Best Family Adventure Summer Hiking Series - Oso Flaco Lake

This week's hike was much closer to home for us. We headed north on Highway 1 into San Luis Obispo County to take the easy walk across the boardwalk at Oso Flaco Lake. Our friend Sarah brought her two little ones. She also brought an adult cousin of hers who carried a toddler on her back most of the way. The group was small, but the company was fantastic.

We met up at 10:15 a.m. at the gate just past the parking lot. The kids found a pile of fill dirt, presumably set for filling potholes in the parking lot, and proceeded to climb and run and dig and generally have a great time. I'm sure they would have been happy had we stayed at the fill hill all day. But we moms had other plans.

We enjoyed a nice walk along the tree-lined access road, then across the boardwalk/bridge from which we spied cormorants, white pelicans, mallard ducks, coots, an egret, a heron and a California Least Tern. The girls took a moment to re-enact the cover of our first book before carrying on with the day's adventure. Toward the western end of the boardwalk, they tried to sneak up on the heron which showed great patience for a time before finally fleeing to a post in the middle of the lake.

It's been quite awhile since the girls and I have been to Oso Flaco Lake. We've spent much of the past year exploring Santa Barbara County for the most recent book, so we've missed our old haunts. So it was a pleasant surprise to see the boardwalk extension. In past visits, we've hit the soft sand just before the last climb over the short dunes to the beach. This time, the boardwalk made the climb a cinch and beach access much simpler.

While the moms visited by the waves, the kids explored the shore. V decided to relive a moment when she found a sturdy piece of bull kelp. It was Sarah's daughter who grabbed on to be dragged, and V doing the pulling. What a hoot! We kept all of the kids away from the water - the shore drops quickly here, the waves are treacherous, and there was a clear rip tide directly opposite the beach access ramp. Still, we enjoyed the water, particularly viewing a herd of seals in a feeding frenzy. Minutes later, a pod of Humpback whales passed through the same feeding grounds, spouting and carrying on in the easy manner of passing whales.

The addition of the boardwalk extension ensures easy access for most any family willing to take the time to enjoy the walk. We'll be back again soon.

Knowing When to Quit

When I travel and lose my way, I tend to forge ahead for awhile, but it's not uncommon for me to turn back just blocks from my intended destination, unsure whether the path I've chosen is, indeed, the correct one. I seek local advice, then turn again toward my goal with an embarrassed smile as it becomes clear that, once again, if I'd just forged ahead I would have arrived as planned. But when you've lost your way, found it again, and are only somewhat certain you're on the right path, when should you pull back and ask for help, when should you forge ahead, and when should you just call it a day and head for home?

I'm there again, traveling down this path I've begun toward a destination I believe is attainable. But it wasn't long after beginning this summer journey that I realized I'd need some help to find my way. I've hit up everyone I know in my search for help in finding my way to the final destination, and our combined efforts have been working. We've moved closer and closer to our goal, until today. Today, we lost our way, despite all the help I've been able to muster. It seems we need more muscle than I've been able to garner. I'm sore, and bruised, and tired, but I'm not quite ready to quit the fight. Someone has to make it there. Why can't it be me?

Am I on the right path? Should I forge ahead? Or should I call it a day and head for home? How do YOU decide?


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Grrr! Albertson's "organic" brand is misleading.

First, let's be clear. I'm an advocate for organic foods. They're our best choice not only for our health and the health of our families, but for sustainable agriculture in this ever-shrinking planet. But I have a bone to pick with a company that uses the "organic" label to entice customers into becoming their victims. Their misleading packaging calls into question all other claims they may have regarding the healthfulness of the food they sell.

Back in 2008, our neighborhood grocery store introduced its own brand of allegedly organic, healthy packaged food items from snacks to juices. I've checked out a few of the products, but I'm SO glad I've learned to read labels; not just the pretty packaging, but the nitty gritty. Every time I've taken the time to read the packaging on this brand, I've been disappointed. You see, I believe if you're going to label something as a certain item it should actually BE that item.

Case in point, this morning's discovery that the convenient little juice packages clearly labeled "grape" actually don't include grape juice! That's right! Sure, the ingredients listed are alleged to be organic, but what ARE the ingredients in Wild Harvest Grape Juice? Cane sugar, pear juice, "natural flavors," but not a single mention of a grape of any sort.

That, of course, drove me to question their other flavors, so I picked 'em up and read the labels. Sure enough, they're all pear juice with "natural flavors." E has been asking where she can find pear juice to drink. Looks like we'll just shop for grape juice and call it pear; or we'll just keep smashing pears and making our own. At least then we'll know for certain that the beverage we call pear juice actually contains pears.

How can we trust that you, indeed, are providing organic goods when you can't even get the name of the product right? Please, if you're going to market a healthy product to us, just be honest. WHAT is it? Is it pear juice with other flavors? Then CALL it that! Don't force us to read that bloody tiny print in the nutritional information box.

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