By Jeanine Schmitz 

Jenny lives in Seattle due to its distinctive providing of mountains, water, tradition, and funky climate. She spends as a lot time as potential having fun with the outside. Her ardour is journey, which has grow to be a multi-adventure expertise since her MS required a transition right into a wheelchair.

Many a few years in the past, in faculty, I spent a memorable summer time in Monterey, CA, finding out Russian on the language institute.  Courses all morning and homework within the evenings left a number of hours every afternoon the place I used to be free to discover the peninsula and watch the otters.  Within the years after commencement, I made a number of journeys again to the Monterey Peninsula – normally to go kayaking – and it was all the time great.

Years later, dwelling in Seattle, I started to surprise if these idyllic recollections rang true (relatively than hyperbole implanted by the vacationer bureau and growing older reminiscence).  I lastly obtained the possibility to return this summer time, and the quick reply is “sure.”  Monterey is as incredible as I bear in mind.   I used to be much more thrilled to find that the peninsula was wheelchair-friendly.  In actual fact, after the challenges of wheelchair climbing within the Washington mountains, it was downright magical to search out easily-accessible trails.  We spent three days in Monterey, having fun with vacationer points of interest, recreating recollections, and trying to find otters.

Outdated Monterey (click on for hyperlink)

Within the previous city part, lots of the buildings are preserved from the primary half of the nineteenth century when the Spanish after which the Mexican governments dominated this a part of California.  The wheelchair accessibility on this space isn’t dangerous, and the neighborhood is slated to improve its accessibility, beginning in September 2016.

Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row (click on for hyperlink)

Immortalized in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, these areas evoke the heyday of the fishing and canning industries within the first half of the twentieth century.  They’re now a hotbed of vacationer exercise, together with resorts, eating places, and retailers.  These areas are primarily wheelchair-accessible.

Eating places (click on for hyperlink)

We prevented the crowded, tourist-filled seafood eating places and selected higher-rated eating places on Yelp.  Most of them have been within the quaint, fairly, homogeneous city of Pacific Grove.  As a result of the city has preserved its Victorian structure, wheelchair accessibility is blended, however employees was keen to assist us discover accessible restrooms close by, if wanted.

Fruit (click on for hyperlink)

As a recovering vegetarian, I believe that one of many many finest issues about Monterey is its location subsequent to the Salinas valley, dubbed the “Salad Bowl of the World.” For all however the devoted carnivore, no go to is full with out a journey to one of many native produce markets, farmers markets, or farm stands. We went to all three and fortunately availed ourselves of recent native strawberries and artichokes.

Aquarium (click on for hyperlink)

Maybe probably the most well-known vacationer attraction in Monterey is the Monterey Aquarium.  Rightly so.  The exhibition on the jellies alone is definitely worth the insanely costly worth of admission (trace – many resorts supply a reduced ticket legitimate for 2 days). The aquarium and its restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

Sea Kayaking and Crusing (click on for hyperlink)

Though we didn’t have time to go this journey, a few of our fondest recollections are from kayaking and crusing on Monterey Bay, surrounded by otters and seals.

Marine Mammals (click on for hyperlink)

Monterey Bay is well-known for kelp beds, marine analysis, marine reserves, scuba diving, and marine mammals, together with otters, seals, and whales.  Otters may be noticed taking part in within the water or floating within the kelp beds.  Seals may be discovered lazing on the seashore, absorbing solar on the rocks or buoys, or swimming within the water.  Whales are finest seen on one in every of a number of whale-watching boat rides.

Coastal Path (click on for hyperlink)

Certainly one of my favourite elements of Monterey is the coastal path.  It’s a 29-mile paved, two-lane, multi-use path that goes alongside the coast from Pacific Grove to Castroville.  There are steady views of the ocean, cypress bushes, seashores, rock formations, marine animals, the solar or moon, and breath-taking vistas – typically seen from the path, typically accompanied by a bench or picnic desk off of the path, and typically down a brief, hard-packed sand path main off of the path.  This can be a great path for the GRIT Freedom Chair, benefiting from its levers to cowl the prolonged miles.

Asilomar Seaside (click on for hyperlink)

The largest shock awaited me at Asilomar Seaside.   My expectations of magnificence have been effectively met.  The seashore is roofed with delicate white sand, which was interspersed with dunes of untamed gardens of coastal crops and flowers.  Searching to the ocean afforded wonderful views– otters taking part in within the water because the waves crashed towards the rock formations, below a sky blazing with the colours of the setting solar.  What I didn’t count on, nevertheless, was the unbelievable accessibility supplied.  There have been quite a few disabled parking areas designated.  These areas have been situated subsequent to entrances to extensive, stage, accessible trails of hard-packed sand blended with boardwalks.  The surfaces of the paths have been normally onerous sufficient for any kind of wheelchair; within the few sketchy spots, the GRIT Freedom Chair was an ideal match.  There was even a boardwalk from the highway all the way down to the state seashore (in fact the boardwalk ended at the beginning of the seashore, leaving a big swathe of deep, dry, delicate sand between the boardwalk and the ocean.  It will have been an ideal alternative to strive the GRIT Freedom Chair’s seashore tires.

Asilomar Convention Grounds (click on for hyperlink)

The draw back of such an incredible place isn’t any shock – insanely costly lodging.  One cheaper choice that involves thoughts is the Asilomar Convention Heart hooked up to the state seashore.  After all, availability is proscribed for non-conference-attendees, and much more so for company needing ADA accessible rooms.  So, plan forward and glad trails!

The GRIT Freedom Chair is probably the most versatile chair in the marketplace, designed from the bottom as much as deal with any terrain. From trails to grass to snow, the Freedom Chair is constructed so that you can push your self. Born out of analysis at MIT, the Freedom Chair’s patented easy-push levers cut back shoulder pressure and put you in command of your mobility. Able to hit the paths.  Study extra in regards to the GRIT Freedom Chair at www.gogrit.us.