Spectacular Arizona! Cities and Canyon experiences from April 2014

April bring mountain towners into what's called "mud season," after all the ski areas close and the visitors leave, and the locals pick up their toys and head south for adventures.  This year we headed to Arizona; we had been to Phoenix, but only briefly, in 2001, and Craig hadn't been to the Grand Canyon ever, so this was going to be a fun adventure indeed - as it always is!

We first spent a week in Phoenix exploring this truly fun and beautiful city, the biggest stops on our list worth mention were the Desert Botanic Gardens and Taliesin West.  Both were basically accessible.

The Gardens were a mostly flat course of rolling around on very fine pebble paths -thanks to Craig's knobby tires and strong arms, it wasn't an issue, although it might be a little tenuous in spots for someone in an older chair with less strength. We were very impressed with the Gardens, augmented by the Chihuly glass sculptures exhibit and the excellent dinner we had at their in house restaurant. We attended the evening session in which we toured the grounds in daylight, dined at the restaurant, and the quickly toured parts of the grounds again at dusk to see the lit-up glass structures, which were magnificent. We're delighted to announce that Chihuly's exhibit will be visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens next (June through November) so we'll hopefully get another glance and we highly recommend you do as well.

 

Taliesin West, the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright and students- still to this day, was very well adapted. Despite being told on the phone that the ramps were only 28" wide, they were indeed 32" and although steep in spots, not an issue for us.  He got into every building on the tour, and it was well worth the visit even though we were skeptical. It was inspiring, impressive, and affordable.

In addition, we also looked into golf in Phoenix. While this proved to be a little bit of a challenge, we managed to find a working SoloRider for our purposes, but also reached out to the City Manager about making sure their adaptive cart fleet was up to speed, and we can happily report they have made this a priority so the next time we visit, golfing will hopefully not be a challenge.  Supposedly all 6-7 of their municipal courses have a SoloRider or two, so any of them are options.  We used the one at Maryvale and found the staff to be extremely helpful and accomodating. The course was well shaded and fun. You can learn more about Phoenix Golf here.

After Phoenix we headed north to Sedona, but on the recommendation of my cousins, we visited the tiny cliff town of Jerome on the way. This wasn't the most accessible tourist spot, but it was worth a stop - or even a drive by if you have the time.  Extremely quaint, complete with a 100-year-old post office (original PO box dials in the front box room?), Jerome is nicknamed the "most wicked place in the west," we're not sure if it's for the people or the location. Hanging literally off the black hills themselves, the switchback road has 180 degree corners and the shops, restaurants, homes, all seem to be on a tilt. There is a step up to some of the shops, but not all of them. The vibe of the place is groovy, like all the old Sedona hippies left the growing metropolis to find solitude here.

Sedona was just up our alley - crystal shops, vortices, gluten free restaurants, red rocks, gorgeous drives and vistas, and a wide range of affordable lodging.  What we road tested for you:

• We stayed at the Sedona Real Inn, the accessible room there was awesome, the staff was extremely amenable (complete with concierge), the breakfasts were filling (average), and the price was great. See the first photo below of the accessible shower - among the best we've seen. 
• We had our two dinners at Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen where everything on the menu - including Andy's ravioli- was gluten free, and Thai Palace Uptown.  Both were delicious. 
• Drive up to the Airport and catch a sunset or a sunrise - the closest vortex on the map, you can really feel the energy swirling up here. There's a parking lot, complete with two handicap spots, and a short trail or just a pull out to sit at, your choice. Bring a dollar or two, there's a donation bucket for local parks there. 
• We also drove the short drives out of the main town to see the other vortex spots, with great views of red rocks along they way.  
• If you're a slow walker, you can also do the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park - a 1/4mi. and 100-200ft inclining dirt trail climbs to this amazing prayer park, but it's not accessible to wheelchairs. That said, there was a sign there that said call for access, so if we'd made advance arrangements, we think you can get the key to drive right up to it. It's really a powerful spot, so it'd be worth it. 

Other than this we ran out of time to explore Sedona further so we'll just have to go back!

Moving on to the Grand Canyon!  On our way, we visited Bearizona, an animal park/preserve that has some great views of animals if your family is into that. I could flood this already-lengthy blog post with adorable pictures of baby bears playing and owls flying so close to our heads they'll knock you over, but you get the picture. Check it out, it's a sweet spot.

