The sand dunes in this area
just call out to be ridden! I still get
that urge when seeing a snow covered hill in winter – that ingrained drive to
fly down a hill on a toboggan, knowing that eventually the thrill will end in a
crash, a mouth full of snow, and that cold feeling as it trickles down your
back. Sand boarding gives you the same
thrill, without the cold and wet. (The
only draw back, of course, is sand deposits in places that the snow never made
it into!)
This is not our first
adventure with sand boarding. Our long
time blog followers (and I love and appreciate all three of you!!!) will
remember that we tried this in Colorado, at the Great Sand Dunes State Park. The dunes there are bigger than these, and it
seems like more of a desert ecosystem.
Here in Oregon, the environment is very unique with the conifers and
underbrush growing right up out of the dunes.
This area has coastal rain forest, dunes, and beach.
We found a place that rents
sand boards and sand sleds and spent some time honing our skills. Sean picked it up again quite easily, while I,
as always, am much more afraid of hurting something! This concern was realized
when Sean challenged me to a race, and just because I was winning, felt the
need to crash into me from behind, resulting in oh so major injuries to the
mom. (at least that’s the way I remember it, Sean might just tell a different
story) I much prefer the sand sled, which is exactly like a small
toboggan. Both the board and the sled
have to be waxed up every time you go down the hill, but they go quite fast!
Rianna did well on the sled, but was not too keen on the sand getting on every
part of your body. 
