Oregon – Ullan Adventures

Family Visit in Oregon

Kirsten / July 16, 2016

We went out to Oregon for over a week to visit with Chuck’s brother and his parents. We stayed busy but had a great time.

The first day we went to a nearby farm and had fun visiting the animals and letting the kids play.

The next day, we headed to the Oregon Coast and went on a dune buggy tour before meeting up with the rest of the family at our rented beach house.

The following day, some of the family went for a walk on the beach.

Later, the 3 of us went out on the boat while Mara enjoyed some time (and licorice ice cream!) with Grandma and Grandpa.

Later, we went to Pacific City, Oregon to let the kids play on the massive sand hill. This thing is ginormous! Chuck and the kids went up (Beckett ran up and down it 3 times) and had a blast running down.

The next day it was time to learn to hang glide and then back to Chuck’s brother’s house.

Chuck’s brother is a firefighter and works on a fire boat. We were lucky enough to meet him at work and get to take the fire boat out. Each of us got to drive it and the kids got to shoot the water cannons. Very cool.

We even visited the fire house where the kids got to slide down the fire pole! Beckett couldn’t resist doing it over and over.

Later in the week, the kids went out blueberry picking. They came home with 25lbs of blueberries plus marionberries and more! Most of them were eaten within a few days! In fact, I think that’s what the kids ate for lunch the one day.

On our last full day, the adults went out wine tasting in the Willamette Valley. We went to 3 different vineyards and had some really good wine (and the BEST cheese!). It was a beautiful day and really nice to spend with family.

Sadly then our trip was over and it was time to say goodbye and head home. Hopefully we’ll get to see each other soon!

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I’m on a Boat (in Oregon)!

Chuck Ullan / July 14, 2016

They say they best way to have a boat is to know someone who owns a boat. We took advantage of that during our Oregon trip by taking my brother Dave’s boat out a couple times.

When we stayed on the Oregon coast, we took the boat out onto the Siletz River to do some crabbing. Mara didn’t want to go but Beckett did and had a blast. Dave showed Beckett how to bait the crab cages with raw chicken and then Beckett threw them overboard.

We set out 3 crab cages and then tooled around for a bit. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time just riding around the river and out towards the ocean. We even saw a ton of sea lions basking and swimming around.

After letting the crab cages sit for a while, Beckett pulled them up and we checked our loot. We caught a lot of crabs, but sadly they were all too small so we released them back into the water.

Beckett then helped drive the boat back to the dock which he loved!

A few days later, we all took the boat out to Detroit Lake about an hour away. It was gorgeous there. The kids were able to knee board for a bit because the water was so calm…

…at least for the first 30 minutes! And then it got really choppy so we motored into some inlets where it was a lot calmer. Here we were able to get onto shore for a bit and the kids could play around.

On the way back, the kids were able to take turns being pulled behind the boat in an inner tube and even Chuck took a turn!

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Hang Gliding Lessons

Kirsten / July 11, 2016

After giving skydiving and paragliding a try, I thought we should give hang gliding a go, too. Unlike those, where we were passengers with a guide, we would actually do the flying of the gliders ourselves.

It didn’t take any convincing for the kids to say “I’m in!”.

We were originally scheduled for one day but the weather was bad so we rescheduled and ended up with a perfect day.

The class consisted of the 4 of us and an instructor. We spent the first hour or so learning about the history of the sport and basic flying information. Then it was time to practice getting into the glider and our stance on a stationary frame.

After we each had a couple of turns, we went to the dunes and helped build the glider. We all pitched in to help build it and I have to say the thing was HUGE!

After carrying it up to the top of the dune, it was time to fly! Each of us took a turn getting into position, running partly down the hill and getting a feel for the glider. The first run we stopped before we got to lift off, but on the next turn we each started to fly! And every turn after that we got better and better and flew further and further.

The feeling of lift off is amazing. You feel the glider start to float and pick up speed and then you get the whole sensation of flying! As soon as we all got in the air, we were hooked!

We each got about 7 runs before our time was over. I was exhausted from carrying the glider back up the hill, but I think the kids could’ve kept going all day.

This was definitely a highlight and fun to do as a family. It was also neat to get a sense for doing the flying instead of just going along for the ride. As a bonus, learning on the dunes beside the ocean was an incredible experience and a great way to spend a day!

Here are the videos of each of us hang gliding:

Beckett:

Chuck:

Kir:

Mara:

Logistics: We used Oregon Hang Gliding School at the Pacific City, Oregon dunes.

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Riding Sand Rails (Dune Buggy) at Oregon Dunes

Kirsten / July 9, 2016

I’ve wanted to see massive sand dunes and go dune buggy riding for a while, so I was really excited when I found out Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area was close to where we were staying on the Oregon coast. We debated whether we should rent some and drive ourselves or go on a tour and leave the driving to an expert. We opted for the second option because we knew they’d really give us the dune buggy adventure we were looking for.

There were a total of 6 of us plus a driver in our sandrail (buggy). The kids sat up front with the driver, Chuck and I were in the middle seats and another couple was in back. We started off slowly driving through some forest and then we got to the dunes. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was nothing but sand dunes stretching out in front of us! It was incredible!

The driver then took off and we went flying over the dunes. He knew exactly how to come over the ridge and barrel down the other side before flying up another dune. And he would go onto the side of the dune and bank the buggy so you felt like you might flip before he’d barrel down again. It was a complete thrill! The only downside is that the sand flying into your face and mouth HURTS when you’re going that fast! Luckily I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and closed myself up so I looked like the sand people in Star Wars but Chuck and the kids had to stick it out.

Our 1/2 hour was up way too fast and we were all a bit sad as we headed out of the dunes. I have to say this experience exceeded my expectations. I’m so glad we went with the expert driver as he gave us such a thrilling ride!

Video of the tour:

Logistics: We booked with Sandland Adventures and did the 1/2 hour Sandrail tour. Definitely wear long pants, sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt to protect yourself from the sand!