Willamette Stone State Heritage Site - Portland, Oregon

In between rain showers we headed into the West Hills to find this really cool Oregon State Parks site. A stainless steel marker in Willamette Stone State Heritage Site replaced a small stone obelisk originally installed by the Department of Interior in 1885. It replaced a cedar stake placed by the Surveyor General of the Oregon Territory in 1851. The stake defined the grid system of sections and townships from which all real property in the states of Oregon and Washington has been measured following the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850. The Willamette meridian runs north–south, and the Willamette baseline runs east–west through the marker.

The paved path was covered in wet, slippery moss. This caused the wheelchair to slide sideways down sections of the path and prevented us from making it all the way to the marker.

World of Speed Motorsports Museum - Wilsonville, Oregon

Tonight's entertainment was courtesy of Shriners Hospital for Children. "Holiday Magic" at World of Speed was provided to Shriners patients and their families. We got to sit in some cars and test out some racing simulators.

Great Wolf Lodge - Grand Mound, Washington

Surprised mommy with a birthday getaway at Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge is a resort with an indoor waterpark, outdoor ropes course and other activities. Our fun was hindered by an out of service elevator but we still managed to have a good time. 

Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport, Oregon

We've had a break in our adventures and this was a long weekend so we decided to get out for a little while. Oregon Coast Aquarium is about 2 hours away. It was small and crowded, but lots of fun. We even ran into a teacher from school.

BONUS ADVENTURE

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse - Newport, Oregon

This lighthouse was only a ten minute drive from the aquarium and well worth the drive. Our National Parks Pass got us in the visitors center for free as well as free parking.

Gearhart, Oregon

This was our first time at a beach wedding. The weather was horrible leading up to it and we were afraid we would be miserable. But surprisingly, this day was gorgeous and it was the most beautiful wedding we've ever attended.

Seaside, Oregon

We were staying in the area for a wedding. This is our second time visiting Seaside, but we still need to come back when we have more time.

Fort Vancouver - Vancouver, Washington

Even though it is really close, we don't cross the river into Washington all that often. But the weather was nice and this place has been on our radar for quite some time.  

Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. All of the buildings are accessible. We got to see some really great demonstrations on woodworking and metal working using traditional techniques. The National Parks Pass granted us free access.

French's Dome - Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon

One more awesome adventure with Shriner's Hospitals for Children Recreational Therapy and Adventures Without Limits. The drive alone was worth the trek out here. So beautiful! But then add the fun and excitement of propelling up French's Dome and you have one amazing memory!

Portland Japanese Garden - Portland, Oregon

We have library cards for Washington County and neighboring Counties like Multnomah and Clackamas. All the libraries offer cultural discovery passes that can be reserved, printed and used for admission to various museums and attractions. We used a cultural discovery pass to get into the Portland Japanese Garden. This 12 acre garden is claimed to be the most authentic outside of Japan by the former Japanese Ambassador to the United States. Although there are many areas not suited for wheelchairs, there is plenty to see and well worth the visit. There are special accommodations for wheelchair users to get into the gardens. We had a wheelchair accessible shuttle drive us into the gardens from the ticket office. Everyone else was stuck making their way up several hundreds of steps.

Cedar Creek Grist Mill - Woodland, Washington

We decided to branch out a little bit and head North across the State boundary into Washington. Photos and reviews on Google Maps tempted us to check out this museum that is a restored mill from 1876. This was one of the most dangerous excursions we've attempted.

The wheelchair tipped over twice, but fortunately was caught before hitting the ground. This place has no paved parking so we had to park slightly off the side of the road at a very scary angle. This was the first time the wheelchair started tipping. The angle of the ramp plus the angle of the road were too much to keep it upright. The second time the wheelchair tipped was when we attempted a narrow and steep path that had just been cleared by volunteers. The attempt to clear the path of plants disturbed the soft soil too much and the weight of the chair with the angle of the path proved to be too much to keep it upright. Again the chair was caught before impact. But it was scary enough to send us on our way home.

Big Al's - Beaverton, Oregon

We wanted at least one more visit to Big Al's before school starts again. This is one of, if not the best bowling alley that we've ever been to. All of the lanes are accessible! There's no stairs or ramp, but just an even floor. There is a huge arcade upstairs and an elevator. There's a really cool looking restaurant/sports bar inside. This place is just incredible and it's only 10 minutes from home.

Galen McBee Airport Park - McMinnville, Oregon

Once again browsing on Google Maps and we found this park. When we clicked on the link for information and spotted photos with this mushroom house we knew we just had to check it out. When we got to the park a sign with a map was completely hidden by a van that was parked where it shouldn't be. Without seeing the map we headed off down the wrong path for almost a mile before the terrain was too rocky for the wheelchair and the footplate literally fell off when the bolt backed itself completely out.

