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Accessible Sandy And Boring |
By Guest Author: Lilly Longshore
Spanning 28-acres in Boring, Oregon, the Guide Dogs for The Blind center is one of 14 accredited guide dog training centers nationwide. Here, select dogs receive intensive training to prepare them to serve in the invaluable role of guide dog for persons with blindness and low vision. As part of final training, clients adopting these highly trained canines train side-by-side for two weeks on campus prior to graduation and release into the world.
I explored Boring and nearby Sandy, seeking unique and accessible tourism opportunities for anyone interested in venturing off-campus during their two-week stay. The supportive training center staff can arrange rides for clients wanting to visit these attractions.
Boring Station Trailhead Park provides access to the 10-foot-wide asphalt Springwater Corridor. This wheelchair-friendly, multi-use trail runs west from this park for 21.5 miles, passing through many parks, natural areas and towns. We followed the well-maintained, mostly flat trail for a few miles, finding it pleasant to greet other users along the way.
The Cazadero Trail is a more rustic 6.7-mile wheelchair-accessible trail through Deep Creek Canyon. I found it easy to do in my powerchair, but it’s not technically ADA. It is part of the Rails-to-Trails system, at least five feet wide, with a packed gravel surface. It passes through wooded areas, where robin and sparrow song is abundant. It is best accessed during dry weather to avoid runoff rivulets in a couple of low areas.
The North American Bigfoot Center is truly unique. Where else can one see and feel plaster casts of Bigfoot footprints and butt prints, and smell Bigfoot mating pheromones? The single-story center is thoughtfully wheelchair-friendly and inclusive, including restrooms. Displays are both audio and visual, and portray anecdotal experiences of Bigfoot sightings. We saw, touched, smelled and listened our way through this intriguing center!
The Sandy Historical Society and Museum in downtown Sandy, is a delightful and meticulously curated gem. The obvious time and effort lovingly dedicated to create and maintain this fully accessible, two-story historic museum is evident. The detailed and informative displays, mostly visual but some audio, document the saw mill history and day-to-day life of this quaint town. I especially liked the exhibit of Meinig’s general store, the courting candle display and the plinking player piano.
After a tasty bite at Sandy Family Restaurant, a fully wheelchair-accessible diner, we drove around the corner to Meinig Memorial Park, named after Sandy’s business pioneer Friedrich Meinig. This town treasure provides paved trails, picnic shelters, a first-class playground, accessible restrooms, an outdoor theater and more. Wheeling the paved trails amongst huge firs was peaceful. This park hosts the annual Sandy Mountain Festival, which brings in the best artists in the Pacific Northwest. Live plays on the park’s stage are a highlight of the festival is usually held in July.
I was thrilled with the variety of accessible attractions in Boring and Sandy. There is much to see and do, and well worth the trip!
Lilly Longshore is an accessible travel writer, a speaker and an advocate/educator for those with physical disabilities and vision impairments. She has written for various magazines including New Mobility, PN Magazine and Cascade Journal, as well as for various travel blog sites. Passionate about traveling and sharing possibilities with others, she adventures via wheelchair and shares the world of travel possibilities through her writing. After retiring from civil/environmental engineering, she continued to give back to her community by serving as parent representative on the Board for the Washington State School for the Blind, on Washington’s Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment and is currently serving as Community Outreach Chair for Clark County, Washington’s Accessible Communities Advisory Committee. Connect with Lilly through her Wheeling the World Facebook page. Photo by Carla Foth Christian.
