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.