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McDowell Creek Falls

On Aug 2nd we headed north on I-5 towards Lebanon to our hike.  Going through Lebanon was pretty special for me because my Grandma lived there for many years and her old house is on the main road that we drove in on so I was able to point out her old house to the girls and show them "our favorite lunch stop after sunday service"  Good old Bings!  I can almost taste the sesame chicken!  I sure miss my Grandma but I know that she would of loved our 100 Hike Challenge!  We stopped in at walmart to get a Oregon State parking permit and they did not sell them...I told Brian that they would so Brian I am sorry and I was wrong.  So I bought doughnuts to get some change for the parking fee and the girls did not mind one bit!  When we got to the parking area it was a nice surprise to find out you do not need a pass or a parking fee.... but at least I was able to visits Lebanons Walmart.   The hike was really pretty lots and I mean lots of stairs to climb but well worth it at the top.  When we got to what we thought was the top we decided to take that trail all the way up.  We ended up going to the actual top and it was about an extra mile.  We then came back down and took the other trails that wound around the creek and the girls really enjoyed it as well as Brian and I.

Cape Perpetua the hike!

So after a great two days at the beach we decided to head home and do a hike out of our book since it was on the way.  It was only 2 miles round trip and fairly flat but very high up!  If it had been a clear day there would of been some beautiful views!  We found a stone fort as the girls called it and took time to set up the tri pod and get a group photo.  Great hike to the end of a fun family trip.

more coast Pictures

More Coast Pictures

Cape Perpetua

On July 30th we were headed to hike Silver Falls but before we got to the Lebanon corvallis exit Brian whispered to me... how about we go to Lincoln City and stay the night instead!  We had not packed any clothes or tooth brushes so we were in for an adventure!  So we first stopped in at A&W for some lunch and root beer floats.  Told the kids that the plan had changed and headed towards the coast.  We passed by Brians dads work so made a quick pit stop to say hello.  Then we were off to the beach!  When we got to Lincoln City we thought that we should hit the outlet malls first so that we can get some extra clothes and underwear!  Went to Rite Aid and got all the other stuff that we would need including stuff for a fire pit and smores!  We stayed at The D sands and the girls sure had a great time on the Beach my Grandma would of loved seeing them play on the very beach I used to play and look for see shells with her on.  It was very special.  I think it might be a new Schnoor tradition to look for See Shells.

Kentucky Falls

On July 19th we ventured out for yet another hike!  Kentucky Falls was next on our list and we thought pretty close to home... not so close as it turns out there are a lot of back roads that you have to drive really slow down.   When we get to the trail head it was so beautiful and peaceful we thought that it was going to be a great hike!  About one mile in to the hike it turned into one of the steepest drop offs that Brian or I have ever been on!  There was barely enough room for each of us to hold one of the girls hand!!!  Very Scary!  We hiked in another mile and saw the waterfall got our pictures and hiked ourselves out of there!  So we managed to have yet another Schnoor adventure.

Lava River Cave

This hike was just as fascinating!  Very different than the last but we all loved it!  On the way to the caves we had ham sandwiches, chips and dip and some good old nuun caps for lunch.  We arrived at the caves and stood in line to get our parking pass and lantern.  Luckily the pass from the last hike was good at this hike as well.  The hike definitely could of used a little bit more light than just the one lantern some flash lights might be a good thing to stick in our hiking box in the car!  We were glad that we used the books advice and packed warm clothes it was very cold down there.   We hiked in about a mile met a nice family with two older girls and a 7 month old baby boy.  The Mom and Baby had to turn around but the Dad and older girls were nice company and helped take a good family photo.  We had a great hike but were happy to see the day light!

Obsidian Flow

While in Sunriver we wanted to try and do a few more hikes.  We chose the hikes that were closest to us so that we were not traveling to far so we could be back in time to drop off Brian's bike for his Triathlon.  The first hike for the day was Obsidian Flow.  The hike was really easy we just had a few hundred foot climb to the top.  Once we got to the top the view was gorgeous and the girls really enjoyed seeing the Glasslike Obsidian.  Natalie studied rocks in her class last year so she really enjoyed this hike!  Plus there was patches of snow and what kid does not enjoy playing in the snow in shorts and a tank top!

