All Aboard!

Practically everyone loves a train ride. The problem for those of us living in North Idaho is there are few trains to ride - unless you want to get on the midnight train to Seattle. But if you have kids that want the experience of riding the train, that option doesn't really cut it.

Starting in late July and running through late October, the Lions Club of North Pend Oreille Valley runs an excursion train set up exclusively for those wanting the experience of riding a train. The train depot is in Ione, Washington and runs north to Metaline Falls which is about 10 miles according to the Lions' web-site. The cost is extremely affordable - $8 for ages 2 - 12, $12 for those 13 - 64 and free for kids under 2 years of age.

The Lions Train Rides web-site is extremely detailed in regards to getting tickets, what to expect, describing the ride and scenery, how to buy tickets and pick them up etc. Purchasing tickets online through the Lions' web-site was hassle free using PayPal.

Since there is so much information about the train ride on the Lions' website, I'll focus here on our experience and fill in some details that might be helpful for those needing some extra supports.

From Coeur d' Alene, the drive to Ione is about two hours. It's a beautiful trip on a two lane road so depending on traffic, the trip might take a little longer. You should expect to check in at the depot about 30 minutes prior to your departure time. People start to line up at the tracks and the seating in the cars is first come, first served.

As is our nature, we arrived in Ione about an hour before departure and luckily, we spied a cute little park at the edge of town. We detoured to the park to let the kiddo get out and explore the slide, sand box and swings. The city park is located on the banks of a small lake so just be prepared for that. Also, the playground equipment is "old style". There is a covered gazebo in the park with restroom facilities. I'm not sure if the restrooms are available all the time - there was an event going on when we showed up so they may only be open during special occasions.

The train depot is about 5-6 blocks from the park and there appeared to be ample parking at the depot. The parking is not paved so for those using a chair, it might be a bit more difficult to navigate. There was also a restroom facility located at the depot but there were lines for that one; I'm glad we found the park restrooms and got that one out of the way! From what I could see, the restrooms appeared to be accessible.

There are food vendors located at the tracks and you are allowed to bring food and drink onto the train. My kiddo spied the kettle corn and I should have gotten him some for the trip because he didn't let me forget it for the entire ride - live and learn.

You will have your choice of cars when it's time to board the train. There is one caboose car, a few "open" cars and a few regular passenger cars. Once you get on a car, you cannot move to another one. We chose the open cars because it appeared people could move around, stand up and be a bit more casual than a regular seated passenger car. If you choose the open car, you should be prepared with coats, hats, blankets etc. because it does get a bit cold rolling through the forests.







In the open car, there are seats in the middle of the car. Most people were trying to find a seat right when they boarded but once the train started moving, people were standing up and looking out. Don't stress if you can't find a seat before the train starts to roll - you will be able to sit if you need to once the ride starts.

We boarded the train about 15 minutes prior to our departure time. The train actually started 5 minutes late so that meant 20 minutes of waiting on the car. This was probably the most difficult part of the trip for us. My kiddo was excited to ride the train but he was not excited about waiting. I think he was probably a bit confused too about the "hurry up and wait" part of the trip. I suggest bringing books or other things to keep the kiddos occupied while you wait for the trip to begin. There is one train car that is wheel-chair accessible and it's an open-air car. There is a ramp for this car but since I didn't ride on that car, I'm not sure how it was structured on the inside.



Once the train started, the kids were up and looking out of the train at everything going by. The train is a bit wobbly; those with a tendency towards motion sickness might not feel too comfortable on this ride. The train whistle blows fairly often as the train crosses a road or two. Those with sound sensitivity may be bothered by this and unfortunately, there's no pre-warning as to when the whistle will be going off. Be prepared also for someone narrating the trip over the speakers, pointing out intesting geography and giving history lessons. Fortunately for us, the PA system stopped working so we were able to enjoy the ride in peace! Again, for those with sound sensitivity, this may be bothersome.

The trip itself is an up and back excursion. We traveled through two tunnels and over one spectacular bridge. One of the tunnels is long and it is pitch-black in the middle. Many people were taking pictures and the abundance of camera phones made it impossible to truly be "in the dark". The train stops on the bridge once to offer opportunities for pictures and just soaking in the sights.




