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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Plaza fencing is ugly and wasteful ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Require national service ... Wolf once believed to be dead shows up near Crater Lake ... Guest Opinion: Plaza fencing is ugly and wasteful ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Require national service ... Wolf once believed to be dead shows up near Crater Lake ... COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR Don't like it hot? Here are 6 tips to help keep cool Comment By Mary Coombs DailyTidings.com By Mary Coombs Posted Aug. 4, 2015 at 8:19 PM By Mary Coombs Posted Aug. 4, 2015 at 8:19 PM » Social News So, it is (and if it isn’t anymore, it will be again) really hot. And if you don’t have a powerful working air conditioner, you need to be somewhere else to keep cool. You don’t have the time or money to go to the coast or to do a three-day Rogue River rafting trip. What can you do in/near Ashland to keep cool, for free or at reasonable cost? I began exploring answers when our AC went out for five days in early July. Here are some ideas (including some that came from other Ashlanders) that might work for you (check before you go for hours/pricing etc.): 1. Have something cold — or hot: Some people think keeping cool inside can help cool you down, so you might go out for ice cream. There are a number of good ice cream shops in town. One that seems rightly popular is Zoey’s Café on Main Street. Others take the British view that you deal with hot outside by matching it with hot outside: a nice hot cup of tea on a hot day in colonial India – or in Ashland. One good spot is Dobra Tea at the north end of the plaza: cool and dim, where you can get a pot of tea and a short course in teas and tea making. 2. Retreat to a library: When we were temporarily living in a hothouse, my partner and I became athletic intellectuals. You can reliably get cool at no cost at the library. The Ashland Library is open every day but Friday (and if you’re desperate, the Talent branch is open that day). The Hannon Library on the SOU campus is open to the public and you can sit and people watch, read a book or any of their wide selection of magazines. While you are on campus, you can also wander through the Schneider Museum when it’s open or the Stevenson student union where you can fantasize about being a college student (again). 3. Check out the Y: You can also go to the YMCA. If you are a member you can work out (including using the pool); even if you’re not, you can sit in the lobby, read a magazine, talk quietly with friends or watch the members come and go and perhaps get inspired to begin a workout regimen (again). Or you can go for an outdoor swim at the Daniel Meyer pool at 1705 Homes Ave. 4. Talk a shady walk: If you are in reasonably good shape, you can hike (or, in some cases, stroll) in outdoor places where leafy shade and breezes can make you feel cool. Very close by (depending where in town you live) are the Greenway, the North Mountain Nature Park, Lithia Park, and Todd-Oreson. The first two are easy strolls and have spots that are shaded — often with benches along the Greenway. Lithia Park has easy walks (as well as more energetic ones), numerous benches, and the sound of running water. Swimming in its waters has been discouraged, given bacteria levels, though I might risk sitting on a flat rock and dangling my feet in the water — maybe with socks on if I’m feeling less daring. If you are up for some more energetic hiking, there are a range of interconnected paths between the Todd-Oreson trailhead near Tolman Creek and Bandersnatch, just past the reservoir above Lithia Creek. The sweat of exercise is, for me, outweighed by the cooler air (especially as you get higher up), the shade of vegetation and the sense of being away from the city while really quite close (do, however, bring water). One can find other places to hike not very far away, where the higher elevations and the shade can cut 10 degrees from the apparent temperature. Among those people have suggested are the Greensprings off Highwy 66/Green Springs Highway (and you could stop at the Greensprings Inn after), the Mount Ashland Meadows (ditto re: Callahans) and lakes such as Four Mile Lake. (The best guide for where to go, how easy a hike it is, and directions to the trailhead is William L. Sullivan’s "100 Hikes in Southern Oregon"). 5. Put your mettle to the pedal to make a breeze, or dive in to make a splash: Those of you who bike may want to go for a ride, perhaps on the Greenway: although you are also exercising, you can create a breeze as you move that makes you feel cooler — at least until you stop! Closer in but still away from town are a number of places for hiking, biking, swimming, boating, camping, etc. Right at the southern edge of town is Emigrant Lake. There is a modest $4/car entry fee, but you can swim, splash in the water or boat in your own boat or a rented one. A similar range of outdoor activities, some involving the cooling power of water, is available at Howard Prairie Lake and Applegate Lake, both an easy day trip away. 6. Go to the the movies: Of course, some people’s idea of what to do when it’s really hot doesn’t involve working up a sweat but being indoors in someone else’s AC. One obvious option is going to the movies: with your choice perhaps being guided as much by “is this movie playing in the hottest part of the day?” and “is it a long movie so I can stay cool longer?” as “is it a good movie?” Most stores are air-conditioned, although they aren’t usually well designed for spending long periods of time without spending large amounts of money. Some restaurants work well too, especially if they are open, but not so busy that they will signal that it’s time for you to go, during the time of day you most need to cool off. And, let’s hope, cooler weather will return, letting us enjoy Ashland and earn the envy of friends in such places as my former home, Miami!! Attorney Mary I. Coombs lives in Ashland. By Mary Coombs DailyTidings.com By Mary Coombs Posted Aug. 4, 2015 at 8:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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