Well….It’s a deep subject.

or a hole in the ground. In this case, it is both. I’ll explain the deep subject soon. After an amazing weekend of firsts, we headed home from Lincoln City OR. Roy had an idea, and some open field running was involved in this trip. As most people know we can no longer pull the Lance trailer with the van we have, however that doesn’t stop us from enjoying the company of fellow Lance campers. The weekend of the 21st of June had the Lance owners gathered in Lincoln City, OR for summer camping in Oregon. We booked a hotel and headed up north. A side benefit was the annual kite festival which I will cover in another post.

On the way home we stopped at Thor’s Well in Yachats, OR. This is what they call a sink hole. Thor’s Well was suspected to be a cave where the roof fell in. The best part of the well is when you have a wave shoot up through the hole. The other part is when the waves come over the wall and it drains out through the well. The best time to see Thor’s Well however is when it is high tide so you get full effect of pulling the plug in the bathtub.
On to the adventures. There is a handicapped accessible path that leads to stairs going down to the actual well. This path also goes down to the tide pool. If I had enough energy I might even have gone to the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. As it was, I spent over 3 hours taking pictures, talking to people and even helping someone clean up his wounds. Check out the map below to see where Thor’s Well is.

I got out of the van and decided to head out and see what I could see and how close I could get to the well. My ibot can cover rocky ground but not ROCKY ground. I stopped to get my bearings at one of the higher over looks. I had my Nikon P1000 camera which will reach up to 3000mm. So, after the well was pointed out to me, I was able to go up on two wheels and zoom in on the well. Of course, after I went up on two wheels, I had to talk a little about what a game changer the chair is for me. I did answer a few questions about what the chair could do. In answering questions, I was getting information if there was a path I could get close to the well. There is and to my surprise it is paved all the way to the stairs. There is also another path a little steep, but it does head down to the tide pools. So, I knew I would have fun exploring the area.

When I started looking around, I decided to take a video with my camera and zoom as far as my lens would reach. See the video below.

I had a blast watching the look of surprise on people’s faces when the water pops up. It is enjoyable to see the different reactions to the power of the ocean. Right after I took the video, I saw two girls walk up casually to the edge of the Well.

The group of people with me up on the overlook saw a large wave coming in and knew that this will definitely surprise her. (It did.) You can tell she wasn’t expecting it, but the look on her face afterwards was well worth it.

I enjoyed people walking up to the well looking in and turning around I even saw the person I was going to have to patch up. The person in the blue shirt in the image on the left is the one who fell. I headed closer to the stairs and returned to my people watching.

I will say that sometimes when people watching I ask what are you thinking? I had one of those thoughts when I was photographing a woman who I guess wanted to get up close and personal with Thor’s Well and her cell phone. I am just glad she did not drop her phone.

I headed back up to the van just to let Roy know I was still ok, and I was having a blast. (I also wanted to make sure Roy was ok.) I’m greeted however with the question ‘Do we have any band – aids?’ my first thought was ‘oh no, what you do now’? Come to find out it was for the guy in the vehicle next to us. He had slipped on the rock and scratched himself up. We joked a little about what a clutz he was. (It wasn’t until I got home that I found out I had a picture of him.) I asked if he was with anyone and he said his sister and other family. So where are they. ‘Off exploring the trails. They probably don’t even know that I’m hurt’.

After I fixed him up, I was back down another trail. I did run into the sister and let her know her brother was good. She was thankful. I asked how steep the trail was that they came up. Not steep at all. Lesson learned here, do not ask someone who can walk if a trail is steep for a wheelchair. I will say I was a little nervous in some areas of the trail, but I made it.

In making it I was rewarded by getting close to the tide pools. The tide was coming in, so I did not see much exposed sea live. Except for the zillions of muscles. Check out the video below that shows the ocean up close along with some of the tide pools.

One of the pluses to traveling in Oregon is how accessible and wheelchair friendly the outdoor parks and attractions are. I am just getting out and enjoying Oregon, our new mobility van and my fantastic iBot wheelchair.

I did IT!

What was it? I think you can guess. I experienced a whole new world. I made it to the sand without getting stuck. I owe this to the confidence Roy has instilled in me and the ability of the ibot. Check out this video.

I was relieved, amazed, in awe. I spent almost an hour enjoying being at ‘ground level’. My perspective has changed for the longest time or since I’ve been at the coast and in a chair, I have been looking down on the beach. I’m ok with that perspective but I’ve added another perspective (ground level) to my photography viewpoint. I guess for me it was like I was able to get closer to the action. I can describe it as running down a hill to get to the bottom of the action and joining your friends.

What made it practical and possible for me was a sand mat. Some local communities here on the coast of Oregon will lay out mats so it goes over the soft sand to get to the hard sand.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to get closer to the sand. I need a little more confidence before I totally attack the sand with no training wheels so to speak. The facts are simple, yet I keep going back to my joy and exuberance and feeling of escaping the restriction of not being able to get close to the shore.