Once we reached the half-way point, the train stopped and we were "robbed" by bandits. This little bit of theater allows time for the engine to move to the other end of the train and gives a local group an opportunity to do a little fundraising. Bring a few quarters along to drop in the robber's bag. This of course was more waiting time - probably about 15 minutes.

Once the engine was back on, we headed back to the Depot in Ione. The entire train ride lasts about one hour and 45 minutes. On the trip back, my kiddo was rather done with the whole thing and he wanted to just sit on my lap and get warm. He did get up for the tunnels and the bridge but it was probably a bit too long of a trip for him (especially considering the 2 hour car ride to get there).



Because my kiddo has some food allergies, we didn't plan on eating in Ione as I couldn't count on finding anything to eat that didn't have wheat in it. Newport, Washington is on the road to/from Ione and is a larger town with a Safeway and various fast food options. It would be a good rest stop with familiar foods and eating options.

There is a bit of a tricky intersection in Newport and if you choose the wrong way, you'll end up going to Sandpoint rather than Coeur d' Alene adding another hour on to your trip (yes, I know this from experience).

I recommend going but be prepared for some waiting and dealing with a bit crowding on the train car.

Riverstone Park

I can say with confidence that Riverstone is the most manicured and landscaped park in Coeur d' Alene. My guess is that the reason the landscaping is bumped up a few notches is because there are so many "adult" activities and events that take place in this multi-use park. It could also be because the entire Riverstone development was built on an old lumber mill site and well, gravel just wasn't going to cut it.



The park itself is 14 acres in size which includes a man-made pond with "water features" - i.e., fountains. There are no water craft or paddleboats on the pond and I've not seen anyone swim in this body of water. There are some geese and ducks but feeding them is not allowed.



There is a paved path around the park and the pond and the paths also link up to the Centential Trail which will take you west to Spokane or east to Lake Coeur d' Alene. You can also hook up with the Prairie Trail at this park which will take you by the Salvation Army Kroc Center. The path around the pond has several benches as well as a couple of bridges and waterfall features.

There are about 50 parking spots in the lot, two of them accessible. Because of the access to multiple trails, people will often use the Riverstone parking lot as a trail head. This morning as I drove into the lot I wondered what was going on at 9 am on a Tuesday. Ten cars in the lot, not a single person in the park.

There are three distinct areas in Riverstone park - the playground, the stage and tiered seating area and another secluded sitting area overlooking the water. There are free concerts in the summer at Riverstone usually offering a variety of musical genres. In 2010, the concerts included rock, jazz, country and celtic!



The stage and seating areas are concrete and are accessible by ramps. There are stairs that lead from the stage to the water's edge so bringing a small child or a child obsessed with all things water will require a great deal of supervision and diligence. The secluded seating area is also accessible however the concrete path turns to paving stones at the bench area. The stone are very large and are still accessible. There is an upper and lower area to this "zen garden" and the lower area drops off into the water without any natural or man-made curbing. There are some large boulders in the this area and my water-obsessed kiddo is always wanting to walk on the rocks to get to the water.



The playground has the standard wood chips for a base but there is a ramp! I chuckle everytime I look at this picture. All I see is someone in their chair saying "great, now what" once they've rolled into the chips and need a 4-wheel drive to get out.



The play structure itself has a ton of climbing opportunities. Ropes, walls, rungs, more ropes, more rungs. There is a plastic curly slide, a triple-wide slide (also plastic) and a fireman's pole for getting back down quickly. There is a rather unique transom which allows kids to sit on a platform while others use a crank to make the platform move back and forth. Great upper body workout for sure! Two big-kid swings and one tire swing round out the playground.




There is a BBQ Pavillion with picnic tables and BBQ grills and aside from the abundant landscaping, the pavillion is the only shade area.



The restrooms are "real" which is always a treat. They do however have heavy doors that open outward. These doors are not automatic and may pose an issue for someone with limited mobility. The only drinking fountains I could locate were at the bathrooom structure.

