it makes a great stopping and starting point. It also is a good area for a base camp if you enjoy hiking and mountain biking. If you decide to make this drive keep your eye out for animals, and birds of prey, and try to allow yourself time to stop and explore along the way.

Happy Adventuring,

~ Stephanie

The Journey Begins

Hello! This is going to be an informational and travel blog based on our trips and adventures around the area known as the Oregon Outback as well as the surrounding areas.

My husband and I have three children and we all love to go explore. We recently moved to the small town of Lakeview, Oregon which is surrounded by amazing mountains and ample opportunity to hike, backpack, and explore. The town is known as the tallest town in Oregon located at an elevation of 4800 ft!

My hope and goal is as I share this amazing land that you will be inspired to get out and explore, maybe even out here in Lake County!

Thanks for joining me!

~ Stephanie

Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. – John Muir