Destination: Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

There is a natural treasure tucked into the landscape of Silicon Valley.  In the shadow of Levi's Stadium and the NASA Ames hangers, lies the country's first urban national wildlife refuge.  The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge is a great stop for families interested in the flora and fauna of the San Francisco Bay.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Yung

There are two ways to access the NWR.  If you are coming up from the South Bay, you can start at the Environmental Education Center, in Alviso.  From the East Bay, you can start from the Visitor Center in Fremont.  The two areas of the refuge do not currently connect via any trail, but from new trail construction, it looks like that is the future plan.

The extensive trail network was what drew us to the refuge on a beautiful spring morning.  We started our visit from the Alviso side, at the Environmental Education Center.  We were traveling by bike, with kid trailers in tow, so we were quite surprised to find that all of the bike-accessible trails are actually dirt.  However, they were wide and flat so we fared well.  If you plan to travel around the refuge by bicycle, I recommend a mountain or trail bike, a true road bike might not fare too well.  It is also important to check the weather - the trails are impassable in wet conditions.  We did a long loop around the Mallard Slough Trail and the Alviso Slough Trail.  Here were our highlights:

• Views of Levi's Stadium and NASA Ames hangers
• Wildlife sightings including Canada geese, mallard ducks, and black-necked stilts
• Wildflowers in bloom along the levees 

Our kid-passengers were also very excited to see the Amtrak train roll by us on the trail - TWICE!  Lil' H told me to "catch the train" so she could wave at the "captain."

Photo Credit: Ambarish Goswami

On our next visit, I plan to explore on foot/stroller.  I would start at the parking lot just outside the Refuge gate, and walk up the Marsh View Trail to the Environmental Education Center.  From there, you can wander through the Butterfly Garden, or visit the Center.  The Center is open seven days a week, excluding federal holidays.  Then take the New Chicago Marsh Trail for a kid-friendly half-mile walk.  The Trail is mostly wooden boardwalks over the marsh and there is plenty of educational signage to help identify the flora and fauna.

We plan to do a visit to the Fremont side in the near future as well.  In fact, I look forward to many visits in the future!

Please note that pets are not allowed in any part of the refuge.  Even though it is nice to walk with our animals, they scare off the birds in their natural habitat so please leave them at home on your next visit to Don Edwards.

Everybody's Free ... To Wear Sunscreen

The 90's taught us all one important thing - wear sunscreen (thank you Baz Luhrmann).  With so many options on the market, how do we know what is best for us and our kids?  Here are some tips.

Avoid Aerosol/Spray Sunscreens

In 2013, the FDA officially warned that some aerosol sunscreens are flammable and can cause serious injury.  They are also very ineffective - we tend to miss large areas of skin when we use spray-on sunscreens.

As an aquatics director, I have really come to despise aerosol sunscreens over the years.  Parents tend to think that "spray on" means that you don't have to rub it in at all (which is how large sections get missed).  They spray their kids, don't rub it in, and let their kids jump in the pool.  Without time to absorb into the skin, the chemicals bond with hypoclorous acid (used to disinfect pools) and form a smelly gas that hovers just above the surface of the water.  This gas bonds to the skin of all swimmers and causes eye, skin, and lung irritation for anyone breathing it.

So the next time you leave a pool with scratchy eyes and smelling like "pool", blame spray-on sunscreen!

Chemical vs. Physical Sunscreen

There are two main types of sunscreen.

• Chemical Sunscreens (oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, etc.) absorb the sun's rays.  They offer more coverage against UVA and UVB rays, but can sometimes cause skin irritation.  It is important to wait 20 minutes after applying the sunscreen before sun exposure for maximum protection.

• Physical Sunscreens (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide) work by deflecting the sun's rays from your skin.  It is effective immediately after application, but it is generally thick and harder to rub in.  It also needs to be reapplied more frequently.

Understanding SPF

SPF, or sun protection factor, indicates a sunscreen's effectiveness at preventing sunburn.  Although widely misunderstood, it's actually a simple formula.  You take your natural skin protection (low for individuals with light skin, higher for individuals with darker skin) and multiply it by the sunscreen's SPF and you get your total period of protection before you need to reapply.

Lil' H inherited my fair skin, so let's say her natural skin protection is 10 minutes.  If I use SPF 15 sunscreen on her, her period of protection is 150 minutes (this would be shortened if she was swimming).

It's not necessary to spend extra money on sunscreens with an SPF higher than 30.  SPF 30 is rated to block 97% of UVA/UVB rays, while 50+ (the FDA maximum) is only rated to block 98%.  Additionally, new research shows that too much SPF interferes with the body's ability to convert Vitamin D into calcium for bone growth and development.

Protecting Itty Bitty Baby Skin

For kiddos under six months old, it is best to skip the chemicals in sunscreens.  Use blankets, long-sleeves, hats, etc. to minimize sun exposure.

For kids over six months, it is still a good idea to limit sun exposure but if you do use sunscreen, stick to physical sunscreens instead of chemical.  The main ingredient (usually zinc oxide) is the same as diaper cream, so you know it's safe!

A lot of parents like the Badger Baby Sunscreen, but personally, I find it VERY difficult to rub in and it has a funny smell.



I prefer the Babyganics Mineral-Based Baby Sunsceren.  It has a light, fresh, smell and it is easy to apply.

Gear Review: SylvanSport GO - Coolest. Camper. Ever.

The GO Trailer at Uvas Canyon County Park

I never thought we'd own a recreational vehicle.  We always judged people at campgrounds with their RV's, and their electrical hookups, and their satellite dishes... we called it "Kamping" (and don't even get me started on this new trend of glamping... sheesh!).  But with a kid in the picture, we were looking for an option that made a quick weekend camping trip doable.  We also needed something that could hold all our gear for our triathlons.  We also needed something that we could tow for road trips.  The "Must Have" list was getting long, would we ever find the perfect thing?

After some searching, we found something that fit the bill and now we are proud owners of the coolest toy.  No, really! National Geographic Adventure called it the "Coolest. Camper. Ever." And I can attest, it's true!

The GO Trailer in towing mode

The GO trailer by SylvanSport is a very unique product.  It's an ultra-light, extremely versatile trailer designed by outdoorsy people for outdoorsy people.  It can be used to haul bikes, ATVs, boats, gear, refrigerators, IKEA flat-packs... you get the idea!  But see that cool grey box on top?  That becomes a house on wheels for camping.  It has multiple interior configurations, and depending on how you set up, it can sleep 1-5 adults easily.

Mr. H opening up the tent cabin on the GO trailer

Our first trip with the GO was a total success.  On our first attempt, we were able to set up the tent cabin in less than 15 minutes.  It was great to have so much space to move around in the tent.  Lil' H loved it so much that she BAWLED when we took it down at the end of our camping trip.  All of us are looking forward to taking to GO on more adventures soon!

 If you have any questions about the GO, or want to see it in person, please let us know!

(Disclaimer: I am a GoGetter for Sylvan Sport, a group of happy owners who share their love for their GO trailers and advertise for the company.  However, I was not paid for this review and my opinions are my own.)