Once in the canyon - We were truly awestruck by this amazing 7th Wonder. It was a place that no picture or description can fully describe, you simply have to see it for yourself.  We'd managed to get a copy of Candy Harrington's brand new Grand Canyon guidebook before we went, and got a few great tips out of it for our needs - number one is ask for the accessible driving pass at the entrance gate, with it comes a code that lets you drive to the end of Hermit's Rest where only shuttle busses go. This was a special treat for us because it meant having our cooler with us for a picnic in the middle of a long day.

If you think every view will be the same, you're wrong. Stop at every one as we did, and be impressed in a new way every time. But don't be stupid and go too close to the edge. They pull 250 people out of the canyon every year, and most years a dozen people leap or fall accidentally over the edge. Those 1000-foot cliffs aren't forgiving.

We love camping and stayed at one of the accessible spots in the Mather Campground and it was perfectly convenient and predicable for us - near the restroom, flat tent area, protective metal fire ring. But a few of the lodges look right into the canyon and we think the next time we visit we'll step up and book a room just for the views.  A warm shower would be nice too - camping in April in the Canyon can be cold, our nights dipped into the low 30s. The last time Andy camped there in 1998 they got snowed on.

We also squeezed in a visit to the Grand Canyon IMAX and for those of us who aren't doing the hiking, a flight trip, or the mules, make this movie a stop during your stay. It was enlightening, historical, and almost gut wrenching with the typical IMAX flying.

We must say, reading Candy's book before, during and even after our visit made us reminisce about writing guidebooks - sometimes we miss those days!  It's a great little guide of the area, so definitely check it out. We didn't take much out of it other than the few tips about shuttling because we made our own meals and camped, but there is a lot of information in there that is extremely detailed - right down to the photographs of the lodge's accessible bathrooms! Always the biggest stress when traveling for us - does the shower really have a bench?

If you don't have the Grand Canyon on your bucket list, you should amend the list!

Know of someone with a disability that's trying to find work?

If so, our friend Brooke Lightner here in Steamboat Springs may be just the girl to help you.

Work isn't easy to find, but inspiring work for people with disabilities is out there, you just may need some assistance in finding it. Brooke works for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), Colorado’s leading placement organization for people with disabilities. The DVR Business Outreach Specialist team has more than 60 years experience in providing a bridge between companies and talented job seekers, committed to helping employers find candidates who are skilled, loyal, and committed to their success, as well as helping individuals with disabilities prepare for going to work, obtaining and maintaining employment.

DVR is your advocate. DVR educates businesses about the benefits of using DVR as a recruitment resource, the business outreach team prepares and delivers valuable disability awareness training to assist employers in learning about hiring and employing persons with disabilities, proper disability etiquette, and how these can positively impact the business bottom line. Other services to employers include: information and guidance about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and job accommodations, consultative services such as job retention for a current employee with a disability or who has recently acquired a disability, job analysis and adaptive technology, and information about possible DVR financial incentives and tax credits a business may receive for hiring a person with a disability.

Contact Brooke Lightner, the Business Outreach Specialist in your area for more information about our business services. 970-367-3220 or brooke.lightner@state.co.us

FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 Add-on Inspections

taken from  Thursday, February 27, 2014 | 09:00 AM PST | 12:00 PM EST | Duration : 120 Minutes | Register Now

