Whale watching in Provincetown, MA

I took Number 1 on a whale watching trip along with two of my cousins and my sister-in-law. It was a huge success, although Number 1 was so over-stimulated by the end of the day that we had a spectacular melt-down at home.

We went with Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown. Some of their boats are more suitable for wheelchair than others, so you have to call in advance to see when they better ones are sailing. We went on Dolphin VIII. This was okay for a light manual chair like mine, but a heavy, or a wide, or an electric chair would have no hope of getting on-board. The staff were enthusiastic and eager to help. Getting on-board involved going down a long steep ramp (angle depends on the tide), hopping a large step and then up a short ramp onto the boat itself. The outdoor areas on the lower deck were fully accessible, although so narrow that my chair could barely fit at the narrowest point (my chair is 68.5cm wide). To get inside involved negotiating a tall (8", 18cm) thin lip typical on boats. It would be possible with assistance from the staff, but not easy. The toilets had wide doors and were large enough for my chair, but had the same lip to negotiate. I did not need to use them on this trip.

It would be possible to go alone with a child, but Number 1 had a lot more fun because her aunt was able to take her up stairs for a better view. She will be three next month (the child, not the aunt!) and I was worried that she would be bored but in the event she loved it and had a permanant grin plastered to her face.

This particular ride was quite rough and as a T4 with limited balance, I had to hang on to a rail at all times, but none of our party were sick and we got to see some whales.

Check it out, do your homework, and it might work out for you too.

Off on vacation...

Although I travel a lot for work, travelling with the kids is not something I do very often. We have been a bit home bound since number 2 arrived. But this being July, and the weather being good, we loaded up the trusty Ford Taurus Station-wagon and headed North to Cape Cod, a drive of more than 500 miles (800km) and two days.

My wife has to take on most of the burden when we travel, as I have moaned about before. She packs for the kids, herself and the journey. I pack my stuff. I help Number 1 into the car (it is very difficult for me to lift Number 2 into his car seat) and strap her in then get in myself. My wife is left trying to fit three suitcases, a stroller, a wheelchair and the various bits and pieces of travel, into the car in 100F (38C) heat - an activity guaranteed to make her grumpy.

Driving long distances in the USA is not generally a big issue for the wheelchair user. Most rest-stops and restaurants have accessible toilets. Indeed, US residents have really no idea how good they have it until they travel in Ireland, England or one of the less civilized European countries like Italy. Indeed, the only problem with long distance driving is that thousands of other drivers do it too - on my roads, clogging them up and extending my journey hours.

We don't try and take the 500miles in one chunk - that would be unfair on the children, and my legs would seize. So we split the journey and over-night along the way. My aim is to drive 5-6hours in a day, then rest. After 6 hours in the car my rear end (which normally has no sensation) is tingling with ghost pins and needles.

But we made it. And I am looking forward to a week of 100% family time, with Number 2 clinging on to my lap and Number 2 running on the beach - alas, inaccessible to me.

Travel Notes: Hilton Hotel, LAX, Los Angeles, CA

Hilton Hotel, LAX, Ca.

Entrance is up a hill from the street, but level access. Check in was fast and friendly. No options offered on room (in fact they said they had only one handicapped accessible room available. As it turned out it had direct access to the pool so I wasn't complaining!).

All areas of the hotel are accessible. The bar is up 4 or 5 steps, and the wheelchair access is retrofitted. there is a very steep ramp (about 1:6) which I (foolishly) tried to wheel up. Almost impossible for a manual self-propelled chair. However, there is also a chair lift that the staff can operate if the ramp proves impossible. Once at the bar level, there are further ADA compliant ramps to the various levels of the bar.

One very pleasant side effect of the split levels in the bar is that at one end, the bar is a comfortable height to sit at with a wheelchair. So it is one of the few bars I have ever been at where I could actually belly up to the bar and have a beer! The food is pretty good too.

Room was extra large, King bed, plenty of room to wheel around it. Bed about 2" (5cm) above wheelchair cushion height and I found it tricky to transfer in on and off. Good size work desk, electric socket in the lamp and the desk within easy reach. WiFi Ethernet. The clothes closet was in an awkward to reach place, and the clothes hangers were too high and out of reach. TV controls left by the bed within easy reach.

Accessible tub, wall mounted shower hose. Plenty of grab rails in the right places, but the inner wall of the tub was almost flush with the bathroom wall making it difficult to use the tub itself as a leaning place. Wall mounted sink with legroom underneath.

Travel Notes: John Jay Best Western, Palmdale, CA

John Jay Best Western - Palmdale, CA

An overnight visit. Level access into the lobby. I was given a handicapped room - no options with respect to shower, bath etc. The room was reasonably sized, enough space to wheel around. The King Size bed was way too high - about 4" (10cm) above wheelchair cushion height. I was able to transfer in and out but it was not easy and would be troublesome for many.

