Wordless Wednesday Lower Columbia Estuary Canoe Field Trip and Hike

Teela & I went on a Canoe Trip and hiking with a group at the Lower Columbia Estuary Scappoose Bay Marina (4/6/2018).

Guided Hike: Saw Oak Galls, Gall Wasp larvae, lichen, & mushrooms while doing a scavenger hunt & bird-watching.

Free Entry to All National Parks to Celebrate the National Park Service’s 99th Birthday on 8/25

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act creating the National Park Service (NPS), a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established (now there are 408 national parks!).

I am surrounded by Oregon and Washington state where I live. Oregon, the gorgeous state where I reside, has a total of 6 national parks, 10 national natural landmarks, and 17 national historic landmarks so far. Crater Lake National Park is by far the most famous of our national parks with its beautiful lake and scenery. Washington state has 14 national parks, 18 national natural landmarks, and 24 national historic landmarks so far. Mount Rainier National Park is one of the national parks in Washington with its gorgeous mountain and surrounding forests.

To celebrate the upcoming centennial of NPS in 2016, the National Park Foundation (NPF) launched their Find Your Park campaign to encourage everyone to get up, get out there and #FindYourPark - no matter your interest.



The National Parks Service has provided 99 ways you could celebrate NPS’ 99^th birthday on August 25, 2015 and get ready for NPS’ big 100^th birthday next year. Founders’ Day also marks fee free day to all national parks.

99 Ways to Find Your Park
http://www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/nps99.htm

1. Go climbing
2. Write poetry
3. Be an urban hiker
4. Visit a National Heritage Area
5. Dance
6. Learn about climate change
7. Discover a culture new to you
8. Experience silence
9. Walk through a doorway of a historic house
10. Find inspiration in the story of a civil rights leader
11. Go on a ranger-led tour #rangerspointingatthings
12. Hug a tree
13. Make a memory
14. Earn a Jr. Ranger badge
15. Relax on the banks of a scenic river
16. Celebrate innovation
17. Find life in a desert
18. Get inspired by a First Lady
19. Stand on a mountaintop
20. Bring a kid to a park
21. Paddle a water trail
22. Take a photo that matches a historic one #retrogram
23. Try something new
24. Channel your inner Bill Nye—become a citizen scientist
25. Walk a historic main street
26. Find your park in Spanish #encuentratuparque
27. Explore a cave
28. Go green
29. Brush up your national park trivia skills
30. Scout a park, boys and girls!
31. Make art in a park
32. Celebrate Native American heritage
33. Come sail away
34. Take a picnic and dine al fresco
35. Be bear aware 
36. Hit the road
37. Enlighten yourself at a historic lighthouse
38. Go biking
39. Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in America
40. Feel the sand between your toes
41. Share your story
42. Learn about endangered species
43. Join us
44. Follow NPS on social media
45. Follow the footsteps of a woman who made history
46. Get in the know about H2O
47. Bee pollinator friendly
48. Get VIP status
49. Catch a wave
50. Immerse yourself in a living history program
51. Hit record
52. Get prehistoric
53. Improve your health—get a park Rx
54. Use your free active military pass
55. Get reel—Visit a park featured in your favorite movie
56. Join a trail clean-up
57. See the sea
58. Discover a traditional tribal cultural practice
59. Let Elmo and Murray be your guides
60. Mail a postcard
61. Discover history around you
62. Make new friends
63. Raft down a river
64. Pay your respects at a national cemetery
65. Pick a POTUS
66. Take a mini-cruise
67. Plan ahead and prepare
68. Walk nature's treadmill
69. Pose for a family photo in a park
70. Recognize women who made history
71. Reflect on our most difficult stories
72. Stamp your park passport
73. Ride on a historic carousel
74. Run
75. See history from a different perspective
76. Renew your spirit
77. See how NPS helps transform your community
78. Go fish
79. See the starry, starry night
80. Make a splash
81. Share a #tbt park photo
82. Discover the beauty of our nation's other public lands
83. Sleep outside
84. Spread the love—thank a park volunteer
85. Plan the best field trip ever
86. Visit our international sisters
87. Trash Your Trash
88. Find a monument and decode history
89. Travel the Underground Railroad
90. Use the buddy system!
91. Visit for free on our 99th birthday
92. Wander an American battlefield
93. Watch wildlife
94. Take a deep breath
95. Go wild: Experience wilderness
96. Use a national park lesson plan
97. Play
98. Take a sunrise selfie
99. Get ready to celebrate with us in 2016!