When I took my kiddo to Riverstone, he was most interested in the pond. We managed to walk the entire path around the pond but it took a long time because we needed to watch the waterfall, find rocks to throw into the water, try to get into the water every two feet or so..... Needless to say, the water features of this park are a bit of a distraction for my water-obsessed kid. I take him to this park when I know nothing else is going on because I know he is going to want to interact with the water and he wouldn't understand why he couldn't just walk behind the band and start playing in the water by the stage. Eventually he'll have enough practice to attend community events at this park but for now, I stick with mid-week days in the spring, fall and winter.

Riverstone Park will be the location of the Buddy Walk, September 25th. The Buddy Walk was created in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and to promote acceptance and inclusion. I'll be there and I hope you will be too! There will be refreshments, gymnastics demonstrations, face painting and other great activities for the kids. Did I mention there will be snacks?

For more information about the Buddy Walk, you can visit Ds Connections NW.

It's Hot - Let's Go Swimming!

One of the best things about living in Coeur d' Alene is the availability of lakes and rivers for swimming and other water sports. Amazingly enough, there is quite a bit of diversity when it comes to beaches and water access. Each area seems to have its own 'culture' so finding an area that suits your tastes and needs may take a while. My hands-down favorite spot for enjoying Lake Coeur d' Alene and the Spokane River is the Dike Road beach (AKA NIC Beach).

This beach is mostly enjoyed by locals and their families looking to enjoy the water in a relaxed environment. Gooseberry Road (its official street name) winds up around NIC along the river; parallel parking is available on the left hand side of the one-way street and the Centennial Trail is on the right hand side. The speed limit is 15 mph and the road is busy during the summer days with cars, walkers and bicycles. Luckily, NIC offers free parking for the beach at their parking lots so if you can't find a spot on the road, you can find one a short distance away.



This beach is not easily accessible if one uses a chair or needs mobility assistance. There is a rather steep drop off from the road to get to the beach although there are a few rail-road tie stairs available. The beach itself extends for .7 miles and there are a couple of places that have a "gentle slope" to get to the beach. There is only one paved path - everything else is dirt, grass or sand. The dirt and grass however are pretty hard in regards to their surface. There is one place along the road that offers accessible parking and a paved ramp to a restroom. It's located at mile .5, just past the concession stand/boat rental shack. The path is VERY narrow (33 inches wide) and there is a sharp corner to negotiate. I have not been to this beach with anyone using a chair but I would imagine it would not be a comfortable ramp to negotiate.





The entire beach at NIC is lined with trees and then sand to the water. There are numerous picnic tables and BBQ pits available for use - first come, first served. Some of the tables are in the sun, some are not. The beach itself is rocky/sandy/dirt so expect to have some dirt in your car at the end of the day. The river bed is mostly sand which makes it great for swimming. As you move towards the mouth of the river to the lake, the lake bed becomes more rocky and swim socks are definitely recommended. There is occasional litter on the beach and I'm always amazed that I can still find the old-style pop-tops from cans (weren't those banned in the 70's?). Broken glass is also not uncommon. I always bring a plastic grocery sack with me to pick up litter that I don't want my kiddo to walk on or to pick up.

It should be noted, from .1 to about .5 miles, there are waterfowl. It is legal to feed them at mile .1 which is why there are so many. Navigating the goose poop is something that you'll have to get used to if you want to swim here. I try to remember to bring a cat litter scoop with me to clean up the area where we will have our towels.

There are two permanent bathroom structures, one at .4 mile and the other at .5. The women's bathroom has two stalls, one accessible and the men's room has one urinal and one accessible stall. Each bathroom structure also has an outside shower for rinsing off sand and dirt.




If you're thinking about heading to NIC Beach, here are some helpful hints:

1. Everyone else will be bringing water toys - air mattresses, buckets, floaties etc. My kid was so focused on trying to get other kids' toys that he didn't even want to swim the first time he went there. You'll probably want to bring something of your own for the kids to play on.