In December 2010 the FDA began a project to better understand the industry’s adherence (or lack thereof) to 21 CFR Part 11. This involves the add on’ surveillance inspections of the sponsors’ computer systems during the course of the FDA’s regular inspections. This presentation will cover the scope, status and results of the surveillance inspections and what they may mean for the future of 21 CFR Part 11. At the beginning of the initiative FDA made it very clear that Part 11 is in effect and is enforced according to the original Part 11 and the Guidance from 2003. In the meantime FDA officials reported about key findings. For example, George Smith who heads up FDA's Part 11 working group gave an update with examples of violations. This webinar will enable you to determine whether your company is subject to the most common violations so you can take action to have a better inspection outcome. Areas Covered in the Session : What is FDA's most current thinking related to computers and electronic records? What are the inspection trends? What are most frequent recent citations for Part11? What are the most frequent deviations for computer system validation? Under which circumstances can inspectors exercise enforcement discretion? How important is risk based Part11 compliance? What is the best strategy for future proven Part 11 compliance? Who Will Benefit: Quality Managers Quality Engineers Small business owners GxP Regulatory Affairs professionals Consultants Quality VPs IT VPs Regulatory VP CEOs Sign up for this Webinar About Compliance Trainings: Compliance Trainings focuses on providing regulatory and quality based trainings to industry professionals across the globe. Compliance Trainings strive to educate and enhance the knowledge and broaden the horizons of regulatory professionals as well as professionals from the HR, Healthcare and many other industries. Compliance Trainings intends to establish both, a strategic and significant hold in the training industry by providing the highest level of quality trainings and consulting. To achieve our goal, Compliance Trainings uses the latest technology to make trainings both affordable as well as relevant to the industries professionals who work in an ever changing and highly regulated environment.

European Vacation 3: Paris and beyond!

(continued from Europe 1: Amsterdam and Europe 2: Belgium) 

... After some struggles with train bookings and accessibility prep (see Belgium), we were on our way to gay Paris! 

The fast train is... FAST. In one hour we were jetted into the center of Paris via the TGH - who bumped us up to first class, and provided taxi service for us. The taxi driver was awesome, explaining monuments along the way to the Hotel Derby near the Eiffel Tower.

As with hotels in the previous three cities, we booked months in advance, and knowing there would be some barriers, such as the one step up to the front door and the narrow bathroom door, we booked the hotel for its compromises and its location, and in this case, its price. Our walk in rates for all hotels were nearly double what we'd paid for online, so do your research and book in advance!

We were only in Paris two nights, and that was a bit of a whirlwind - we'd hoped to trade in our vacation ownership for the entire stay in Paris, and unfortunately there wasn't much with access in the city, so we locked in the Marriott resort out near Disney (45 mi. east) when the trade came in, and added on two nights in Paris at the Derby.

While there we racked up 26 miles in two days on foot touring the Eiffel Tower, the Arc du Triomphe, the Louvre, the Notre Dame, the Palace Invalides, and a boat tour... 13 miles each day, in the pouring rain. Well equipped with rain gear we made do, and while neither the entire Arc nor the top of the Eiffel weren't accessible, getting up close and personal to both were worth it, as was the line at Notre Dame, the aimless backtracking at the Louvre (elevators are not ideally placed), and the boat tour. Our one recommendation on the boat tour: KNOW the two accessible stops - Eiffel and Orsay - because there are a plethora of stairs at the other six. Miraculously we lucked out on that one. Highlight of the day: Getting up close and personal to the Mona Lisa - wheelchairs roll right up to it!

In addition to the sites, we took in the food again here; quaint little restaurants that wowed: Royal Grenelle, Majaraja, and the best pan au chocolates, baguettes, and cappuccinos of our lives.

After Paris, we rented a car and toured the nearby countryside - and racked up some of our favorite memories of the trip while stationed at the gorgeous Marriott Ile de France Resort.

From here we headed down toward Loire and toured accessible Chateaus: Chambord, Chaumont and Amboise and checked out the towns of Vouvray, Tours and Blois, dining on the way home in Orleans. Four words: Thank God for Garmin. Easily the best $75 we spent all month.

One day we visited the nearby big cat reserve (awesome if you love big cats - very accessible park and up close and personal shots!) and made dinner at a countryside fresh veggie and meats stand. YUM, BRIE and homebrew!

We also toured the Champagne Region and had a full accessible tour of Mercier in Reims and a partially accessible tour in at Mumm in Reims - and lots of champange to accompany.

Last excursion - we drove out to Versaille and toured that - the trams were helpful here (they always helped Craig transfer on board) but overall this was perhaps wrong to do last, we were tired, short on time, and overall disinterested in the huge estate and gardens after the chateaus we'd seen in Loire. But it was free. Personal preference.

Very last, the Charles de Galle airport was... challenging. For an international airport, the accessibility is unimpressive. We waited for an hour to get an escort from the check in desk to bring us to the gate, due to some issue with elevators and ascending moving sidewalks that seemed do-able though they wouldn't let Craig near them. They did park us at the Red Carpet club for a half hour for the hassle, and escorted us through security smoothly, which was nice.