When we got back to the parking lot and discovered the sign with the map, we realized the mushroom house wasn't too much of a hike on the opposite side of the park so we proceeded with one missing footplate.

Celtic Fantasy Faire (Shute Park) - Hillsboro, Oregon

We heard about this annual event on Facebook. It consists of vendors, performers, activities and food carts, as well as lots of creatively dressed people. It wasn't exactly what we thought it would be but still fun for a couple of hours.

The park itself is nice. I mean, it is Hillsboro. So far we are really liking the parks here. Shute Park is a 13 acre park with really tall trees and nicely paved walking paths. It is located right next to the library and an aquatic center.

Apparently there used to be a really cool carved wooden statue, called Chief Kno-Tah, to honor the chief of a native Tualatin tribe. It was damaged beyond repair from a fallen tree during a windstorm in 2017. We would have loved to see it in person but we did find this photo online.

Creston Park - Portland, Oregon

A joint picnic for Catalyst Law and The Commons Law Center brought us to Creston Park. There wasn't a big turnout this year but the park was fun.

The 14 acre park includes picnic areas, play area, accessible restroom, off-leash dog area, horseshoe pit, walking paths, softball field, and tennis backboard. There's also the most shallow public pool we've ever seen. I think the deep end is under 3 feet.

Willamette Park - West Linn, Oregon

We came here to this park recently for kayaking with Shriners Recreational Therapy and Adventures Without Limits. We didn't have much of a chance to check out the park with all the fun we were having on the water. So today we headed over after school.

Willamette Park is a 15 acre park located where the Tualatin River meets the Willamette River. Amenities include 2 large picnic shelters and a smaller gazebo all with water and power, stage area, baseball field, 2 softball fields, grass volleyball court and sand volleyball court, 5 horseshoe pits, river access including boat ramp at Bernert Landing and dock system, playground, wading pool, and wildlife viewing.

Orchard Park - Hillsboro, Oregon

We spotted Orchard Park on Google Maps, like so many other places we've discovered. This 21 acre park along Rock Creek feels much larger. The paved trails, boardwalks and bridges make wheelchair access fun and easy. It feels like you can keep going for miles.

Rock Climbing at The Bay Club - Tigard, Oregon

We would have never thought rock climbing could be an activity for this family. Yet, once again, thanks to Shriners Hospitals for Children and the amazing Recreational Therapist, Caroline, we did it and had so much fun!

Canoeing and Kayaking on the Willamette River - West Linn, Oregon

This was our second outdoor activity with Shriners and Adventures Without Limits. Originally we were going to meet up at Cook Park. A last minute change gave us an opportunity to explore a new park. Willamette Park in West Linn is one we are planning on revisiting. This was a great day!!! It was so relaxing and we had the best company.

Cook Park - Tigard, Oregon

We decided to stick close to home today but still wanted to get out. It had been quite some time since we had been to Cook Park. We took advantage of the boat ramp and dipped our toes, wheels and paws in the Tualatin River.

Bowling at Big Al's - Beaverton, Oregon

We decided to take advantage of a program we signed up for that offers free bowling all summer. We only needed to rent shoes for Kate. This is a really nice bowling alley. All of the lanes are accessible and the staff are very nice.

Toy Story Characters Private Meeting at Bridgeport Village - Tigard, Oregon

Facebook notified us about activities and character meet and greet in anticipation of the opening of Toy Story 4 in theaters. They were setting up when we got there. While waiting off to the side to see what all the activity stations were, we had a staff member approach and ask if we wanted to follow her to a private viewing area for special needs kids and those with sensory issues that would make the large crowds and lines stressful.

White Water Rafting - Milo McIver State Park, Oregon

We signed up for a lot of adapted activities this summer. The first outdoor adventure was white water rafting on the Clackamas River. This was a joint effort between Shriners Hospitals for Children Recreational Therapy and Adventures Without Limits.

Check out Adventures Without Limits. They are on Facebook and also their website, which is https://www.awloutdoors.org/

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry - Portland, Oregon

OMSI has been advertising its latest exhibit, The Science Behind Pixar. It seemed like a great time to visit. There were lots of interactive displays and life sized statues of some favorite Pixar characters.

BONUS ADVENTURE:

About a block away from OMSI is the Oregon Rail Heritage Museum. Being fans of trains we had to check it out. It's small compared to other train museums we've been to but definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Fort Stevens State Park - Warrenton, Oregon

We stayed in a large cabin in Fort Stevens State Park. We weren't the only Stevens there. They asked for our last name when we checked in. Apparently there were five other Stevens families staying there. This place was unbelievable, and not just because the name!