2. This is a community with a logging history and there are still logs in the water, washed on to the shore. These logs offer some great fun for kids as they play on them, sit on them while floating in the water, spin them etc. Not exactly what safety specialists would want kids playing with but they are there. As a kid, some of my best river memories are playing on those logs. If you're paranoid about your kid being near a beached or floating log, this beach may not be for you. One of my son's first 'social moments' with another child came last year while he was playing with a log in the water.

3. Parking and getting to the water with a child that finds it difficult to wait may be an issue. For many kids obsessed with water, once they see it - they need to get to it. I've weathered many a melt-down because kiddo didn't understand that we couldn't just stop in the middle of the road to go to the beach. Social stories about parking and walking might be in order, particular at the height of summer.

4. Avoiding crowds is still possible in the summer if you swim early or late. Plan on getting there before 10:00 am and you'll be able to find parking along the road. Same thing for showing up after 5:30 or 6:00 pm

5. People will be BBQ'ing so there will be food/smells/hot coals etc. that kids can be very curious about. It's a good idea to bring along some of your own food to keep the kids from wandering into someone else's picnic area.

6. The beach at mile .5 has a lot going on in regards to activities: beach volleyball, concession stand, boat rental and a boat dock. If you're looking for an area without a lot of distractions, best to avoid this particular spot on NIC Beach.

7. At mile .7, the water is more shallow and therefore warmer than the rest of the beach area.

8. There are no life guards at this beach. All swimming is done at your own risk and it can be risky. Life jackets for the little ones and the bigger ones that are not strong swimmers are definitely recommended. At the very least, they all need to be watched by adults while they are in the water.

9. Alcohol and dogs are not allowed.

10. It's all free and it's open 365 days a year. OK, so we're not swimming in the dead of winter but we do go to the river and lake year round to throw rocks, feed the geese and to walk along the shore.

I admit I'm partial to this beach because I enjoyed it as a kid and it's great to finally have an activity that my son enjoys just as I did at his age.

What have your experiences been at NIC Beach? Do you have a favorite beach on Lake Coeur d' Alene?

Cherry Hill Park

Cherry Hill is located off of 15th Street in Coeur d' Alene, just north of the freeway. It has an eclectic mix of activities available: BMX bike course, Ultimate Frisbee course, tennis courts, a basketball court, the Fallen Heroes Plaza, a sledding hill and a small playground.





There are three separate parking areas, each with accessible spots and there are paved paths leading to the playground, the BMX course and the Plaza. This park is located at the base of a hill and forest area so not all of the paths are level.



There are two bathrooms at Cherry Hill - one is a full restroom located at the base of the sledding hill and there are porta-potties located by the playground and the BMX course. One of the porta-potties is accessible. There are a couple of water fountains located throughout the park.



This park has a few picnic tables available - they are mostly located under mature trees which offers a nice respite from the sun. There is one table by the BMX course that is "permanent" but it is not accessible from the paved trail. The other picnic tables get moved around a bit so it's not possible to anticipate their accessibility on any given day.

The playground is mostly geared towards toddlers and younger children. There is a fireman's hat structure which is unique to this area. Children climb the stairs to get "inside" the hat where there is lots of room to run, play, be loud etc. There is a covered slide at one end of the hat and a fireman's pole at the other. There are no ramps to access the structure so a child must be able to climb the 10 stairs or be carried up the stairs in order to get to the slide. The structure itself is large enough to accommodate adults.

The other play structures in the playground area are more "old fashioned" - cars, trucks and motorcycles on springs where kids get to pretend to drive and bounce around. There is a larger structure with climbing ropes and a platform but it is still quite small. Again, this playground is geared for the toddler/preschooler.

The playground area itself is fenced and covered in wood chips. There is one entrance and a few benches located within the perimeter. There is also one picnic table within the perimeter of the playground. There is some shade available under the hat structure but nothing shading the benches or picnic table. On many occasions, I've seen parents/grandparents sitting on the grass under a tree outside of the playground area as they are still able to watch the kids from there.





