Graham Oaks Nature Park - Wilsonville, Oregon

 

Graham Oaks Nature Park is one of the many places that we added to our saved list on Google Maps and forgot about until it was recently recommended by our friend. Graham Oaks Nature Park is 250 acres of restored oak woodland, along with conifer forest and wetland. I can easily see us coming back here many times in the future.

 

Tualatin Hills Nature Park - Beaverton, Oregon

We've been here before but only realized this time that there's an accessible path. Honestly, the paths we took before were wide and paved. But this one goes on and on for quite some time. We traveled over lots of boardwalks and bridges until we could tell Dundee was getting a little tired. This place is so beautiful and you'd almost forget you were in the middle of a city if you didn't see the occasional Max Train through the trees.

Oregon Zoo - Portland, Oregon

 

Day 2 of Spring Break was a little bit of a let down for us. We thought we'd feel safer visiting the Oregon Zoo because they were limiting the amount of patrons and you had to purchase tickets in advance. In spite of this, there were way too many people. We tried to keep our distance to wait for our turn to view animals but people kept cutting in front of us and way too close. We took a train ride and headed home about an hour after we got there. Definitely wasn't worth the full price of admission that we paid.

Not all of our adventures turn out. This one wasn't the best, but we keep exploring because the hidden gems we find often make up for it.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum - Stevenson, Washington

 

With rain in the forecast for the first day of Spring Break, we decided to find a fun indoor activity without too many people. Although the Bonneville Dam proved to be far too crowded for comfort, we did have a pretty good time at Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum.

This museum focuses on the natural history of the area as well as earlier inhabitants with their technologies.

Tollen Farm - Wilsonville, Oregon

 

If you ask Jilly who her favorite person from school is, she will usually say "Bruce" or "Mrs. G-R". Mrs. G-R kept recommending that we visit this small farm. And for good reason too. The owner takes pride in her animals, mostly miniature donkeys and some horses too. They were very friendly and so curious about us.

We had a surprise visit with Mrs. G-R and her daughters at Tollen Farm.

University of Oregon - Eugene, Oregon

Kai is considering options for schools and this one is close enough for a self guided tour after a short drive. We stopped in to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the campus. 

Coincidentally, some of our favorite people are University of Oregon Alumni. This campus and the City of Eugene, Oregon are beautiful. We'll need to return to see the rest of the city and surroundings.

Cooper Mountain Nature Park - Beaverton, Oregon

Cooper Mountain Nature Park has 230 acres of land and almost 4 miles of trails. It's not paved but manageable in a wheelchair when it's not too muddy. We only completed one small loop because the mud and also the low battery on the wheelchair that we forgot to charge overnight. We will be coming back with a full battery to see how far we can go before the paths become too rough.

New Ride - Freedom Motors Short Cut Wheelchair Conversion

 

After 8 years of stressing about the lack of Van Accessible parking spaces, and our current van arriving at 100,000 miles, we found a suitable replacement. This time around we opted for rear-entry wheelchair conversion. This is the smoothest ride ever and so many incredible options.

We loved dealing with Oregon Mobility Solutions for our Freedom Motors conversion. I highly recommend this wonderful family run business. https://oregonmobility.com/

Fanno Creek Trail - Tigard, Oregon

It's not only one of the nicest trails, but happens to be one of the closest to home. The whole thing is very accessible. We saw a lot more wildlife this time.