November 12, 2013

5 Quick Tips for New Balance Bikers

Bergen (just over 2 years old) is a new balance biker. He received a balance bike for his 2nd birthday from our generous family and has been cruising around the neighborhood, in his own little way, ever since. It’s been fascinating to sit back and watch his interest and skills develop over just a short period of time. If you haven’t noticed already, our little guy is a big bundle of energy, so it’s nice to have one more tool in the box to channel it all, and wear him out for bedtime.

While we sit back (sort of) and watch his progress, we’ve noticed a few little things have helped move him into the direction of being a full on balance biker. He’s not quite zipping and whizzing up and down pathways, but he’s close, and certainly in a whole different category from where he started, which was not even being able to hold the bike up!

1. Consistent Opportunities for Practice.

If possible, offer balance biking as an activity choice everyday. The great thing about balance biking (and I’m sure other activities too) is that you don’t need tons of time for each session, if it’s practiced consistently. I’m talking even just 5 minutes. What worked for us was trying it out every evening when we returned from walking the dog. Sometimes Bergen would want to go for 15 minutes, sometimes he’d decline the offer to try, but at least we were getting out there.

The consistent practice also got Bergen into the routine of wearing his helmet every time we got the bike out. At first he would squirm, scream, cry, and laugh hysterically because the strap tickled his neck. Just to put the helmet on took more time than we were actually balance biking! Now he just sticks his chin out and lets me clip it on.

2. Huge Patience.

This is the hard part. I feel like the biggest nag and nit-picker that ever lived because I’m constantly saying, “keep your hands on the handle bars”, “look ahead”, “don’t ride in the neighbor’s lawn”, “peddle your feet faster” and on and on. I have to remember to sit back a bit, relax, and allow Bergen to figure out somethings on his own.

I also learned to be okay with stopping even if we only went out for 3 minutes. It’s actually harder for these little guys than it might look, which I didn’t realize at first. I noticed this when after just going 6 blocks or so, Bergen was starting to break a sweat!

3. Make it Fun!

I’m always reminding myself that riding a bike is supposed to be a source of joy, and I don’t need to take it so seriously. Just by accident, we came up with little games that help to motivate Bergen, get him to move along, and sometimes get him to ride faster.

Race ahead and have your balance biker try to “catch” you. Kind of like tag, but one of you is on a bike!
Ride to a special destination. There is a chestnut tree 2 blocks from our house that Bergen calls the “nut tree”. He likes to collect the nuts and throw them into the street. There is also a small park just 4 blocks or so away that we’ll make a goal of riding to.
Think of fun obstacles to ride through. Bergen loves riding through rocks & big collections of leaves.

4. Continue (if possible) Family Bike Rides.

Nothing motivates Bergen to ride on his own more than after we’ve taken a bike ride together as a family. We’ve had some good success capitalizing on this (and he’s got his helmet on already, so why not?) and always give him a chance to ride when we return from our outing. Kids seem to want to copy what their parents do, so it’s also been really motivating for us to get out and ride more. Win/Win.

5. Parks.

We haven’t utilized this enough because it’s just so much easier to leave straight from our house, but when we take the bike to a big open park with pathways and trails, it’s so much less stressful! Trails and grass are a lot more forgiving on falls, we don’t have to worry about crossing streets, and “accidentally” riding on neighbor’s property isn’t an issue.

***Bonus Tip: You are never supposed to balance bike on hills, BUT once your tyke is comfortable with walking with the bike, if you happen to find a street or pathway that has just the slightest, slightest incline, it may just help speed them up a bit, and thus get practice with balance.***

Do you have a balance biker in your life?

What tips do you have to share?

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November 8, 2013

Just 1 Day: Play and Eat in Door County, Wisconsin

After our pit stop in Algoma, Wisconsin, we were on a mission: No more messing around. We needed to see and experience true Door County, Wisconsin (not just the outskirts).

Play

So torn with what to do with such little time (and an anxious toddler), I furiously scanned the guide book, tourism magazines and ideas we’d printed out from research at home. I was draw to–SURPRISE!–another state park. Like Point Beach, this one is on the shores of Lake Michigan, and while I would have loved to change things up and maybe see the Green Bay side of the peninsula, the beaches of Whitefish Dunes State Park were calling my name.