The sledding hill in the winter is quite busy. It looks pretty steep so I imagine sledding there can get quite exciting! My kiddo hates to sled so we haven't tried it out personally. It does look exhausting from a parental perspective - all that trudging up a steep hill for a few seconds of speed.....

There is a fire station located by the tennis courts so for kids with sound sensitivity, this may be an issue. For more information and pictures, you can visit the Coeur d' Alene Parks Cherry Hill page.

Is Cherry Hill one of your "go-to" parks? Let us know what you think!

Julyamsh Update

We were as prepared as we were going to be for experiencing Julyamsh. As we drove up to the Event Center I realized quickly there was one thing we were absolutely not prepared for. Bounce Houses. With water.

The kiddo saw the Houses immediately and of course perseverated on them until we could get there. Not only was it rather spendy for him to bounce (they were charging per house and you only got 5 minutes on the thing until you had to pay more), but we didn't have a towel with us.

Those dealing with Sensory Integration issues understand this predicament immediately. Wet clothing can be a VERY difficult thing to manage. My kiddo was trying to negotiate in the beginning: "Swimtrunks?" - no honey, you have to just wear your clothes. "Take your shorts (off)?" - no honey, you have to just wear your clothes. Once he got going, he had a ball. He did not however, take to the whole five minute limit rule (or even the 'you have to just stay on this one' rule).

I would like to say that after our time at the bounce house corner, we were able to walk around and look at all the art work and crafts, sit down in the shade and watch the dancers, get a bit of food and something to drink but we needed to head back home because nothing beyond the bounce house was going to happen today.

To Julyamsh or Not to Julyamsh, That is the Question

Julyamsh is the annual Pow-Wow of the Coeur d' Alene Tribe. I've never been to this event although I've always wanted to go and this year I'm thinking about taking the kiddo.

Here are the Pros:
New experience with lots to see like the horse parade, dancing and drumming.

An opportunity to practice our "out in public" social skills.

Exposure to another culture (and not of the fungal variety).

It's free! Frequently with new places, kiddo stays about 30 minutes and then wants to go home so free is always good!

It's an activity for us to do as a family on the weekend. Weekends can be tough around here because there is less structure than school.

Now the Cons:
It's a new experience with lots to see like the horse parade, dancing and drumming. There's a good chance that kiddo might be overwhelmed by the activity and sounds. There's also a good chance that he'll have zero interest in the parade, dancing and drumming and will find a pile of dirt that he'd rather throw into the air. I should mention that kiddo will be 8 this October so the dirt throwing activity garners a bit of unwanted attention.

I was reading the Julyamsh web-site about how people need to be respectful of the tribal traditions and outfits. No taking pictures without permission, no touching the outfits etc. So if kiddo IS interested in the dancers and drummers, he's going to want to fully experience it by touching the beautiful beads, feathers, drums etc. When I move to block him from grabbing someone's sacred necklace, he's going to react very loudly and then I'll feel obligated to launch into the "autism elevator speech".

There's going to be a lot of me saying "stay over here", "no touching", "inside voice", "no eating", "not a choice", "no screaming", "bubble space", "it's OK", "we'll watch Jeopardy when we're done". I'm usually pretty exhausted at the end of one of these excursions regardless of whether the outcome was good or bad or somewhere in between.

I have not been to the Post Falls Event center before so I'm flying blind in regards to what things might be there that could be potential problems for us.

So, we'll plan on going and hope for the best because staying at home, isolated because things might not go as well as I would like is not an option. A 30 minute trip will take about 2 hours to prepare for because I'm going to have to create a social story for the kiddo and that takes some time finding pictures a la Google and putting the story together in Powerpoint.

My mantra for tomorrow - breathe deeply and remember to have a good time.

Bluegrass Park

Bluegrass Park, located in the Coeur d' Alene Place neighborhood at 6071 N Courcelles Parkway is one of our favorite parks. It has a lot of green space, a large playground, ultimate frisbee course, basketball courts and a splash pad. It's a newer park so there's not much shade but the equipment is still in pretty good shape.

In regards to accessibility, there is a large parking lot with two accessible spots. There is a wide paved path around the entire park that is .33 miles in length. The paved path leads to the playground, but the playground is covered in wood chips so one using mobility assistance would most likely find it difficult to access the playground area.

