Reviews from 4 Wheels

Dim Sum in the Danger Zone

2012-01-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, wherein fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes are carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables.

Top Gun Restaurant in Factoria, WA is a Chinese restaurant that has an extensive dinner menu and specializes in Dim Sum lunches.

Since I had a medical appointment in the area, my wife and I decided to try lunch there. From the outside, the place does not inspire confidence. There are auto body shops and boarded up businesses in the neighborhood and the restaurant is a dingy yellow.

Inside is fairly nice, however., with large tanks of fish and lobster staring at you as if pleading not to be your entree.

Handicapped accessibility was fair. The parking was not well marked but getting in and out wasn't too difficult.

Service was prompt and attentive. Despite being busy, we were seated quickly and in a location convenient for my wheelchair.

The food was not great, but good. Most of the dishes served were shrimp-based. Everything was hot and well-seasoned. my biggest complaint is not knowing how much you're spending. Color-coded pricing would be welcome. We ended up spending a bit more than we wanted, and likely wouldn't repeat the experience.

Shouldn't have turned the crank

2012-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

The wife and I were heading back from a doctor appointment and we were hungry and lacking a lot of disposable income. The line at Starbucks was too long and I didn't want to risk McDonalds. So we decided to go in and sit down to eat a quick brunch.

Regular readers may be suprised by my choice in eating establishments. However, it was lte morning, we were in a bit of a hurry and Jack was close and serving breakfast.

I ordered a jumbo breakfast platter with sausage. Instead of xoffee, I aked for a snall diet DR Pepper. That confused the order-taker. Since my wife wanted hot tea, I sa22 it on the menu and aswked forthat.

:No hot tea, only iced" So I asked for decaf coffee. "No, don't know how."

Eventually she got her burger and a water. I got my platter with limp, cold bacon drapped over everythinge

Normally I don't send food back. I made an exception twice this time. I watched as the cook picked the bacon up with her fingers, touching all my food. I told her that I wanted a fresh platter and for her to wash her hands / wear glove between handling cash and food.

Finally getting my food, I wheeled over to my boot. Imagine my surprise when I found it was a handicapped accessible table - installed BACKWARDS to make it inaccessible.

Finally the food: The eggs were overcooked, the pancakes cold and the sausage undercooked. But the hash browns were nice and crisp

It's not the worst fast food out there, but it isn't the best, either

Pretentious and Pricey Deli

2012-01-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

Gilberts on Main in Old Bellevue, WA is a somewhat quirky deli. After a lengthy bout of illness from a stomach virus, I'd had a serious craving for a bowl of Matzoh Ball Soup. After church today, I asked Skyvi (Android equivalent of Siri) where the best matzoh ball soup was in Bellevue. It suggested Gilberts on Main.

One of the first things I look at is accessibility, especially in regards to parking and getting to the restaurant. Being in a wheelchair presents unique problems in navigating curbs and doorways. Many times these factors are beyond the control of the restaurant owners, but they do contribute to my enjoyment of the experience. In this case there was no handicapped parking nearby and the doorway was hard to negotiate in a wheelchair.

The interior was cramped and getting to a table would have been impossible if it hadn't been for the helpful staff.

The menu would best be described as pretentious deli. There were the items you would expect to find - hot pastrami sandwich, etc - along with fancier fare.

I looked over the menu briefly and ordered a deluxe bagel and lox platter and a cup of matzoh soup with a can of soda. $28.44! The platter consisted of two halves of a bagel, cream cheese a decent amount of good quality lox, onions, capers, tomatoes, cucumber slices and pickles. It was good, but the bagel tasted more like regular bread than a bagel. Certainly not $15 worth.

The soup was very good but also very overpriced at almost $10.00 a cup.

While I'd like to try other items on the menu, the price and accessibility will keep that from happening

The Y's an open door...

2012-01-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

The Y’s an open door
Since 1844
With guidance over youth
For character and truth

If you've ever heard or chanted that chant, odds are you've been to a YMCA camp or maybe a YMCA.