When we arrived, I felt even better as the ranger told us we were about to experience Wisconsin’s best beach.

Having only visited a handful of Wisconsin beaches, we can’t really claim that Whitefish Dunes is the absolute best (since we haven’t seen so many others), but we can attest to it’s beauty and uniqueness.

I was surprised to learn that a section just inside the entrance to the beach area is prone to rip currents. I suppose its again my naiveness of the midwest and the power of a large lake, but I just always associated this phenomenon with oceans and seas. The section was roped off and easily avoidable.

We defaulted to our usual beach walking routine of dipping our toes into the water and collecting treasures. Thanks to some serious sand bars, we could actually walk quite far out into the lake without the water even getting close to our knees.

The water was crystal clear here without a lot of the seaweed debris we were used to seeing at other Lake Michigan beach spots. In one spot, millions of tiny delicate shells swept up towards the beach.

And there’s so much more that we lacked the time to explore. Over 14 miles of hiking trails, a fishing lake, a nature center, and even a special beach just for dogs.

Eat

As we entered Sturgeon Bay on our way to the state park, we thankfully had our lunch spot all scoped out. The Bluefront Cafe on the west side of town is an adorable little eatery serving brunch, lunch and dinner. To us, they offered fancier and more diverse food options compared to what we had typically seen (and thoroughly enjoyed!) in our Wisconsin trip.

I love the set-up of cute tables and cozy booths, and the fact that it was clearly enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Their selection of Wisconsin micro-brews on tap didn’t hurt either.

Just One Day: Play and Eat in Door County, Wisconsin | WildTalesof.com

Our Picks? The Walleye Sandwich and Fish Tacos

Have you visited Door County, Wisconsin?

Tell us about your experience!

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October 31, 2013

Hike Henry W. Coe State Park: A Hoppin’ Good Time!

I know lakes and other natural formations can be named for obvious reasons. The Great Salt Lake is salty. Crater lake exists thanks to…well, a crater. And many lakes are named after the nearby town, state or region.

These names make complete sense, but for some reason, when our visit to Henry W. Coe State Park near San Jose, California involved a hike to Frog Lake, I didn’t believe there would actually be real, live frogs involved.

Coe State Park is huge. With over 87,000 acres it’s the largest state park in northern California (and the 2nd largest in the state), so we barely scratched the surface with our morning visit here. We did spend enough time though to realize that the area is incredibly beautiful. What a treat to exit the suburbs and sprawling towns of the bay area and enter a land of stately oak trees, rolling hills, and mountains in the distance.

We started off improvising a bit meandering around to see the monument dedicated to Henry W. Coe by his daughter in his memory. We also found pine cones that were literally the size of Bergen’s head! Soon we got down to business though. We were so curious. Was Frog Lake shaped like a frog? Would there be enormous bull frogs there greeting us? Would we hear the telltale “ribbit”?

The answer wasn’t clear when we first arrived, but as we made our way around the perimeter of the small lake, Slaed started to notice something. Looking ahead at the water’s edge every time we stepped a little closer, hundreds of tiny frogs would hop back into the water! Yup, there really are little hoppers at Frog Lake. Likely thousands of them. You can bet we had lots of fun with this; testing out how the frogs would react to different approaches and speeds. We unfortunately couldn’t get too close to the shore since the mud acted much like quicksand.

Henry W. Coe State Park: Near San Jose, California | WildTalesof.com

Look carefully. Can you see the little popping out of the water?

It was here where Bergen got to ditch the backpack carrier and do some hiking on his own. He gathered sticks and rocks, threw leaves, and made sure to point out any deposits he noticed on the trail. It might be time to get him a tracking book!

Though we were visiting on a weekday, we were surprised at the lack of people at the park. We only ran into one set of fellow hikers, and it makes me wonder why this amazing resource isn’t used more?

Info To Know:

Henry W. Coe State Park is located in Morgan Hill, California (near San Jose):
- 9000 East Dunne Avenue Morgan Hill, CA 95037
- 408-779-2728
Features include plenty of hiking trails, campgrounds, hot springs, mountain biking trails, and fishing.
Visit in spring for amazing wildflower viewing.
Day Use Fees vary between $6-8 depending on the entrance used. Annual passes for all California State Parks are also available.
Strollers not recommended.