Just the power of sitting in front of the ocean. I watched this girl who was running on the wet sand and the joy and surprise that was on her face when a small wave rolled up on her feet. You can tell she wasn’t expecting it. I am so thankful to be able to see the joy and body language up close.

I saw her and her family later in the day when they were walking past me to head up the beach. I asked her if she enjoyed herself and if that was her first time. The answer she gave me was yes to both. It felt like I was experiencing a first with her. I asked them to pick up a rock for me as a memory of my first trip to the beach.

After my excitement settled in, I sat there and waited. I waited for the birds that I knew would come, the people that walk down the beach, and a few landscapes change when the surf rolled in. After snapping some pictures enjoying the breezes, it was time to head back to the parking lot and load up the chair and head back to Brookings from Gold Beach.

Perspectives change and develop when you embrace new tools in front of, or underneath you.`

Power Through or……

Get Stuck. I got stuck. I have the video to prove it. Let me explain, I have been touting the amazing ability that the ibot could go through sand. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready for the test drive. Well, I tried to dip my toes/wheels in the sand about a week earlier than the getting stuck pretty good happened. Common sense told me on the first trip don’t go too far into the sand.

That first trip, ok. That first 4 feet felt amazing and exhilarating and a little scary. I had stopped to soak the feeling in, then started to turn around. I realized not a good idea, so back up into my same tracks. I was back on solid ground and was amazed at how I still glowed. I took a picture of the tracks and headed back up the ramp.

I also stopped to take in the amazing view that I had not gotten to see this up close before.

Fast forward about a week later and I want to try again. This time, I want to go farther because Roy would be videotaping me. (I have to have my 15 minutes of fame). I did get a tad farther until I figured out I needed to go faster. My problem was I stopped, lost traction, and could not get started again. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. Through teamwork, we were able to get the wheelchair back to solid ground.

I do have to say that this is and was a learning experience. I called the company and was assured that the ibot was fine. I am just glad that I can learn lessons the hard way sometimes. My next sand adventure will be up at a place that has mats to get you over the soft sand.

I just need to approach the outdoor world like I approach this disease, power through and ask for help when needed. Enjoy the video of my short journey into the sand.

Kids ask the honest questions

This is what happened Saturday night when I was at Harris Beach photographing the sunset. This was the first time I had been to Harris Beach since I got stuck in the sand. That is a story that will be covered shortly in its own blog. Harris Beach is perfect for sunset shots and is very easy to navigate around. The sun sets in a way so, anywhere in your shot, you can get the beach or rocks. Plus, this is a very popular spot for people, sunsets, and silhouettes.

As I said, this was my first time back. So, to say the least, I was gun shy. I went to the ramp and saw this ‘shelter’ built by someone out of driftwood (the sun was perfect).

Snapped a picture. Then, I decided to go on the grass, which is a semi bumpy hilly area that was facing the setting sun. It wasn’t the type of sunsets that are easy to shoot, but you can get some interesting results.

I’m going to back up a little bit and mention you don’t know if you don’t go. There were no fluffy sunset clouds, just a bank of clouds at the horizon. So my thought was it won’t be good. I am glad Roy doesn’t listen to me sometimes. (I will deny this comment in the future. 🙂 ) I am also glad I listen to Roy sometimes. We were just heading down to a restaurant that is about a block from the RV Park. I was like, do I need my camera? Roy said, ‘Remember you never know what you might see.’

Well, I went into the trailer to get the camera on my way out of the trailer, I looked up. So, glad I did because I saw three turkey vultures soaring overhead. They were out of range of my camera to photograph, I just enjoyed them. At this point and time at a little lower elevation, there appears a bald eagle. It took my mind a minute to realize what it was. Sometime. You just have to absorb the moment. I thought it was amazing how the light hit the white tail feathers, then he was gone.

Back to what happened at Harris Beach. I’m snapping away, and then I see this guy/mountain goat climbing up this rocky hill to get a better viewpoint. I decided his climb and the profile of him shooting the sunset would make some good photos.

He saw me taking photos of him when he got down he asked if he could get a copy. Of course I said. He gave me his number and we chatted about cameras. I have learned, though, that when shooting a scene, talk less shoot more. I got a few more shots once the sunset behind the bank, packed up, and got ready to load up.

I am still wanting to hit the beach, but I’m a tad shy. I see this group of people come up, a trail that I have been curious about since last year. I can see just the top of the trail. It is wide enough but, not sure what is out of sight. I’ve become quite bold. I see a group of people coming up that same trail. So, I ask if this chair could make it down. I also asked what it looked like at the bottom. I guess there is a big driftwood log near the bottom you have to work around. There is also a dropoff that looks like steps right out of sight. Oh, well. I will get on the beach sometime this summer.

As I’m talking to the adults, a boy who was about 6 years old pops out this question. Why are you in a wheelchair? I said I have Multiple Sclerosis. The boy seemed satisfied, especially after the dad leaned over and said, ‘that’s, what Jean has.’ I have to wonder how many adults have that same question and are afraid to ask it when they see someone in a chair.