The Coal Creek YMCA is MY YMCA. I don't go there as often as I should, but I always feel better when I do.

I used to go there to walk in the warm pool. Depending on the time of day, this could involve dodging dozens of children or having the pool to yourself. Alas, since going on Peritoneal Dialysis, the risk of infection from my catheter exit site is too great.

My workout now consists of a wonderful Precor weight machine. I don't know what it's called but it has cable pulleys with adjustable heights and switchable handles. Sitting 9n my chair, I can do over a dozen distinct exercises. And, thanks to the wonderful staff, I learn new exercises every time!

I certainly appreciate the family dressing rooms with the handicapped accessible showers. I'm sure my friends and family appreciate my more frequent showers

A Roses by any other name

2011-12-04T15:45:00.001-08:00

My Mother was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She would tell my brother and me stories of the magical delicatessens that city had to offer. She would get misty-eyed describing "real" pastrami.

One day, she read a review for Roses Delicatessen & Bakery in Portland, OR. The very next weekend, she decided it had been too long since the family had been to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, so we packed up the '68 VW Bug and made a weekend of it. We ate at Roses twice that weekend.

We had dinner there our first night. Mom ordered for us all, something very unusual for our family. She got us all Matzoh ball soup. I was not thrilled by this. I'd tasted the stuff sold in the glass jars and had been unimpressed. What arrived at the table bore as much resemblance to jar soup as prime rib does to boiled shoe leather. I was young, but I had enough manners not to lick my bowl - barely.

The main course was something called the Nosher's Delight. This massive platter had fresh bagels, different kinds of rye bread, cream cheeses, lox, "real" deli meats, spreads...more food than a family of four should (bit, of course, would) eat. Even my brother, who's idea of culinary adventure was Swiss cheese on his burger, enjoyed it.

We returned the next day for lunch. This began my long love-affair with the Roses Reuben. As I remember it, it was on grilled rye with mounds of corned beef, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and maybe French dressing. I think I might have eaten half of it. Our waitress was an older lady with a Brooklyn accent thick enough to use as a schmear. She boxed up our leftovers and included a "little something" from the bakery next door - a Cinnamon nut-roll as big as my head.

"I wouldn't want you should get hungry on your drive home," she said. "You bring these handsome boys back here in a few years - I have wives for them!"

I don't know if that or the pinch on the cheek scared me worse at the time.

It seems we found excuses to make the ~200 mile trip to Portland almost every month. I think we got a membership at OMSI and the staff at Powell's Books knew us by name.

Around 40 years later, my wife and I decided to take an anniversary trip to Portland. We brought our dog with us and booked a room at The Benson Hotel, a pet-friendly hotel in downtown Portland. It was a bit on the pricey side, but it was a fun experience.

But I was most excited to take my wife to Roses. Even though they had moved from their old location, I was sure the food would be the same.

Oy, was I wrong.

There were many items on the menu that were familiar to me and a lot that seemed sport's bar inspired. I decided to revisit my childhood and order some Matzoh ball soup and a Reuben.

The soup was lukewarm and tasted a lot like it had come from a can...or jar. The Matzoh balls were so dense I had to cut them with my knife.

I was equally disappointed in my sandwich. The bread was obviously store-bought and had been toasted about 10 seconds too long. There was twice as much sauerkraut as there was meat and the meat itself was very dry. One thing was similar to my childhood memories. I couldn't finish this sandwich either. But I didn't eat the leftovers, my dog did.

Service was terrible as well. It took a long time to get menus, an even longer time to get our cold food and never got our drinks refilled.

Alert readers will notice that I did not include a link to Roses website. If you're desperate for mediocre deli food, I suggest your local Safeway

All you can eat...but more than you should

2011-11-19T18:20:00.001-08:00

When we want to take the kids and grandkids out to eat but don't want to spend a week's salary, we usually end up taking them to an all-you-can eat restaurant. This way, everyone gets what they want and I don't have to worry about a hypoglycemic kid taking a bite out of a waiter.