Do you visit state parks in your home state or when you travel? Tell us about your favorite spots!

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October 15, 2013

Built-in Adventures: Experiencing Fall on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail in Carnation, WA

After a travel adventure in California’s Bay area, yesterday Bergen and I set out on another built-in adventure to pick up our pup, Norman at the boarders. She takes such good care of Norman, treating him like one of her own, that we are okay with driving out to the country to reunite. Besides, it gives us a chance to experience the beauty of Snoqualmie Valley. No matter the season, I treasure the drive out, and I’ve picked up favorite spots to stop and explore along the way.

This visit gave us the perfect opportunity to burn off some energy and take-in all the fall color changes happening here in Western Washington. While we barely scratched the surface of the 31.5 mile Snoqualmie Valley Trail, we covered enough ground to see plenty of gorgeous autumn leaves, a salmon spawning spot, and even caught a glimpse of the October happenings at one of the region’s most beloved farms.

The trail, stretching from Duvall to Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend, has several access points. We entered at Nick Loutsis Park in downtown Carnation, and walked just a half a mile or so (remember we were going at toddler speed) to where the trail crosses over Remlinger Farm.

Stopping at the bridge that took us over the Tolt River provided me with a mix of emotions. For one, I was terrified that Bergen might slip through the opening between the edge of the bridge & railing, and fall. Highly unlikely, I know, but for some reason bridges bring on a new fear for me now that I have an active toddler by my side (or often running away from my side).

Then when I studied the water flowing below us a little more closely, I saw one salmon floating there, dead. When I continued studying the river and it’s banks, I realized there dozens of salmon floating in the water and also stuck along the edges and in between rocks. I was worried. How completely sad.

We moved on, but I later realized, thanks to some informative signage that this is normal. It’s peak spawning season for several species of salmon, so they’ve made their journey back and have now died. The natural order of things.

And another remarkable reminder of this season of change.

What seasonal changes are you experiencing in your world?

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October 7, 2013

Still hanging onto Summer at Volunteer Park’s Dahlia Garden

Late last week, I realized that although we enjoyed the dahlias around the neighborhood and at the farmer’s markets, we never got the chance to pop over to the beautiful little garden at Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park. I discovered the dahlia garden late last summer, and with it now being almost mid-October, I thought for sure the blooms would be long gone.

No visit to Volunteer Park would ever be a wasted visit with one of best playgrounds in the city, towering trees, a conservancy, and water tower among so much more, so we made the trek up to find out for sure. As you can probably guess, we lucked out. Yes, many flowers were worse for wear due to some pretty serious rainfall that Seattle has experienced in the last couple of weeks, but there were just as many amazingly beautiful dahlias to view and admire. And actually, the rain from earlier in the day added a lovely shine to flowers making the colors pop even more.

It turns out that the master garden’s of the Puget Sound Dahlia Association, the people behind the garden, don’t dig up the tubers until early November so as long as some of the blossoms hang on, we have a few more weeks to enjoy the colorful display!

Seattle's Volunteer Park Dahlia Garden | WildTalesof.com

My favorite variety this year.

Are you experiencing fall-like weather in your neck of the woods? How are you enjoying the outdoors?

October 3, 2013

Adventure Gear: Oakiwear’s Rain Suit Keeps Us Outside

Ever since Bergen (now 2 years old) was big enough to even start toddling around outside and on play equipment, we had visions of purchasing some sort of one-piece suit for him to wear throughout our 9-month rainy season here in Seattle. Even when it’s not raining, the ground is still wet and if you’ve ever been around toddlers, you know how clumsy they can be as they lumber around becoming distracted by this or that.