I know that for me, it is easier to answer a child than to answer an adult. I find some adults to be a little condescending or even disapproving because I have no outward injuries. I have noticed. When I see an adult look or show some interest, I am quick to say I have MS. It was amazing to hear the curiosity and honesty in the boy’s question.

I hope that you take away from this post that it is ok to ask why I am in a wheelchair just please ask out of wonder and honest curiosity.

4-Wheeling 4th of July

with my wheelchair. Picture this: coming at you from the darkness, a bright light bouncing up and down adding in some side to side movement. I would be scared, and so were the people who I ended up shining the light in their eyes. It was an accident. I did apologize; their response was, “We had no idea what was coming at us.” One even said how impressed they were that we could baja out on this rocky jetty. My answer was, “I will do anything for a photo shot and a Klondike bar.” I have been out on this jetty before but never at night. I also had thoughts of, something jumping out of the harbor and …. (way too many Stephen King novels).

Roy and I went out earlier in the day to scope out the spot for the tripod and camera to get the perfect image. I was lucky enough to see how they stuff the fireworks. (I love my zoom lens). The picture below is about 600 yards away and about where we settled for the fireworks photos. I couldn’t see this with the naked eye and if you squint you will see what my camera saw.

The jetty is located between the small boat harbor and the Chetco River. I have spent a few days trying to hone my bird tracking skills by photographing the egrets that love to hang out in both areas. Check out this one that took off from the docks. I am amazed at the gracefulness and silence of these birds.

After we figured out where we would set up for the fireworks we headed back to the car and decided let’s go check out the vendors they had for the 4th. We notice them by looking across the harbor. I did end up buying a dress. Fast forward to the evening and we arrived right before dark and wanted to get a good position on the jetty. We weren’t sure how many people would head out to the jetty to watch the fireworks. It turned out we had about 50 people walk past us to head out to the end of the jetty. I heard it was crazy on the beach. I know watching the fireworks that were going off even before the main event. I enjoyed seeing the fireworks all around plus it was a great way to make an hour go by.

Once the main event started I was able to enjoy them because the camera took care of itself. I put my Miops lightning trigger on the camera and let it work for me. I enjoyed watching and being able to share the fireworks with you.

Check out the slide show. I hope everyone had a great 4th. Happy Birthday America.

I found a mermaid and Nemo

The mermaid wasn’t little, and Nemo was not in the ocean. The mermaid was at the Black Hills Renaissance Festival in Lead SD on June 11th.

Something to do after two full days of rain. When Roy and I got to Lead we almost turn around because there was no place to park. We were lucky enough to grab a handicapped spot close to where the Festival was happening. The park had venders and all sorts of people in various costumes.

I have to say the amount of work that went into the outfits and personas were amazing. I am not sure weather the elf or the bird woman is my favorite. They are both unique.

Roy missed having a turkey leg for lunch but that was all good. We saw some hand-to-hand combat between knights. It being held in a park I was able to take a few photos of kids actually playing. The park grass where the vendors were was a little soggy, so the chair and scooter had to work not to sink.

Catch the fighting in this slide show

Heading out we stopped at SURF Sanford Underground Research Facility which deserves it’s own post. So, keep your eyes peeled. Back on the road we went in search of Nemo SD. This is a town that if you blink once you will miss it. On the way to Nemo we came across the Boxelder Job corps. Interesting concept and great opportunity for people to better themselves.

It was a nice afternoon for stepping back in time literally and physically. Onto more adventures.

Not the Tunnel of Love

But it was a tunnel, all 11,112 ft of it. The Eisenhower tunnel outside of Denver is a feat in itself. The tunnel consists of two bore holes, the west bound tunnel (Eisenhower) was started in 1968 and completed in 1973. The east bound tunnel (Edwin C Johnson) was started in 1975 and completed in 1979. Today, if you have hazmat materials or you are too tall for the tunnel, you have to go 9.1 miles out of your way. This road has hairpin turns and you go over Loveland pass on US 6 the elevation is 11,991. In reality, the tunnel was short, but it made an interesting impression on me. If you want to learn more, click here https://codot.gov/travel/ejmt

Well, you’ve now read the apex of the day, so how we got there is also interesting. We left Fruita Co bright and early so we could travel all day through some beautiful scenery. I have to say I was impressed to still see some snow on the side of the road. Even more impressed that we got to drive through slush. Had we been a little later in the day, it would have been snow. I am the snow magnet and that’s a fact. Aside from the slush I could not believe the amount of people and houses on the mountain. Going through Vail, Roy commented that it used to be a small ski town. Not anymore there is a West Vail, downtown, and East Vail.

Driving next to the Colorado River and seeing the high water level, I know that means gains in ground water. there will be plenty of ground water for us. We even saw a few rafters on the river.

After arriving at our home away from home for 3 months, we found that our cell and hotspot are very limited. Other than the cell service and nightly rain. We made the right choice. Today was our first trip around wildlife loop and yes, I’ve seen some buffalo. Pictures and video to come soon.