Old Country Buffet is located close to our house. That's probably the best thing I can say about it. Actually, the salad-bar isn't bad and that area is seldom as crowded as the meat-carving station is.

Years ago when I was in the Navy and stationed in California, my best friend was an Army sergeant named Rick. Every payday, Rick, his family and I would seek out some buffet. Rick wouldn't eat the day before, wanting to save room for his feast. Upon arrival, he would survey the offerings and determine what the most expensive item there was. Then he would load his plate up with whatever it was...again and again. Rick was all about getting his money's worth. He would look over whatever the rest of us had on our plates and tell us how much each item cost per serving and we we should all try for more expensive items.

Rick would not appreciate Old Country Buffet. Even their higher-end items (roast beef, etc.) are of fairly low quality. But where else can a kid color-coordinate their plate?

"Look, papa. I've got all orange foods: Jello, mac&cheese, carrots and orange soda!"

The Main Chinese Buffet (as opposed to the Auxiliary Chinese Buffet) in Lacey, Washington is probably my favorite buffet. not only do they have a Mongolian grill and a great selection of fresh sushi and sashimi, but they also frequently have Dungeness crab and local oysters on the half-shell.

The food all tastes fresh and most of it seems at least moderately low-sodium. Prices are fair, under $15 per person

Accessible Apartments? HAH!!!

2011-11-16T19:45:00.001-08:00

My house and I have a few things in common: Neither of us are in good physical shape - the wiring is bad, the pipes need repair, it's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. And the house is in even worse shape than me :D

Over the summer, the wife and I had decided to look into someplace newer and more handicapped accessible. We had just refinanced the house and were pretty sure we could rent it out for (most of) the mortgage payments.

Armed with naive optimism and the results of several Internet searches, we went apartment hunting.

The first thing we found out? Just because a place advertises "handicapped accessible", "barrier free", or "wheelchair friendly" doesn't mean they have any apartments that remotely match those descriptions.

None of the apartments we looked at had a roll-in shower. They all had bath tubs. That's pretty much a deal-breaker for me. I'm not nearly steady enough on my feet to get in and out of a tub. Last time I tried I fell and would have had to call an ambulance if my weight-lifter son hadn't been there.

The closest we saw was one apartment with several grab-bars, wide doorways and...very plush thick carpet! I really wanted to rap on someones forehead and say "Thick carpet, really? Think, McFly, think! How is a wheelchair supposed to navigate that?" ADA Apartment guidelines state: Carpet or carpet tile shall be securely attached and shall have a firm cushion, pad, or backing or no cushion or pad. Carpet or carpet tile shall have a level loop, textured loop, level cut pile, or level cut/uncut pile texture. Pile height shall be 1/2 inch (13 mm) maximum. This stuff looked twice that length.

None of the rest of the buildings we looked at had anything resembling an accessible apartment. One complex "offered" to allow us to make the necessary modifications - at our own expense, using their contractors and setting aside a deposit to cover reversing the changes.

Eventually we decided to stay in the old money pit and make repairs and modifications.

My God, it's full of meat!

2011-11-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

A couple years or so ago, I was watching The Travel Channel when some show about eating insane amounts of meat came on.

I didn't pay much attention, in my limited experience such places put way more emphasis on quantity than quality.

But then, they started talking about a Brazilian steakhouse, one where giant skewers of meat are brought to and carved at your table. And they don't stop until you put up a red light/sign. My eyes glazed over as I tried to come up with a business reason to make a trip to wherever this Mecca of Meat was. I may have drooled.

My wife recognized the expression on my face and assured me it would only be a matter of time before such an establishment opened in Bellevue.

That time came a few months ago. Novilhos Steakhouse opened next to the Factoria Mall in Bellevue.

