Tag: wheelchair accessible

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Get-Away

Post author By Jeri Murphy
Post date July 4, 2013
3 Comments on Sometimes You Just Need a Little Get-Away

For the past week the heat in Sacramento has been unusually high: Triple digits for days. So when my friend said she was going to spend a few days in Incline Village, Nevada, I asked if I could come visit, and – fortunately – she said “Yes!”

Images by RJM — Hyatt Regency, Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino
Incline Village, Nevada

She was at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino and I drove up Tuesday morning for an overnight stay. (I’ve reviewed it on TripAdvisor if you’re interested in my thoughts about the hotel itself.)

We were eager to enjoy the cooler mountain air, and having a private beach just added to the ambiance!

Of course the hotel was accessible; I counted ten handicap parking spots, and was told at the front desk that there are 12 handicap accessible rooms (although the website indicates there are ten).

Tags Hyatt Regency, Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, pier access, wheelchair accessible

International travel

The Mighty Kauri

There are so many little details to share about my New Zealand adventure, and I don’t want to bore you with everything. (Besides, I hope these posts inspire you to see New Zealand for yourself!)

However, I must talk a little about the trees that were so important to the Maori peoples, not only for their own construction but also for their commence. I’ve already written about my first encounter with the magnificent Kauri, and the historical significance of these giants.

Tags ancient forests, boats, conservation, furniture, kauri gum, Kauri Museum, kauri timber, Maori, Matakohe, Northland, Pioneer Church, softwood pine, swamp, wheelchair accessible

International travel

Kiwi History Lesson

During our third day in Paihia we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, listed as “one of the 101 Must Do’s for Kiwis” according to New Zealand’s Automobile Association.

It was here, on February 6, 1840, that the first 43 Maori chiefs, after much discussion, signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British crown (eventually over 500 would sign it). (Lonely Planet New Zealand, 16th edition, pg. 146)

Continue reading “Kiwi History Lesson”

Tags facial tattoos, Flag of the United Tribes, Flagstaff, History, Maori, Te Whare Runanga, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, whare waka, wheelchair accessible

California travel

Fort Ord Dunes State Beach

Post author By Jeri Murphy
Post date June 16, 2013
2 Comments on Fort Ord Dunes State Beach

Carrieanna and I recently visited Fort Ord Dunes State Beach, where we enjoyed the accessible boardwalk and the view across the bay to Monterey.

This State Park was created in 2009, and encompasses 4 miles of coastline along the Monterey Bay, including the now-closed Fort Ord, a former U.S. Army post.

Tags beach access, bike trails, boardwalk, Fort Ord Dune State Park, June 2013, Monterey, nature reserve, wheelchair accessible

California travel

MSQLP Field Trip to Point Lobos

Post author By Jeri Murphy
Post date May 29, 2013
4 Comments on MSQLP Field Trip to Point Lobos

The following is guest post from our friend, Tammy Jennings, a Board Member of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project (MSQLP), a gifted writer and wonderful photographer!

(She’s the pretty blonde on the left in the first photo; all other photos were taken by her.)

My first thought was…WOW! My second thought was…thank you, thank you, thank you volunteers, Conservation Corps, and Pt. Lobos staff for making the handicap accessible trails! I thought I’d never be able to experience the wonder and awe of Pt. Lobos again. But now we all can! I had an unforgettable time.

Tags beaches, Bird Island, California Dept., China Cove, MSQLP, Point Lobos State Reserve, sea lions, sea otters, Whalers Cove and Cabin, wheelchair accessible, wildflowers

International travel

Hole in the Rock Cruise, Bay of Islands

Post author By Jeri Murphy
Post date May 22, 2013
2 Comments on Hole in the Rock Cruise, Bay of Islands

Our first full day in New Zealand was February 6th, which happens to be a national holiday: Waitangi Day. It was on this date, in 1840, that the Maori people signed the Treaty of Waitangi, ostensibly making New Zealand part of the British empire, affording its people the same rights as other British subjects while guaranteeing Maori rights to their own land.

Naval presence, in honor of Waitangi Day

Although similarities have been drawn to treaties signed between the Native Americans and those who claimed their land, the politics of Waitangi Day are not the subject of this blog. (However, we did visit the Treaty House on the 7th — after the crowds thinned — and found it fascinating and mostly accessible. And that will be a future post.)

Tags Bay of Islands, Cape Brett Lighthouse, dolphiins, Fullers Great Sights, Hole in the Rock, nature walks, New Zealand, Otehei Bay Resort, Paihia, Waitangi Day, Waitangi Treaty, wheelchair accessible

International travel

Sunday in the Garden of Dunedin

Post author By Jeri Murphy
Post date May 6, 2013
1 Comment on Sunday in the Garden of Dunedin

Lower Garden — Dunedin Botanic Garden - 150 years old!

The following is a journal entry from my recent trip to New Zealand.

Sunday, March 3, 2013; Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand

The day began with a wonderful, meditative visit to Dunedin Botanic Gardens, the most beautiful garden I have ever seen.

Sunday morning at Dunedin Botanic Garden, New Zealand — Winter Garden Glasshouse, Dunedin Botanic Garden, New Zealand, 3-3-13

It’s the oldest in New Zealand – just celebrated 150 years – and in my estimation the most beautiful and varied. (At one point I found myself comparing it to Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. There’s really no comparison, as they are very different in type, size and memory.)

After quietly wandering for nearly an hour – we had been dropped off at 8:00 a.m. – I found a beautiful, quietly secluded place to sit and meditate and write.

Those thoughts follow …

Tags alstroemeria, beautiful, Dunedin Botanic Garden, herbs, Hortus Botanicus, Knot Garden, meditative, New Zealand, Pergola garden, protea, roses, shag, Southern African Garden, wheelchair accessible

California travel

Come visit Point Lobos!

During my recent trip to the Monterey / Carmel (California) area, Carrieanna and I visited with the docents, volunteers and other enthusiastic members of the team at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve — Point Lobos Docent coordinator, volunteers and enthusiastic supporters

They were excited to show us this newly-created slideshow about Easy Access Point Lobos, set to the tune of “Sail Into the Sun” by Gentlemen Hall.

Check it out: http://youtu.be/o5gkMiXeCSQ

(And if that doesn’t inspire you to plan a trip to Point Lobos, I don’t know what will!)

Tags 2013, Bird Island Trail, Brown Pelicans, California, Cormorants, docents, Gentlemen Hall, Granite Point Trail, Harbor Seals, Herons, Point Lobos State Reserve, Sea Lion Point Trail, walkers, wheelchair accessible

US travel

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven

West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River….

During my recent trip to West Virginia, I frequently heard John Denver’s voice in my head, singing the opening lines to “Take Me Home, Country Road.”

Tags Cabela's, Figaretti's Restaurant, Oglebay Resort and Conference Center, Schrader Environmental Education Center, United Airlines, Valley Falls State Park, West Virginia, wheelchair accessible, Wheeling, Ye Olde Alpha

International travel

The Original Haarlem

Grote Kirk - Harlaam - exterior - 2010 According to Rick Steves’ book “Easy Access Europe” (copyright 2006, Avalon Travel Publishing), “In a recent study, the Dutch people were found to be the most content people in Europe. In another study, the people of Haarlem were found to be the most content in the Netherlands.”

Tags Coster, Easy Access Europe, Frans Hal Museum, Grote Kerk, Grote Markt, Haarlem, Rick Steves, wheelchair accessible

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