Lewis and Clark National Park - Astoria, Oregon

After spending the morning at the Astoria Sunday Market, we wandered around the Lewis and Clark National Park and got to go inside a replica of the cabins that would have been used during the expedition.

Bull Mountain Park - Tigard, Oregon

We've hear a lot about this park because they've recently renovated it. We would have come a lot sooner if we had known how close it was to home. The chainsaw sculptures are a wonderful addition to the already beautiful park. We went off roading a little bit until the trail became too narrow for the wheelchair.

BONUS ADVENTURE:

On the way home, Kate mentioned the hiking trails between Fowler Middle School and Dirksen Nature Park. Specifically, she wanted to show us a large nature observation deck in the middle of the woods.

Barrows Park - Beaverton, Oregon

We started off at Barrows Park but ventured out on Westside Linear Trail. We kept walking until Dundee looked good and tired out.

BONUS ADVENTURE:

We dropped a very tired Dundee off at home to rest but we weren't through yet. We decided to try disassembling the wheelchair enough to fit it in the back of the Explorer and headed over to Summerlake City Park here in Tigard.

Junior Rose Parade - Portland, Oregon

Shriners Hospital for Children asked us to march with them in the parade. Last year we went with UCP so we decided to alternate between these two organizations. It was, again, a lot of fun. This time it wasn't too hot, although we did get soaked from the rain on the way back to the van.

The highlight of this day was getting to meet Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. She was kind enough to hop out of the convertible she was riding in to meet us and pose for pictures.

Foothills City Park - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Half of the family was wiped out from the busy day at the zoo. So the other half set out to check out the boats racing up and down the Willamette River at this very popular park a short drive away in Lake Oswego.

United Cerebral Palsy was giving away free admission to Oregon Zoo. It coincided with Universal Design Lab from Portland State University. We've never seen so many communication devices in one place. It was a great experience.

We rode the Max train to and from so we wouldn't have to worry about parking.

Oregon Historical Society - Portland, Oregon

Oregon Historical Society gave free admission to the new Beatles exhibit. They did a great job putting this together. In addition to the exhibits, several rock bands made up entirely of kids performed amazing covers. One favorite was Zombie by The Cranberries.

BONUS ADVENTURE:

After the Oregon Historical Society we ventured into the Pearl District for lunch. Then we took an unplanned detour to Marquam Nature Park. We have passed by this place 2-3 times a week since coming to Shriners and OHSU but this was the first time stopping.

Spring Photo Shoot at Orenco Park - Hillsboro, Oregon

Having just been here we decided this would be the perfect place for our annual spring photos. It was actually a little too sunny for us.

Orenco Park - Hillsboro, Oregon

There was no school today so we went looking for these sculptures that we recently heard about in Orenco Park. The sculptures, called Head Over Heels, is meant to be a temporary structure that kids can climb in. Overall this is a really beautiful park.

Red For Ed - Tigard, Oregon

Teachers and staff all over the state walked out in support of funding for students. We joined them, along with so many other families.

Pathfinder Trail - Tigard, Oregon

We discovered new paths and waterfalls off the Pathfinder Trail that runs through our neighborhood.

This is our second year going to the Assistive Technology Fair at Shriners Hospitals for Children. We were originally going to give a demonstration on using the Tobii to access an Amazon Echo Dot. The wifi wasn't working so our backup plan was to demonstrate using the Tobii to play with a toy robot. That's when the fun happened. A group was there with their own toy robot. We had a robot dance-off.

The highlight was definitely getting to see two of our favorite physical therapists in one location. Joel works at Shriners. Bruce contracts for the school districts.

Camas Festival - Tigard, Oregon

We went to the newly reopened Dirksen Nature Park for the Camas Festival. There were lots of activities, including chainsaw sculpting. The highlight was getting to meet our mayor!

Symposium Coffee - Tigard, Oregon

This wasn't exactly a big adventure, but we decided to go for an after dinner walk. Our original plan was just to stick with the trails near our house. Ultimately we decided to walk downtown to get coffee and pastries at Symposium. We stopped by a pond on the way home to watch a family of ducks swimming in the water.

Sankey Park - Sweet Home, Oregon

On our way back from a road trip we decided we needed to find a covered bridge to check out. The Weddle Bridge in Sankey Park wasn't too far off our route.

Portland Saturday Market - Portland, Oregon

We were just wanting to check out the market but got distracted watching this brass band. The band, Give Back Brass Band (GB3), is all about having fun with music and giving to charitable organizations. They came all the way from their base in Seattle.