Various things came up that delayed our trip there. But then we received a $25 gift certificate and decided to go and protein-load.

Our first mistake was arriving too late for lunch on Saturday. They close from 2:00 to 4:30. So, we decided to burn off some calories in advance and wheeled over to the mall proper.

After 2 hours of "malling" we were more than ready to settle down for some meat.

Accessibility was average. There was ample space for my chair, but the ramp was very steep. The placement of items in the salad bar was a little high, it was hard to see what was being offered.

Speaking of the salad bar, that was impressive...and disappointing, I was impressed by the quality and variety of many items, but some of the more mundane items, like potato salad, were really awful.

As soon as we turned our signs to green, the Gauchos began to arrive with meat-a-plenty. The first offering was prime rib and it was perfect - fork tender and juicy. Subsequent servings were less desirable. The bacon-wrapped filet Mignon was tough and dry as was the chicken breast. The pork sausage was amazing, but the pork ribs were almost inedible.

The sides - deep-fried plantain chips, roasted bananas and mashed potatoes were all quite good.

We each had a glass of wine, a cup of coffee and shared a lovely mango pudding.

It was a good experience, some of the food was good, but this was not a good value for $150.00

An up-scale diner with low-class parking

2011-10-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Skillet Diner at 1400 Union Street deserves to be on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Anyplace that sells Bacon Jam defines the word "Amazing."

After an early-morning doctor appointment in Seattle, Lori and I stopped in for breakfast.

After a frustrating experience parking- more on that later - we were quickly seated, menus and coffee delivered and the difficult task of deciding on what to order begun.

I ended up getting house-made biscuits and sage gravy. Lori got the daily scramble special, Gouda and herbs with an Arugula salad.

The biscuits and gravy were wonderful. They were topped with some deep-fried sage and served piping-hot. Portions were very generous. I couldn't finish mine.

Service was great. They were attentive without hovering and quick to offer suggestions when we had difficulty deciding.

The lunch and dinner menu are very tempting with such choices as a fried chicken sammy "(fennel seed crust, pickled and charred jalapeño aioli, kale, potato bread) or the rabbit duo (bbq beans, house-made chorizo, braised leg, chicken fried loin, cherry chermoula). So far, we haven't made it back to try any of these, yet.

As much as I enjoyed the food and service, the parking was terrible. There was no handicapped parking to be found, just standard street parking. Getting out of the car, over the curb and into my chair was dangerous and painful.

You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike

2011-10-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Opened in 1946 Bellevue Square has over 185 shops and restaurants - none of which can be accessed without extensive backtracking for someone in a wheelchair.

A couple weekends ago, we went to the mall to buy our oldest grandson a new skateboard and a pocket knife. It had been quite a while since I'd been to Bellevue Square, the last time, I was walking with only the aid of a cane.

This time, I wheeled my way around in my trusty chair. At least I attempted to.

Bellevue Square is like a spider web, with many of the "strands" connected by stairs. This is not to say that they don't have ramps to connect these paths, but there is no discernible method to their placement. Compounding the frustration is the fact that there is enough of a slope on each path so that you can't tell if the path leads to a ramp or a stair before you're on top of it. Several times we headed down one path, sure we would reach our destination, only to have to backtrack a fair distance to find one of the ramps.

A low-cost suggestion: Place signs at the start of each path. Have an arrow with the ADA wheelchair logo pointing to where the ramps are or a sign where the paths diverge that tells you stairs are ahead.

It didn't help matters that the exercise and frustration had caused my blood sugar to drop. Purchases made, we set off to find one of the sit-down restaurants. This was also frustrating as Bellevue Square lacks a central food court. Restaurants are adjacent to retail shops, unless you venture to the streets outside the mall.

So, after what seemed like endless wanderings, we made our way out of Macy's to the street. By now, I'm past the stammer and shake phase of low blood sugar and into the VERY drowsy phase. Yes, I know. I really should carry some glucose tablets or at least some candy.

