Accessibility advocate Ian Mackay set off on a new adventure in his battery powered wheelchair Friday, August 22.  The 3-day Sea to Sound event is a 70 mile, multi modal group ride that spans the entire length of the Olympic Discovery Trail. Day 1 is 20 miles. Well over a hundred participants in wheel chairs and bicycles will be traveling from the Camp Creek Trailhead on the west side of Lake Crescent.  Appearing on Friday’s Buck Ellard show on KSQM, Ian says a large support group will be riding along with them to assist.

“The ride is designed for people with disabilities to go on a long ride with the community in a fully supported way. I mean we have over 67 volunteers to make this three day event possible. We ride like 20 to 28 miles per day.  Very few people have done that. And they love that. They love that choice.

Ian says about 130 participants have registered for this year’s event.

“We have a wheelchair and a bike mechanic and an EMT traveling along with the group throughout the weekend just in case anything breaks down or people are feeling less than perfect. We have delicious lunches halfway through the day.  We have a cool after party with dinner at the end of each ride. At lunch we try to make if fun and kooky. We have a flutist – a flute player that plays out in the woods for us out by Lake Crescent on day one. We have a father and daughter on guitar and sing for us at lunch on day two. And you know, it’s just really fun.” 

He says the mission of the organization he founded, called “Ians Ride” is to make outdoor access accessible to everybody.

“Remember, the volume of disabled individuals that join Sea to Sound, really, it shows the desire for access to the outdoors. And more folks should have these opportunities throughout our country. And the infrastructure really needs to be there to make that possible.”

The City of Sequim is seeking public opinions about the city’s festivals, events and even fireworks displays in a survey that can be found on the city’s website at www.sequimwa.gov. The survey responses will help guide city officials as they plan, support and improve future community gatherings. The survey asks if the respondent is satisfied with the city’s Sunshine Festival, the Independence Day Celebrations, if the city should even continue hosting an Independence Day celebration and if so, if the city should include fireworks in Independence Day celebrations.

The survey comes at a time when several local organizations are advocating for a ban on commercial fireworks displays within the city limits, primarily to protect wildlife and the environment.  Three local environmental non-profits, the North Olympic chapter of the Sierra Club, Protect the Peninsula’s Future, and the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society have all issued official statements on the question, and are encouraging community members to share their thoughts on the city’s survey.  All three groups are advocating replacing fireworks with drone shows and relocating events away from sensitive wildlife areas to better protect the environment and residents. All three groups are encouraging the community to weigh in with their own thoughts, whether they support fireworks displays, or not, and express their opinions on why or why not on the matter.  The survey can be found on www.sequimwa.gov.