Overall, despite the language barrier at time, we were pleasantly surprised at France's access - not as universal as Amsterdam, but not as bad as we'd anticipated. And the entire three weeks? Truly a life enriching experience we'll treasure for the rest of our lives!

And last, France in Photographs: 

European Vacation 2: Belgium

... continued from European Vacation 1: Amsterdam...

After a wonderful few gorgeous 80* sunny days in Amsterdam, we packed up and headed south to Belgium, through beautiful countryside past windmills and zipping along for a few hours on the European highway in a poshy awesome private taxi. It worked out to be only slightly more than the train, and much easier for Craig and dad (keep reading for more about the train and potential access issues there!).

We arrived in Bruges on a Sunday, in the middle of market, and the street we needed to get to was blocked off with a bouncy house and food booths - quite hysterical, the circling and GPSing and persistence of our driver! - but finally we arrived at the adorably quaint, historic Hotel Navarra! As with the Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, we booked Hotel Navarra many months in advance for its single accessible room and perfect location in the city. We were adjacent to the beautiful, also historic, Market Square. The room wasn't US-ADA coded like Krasnapolsky was, but it was manageable, and worth the small barriers to have the location and the historic beauty of this hotel. (Main barrier was the separate small stall for the toilet, but the shower had a hand-held and the sink was roll-under. And the pool, unfortunately, was down a flight of 500-year old stairs, but as I found, wasn't really worth it anyway, brrr!)

Historic, we found, in Europe, is nothing compared to what we can fathom for "historic."  It grabs your soul, this type of history, truly.  But for Craig, it grabs his wheels!  And by that I refer to the cobblestone... everywhere and ever present, the cobbles in Europe are a challenge, but not an insurmountable one! We are lucky for his knobby mountain wheels, stomach-muscles-balance, and ability to look a challenge in the face and laugh!  So very overlook-able when it comes to this gorgeous truly medieval city!

In Bruges, we had two days and packed it in, despite the rain!  The food just keeps getting better~ Pieter Pourbus and t/Zwaantje, waffles, chocolate and the ChocoStory museum, fat fat fries, and what would Belgium be without the BEER! Craig tried at least 20 beers in the 5 days we were in this great country, and every one of them were tasterific!

We did not make it up the umpteen stairs to the Bell Tower, and honestly, it wasn't missed - walking around the city was enough, and the view from the ground was just as spectacular! You could see this amazing tower from just about anywhere we walked to! The romantic canals, the Burg Square lunch, the Church of our Lady~ all wonderful, LOVED Bruges!

On to Brussels - and our lessons with the European train! We took two trains: From Bruges to Brussels, and then from Brussels to Paris. And both times, they wanted a day or two warning that we were coming (in Bruges they got no warning and wanted one day's, in Brussels they got one day and wanted two). Both times we had a bit of a language barrier as well but made it work (note to self, really commit to brushing up on the French!). And but both times we managed to sweet talk our way on - waiting an extra 30-45 minutes longer, all for a ramp that was walking distance from the train - but the issue is making sure the train has the right build and logistics for the ramp.  A plus: for the fast train to Paris, we were bumped up to first class because, oh darn, that's the only accessible car. Double-plus: it was 1/3 the price!

And Brussels: wow, the food! Restaurant Alexandre was unquestionably the best meal of my life. Mussels at Taverne Passage weren't too shabby either!  Food is better when enjoyed together, so it was also a blessing to be dining with family in this far away place! Each cup of coffee, each chocolate waffle, every fat french fry - what a tasty treat, made even better with more to ooh-and-ahh!

In Brussels we were just off Grande Place at the Hotel Ibis. A quaint little mod hotel with a small but accessible room. It had a tub that Craig just sat in to shower, but overall a big big bathroom to move around in, almost as big as the hotel room itself!

It was hard to pull ourselves too far away from Grande Place, and we did walk pretty far to museums and gardens, and were challenged by the hills - a new challenge is a good one, we got some exercise, but a little too much for dad. Tiring way to end their vacation, they were excited to head home and rest!

And then Mr. Craig and I moved on to France!  More to come~

In the meantime, highlights in photographs from Belgium!