Normally, I avoid places like Red Robin. I find the food much too salty for my diet. But, it was close and not crowded.

Lori told the young lady serving our table I was a diabetic and badly needed to get something in me quickly. Bless her heart, she raced off and brought me back a small juice and a plate of fries. She said that since they come with the meal anyway, no sense in waiting.

I'm still not fond of the food, but the service was spectacular!

A 'walk' on the not-so-wild side

2011-10-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

Back when the weather was more conducive to such outdoors activities, Lori and I decided to scope out a couple of places to get some outdoor exercise. One of these was the High Point Trailhead and W Tiger Natural Resource Conservation Area. From Issaquah, go E on I-90 to exit 20. Turn right and go to the end of road. Go past gate on gravel road for 0.5 mi to site on left.

The trail is mostly gravel and dirt but a wheelchair can navigate fairly well, for bout the 1st mile. It's rather steep in places but there are plenty of benches for those who are on foot. We packed a picnic lunch of salads and sparkling water (Thanks Trader Joes) and made our way up the trail. It was a good workout and I was happy to have my gloves on to avoid blisters. I enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and the exercise. Lori enjoyed being able to get to the little lake near the summit and our huge dog, Gracie, enjoyed chasing after her and helping pull my chair on some of the steeper parts.

Another great spot for wheeling around is Crossroads park in Bellevue. There is a nicely paved trail with enough inclines to make it a decent workout. There are tennis courts, playgrounds and a 9-hole golf-course nearby. The restroom is fully accessible.

Community events occur almost every weekend in the spring and summer.

It's a great place for a picnic, bring the whole family!

Fine Irish Pub food and a mediocre fish fry

2011-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks or so, Lori and I were in the mood for something different. So I fired up the Random Restaurant Piker and let it suggest something in my vicinity and price range.

After a few spins with such stellar choices as Azteca and Burger King, the slot machine finally showed me Paddy Coynes Irish Pub.

We went to the Lincoln Square, Bellevue location. Unfortunately, we arrived - it seemed - right between showtimes at the nearby cinema. While there was plenty of handicapped parking in the garage, it was very congested and drivers were not very inclined towards patience with a wheelchair pedestrian.

Paddy Coynes is a small place, a bar and maybe 10 tables. Since it was a Friday night, we did have to wait a bit before a table was ready. Once that detail was taken care of, the waitress was very helpful in clearing a path.

Our drinks were delivered quickly and our orders taken. Lori ordered a Shepherd's Pie (Braised ground beef, garlic, onions, carrots, celery and peas. Served en casserole, topped with mashed potatoes and browned to a golden crisp) and I had the Dublin Coddle (bangers, Irish rashers, onions, garlic and potatoes).

The food arrived piping hot in very generous portions. Each was accompanied with 2 types of soda bread.

Ratings:

Food:

Service:

Accessibility:

Ambiance:

The lower score in Accessibility is mostly based on the size of the restaurant and the difficulty in maneuvering. On the positive side, the restroom was nicely accessible and the waitress eve held the door for me.

Ambiance suffered because we were seated next to the over-loud speakers us4ed by the band. Conversation was impossible.

Despite those complaints, the food and service were good enough to bring us back.

Feeling in the mood for some really good fish and chips the other day, I went to the Market Fish Fry at the Crossroads mall in Bellevue.

You have your choice there of prawns, chicken strips or cod. For each order of fish & chips, you choose from 5 types of batter (beer/buffalo/jalapeno/curry/coconut) and pick 2 sides from 6 selections of different varieties of fries and coleslaw.

I had the beer batter cod with tater tots and what was described as "tangy mustard coleslaw."

It's a sad thing when the best part of your meal are the tater tots. The fish was unevenly cooked with the batter over-cooked in places and still doughy in others. The coleslaw had no "tang" nor was there the slightest taste of mustard. For all I knew, it was plain mayo and vinegar slaw.

