Perkins Peninsula Park, Lane County, Oregon
Kayaking makes great accessible family travel adventures, especially for an amputee mom.
At last! As a family holiday gift, we got ourselves the best inflatable kayak for families: the Sea Eagle 370. We’ve been excited about these tandem inflatable kayaks for months. Now, with spring warming up western Oregon, it was time for our first paddling trip as a kayaking family.
So, naturally, we decided to inaugurate our new family inflatable kayaks with a wee float on Mother’s Day.
Family travel video: Wetlands kayaking with amputee mom and kids at Lane County’s Perkins Peninsula Park
In this in-betweenisode, we talk about our first family kayaking trip in our tandem inflatable kayaks. We were only on the water for a couple of hours, at Perkins Peninsula Park near Eugene. It was the perfect way to start our family kayaking adventures, especially for Jodie as an amputee mom and traveler.
Kayaking is a great way for an amputee mom (and other amputees) to travel
Traveling as an amputee, especially a parent, comes with its own challenges. But kayaking helps amputees get out there, travel, enjoy the water, and encourage families to work together.
For example, when we go kayaking, Jodie doesn’t wear her prosthetic leg. Instead, she gets around on her crutches. This encourages the kids to help more. Connor and Aster helped Anthony get gear out of the car, pump up the boats, and assemble paddles. Each kid can also help Anthony take the IKs in and out of the water.
Our first family kayaking adventure has us ready for more. Where do you think we’ll go next?
Related posts:
Family kayaks: Why our family of 4 paddles in 2 Sea Eagle inflatable kayaks 
Accessible Oregon Coast travel: An amputee mama’s family road trip from Reedsport to Brookings 
Prosthetic leg at the ocean: How amputee travelers can enjoy the beach 
Amputees who travel: Jodie’s interview on The Active Amputee Podcast