The National Park Service waived all of its entrance fees on nine days in 2015. The remaining entrance fee free days are August 25 for the National Park Service’s birthday, September 26 for National Public Lands Day, and November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.

Parks are so much more than the majestic landscapes you might think of; they also protect and preserve our culture and history in urban areas and offer endless ways for families to get involved. So get out and go visit a national park!

To find a national park near you, and to learn more about the Find Your Park campaign, visit FindYourPark.com or EncuentraTuParque.com.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I am posting about these events because I want my readers to know about them. Thanks to a public relations email for providing me this campaign information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for posting about this campaign and event information.

LifeStraw Go Filtered Water Bottle Review and Giveaway

This review and giveaway is sponsored by Vestergaard through Coyne PR. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

LifeStraw Go in Packaging

Water, we all need it to survive. It is said we can live without food for about 3 weeks, but water is a different story. Water makes up about 60% of the adult human body. It is essential to keep our bodies functioning. The estimate of how long a person could live without water seems to be a week (less in hotter conditions), but this is a generous estimate...three to four days is more likely. The dangers of dehydration are very real and could cause death in severe cases. Whether you are exploring the nearby nature trail or camping in the mountains, having access to clean drinking water is always a priority.

The LifeStraw Go by Vestergaard is a filtered water bottle that uses an advanced hollow fiber membrane technology to convert micro-biologically contaminated water into safe drinking water. The Lifestraw filters and removes 99.9999% of bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, etc.) and 99.9% of protozoa (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.), and some viruses. It will filter a total of 1,000 liters / 264 gallons to 0.2 microns over the filter's lifetime capacity. When the filter has reached its lifetime capacity it will stop taking in water. Since the water filter is detachable, you can simply purchase a replacement filter when the filter has reached capacity. The bottle can be reused indefinitely, saving waste from disposable plastic water bottles.

LifeStraw Go is durable, convenient, lightweight, safe and portable. It requires no: electricity, pumping, batteries, iodine, or chemicals to use. This filtered water bottle meets US EPA drinking water standards and is made of BPA free Tritan plastic. It has a handy carabiner to hook it to a backpack or belt loop so you always have it ready and accessible. LifeStraw Go holds 23 ounces of water and doesn't leak.

The LifeStraw Go is great to take with you different places where you might not have access to clean drinking water. Take the LifeStraw Go with you and rest assured that you will have clean drinking water on-the-go. It is ideal for:

• hiking
• biking
• camping
• travel
• boating
• fishing
• running
• trekking
• survival
• gift giving

The LifeStraw Go filtered water bottle is so easy-to-use. Just fill container with dirty or unfiltered water. Stop at any lake, river, pond, stream, or even a puddle to fill up the bottle. You can even drink directly from the LifeStraw by placing the end directly in the water. After filling screw on the lid and sip filtered water through the mouthpiece and straw. After each drinking session, unscrew the lid and blow through the LifeStraw to expel dirty water. The food-grade silicone mouthpiece is flexible which prevents it from chipping or cracking, and is also removable for easy cleaning.

I will be taking the LifeStraw Go filtered water bottle with me hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, canoeing, kayaking, etc. Everywhere I go the water will taste amazing with LifeStraw Go and I don't have to worry about the water making me sick. It will be so wonderful to have a water bottle I can always rely on to have clean good tasting water any where I go.

LifeStraw Go is wonderful for trips overseas and cross country. This water bottle is also great for storing in a bug out bag or emergency preparedness kit. It makes a great stocking stuffer for anyone young, old, or in between.

LifeStraw Go and I.

Not only does LifeStraw Go provide clean drinking water to the user, but LifeStraw's 'Follow the Liters' campaign provides one school child in Africa with safe drinking water for an entire school year with the purchase of any LifeStraw water filter!

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Prize:  LifeStraw Go

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review and the opportunity to give away one for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

The Okee Dokee Brothers Through The Woods An Appalachian Adventure Album Review

We received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

The Okee Dokee Brothers, Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander, are wonderful outdoors men and Americana folk musicians. The duo are at it again with a new album and adventure. This new album is called Through The Woods, An Appalachian Adventure and it is their second Adventure Album. This album, just like the last one, has a DVD along with the CD and field journal that shares footage of their journey in the part of the USA they are trekking in.