A suit we purchased from another company worked well for him and allowed for a good year or so of adventuring outside in the wet and cold. When it was time for a bigger size though, I wasn’t completely convinced our previous brand was the best, so I started to look elsewhere. In my research, I found an amazing little company called, Oakiwear. Honestly, I’d never heard of the brand, but as I poked around their website, I found so many things I liked:

Local Company: For us, Oakiwear is a local company out of nearby Vancouver, Washington. We love supporting our “neighbors”, and also who better to design outdoor gear than people who are living and breathing the same wet and soggy weather as us.
Quality: I’ll get into the nitty-gritty details below, but just by reading a quick description, I could tell Oakiwear took time to design a rain suit that would last.
Price: Even with all of the fancy features that the rain suit has, I still feel like Oakiwear keeps their prices reasonable. They also aren’t shy about putting their products “on-sale”, which I love.

When I first received the Oakiwear suit about a month ago, we were being spoiled by amazing Seattle weather. It felt like Bergen would never get to try out the suit in all it’s glory. I’m sure glad I savored those moments though because the doom and gloom is back, and we have had more than enough opportunities to try out the suit! We’ve gone on walks in the rain, hiked through the arboretum, attended several sporting events, and explored the zoo on a misty day all in the name of testing this puppy out.

About the Rain Suit

The Oakiwear rain suit is made of high quality nylon material that is of course waterproof, and allows dirt and mud to wash off easily. Seams are fully taped, and neoprene is added around the wrists and ankles allowing great protection from water seeping in. The heavy-duty front zipper goes from just below the waist all the way up to the neck making it easy to take on and off. The suit also features an attached hood, and reflective tape is sewn in across the chest and upper arms. There are two drawstrings (strategically placed inside the suit) allowing you to cinch the suit around the waist if desired.

The suit is available in several sizes: 12 months, 2T (Bergen’s size), 3T, 4/5, & 6/7.

What’s to Love?

First and foremost, the suit keeps Bergen dry! We encountered some serious rain on a few of our adventures recently, and we felt confident knowing that he’d stay comfortable and protected in the suit. He’s literally dry from head to toe, and the attached hood stays put!
Yes, the suit locks out the rain, but the material is still breathable, so Bergen isn’t going to get overheated.
The suit is comfortable making it easy for Bergen to romp and play. Even though the 2T size a little big on Bergen right now, the velcro straps on the ankles and wrists allow us to create just the right fit for him so nothing is hanging down or dragging. In addition to helping with sizing, the ankle straps also come in handy to keep his rain boots more secure. For some reason, Bergen loves to try to “shake” his boots off, and these straps allow us to gently tighten around the boot so he can’t get them off so easily.
Oakiwear isn’t messing around with quality. One of the biggest complaints I had about Bergen’s old suit was the dreaded zipper. It was small, hard to line up (since it attached at the ankle) and I had no confidence in it lasting for the long haul. Oakiwear’s zipper is exactly what I was envisioned: big, sturdy, easy to zip up and down.
Oakiwear has fun, bright colors (purple, red, blue, pink, yellow…) to choose from, and they’ve also smartly placed strips of black fabric at the knees, which is of course where most of the dirt and stains would collect.

What’s to be Desired?

Needless to say, we are extremely happy with the product, and from looking at reviews of years past, it appears that Oakiwear has listened to many outdoor families and tweaked little features here and there to make the suit even better. Good outdoor gear is essential for us living here in Seattle, and I take our clothing choices seriously.

One thing we did love about Bergen’s old suit was the fleece lining that could be added and removed easily depending on conditions. We’re okay with layering Bergen’s other clothing, but just an idea as an option for Oakiwear to consider. Also, like his boots, Bergen loves to throw off his mittens. The little fold-over attached mittens on the other suit were also handy, but it may encroach on the design of the wrist straps of the Oakiwear suit. We may just need to resort to mittens we can attach to outer clothing or ones that strap around the wrist more securely.

To purchase an Oakiwear Rain Suit (approx. $42 to $74):

Purchase directly from Oakiwear
Purchase from Amazon

Special Offer from Oakiwear

In addition to their already fabulous and reasonable prices (and by the way rain suits are on sale right now), Oakiwear is giving an additional 15% off to all readers of the blog! Just add the coupon code “wildtales” to the little box at checkout. This code is for your entire order, never expires and can be used on any of their products, not just rain suits.

Please note: The folks at Oakiwear generously provided us with a Rain Suit for review on the blog. All opinions expressed are my own. We’re also affiliates of Oakiwear so if you purchase through our links, we’ll receive a small commission. Thanks for your consideration!

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