There are "real" bathrooms (yeah!) at Bluegrass and the only water fountains for the park are located on the outside of the restroom building. There is one accessible stall in each bathroom and at this writing, they both have doors.

There are no steps to negotiate at Bluegrass however there are a few rolling hills within the perimeter of the park. There is one pavillion with picnic tables that is available for people to reserve (contact the City's Parks Department). Shade is pretty scarce at Bluegrass because the trees are still young and I often see people bringing their own pop-up pavillion tents or large umbrellas to keep the sun at bay.

One of the most popular features at Bluegrass is the splash pad. It is not a large pad so keeping track of your kid even when it's busy isn't too hard to do. The cement on the pad doesn't seem to be too slippery and kids are running on the wet cement all day. The splash pad is open from 11 am to 7 pm (Memorial Day through Labor Day). The water is on a timer so if you have a perseverator, it's good to go around 6 pm and have the water completely turned off as a sign it's time to go. If you use a chair for mobility, the path leads directly onto the pad; if you don't want to get wet, you may have to stay on the path (and in the sun) because the water does 'over-spray' the splash pad.



The playground area is a good size - large enough to be interesting but not so large that keeping track of the kiddo is difficult. There are three entrances to the fenced playground area and benches located within the perimeter. There is no shade other than that provided by the play structure itself. There's not a lot of tactile stimulation at this playground so kiddos needing that sort of sensory input may find the wood chips more interesting than the slides. There are two toddler swings and two 'big kid' swings as well as a sand box. The structure itself is made of treated wood and the slides are plastic.









Bluegrass gets a lot of use but it never seems to be overly-crowded. Most of the users are from the neighborhood so people come and go often. Parents are involved in watching their kids and participating in activities. The attitude is relaxed. My kiddo has had his share of melt-downs there but no one has ever said anything to me or made me feel uncomfortable there.

Do you have any feedback about Bluegrass Park? Please comment and let us know your experiences!

Wild Waters, Coeur d' Alene

We were really looking forward to reviewing Wild Waters however, they are closed this summer. Their website states that they are refurbing the slides and doing some other construction projects on the park.

There's always next year!

For more information about Wild Waters, their website is www.wildwaterspark.com .

North Idaho - Lots to Do!

Living in North Idaho means that we're blessed with four seasons of fun. Having grown up in Coeur d' Alene, I truly appreciate the ability to swim in natural lakes and rivers, ski in the summer and winter, hike in the woods or just hang out with friends at the beach.

I want nothing more than for my son to have the same experiences that I had as a child growing up here. Autism however, affects his ability participate in activities. He gets overwhelmed by things that others wouldn't think twice about. He gets easily distracted by things like rocks or water. Dogs and loud noises scare the crap out of him. He has difficulty waiting for things to happen. He doesn't play with other kids.

This makes participating in life a little bit more difficult for us.

My job is to support him while he participates in life. To do so means that I need to be armed with information such as

• How far is the parking from the event?
• How big will the crowds be and will there be dogs?
• What is the bathroom situation going to be?
• Will there be any food there that he can't have (allergies) and will I need to develop a defensive strategy?
• What things might provoke some anxiety for my son?
• Woodchips or rocks?
• Are there any water hazards?
• What is my exit strategy going to be if my son doesn't want to leave?

If you're a parent of a typically-developing child you might not see the importance of knowing such details. If I ignore these details, it has the potential of developing into a situation where my son has increased anxiety and frustration, often ending in a "melt-down" with screaming and and lashing out. Autism doesn't mean that kids need more discipline. It means that they need a longer, more intense period of time to learn behaviors that are appropriate and the way they do that is to be positively supported through their experiences and of course - practice, practice, practice.

We will be reviewing recreational opportunities in North Idaho (and Eastern Washington) through the lens of disability. It is our hope that families supporting those with disabilities will get out and participate (because they will know what to expect and know how to prepare) and that those without disabilities will come to understand the need for and benefits of inclusion.