The different flavors of tarter sauce were nice, but getting to them from my wheelchair was very difficult.

Service was very poor. The young man who delivered my food actually dropped the tray on my table, knocking my napkins to the floor. Then he simply walked away and ignored me for the remainder of my time there.

Food: The tater tots save this from a 1 chair rating.

Service:

Accessibility:

All-in-all and unrepeatable experience.

Partying at Vasa Park and a great place for pho

2011-09-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Vasa Park - http://www.vasaparkresort.com/ - is a pay-per-use resort/Park located on Lake Sammamish in Bellevue Washington. It is a popular Park for individuals, families and for corporations wishing to hold company picnics and other events. It's also a very good spot for birthday parties - provided the weather holds up.

There's a lot at Vasa Park to attract the average partygoer. There are covered and open picnic areas, concession stands and several full hook up camp sites.

The owners/caretakers are very helpful and really do their best to make your experience pleasurable. That being said, however, the Park leaves much to be desired to someone in a wheelchair. Pathways are uneven and bumpy at best. At one point, I barely avoided taking a spill when going over a particularly large bump. Worst was the handicap accessible restroom. The path leading up to it was quite steep and the doorway to the restroom itself was very narrow. Once in the restroom the placement of grip bars and necessities such as toilet paper dispenser, trash bin, sanitary napkin disposal made maneuvering in and out of the chair somewhat difficult.

All-in-all,Vasa Park is a great location for a party provided all partygoers are able-bodied and free of mobility issues.

Saigon City

15045 Bel Red Road, Bellevue, WA 98007

if you've never had the Vietnamese soup known as pho or if it's one of your favorite dishes, you owe it to yourself to go to Saigon City. Our family has been going there for around eight years. From the first time we went we have been treated like family. We are warmly greeted at the door, quickly and efficiently ushered to our table, kids and grandkids are asked after, our order taken,and the food brought piping hot to our table. And they remember the personal touches: they know I can't use chopsticks so they always quietly give me a fork, they know my oldest grandson can out eat me so they make sure he doesn't run out of noodles before he finally gives up.

As fantastic as the service is, the food is also great. Unfortunately,my sodium-low diet prohibits me from eating pho very often. But if Vietnamese noodle soup isn't your bag… Err…bowl, there are plenty of alternative choices on the menu. They have a large selection of hot teas as well as bubble-tea.

There is ample handicap parking as well as a gently sloping ramp leading to the entrance. Once inside, the owners are quick to make sure there is no difficulty in getting to the table.

So whether it's beef, chicken, seafood or some combination; go to Saigon city for warm bowl of love. Oh, and go hungry!

Wolf Creek Oregon

2011-08-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, albeit somewhat later than I had hoped, this blog entry is going to concentrate on Wolf Creek Oregon and the historic Wolf Creek inn. You get to Wolf Creek off of I-5 on exit 76. It's a small town, two or three gas station/mini – marts, a small campground and the historic Wolf Creek Inn.
First, the campground. When we stopped there in July, the campground had only recently been reopened. As such, we had the place mostly to ourselves. We picked a spot not far from the stream and set up camp. Our site had a pull through with with power and water hookups. The campground is a little rough around the edges but the caretakers have great plans for the place. Speaking of the caretakers, unfortunately my memory for names isn't what it used to be which is really sad since the caretakers were exceptionally nice people. Both are emergency medical technicians and probably one of the friendliest couples I never met-without being invasive.
One thing that impressed me about the town of Wolf Creek was how many wheelchair ramps I saw. Just about every business had a wheelchair ramp for easy access.
By the time we had checked in and set up camp all that remained open for the minimart's. So we decided to go to the Wolf Creek inn for breakfast the next morning.
The Wolf Creek Inn is the oldest continuous use hotel in the state of Oregon. They have nine guestrooms and-if breakfast is any indication-a really top-notch restaurant. The menu is limited, that means they concentrate on what they do well. I had the biscuits and gravy. Others in our party had the Wolf Creek breakfast which consists of eggs, meat and hashbrowns. Everything was served with fresh fruit and choice of beverage.
The food was quite good but what impressed me the most was the hospitality. Now remember, this is a functioning inn; they rent out the guestrooms, the caretakers were very informal about letting the grandkids runaround, look into the ballroom explore, so long as an adult was watching. Also those of you in wheelchairs might be familiar with the wheelchair stare - that long look some business owners give you when you first wheel into their establishment. I did not receive the wheelchair stare atthe Wolf Creek inn. What I did receive was a warm welcome and people going out of their way to make sure I had a clear path to the dining room.
As much as we would've love to spend more time there we had a very long road trip ahead of us so it was back to the campsite, hook up the trailer and get back on I-5.

