Exploring Ashland with Kids

Posted by Lora in Travel Blog on August 29th, 2010 | 5 responses

Ashland is best known for its Shakespeare Festival. The plays put on here are absolutely fantastic, but not something I would dream of taking young kids to. I had already planned to stay at a farm near Ashland for several days. Not knowing if we could fill the entire day gazing at goats, I hoped that we could find some additional fun activities in town. Honestly, I was skeptical, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Ashland has the biggest rope climbing structure I have ever seen, a place to make bubbles larger than my kids, and the longest public park I have ever heard of. It is a town that already I can’t wait to return to. Here are a few of our favorite places.

ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum

Think a science museum is too complex for a toddler? The ScienceWorks Museum may in fact be a museum, but to young kids this is simply a great place to play. Parents who love science may feel compelled to point out the system of weights, counterweights, pulleys and springs that are behind the exhibits. Or not. You can just as easily hang out while your little one explores water features, drives a mini crane, makes balls disappear into vacuum tubes, and explores the ship-shaped playhouse. Bring a book, the rooms in this museum can keep little hands (and minds) busy for long periods of time.

The bubble-ology room is not to be missed. Standing in the middle of a bubble is much harder than it looks. It took a lot of persistence for my little one to hold still so as not to pop the bubble as it went over his head. Finally his persistence paid off.

The flight room was equally fun. At different stations kids can make paper airplanes or helicopters. These creations can then take flight either by throwing them or with the assistance of small fans pointed skyward. Another exhibit in this room offers kids the ability to drive a jet that is placed in a wind tunnel. You can control the speed of the wind and the slope of the plane and watch the effect on the plane’s stability.

Surprisingly, one thing that stood out for me were the snack options. Having stayed longer than I had expected, we needed a snack and I was coming up empty. The museum has a small refrigerated cooler with a few shelves. I don’t expect healthy options from a snack machine, but inside were items such as string cheese, nuts, and sandwiches. It was not gourmet, but a welcome selection when I figured I’d have to take whatever was available.

Lithia Park

This park stretches out from downtown plaza for 93 acres. (That’s right, 93!) In the early 1900′s land bordering Ashland Creek was designated as city-owned for use as a park. A water spring containing high amounts of lithia was also discovered at Emigrant Creek. The city decided to invest in plumbing to pump the “healthful” minerals into the park grounds. Today the park also features two duck ponds, many beautiful bridges, a musical stage, a playground, tennis courts, an ice rink during winter, and miles of hiking trails.

The playground is large enough to accommodate the amount of kids a bustling Saturday can bring. We spent a fair amount of time there, particularly at the rope tower. Once my kids discovered the nearby stream, where you can kick off your shoes and play in the water, there was no moving on any further. This section of the stream is paved with aggregate so that walking around is not dangerous for the little kids. I would still recommend having waterproof shoes on, as you never know what objects can find their way to the bottom of a popular stream.

Downtown Plaza Stores

I don’t generally enjoy shopping. Add kids in tow, and I pretty much avoid any store I can. Particularly ones with cute or colorful toys that I will have to pry away from whichever kid has grabbed them off the shelf. You have to know this about me to understand how taken back I was with some of the stores here. It should probably come as no surprise that an artistic community such as Ashland would offer plenty of costumes and imaginative play accessories. I believe it was the Hemporium that also sold wigs of all shapes and sizes. Children’s books were a’plenty as well, a personal weakness of mine. Tree House Books is conveniently located across the street from Lithia Park. Another great downtown find is The Northwest Nature Shop. This outdoor stores offers a variety kids activities, even things that can be used while traveling.

Two restaurants we tried were both excellent and very kid-friendly. Muchies is central to the plaza (59 Main Street). The front door is below street level so be sure not to miss it. We also stopped in Zoey’s Cafe, an ice-cream parlor with great soup and sandwiches.

For older kids

Additional activities that might be fun to try when my little ones are a bit bigger include riding the two 280 foot flume water slides at Emigrant Lake. Only six miles SE of Ashland, the lake also has many hiking trails, a marina, RV and tent sites, boat access, swimming and fishing.

Older kids might also enjoy the skateboard park that is close to downtown. It is easily three times the area that this picture shows. Bikes are also welcome here.

This post is part of Mondays are for Dreaming series hosted by Mara at Mother of All Trips. Check out her site to see more travel dreams.

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The Tale of the Snail

Posted by Lora in Travel Blog on August 19th, 2010 | 11 responses

Once upon a time there was a snail who wanted to see the world. This was hard to do, as he traveled quite slowly.

One morning when he began his walk, he felt many footsteps pass him by. He thought he must be near a very special place. He hoped he would be able to reach this special place and see it for himself.

Then a very kind boy, who saw the snail stretched out along the path, decided to show the snail the view.

It was a spectacular view.

Then the boy’s brother came over
and he thought something was missing.

He came back with
a friend.

And the spectacular view
became a very special place.

This post is part of Photo Friday hosted by Debbie at Delicious Baby. Check out her site to see more travel photos.

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Willow-Witt Farms

Posted by Lora in Farm Stays, Travel Blog on August 17th, 2010 | 3 responses

This summer we took about a month to explore northern California, Oregon and Washington. I knew there would be plenty of museums along the way to stop and see, but I also wanted to make sure that we got plenty of outside time too. After a little research, I found a great farm stay along our route and booked us for a few nights at Willow-Witt in Ashland, OR.

