Sunriver, Oregon - June 12-15, 2008

This first blog will be long to give you extra background information on Amber and her abilities.

Sunriver is a resort community just south of Bend, Oregon. While I grew up in Camas, Washington, I have somehow made it 39 years without traveling to this fantastic place - until now. My mom, stepdad, brother, niece and my family try to take one trip each year together.

We've traveled to the Oregon Coast a few times but this year we wanted to try something different. My brother and I have great memories of a trip to Black Butte, OR when we were kids and we thought it might be a blast to do something similar with our kids.

I should mention the most important part of this trip. Sunriver in the Summer is truly about the bike trails. There are 35 miles of paved bike/walking paths that run through the entire resort. Sooooo...one must have a plan for a child with a disability when it comes to a "biking" vacation. Actually, we planned this vacation because we already had the major accommodation neccessary for such a trip. We own a Wike. The Wike Company makes all kinds of bike trailers, but they are the only company I know of that makes a special needs trailer. And it's lightweight, easy to pull and made exceptionally well. I can't say enough good things about the Wike. Amber loves to go on bike rides thanks to this thing. It was pricey, but worth every cent. So we began g around Sunriver to figure out the best place to stay. Did I mention we always travel with our Cocker Spaniel as well? Cricket goes where we go (except for Hawaii which you will hear about later) so we search for Pet Friendly locations that meet my standards for cleanliness and comfort. We found Bennington Properties in Sunriver and my mom and I began narrowing down our choices based on beds and the way the bedrooms are layed out. I need to have Amber near me so I can hear her should she get out of bed. I also prefer to have a bathroom near her. (You may notice a recurring theme here - we're all about the bathrooms.)

Amber is not wheelchair bound, but she does wear AFO's (braces) on her feet. And she recently underwent major surgery on both feet and then had another surgery on her knee. So, walking right now is a bigger struggle than usual. Still, when her AFO's are off, it's like losing a prosthetic leg. She really has never been able to walk on her own without them. Thus, planning for the room layout is important so that Darin (my husband) isn't having to carry her up and down stairs in a hurry to the bathroom!

I do not need to account for a wheelchair in the house, however, at this time. This is helpful because it makes the search that much more tricky.

I cannot say enough good things about Bennington Properties. The house that we chose was very reasonably priced - we chose to go the week before peak season to take advantage of the discounts. I am married to a man who really appreciates the "Stingy Person's Special" so if you're on a budget with all this, remember to consider the dates and promotions. We were able to stay two nights, on off peak rates, AND get the third night free. Split between all of us, we got a deal! Three nights were NOT enough time in Sunriver and we will definitely go back.

The house was well equipped and clean. We stayed in 15 Pole House Lane which had a small detached garage that was empty and able to fit our rented U-Haul which we brought the Wike and all of our bikes in. The garage wasn't advertised and we thought we were going to have to rent a storage facility for the U-Haul but Benninngton came through for us with a key and a great attitude. It was perfect for storage.

Here are the obstacles of this location: The house was smaller than we expected as far as living room space went but really that wasn't a big deal. It could have been if we needed to fit a wheelchair in there. The tiny hallway to the two downstairs bedrooms and bathroom was very narrow. Again, not wheelchair friendly but we weren't looking for that - just wanted to point it out if someone is. Still, this property management company has MANY properties to choose from - and certainly there are those that ARE wheelchair friendly. The bedrooms that we chose for ourselves and the kids were all located upstairs. Darin (my husband) is thankfully strong and capable of carrying Amber up the stairs. That said, we do live in a two story house and while I *can* carry Amber if I have to, I prefer not to. She is very capable of scooting up the stairs on her own and will do so when I am by myself. It's a slow boat, but she gets there.

Another issue - the hot tub. It did not have stairs or anything for entry. This wasn't good for any of us. So we climbed up on a chair to get in. Amber did not want to use the hot tub this time so no problem there, but if she had, Darin would have been doing some lifting. The rest of us who used it enjoyed it immensely even with the climb.

Great things about the house and the location besides the bike rides: The "extra" bedroom was adorable and sat right outside our room and the bathroom upstairs.

Perfect! Our bedroom had a TV with a VCR/DVD and cable. Amber wakes up very early but is content to watch one of her movies while we sleep for an extra hour or so. In the mornings when she woke at 5:30 am, Darin brought her to the bathroom then to bed with me - she slept a bit but then watched TV allowing us to sleep until around 7:30 or 8:00. He just took over her bed at that time.

The resort has three pools - two of which we had access to and were included with our rental. The North Pool was more of a lap/lesson pool and quite a bike ride away! The South Pool is the main pool and has a water slide and is quite large - most of it being only 3'6" deep. Amber stands quite well in the water and loves it - if it's warm enough - and it was. Bennington thought the pool was only solar heated but thankfully, they were wrong. It's actually heated - to a comfortable 84 degrees! Everyone enjoyed the swimming. The locker rooms/bathrooms were new and very clean. Another plus in my book! The only downside was that there was no seating on the actual pool deck. Chairs are in the grass. There may have been a ramp but I didn't see it. I might have brought her adaptive stroller to the pool if I were alone, but Darin was with me so he wound up carrying Amber up and down the stairs when it was time to get out of the pool (for adult swim every hour.)

Between swimming and biking, Amber was fully included in the family fun. We ate our meals at the house, with the exception of one meal in Bend at the Black Bear Restaurant. They were great and the food was good with huge portions. We simply did not have time to take advantage of the horse stables, marina or all of the wonderful restaurants in the area. I did do some shopping in the village and found a swim suit to match my bike:0) and I enjoyed the fact that there was an onsite grocery store that seemed to have EVERYTHING including an amazing wine and beer selection.

Warning: This next segment is graphic and includes information on restrooms. Proceed without a meal.

We drove from Idaho to Sunriver taking Highway 20.

There are not a lot of towns or stops along the way but we do have to stop as often as possible for Amber her sister, who has bladder issues, to use the toilet. This is, by far. the worst part of our traveling. We are at the mercy of the bathroom supplier. We always try to purchase something when using the facilities but in some cases - well - in the case of the Oasis Cafe in Juntura OR, we most definitely would NOT have purchased anything. In fact - I can't believe I even took my child into that bathroom. In hindsight, I should have risked an accident in the car. The place was beyond a health hazard. There seemed to be no one working there either. The women's room was closed so we had to use the men's room. The urinal had a bag over it. The sink was filthy and the soap dispenser had a buildup of soap or scum or something unidentifiable. The floor was wet and it was only after I sat Amber down on the toilet (which was dry and not covered with anything that would cause me NOT to set her down on it) that I realized it was a puddle of urine. She was already there and I just begged her to hurry. She has repetetive hand movements...hers are always to her mouth. I was fighting her hands to the toilet/to the mouth the whole time trying to sing our potty song to get her to go. Her pants tried to fall to the floor - I would pull them up - she would push them down. Oh the horror of this. Then she leaned forward and I saw it. Poo...dried up on the back of the toilet. I thought I was going to be sick. She finally went. I carried her away from the puddle as fast as I could, got her dressed and left - refusing to let my other children step foot in there. I held her hands away from her until I could get to the car and scrub them with sanitary wipes. I am certain that my foul mouth was still cleaner than that place. I saw it was for sale. Anyone who purchases it, should burn the restrooms to the ground and start over. I may purchase a portable toilet and pop up screen for future road trips that don't include our RV. I will never sacrifice Amber's dignity or her health again like that.

DON'T GO TO THE OASIS OF HELL!!!

All in all, our trip to Sunriver was fabulous, beautiful and way too short. We will definitely go there again.