as this blog post is fairly short I will follow-up soon with some of my observations a little closer to home. Thank you for your comments please keep them coming and thank you for clicking on the advertiser links on the site. And as ever, if you have someplace you'd like me to review submitted in the comment the worst that can happen is I can say no not in my general area or not something I'm interested in seeing but who knows I may go out of my way and take a look it can never hurt to try.

Along the Oregon Coast

2011-08-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

As promised, this post is about our recent camping trip along the Oregon coast. We traveled with friends Wendy and her delightful daughters: Melissa, Maggie and Hope. We had a full van-load; my wife, Lori was driving, my daughter Melissa and her kids: Jesse, Anna, and Leah were with us as was another grandson Caidin .

We had hooked up our trusty T@B trailer and departed Bellevue only an hour or two behind schedule. Our destination for day one was Fort Stevens state park in Seaside Oregon.

Previously, the majority of our camping had been in Washington state campgrounds. Washington can be hit or miss especially in regards to accessibility – you never know, for example, if you're going to be able to get your wheelchair into a bathroom and once you do, will there be a stall wide enough or a shower with grab bars.

Oregon State campgrounds however, all seem to have separate bathrooms for handicap patrons with extrawide doors, free hot showers and ample grab bars. Fort Stevens was no exception.

What was also nice was the fact that we only were only charged for one campsite which kept our cost down. Paths were paved but needed a bit of work. More than once, I nearly tumbled from my chair going over uneven pavement

But overall Fort Stevens was a pleasant experience, not too noisy and the ocean air was nice.

Our next night we made it to Devils Lake campground near Lincoln City. Probably my least favorite spot of the entire trip. Our campsite was tiny and very difficult to maneuver in. Additionally, the rangers that we encountered there were rude. When asked about accessible sites, they said all sites were more or less accessible and if not, I could just stay in my trailer.

Since we didn't get much rest that night our next stop wasn't very far along the road., Newport, OR South Beach state park. This was a major change from the previous night's camp ground! The rangers were helpful going as far as to help push me to the handicap bathroom and chasing out a non-handicap person who seemed to be using it at his own personal, sauna. There was a great path to a well constructed lookout to the beach. It was a bit steep but my dog, Gracie,(who must've been a sled-dog in a previous life) greatly enjoyed helping pull me up the trail. Had it not been so windy there we might stay an extra day.

We made good time the next day, getting all the way down to Brookings to what I think was Harris beach state park.. We arrived rather late but fortunately the handicap spot had not been taken. We set up camp and drove to Brookings to get our first meal of the trip that wasn't either fast food or prepared at the campsite. Wendy used her phone to Google restaurants in Brookings and we came up with the place by the name of the Hungry Clam. We were served Promptly and courteously despite the fact that we were a very large party and the place was pretty busy. We loaded up on fresh seafood – most of it deep fried – and sat outside to enjoy it. I had the combo platter which included cod, oysters,, calamari, clam strips shrimp, scallops and hush puppies. By far the star of the platter was the clam strips. These were not the tiny clam crumbs you get it someplace like Ivars. No, these were big tender chunks of clam. We left feeling satisfied albeit somewhat greasy.