Paulina Falls

Since we were so close to the next hike in the book we decided to give it a whirl!  It was only half of a mile round trip so it was not long at all.  It was a 300 ft climb but well worth it the waterfalls were absolutely gorgeous!  The girls were pretty excited and Natalie wanted to go swimming under them.  I told her maybe when she gets a little bit older!

Paulina Lake

We are over at SunRiver for the Pacific Crest races and thought it would be a good time to get a few hikes done!  We started with Paulina Lake hike we went 1.5 miles to what the book calls a beach...not so much a beach!  I would call it a shoreline with rocks!   The mosquitos were out and the trail was about 20 ft above the water on a cliff so as a Mom it was a little nerve racking but the girls did great!  So we made it to our half way mark and headed back for the second half to make it a good 3 miler!  The hike did have a great view of some beautiful mountains!

A few more pictures at the beach

Hobbit Beach

After we went to the Aquarium we decided to get one more hike in for the day!  Hobbit Beach was just right off of the 101 and only 1 mile round trip.  After Marys Peak with the rain we thought it could not be worse!  The weather was perfect and the hike well worth it!  Short half mile hike to a beautiful Oregon beach!  So warm and calm... no wind and very few people!  The girls agreed that this was the best hike of the day!  We played on the beach for a bit and then headed home to have red velvet cake with Brians Parents and boy was it good!  My Mother-in-law sure can bake!!  Before we headed home I thought that we just had to stop in at A&W for some root beer floats and  they sure were good!  It is also good that A&W is an hour away!

Newport Aquarium

After Marys Peak Brian decided that it would be fun to drive over to the coast to take the girls to the aquarium and to get a nice sea food lunch.  We made it to the aquarium and they had a cafe there so we decided to have their seafood (not such a good idea).  After a quick bite to eat we wandered the Oregon Coast aquarium and the girls sure had a lot of fun!!!  Abigale liked the sharks the best and Natalie liked the Sea Otters the most.

Marys Peak

Well it is Fathers Day 2009 and Brian wanted to go for a hike!  So we thought it is nice out lets go do Marys Peak... We all wore tank tops and shorts.  Luckily I had packed some pants and Natalie had a jacket in the back of the Suburban.  When we got to the parking lot we had gained alot of altitude so the weather had changed just a bit it went from 67 degrees to 40 degrees... a bit colder!  We almost thought lets just come back another day but Brian said the sun came out so lets just go do it!  It is only 1.5 mile round trip so how bad could it be???  At the begging of the hike it was very pretty!  Natalie caught a butterfly and Abby had fun trying and the flowers were so pretty.  As we approached the very top of the mountain the weather changed again!  It started to rain and the temperature went down to 37 degrees.  So we ran to the top and had a nice hiker snap a few pictures and off we were!  We all ran down as fast as we could!  It was so cold poor Abby put a pair of leggings on her arms to stay warm!  Since it was Fathers day I gave Brian the blanket and my gloves.  All in all it was a beautiful hike and alot of fun!  We will have fun remembering this one!!! 

After the hikes

On Saturday as soon as we got home from the hikes we went straight to the pool.  Abigale is learning how to swim all on her own and she is so proud of herself as well as we are proud of her!  The cool water felt really nice after some good hikes!  We were able to meet up with some good friends kick back and relax!

Moon Falls

Saturday May 30th we also did Moon Falls!  Since we already drove in to get to Spirit we said we would do Moon as well.  It was 1.2 miles and even more beautiful than Spirit fall!  The girls also got to see two wild mice and Natalie informed me that they are not as nice as the pet mice in her class room.   I think that we could of spent all afternoon exploring all around the Falls but since Brian had such a big training day we hiked there took the pictures and called it good!  We said that was the only time we would drive out there but it was so pretty I think we might have to go back someday and do some exploring!