FLORENCE - A half century ago, the
great and wise keepers of the
Oregon Coast aligned themselves
against a common, omnipotent,
invading enemy: Sand.
They set about in vast armies,
sewing seeds of European beach
grass along the windswept dunes
in the hopes that the non-native
plant would act as a sort of
fortress against the scourge.
Alas, the sand proved too mighty
a foe. The quartz- based mineral
had some mystical power, luring
unsuspecting people to the beach.
The sand collected in their
feet, hair, ears, clothing.
It moved inland, where it corroded
car seats and cluttered kitchen
floors.
As time went on, sand became
a global menace.
China's Inner Mongolia region
has suffered from nine sandstorms
this year alone. The fight against
sand here has cost the country
3 billion yuan ($366 million)
in recent years, according to
the government-run People's
Daily. The problem is so dire,
it led to the creation of the
Sand Prevention and Control
Association of the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
But there is hope, say experts
in America. They have advice,
even secret tips, for battling
the dreaded sand, especially
for the infrequent beach visitor
who may not know the best practices
for coping with the invader.
"Air compressors work," says
a solemn Greg Gorman of Phoenix,
a spokesman for the American
Sand Association - which advocates
for those who would conquer
sand by crushing it beneath
the power of their all-terrain
vehicles. "They blast everything
out. Especially in a motor home."
And Gorman knows sand.
"We get lots of sand," he says,
perking up a bit. "In your ears,
your hair - in places you can't
mention.
"A lot of it ends up in your
food. Sometimes, it takes a
whole box of Q-tips to get it
out of your ears."
Bob Kettenhofen also is hopeful
that the struggle against sand
can be won. The German word
"Kettenhofen" means "chain of
hope," in fact. Which is probably
why he founded "Bob's Dry Cleaners
and Laundry" in Florence - to
do his part.
Once a year, he says, a tourist
will wander in with a garment
full of sand after an assault
by a sneaker wave - which may
get its name from the surreptitious
way it deposits sand in the
pockets of beachgoers who turn
their backs on the ocean.
His secret?
"Blow it out with an air hose,
or vacuum it out," Kettenhofen
says quietly, so as not to have
this trick of the trade revealed
to the competition. "Sand isn't
affected by water or dry cleaning
solvent."
But perhaps it's a person's
attitude about sand that makes
a difference, really.
Dale Fortner works for a company
that actually seeks sand out
- buying it by the pickup load
and lugging it back to Eugene.
The company's name, oddly enough:
Eugene Sand & Gravel.
"We sell beach sand," Fortner
says. "People buy it for their
sandboxes."
The company also digs its own
sand from the banks of the McKenzie
and Willamette rivers for use
in building. He prefers the
river sand because it's less
spherical than that from the
beach, thus more stable for
construction.
Fortner points out that it's
far too late to halt the sand
onslaught. Half of all concrete
is made up of sand, he says.
His wife, Becky, suggests a
sand removal technique that
might work: "the Scotch tape
method." If that doesn't offer
solace, you might consider collecting
the stuff. Steve Brooks of Laverne,
Calif., does - which explains
his e-mail address: sdobsessed@cs.com.
"I have sand from every place
I've ever been," says Brooks,
serious as a heart attack.
Why? "If you collected water,
it would all look the same."
He theorizes that the finer
the sand - the smaller the particulates
- the harder it is to get out
of your ear.
"It might be a 10-Q-tip dune
trip, instead of a 4-Q- tip
dune trip," he says.
His advice: "Wash your hair
three times when you're done.
... Getting it off the dog -
that's another story."
Good luck out there.
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