Not knowing much about farming, and goat farms in particular, I had no idea what to expect. After we arrived, the owners Suzanne and Lanita greeted us and Lanita gave us a tour of the farm. We were introduced to the animals; milking goats, packing goats, many baby goats, and also chickens, pigs, a horse and several dogs. The tour also included a run-down of the vegetables growing in their garden which we were invited to pick. Frozen foods and milk (yes, goat milk) were available in their single-room store. Having arrived right around dinner time, we went ahead and picked out a package of home-made sausages and a half dozen fresh eggs. The kids helped me pick some fresh veggies. Thus we began our first farm stay with a fabulous dinner.

Willow-Witt offers several lodging options to the overnight guest. There is a small apartment built directly next to the farm owners’ house. It has two queen beds in an upstairs loft (the stairs are quite steep!) and a pull-out couch downstairs. This guest house has a full kitchen and everything you need to cook with. Also on the property is a canvas tent with a queen bed, and other campsites where you can pitch your own tent. This tent area has a communal kitchen nearby. It is a bit of a trek to and from the main farm, probably about a ten minute walk.

What I most looked forward to was being able to participate in some of the farm chores. Directly after dinner we were able to catch up with Jake, one of the employees, milking some of the goats. Chores are done once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. They include feeding the animals, moving pens (which allows the animals to feed on fresh grass), gathering eggs (and chicks who have managed to get out of their enclosure), and goat milking. Though I had in mind to come out for chores each day, the kids were not quite as enthusiastic. I tried to engage them even in watching others doing chores, but aside from the first night, they preferred playing together with some of the sticks they found on the ground. During part of our stay I watched other families who included older kids participate in the chores. They helped scoop food into buckets, gathered eggs, and one boy got very good at catching stray chickens. Though I had hoped my kids would jump at the chance at new responsibilities, I don’t mind at all that at this age they simply enjoyed the open space to play.

As guests we were given access to roam the farm whenever we wanted. One of my favorite parts was visiting the goats. The uncovered part of their living area was a large field. If you wandered through the field, a majority of the herd would follow you around the field. Again, this was far more fun for me than it was for my three-year old, who was about the same height as most of the goats. For the most part the goats were friendly, but some didn’t think much of what we consider “personal space”. Their tendency to crowd and natural inclination to taste your clothing was a bit much for Josh’s comfort level. In a few years he may fall in love with those big eyes as much as I did.

I couldn’t have asked for more from our stay at Willow-Witt. Lanita and Suzanne are obviously passionate about what they have built at Willow-Witt, and immediately I felt welcomed to enjoy and partake in it. I have since learned that the owners also bring local school groups and church groups onto their farm and teach them not only about how to care for the animals, but also how to care for the land. Part of the 40 acres is being restored as a wetlands and they have discontinued the practice of allowing cattle to graze on their land, in order to allow the native plants to thrive. This was a great experience for our family, one I hope to repeat in the next few years.

Our stay was partially compensated in exchange for an article on our experience at the farm. This article is an accurate reflection of our stay.

Ashland Vacations

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Lake Shasta Caverns

Posted by Lora in Caving, Shasta Cascade, Travel Blog on August 14th, 2010 | 2 responses

Some places that I’d like to visit take some creative sales pitches for the kids. You just never know which ones.

Personally, I think heading underground to see what caves look like is pretty cool. Especially when there is a string of lights already installed and a guide who knows the way out. I wasn’t sure that the boys would think so as well. There are a lot of stairs, it’s dimly lit, and it’s cold. They might very well remember all this from our last trip. I practiced a few lead-ins before informing them where we were headed. “I bet Batman might live in a place like this…” or “we can find some things inside that are more than a thousand years old.” Turns out I needed no help. When I told them we were going to check out some underground caves, they were almost as excited as I was.

Lake Shasta Caverns, located 17 miles north of Redding, Ca., is a great place for the young cave explorer. The first clue that it is kid-friendly is the play area in front of the office. Here you can practice your climbing skills on a six foot climbing wall or hide out in a tree house carved from oak. At the office you can purchase a bag of mining rough and hunt for gems using the mining sluice. Look for quartz, ruby, sapphire, emerald and other gems or fossils. After purchasing tickets for the caverns, head down the hill to the shore of Lake Shasta. Here a boat ferries you for a 15 min. trip to another part of the lake. Then hop onto an air-conditioned bus which goes up another mountain to the beginning of the tour.

Lake Shasta Caverns is a horizontal cave rather than a vertical one. In other words, there is not as much stair climbing as you find in other California caves. The descent at the beginning of the tour is not difficult at all. There are several breaks along the way where your guide alternates between describing the geology of the formations, the history of the cave and of its earliest explorers. The second half of the tour is a bit more strenuous, but an alternate exit is available for those not up to any further ups and downs. Continue along a series of tunnels until you reach the “gallery” room, my personal favorite. This room is large and opens up at least several stories high. Here are “drapery” formations that span a long wall. The curves and interesting formations play with your imagination until you are sure you can see recognizable shapes. Before the tour ends you are asked to pose for a picture at a certain spot. The picture can be purchased for $10 at the end of the tour.

The whole trip lasts about 2 hours. If you are planning a caving tour to Shasta Caverns here are some tips to consider:

* Though I wore flip-flops and did just fine, a walking shoe with tread is advisable. There are places which are damp and can be slippery.

* Those with younger (and slower) climbers may want to stick to the back of the tour. The stairs require a single file line and so the slower kids may end up holding up a long line of people.

* There are many benches available for picnicking. You can bring snacks or lunch and make a half-day trip of it. Benches located under a shaded porch immediately after the tour provide some fabulous views, or use the benches at the front by the play area.

Shasta Caverns provided my family with tickets, however the post is written solely on our family’s experience there.