In this album The Okee Dokee Brothers spent a month hiking, camping, backpacking, filming, and making music (This whole CD and DVD!) on location through the Appalachian Trail. They met some neat people along the way that shared their stories and music with them while they took a small breather from exploring the outdoors and creating their own songs. This album is a wonderful compilation of 15 original tracks from The Okee Dokee Brothers with songs that feature guest artists as well as emulating the traditional old-time Appalachian music with their sounds and styles. This album features an array of instruments such as fiddlesticks, pots, pans, auto-harp, bones, clogs, mouth bow, gut-string banjo, washboard, jaw harp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, hambone, bass harmonica and whistling.

My favorite part of the DVD: The Okee Dokee Brothers with wild ponies :)

See the Trailer for the Through The Woods DVD here...



The Okee Dokee Brother's last album, Can You Canoe?, won a GRAMMY for best children's music album in the 55th GRAMMY Awards! It was well deserved because it is a fantastic album. I also believe Through The Woods is really good and deserves the highest of accolades.

Track Listing on the CD:

1. Through The Woods: The title track to this CD, a great song about going on an adventure with friends through the woods.
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain (with Hubby Jenkins-Carolina Chocolate Drops on bones and mandolin): A fun upbeat banjo/mandolin pickin' song about a made-up place called Candy Mountain.
3. Jamboree: A great dancing song about a jamboree. I love the lyrics to this one...so perfect!
4. Evergreen: I love this song about trees. It has sweet lyrical poetry and sings the beauty of the forest.
5. Walking With Spring (with Cathy Fink, on mountain dulcimer): This song is a perfect song to go hiking with and reminds us to slow down and enjoy the scenery and beauty around us.
6. Out of Tune: This is a fun song about how it is sometimes better to live life a little bit out of tune.
7. Black Bear Mama (with David Holt-Doc Watson/O Brother, Where Art Thou? on gut-string banjo and mouth bow): Great song about a Black Bear Mama and has a fun fast part in the middle.
8. Hillbilly Willy: One of my favorites on this CD about a hillbilly and his silly wife. Fun and upbeat too.
9. Riddle & Rhyme: This is a great rhyming song to slap your knee or clap to.
10. Tiny Little Life: Upbeat fiddle song about a life of simplicity.
11. Ruby Jane: A sweet love song about a farm girl sweetheart.
12. Fiddlestick Joe (with Marcy Marxer on cello banjo): A fun fiddling upbeat dancing song.
13. Lighten Your Load: This song reminds us that it is better to pack light.
14. Echo: A yodeling love song.
15. Baby Mine (with Rosie Newton on fiddle and vocals): This is a sweet lullaby, wonderful to put kids to bed to and a gorgeous end to the CD.

With their beards, flannel shirts, overalls and instruments The Okee Dokee Brothers are sure fun to watch perform on stage as well. You can see when their next show is here. They played at the Mountain Park Recreation Center on May 4th at 7pm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. I was pretty bummed when I couldn't make that performance with my family of 6 this year. Hopefully they'll make it around here again soon.

This album is great to take with you to listen to on a family road trip, around a campfire or even while hiking. It is a wonderful reminder to get outside to experience and explore nature with your family and friends. Through The Woods is wonderful kids music that resonates with adults as well. I love The Okee Dokee Brother's adventure albums because they bring back so many good memories of the great outdoors when I was a child and remembering helps me recreate wonderful memories with my own kids. The messages in all the songs are good and wholesome and The Okee Dokee Brothers feel like Kindred Spirits to me. I can't wait for the next adventure album in this series!

FOLLOW THEM
You can friend them on Facebook or like their page. You can also follow them on Twitter.

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Go HERE and you can buy The Okee Dokee Brothers merchandise.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR for sending me a free The Okee Dokee Brothers - Through The Woods An Appalachian Adventure Album CD/DVD to listen to and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Cheap and Unusual Father's Day Fun (Infographic)

Infographic Courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. Information about the infographic was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Welcome to the United States of Dad! Here you can find fun and inexpensive ways to entertain your dad this Father's Day. There's no need to spend money on travel; this infographic has provided several options across the country that will keep you and your dad busy on his special day. Don't see an option close by? Use this infographic to spark an idea for fun with your dad, and do a quick online search to find affordable options near you.

This is a great infographic! I love the ideas it presents for Father's Day. You can save money and still have a great time. There are fun trip destinations to go: camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, picnicking, to the zoo, to the rodeo, to parks, skiing, golfing etc. You can also BBQ, garden, camp out, etc. in your own backyard!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Infographic and information about the infographic was provided free courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post other than the infographic.