The work desk was large, but electric sockets were underneath the desk, on the wall, and well-nigh impossible to reach. The wired Ethernet was easy to reach.

TV controls were left on top of the TV, I was able to find them by scrabbling about blindly.

Bath was an accessible tub, and they could have done with an extra grab rail at the end of the bath. The shower rose is fixed to the wall and out of reach. It was angled in such a way that it was impossible to get water to hit your body - it was aimed at the wall. Towels were on mid-height shelf, not difficult to reach. Sink unit is separate from the bathroom and had plenty of leg room underneath.

This is an older, lower budget hotel. It could do with a makeover, but it is clean and the staff are friendly. Okay for a reasonably strong, independent wheelie, but could be problematic for power chair users or quads.

Travel Notes: Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

Hard Rock Hotel - Las Vegas

I was here for just a quick business meeting. Excellent hotel, off strip. There is level access from the taxi/drop-off doors. Valets took my baggage at the door and were very helpful. Check-in was fast and pleasant. They asked if I wanted roll-in shower or accessible tub. I took the tub as that is my preference, but was glad to note that they had the option. In the event, they gave me a roll-in shower but I did not bother to rectify the error.

The room was spacious and well fitted out, two queen beds with wheeling room between. Water and a mini-bar was provided (watch the prices!!). The bed was about wheelchair cushion height. Large bathroom, with grab rails in all the right places. The roll-in shower was spacious, with a fold-up seat by the shower controls. Hand held or wall mounted shower rose - selectable by a wall mounted control. Easy to operate and transfer to and from the seat. Bathroom sink had plenty of legroom underneath.

The business area was well laid out, with electric plugs and wired Ethernet at table height. Controls for the large flat screen TV were left within easy reach for a wheelie. All in all no problems.

Like all Vegas casino/hotels, the establishment is large, and wheeling across those deep pile carpets takes it out of you. But all areas seemed accessible. I had no opportunity to check access to the pool, but the spa is accessible and they have a handicapped accessible shower (with shower seat) in the changing area. I had to use the spa to get a massage for an extremely painful shoulder which is still in a bad way as I write this. The massage was great, but its effects, alas, were temporary. The only fault in the spa was the lack of a changing bench or somewhere a wheelie could lie to dress and undress.

All in all, very impressive. Recommended. (Note: The theme here, not surprisingly, is Rock music. So public areas are noisy and energetic. If this is not your thing, then avoid! The rooms are quiet.)

Travel Notes: Dulles Airport, Washington D.C.

On the list of the many things I dislike, I keep a special spot for Dulles Airport (Washington D.C.) At least it gets on the list – there are a few airports that no sane wheelchair user should consider, even for transfers, and they don’t get on my list because they are below wasting the emotional energy on them. (For the record: JFK, New York; CDG, Paris; PHL, Philadelphia – until they sort out the baggage handling and stop losing wheelchairs) To be fair to Dulles (IAD on the airport code list) it makes an effort to be accessible. The problem is that it was designed in the 60s and they had no idea of how it would be used in the 21^st century. Principle problems are:

• No mass transit public transport access. So you have to take a taxi or your car (the buses are not accessible)

• If you can afford to leave your car in the Daily (as opposed to the Economy) parking lot you have a huge walk to the terminal

• Once you get to the terminal you have to wheel up a tremendously long slope. There is no elevator.

• The TSA (security) staff is by far the worst that I deal with on the many airports I travel through. Actually, that’s a little unfair. It’s a lottery. Some days they are pleasant, efficient, and effective. Other days it’s the complete opposite. No other airport that I know of has the same bi-polar personality.

• The stupid little “moving lounges” that you have to take to get to the gates.

Okay, ranting aside, and to be fair the airport is pretty accessible. There are accessible buses running from the car parks to the terminal. If you park in the handicapped spots in Daily Car park 1, you can take an elevator to an underground walkway to the terminal. It is, as noted earlier, a hefty walk but there are moving travelators to help you along. Access to the terminal is up a long slope. There are elevators to every floor, and all public toilets have accessible cubicles. In addition, there are "family restrooms" which are large and accessible. The elevators are sometimes tucked away in odd places, but they are there. The moving lounges are accessible, and each has two spots specifically dedicated for wheelchairs.

I’m in Dulles as I write this – having kissed goodbye to my beloved family earlier to day and left my wife at the mercy of our children for four whole days…

I will shortly board a United flight to Las Vegas. United, in general, has been pretty good for flying, with just the occasional mess. But nothing terrible (not like US Airways who forgot to load my wheelchair in PHL, or Sabena – now defunct – who crushed it in the baggage gate). We’ll see how things go…

The saving grace of Dulles? Vino Volo.