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The CarandCaboodle Family Road Trip - Be Prepared!
When we arrived in Pacific City, Oregon we were ready to take on the largest sand dune in the USA, and to spend some time on the beach. What we were not expecting was the cold, foggy and windy weather that made it difficult to spend more than a few minutes on the beach, and the illness that was to sweep through our family like wildfire. Fortunately we were prepared for almost anything. From Pepto Bismol to First Aid Kits, Board Games to Windproof Baby Blankets, here are the things that kept us going when the going got tough...
Travel is not for the faint of stomach, which is why we brought along an ample supply of both kids' and adult Pepto Bismol. And did we ever need it! Our daughter landed in the hospital with a suspected case of appendicitis on our second night in Pacific City. We were glad we'd carried our insurance cards and a list of drugs she was allergic to. Fortunately the catscan ruled out appendicitis. And two days later we all were reaching for the pink-wonder-cure. Which comes in some new flavors like watermelon and cherry. Not too terrible, I tell ya! We probably caught this bug before we even left home but here are some helpful tips for avoiding being ill during travel. Vacation warriors, we soldiered on through the holiday...
We'd packed warm clothing for our travels but what bothered the baby more than the cold, was the strong winds on the coast. Standing on the beach, the sand pelted your skin with enough force to sting. We wrapped him up in a fabulous All Weather Woobie blanket from RainorShine kids. This blanket was a lifesaver in the rain as well. The soft plush side kept our baby warm and snuggly while the wind and rain resistant (yet still soft and silky!) backing kept wind and rain at bay. This blanket stays put on a stroller thanks to loops and ties. It's on my short list of favorite things after this trip!
When we all headed in from the cold, we took the time to play some novel board games. A favorite was Gifttrap - a novel game that has you choose gifts you'd like to get and those you'd like to receive. We learned a lot about our friends, and ourselves!
On one of our days along the coast we took a leisurely drive down the coast to Newport, Oregon. We stopped for lunch and beer sampling at the Rogue Ales Public House, where I ate fantastic fresh fish tacos. Afterwards we strolled around and explored this quaint working fishing village, checking out the sea lions sunning themselves and barking on the docks. We passed by a restaurant that was frying up crabs. An employee offerred our friend a chance to hold one of the live spiny creatures. But when she reached out to take it - it pinched her finger viciously! We were thinking of the kids when we packed a Medibag first aid kit, but the grown ups were the ones who ended up needing treatment stat in the form of a flourescent bandage, antibacterial ointment and and instant ice pack.
As we travelled in two cars from Newport to Florence, Oregon to see the Sea Lion Caves, we stayed in touch with each other using EM1000R Two-Way Radios by Motorola. These take the standard walkie talkies, miles farther with emergency preparedness features, including an emergency alert siren, flashlight, NOAA weather and even a mini-USB charging port, so families can charge from the car, at their PC, desktop, or with batteries in the great outdoors. They also feature a range of up to 20 miles. They proved very useful, given that our cell phones did not work very well along the coastal roads. We were able to successfully use the walkie talkies to rendez vous for lunch and photo ops and keep each other apprised of our progress. They also kept the kids rather busy in the back seat as they rogered and copy that-ed their way down the coast.
Our last day in Pacific City startled us by being the warmest and sunniest. The kids were feeling better so we decided to try an easy hike that we had read about in Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson. If you are planning to hike in the Pacific Northwest, with or without your children, you will be glad to check out this book as well as other hiking guides by Bonnie Henderson. We headed out to Sand Lake, which was just as easy and scenic a hike as promised. It was magical to watch as the large tidal lake completely emptied out, providing our children with a giant sand/mud pit that was just too irresistable not to roll around in!
Our time in Pacific City was drawing to a close. We had plans to stop in Portland and then it was time for the long road home....
in | by Ciaran Blumenfeld | Editorial, | by Ciaran Blumenfeld | Gear Reviews | Permalink |
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