Barrier Free Travels

I discovered a wonderful barrier-free trail -- one that's ideal for viewing the transient Sandhill Cranes -- on my way home from the dentist yesterday. Truth be told, Charles discovered it, but I was along for the ride. It's in the Consumnes River Nature Preserve, located just off Interstate 5 at Twin Cities Road, near Galt.

Now that the medals have been awarded and the athletes have returned from Beijing, it's time to take a look at accessibility in the city in these post Paralympic times.  Did the games actually improve the accessibility of the infrastructure and tourist facilities, or was it just a temporary fix for the event?

After tooling through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and enjoying the wonderful fall colors from the ground, I decided to see what they look like from above. To that end, I hopped on board a helicopter for a short tour over the area. And I have to say that you get an entirely different perspective from above; in fact I got more of an eyeful from the air than on the ground. The reds are simply spectacular - it's a color we really don't get too much in CA.

Fall in the Smokies

Well we're over in the Pigeon Forge area of TN this week, for a little editorial research; and I have to say, the weather is wonderful. Very mild - don't even need a sweater. And this time of year in the Smokies is absolutely beautiful. We don't get the change of seasons so much in CA, so I do love the fall colors. And the changing leaves are beautiful here.  It's nice to hit things in prime time every now and again.

Cruising is becoming a very popular vacation option for wheelchair-users and slow walkers. And with popularity comes change. And that's a very good thing.  Years ago there were almost no truly accessible shore excursions in the Caribbean; and although we aren't exactly overwhelmed with them today, at least the numbers have increased.