The next morning an ocean view spot at the camp ground opened up so we decided to stay an extra day. This enabled us to play on the beach, rest and even get someone laundry done at the laundromat there in the park.

I was quite taken by the paved path down to the beach. There were several switchbacks and it was rather steep in places but I was able to actually get to the beach itself, something I haven't been able to do in a very long time.

The next day it was off to the Redwood forest. While this leg of the trip was lovely; due to a lack of cell phone reception we lost our traveling companion Wendy and her girls. By the time we finally had a signal they were already miles ahead of us and had decided to push on home. We made it to a little town called Wolf's Creek where we camped in a newly reopened camp ground but that and the restaurant we ate breakfast at will be the subject of my next entry.

And now a request, if you've been reading this blog and enjoyed it or even if you have not enjoyed it I would still like your comments. Please take a minute, find the comment link and leave me a note. I appreciate the feedback

Two very different restaurants

2011-08-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

There's a lot I like about the 12'th Ave Cafe in Issaquah, Wa. It's the sort of place you would expect to find on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The food is good , portions are generous and I felt comfortable bringing my children and grandchildren there. If you go, order breakfast; it's served all day and it really is one of the best places for breakfast I've ever tried. I suggest the Trucker's Combo: biscuit and gravy, an egg, meat and their famous grilled spuds.

All this makes me sad because I cannot eat there. I was told TWICE that they don't serve people in wheelchairs.

Shortly after acquiring this delightful mode of transportation, i convinced my lovely wife, Lori, to split a breakfast with me at the 12th Ave. OK, being totally honest, I wanted to eat an entire breakfast (enough calories for a small town) but Lori STRONGLY suggested we split one.

When we arrived, I was encouraged by the 3 separate handicapped parking stalls. Upon wheeling inside, however, I remembered that it isn't the most spacious establishment, and it was busy. The waitress approached and pointed to a table "This one is open, but I don't think he can get to it," she said. "We can wait for a different table, closer to the door," I answered. "Then we would have to move a table so people can get around the wheelchair. We're really not set up here to serve people in wheelchairs. Sorry."

We left with me sputtering indignantly and ended up eating someplace forgettable.

Before posting this blog, I called the 12th Ave and asked if they would have any problem seating someone in a wheelchair. "Not if they don't mind sitting outside on the sidewalk."

On the flip side of the coin is Ricardo's A Mexican restaurant located in Factoria, Wa. I've been there 5 or 6 times and enjoyed myself each time. The food is good and fairly priced, margaritas are huge and not at all watered down.

But what set's this place apart is the wait staff. From the front door to my table, they never fail to make me feel welcome. They open the doors for me, make sure there is enough room down the aisle to get to my table and they somehow manage to do this without making me feel like a burden.

I'd recommend a menu item, but I honestly have enough trouble deciding for myself.

Next time: Camping and dining on the Oregon Coast

Wheeling around the Northwest

2011-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

After many fits and false-starts, I'm ready to start posting my comments and observations on life in the Pacific Northwest as a person with limited mobility.

Due to disease, injury and surgery to repair some of the same, I find myself needing a wheelchair to cover any significant distance.

Since acquiring this mode of transportation, I find I've also acquired a new perspective. I have to consider access issues before I decide to travel, whether it is to the grocery store, a friend's home or a state park to camp.

As an unashamed 'foodie' I'll be talking about restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, not only discussing their cuisine, but also their accessibility to the mobility impaired and their attitudes towards us.

Additionally, I'll be highlighting some places I've gone- the good and the bad- in my somewhat limited travels. This may include campgrounds, shopping or other venues that those who do not require assistance may take for granted.

Since I don't want this to turn into a bitter rant-fest, for every rant, I promise to post at least one rave, someone or someplace that is going above and beyond to make things a little easier for the mobility challenged.

So walk, limp, wheel or otherwise ambulate with me and let's see what we can find