Oregon Becomes First State to Earn ‘Accessibility Verified’ Status from Wheel the World
The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, has worked with Wheel the World (WTW) to earn the state of Oregon a landmark designation: the first state to become “Accessibility Verified.” The designation elevates transparency and promotes inclusivity in travel experiences for people with visible and non-visible disabilities. AdvenChair with WanderLust Tours, through their partnership in AdvenTours, is featured in Wheel the World’s experience in Central Oregon.
Travel Oregon partners with Wheel the World to pioneer a new standard for inclusive travel
PORTLAND, Ore. (September 22, 2025) — The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, has worked with Wheel the World (WTW) to earn the state of Oregon a landmark designation: the first state to become “Accessibility Verified.” The designation elevates transparency and promotes inclusivity in travel experiences for people with visible and non-visible disabilities.
This milestone follows a coordinated statewide effort to evaluate, promote and improve the accessibility of tourism businesses across all seven of Oregon’s tourism regions, from hotels and outdoor adventure experiences to cultural attractions and culinary experiences. Oregon is now the first state to offer visitors with disabilities and/or mobility challenges the opportunity to plan travel itineraries through an online resource that keeps their needs top of mind.
Through this coordinated statewide effort and previous local efforts, WTW has assessed more than 750 hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses in 43 communities across the state (with more to come), and all Travel Oregon Welcome Centers, evaluating mobility, visual, hearing, and cognitive features to ensure travelers with diverse needs can plan with confidence. These assessments are available on WTW’s website to offer visitors with disabilities the ability to plan trips knowing their needs will be met at each destination along the way.
“Earning the distinction of being the first Accessibility Verified state reflects Oregon’s deep and ongoing commitment to welcoming all travelers,” said Kevin Wright, VP of Brand Stewardship at Travel Oregon. “Through this designation, we’re building a tourism landscape where inclusion is meaningful and central to the visitor experience.”
Through WTW’s Accessibility Verified program, accessibility features of local hotels, experiences and attractions have been made available online through www.traveloregon.com and www.wheeltheworld.com. This initiative provides access to detailed, reliable information on accessibility which is a crucial factor in trip planning for travelers with disabilities. Unlike other programs based on self-reporting or ADA compliance, WTW’s Accessibility Verified program uses a structured, on-site evaluation process backed by physical measurements across multiple dimensions of accessibility.
“Traveling with a disability often means facing the unknown,” said Alvaro Silberstein, CEO & Co-founder of Wheel the World. “Our vision is to remove uncertainty and establish trust by helping every destination verify, improve, and promote accessibility—creating real impact for travelers with disabilities and measurable returns for communities. By becoming the first state to achieve Accessibility Verified status, Oregon is setting a precedent and proving how powerful this cycle can be for travelers and for the communities that welcome them.”
To help bring the story to life, Travel Oregon and Wheel the World partnered with accessibility advocate Kaylee Bays, and the first wheelchair user to compete on So You Think You Can Dance. Kaylee shares her journey with her 140,000 followers on Instagram (@slayleebays), helping inspire a wide audience with her experiences. Kaylee explored Oregon’s accessible offerings firsthand, experiencing the dramatic landscapes of Smith Rock and kayaking surrounded by stunning mountains on Hosmer Lake in Central Oregon.
“I used to assume nature wasn’t something I could really be part of. Oregon showed me that I was wrong,” said Kaylee, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a degenerative condition she was diagnosed with at age 21. “It opened a whole new world for me. Kayaking and experiencing places like Smith Rock showed me that people are taking real steps to make outdoor adventures inclusive and accessible.”
The partnership with Wheel the World is part of Travel Oregon’s broader strategy to make the state more inclusive and welcoming for both visitors and residents with disabilities. With accessibility data now visible and bookable online, travelers can explore detailed listings, use Wheel the World’s AI-powered accessibility profile, utilize 24-hour customer support and receive tailored recommendations based on their specific needs. Explore accessible itineraries across Oregon via the Accessibility Verified designation here.
If you have a tourism business in Oregon and would like to participate in this program, you can find more information about Travel Oregon's Wheel the World program here.
Cyclists from Bend and beyond are becoming aware of the incomparable custom-build options taking off in Central Oregon. “For those riders who have been on the other top-shelf bikes, there’s a growing segment of folks who are looking for something different, cooler and more progressive that separates their riding and puts it on the next level of what’s possible,” Argonaut’s Rudisill said. As far as cycling in Central Oregon goes, from its extensive trail options and routes to its emerging custom builds, nothing is impossible.
Built to Ride
Bend Magazine writer Daniel O’Neil features the AdvenChair wheelchair that thinks its a mountain bike in his Sept/Oct 2025 article “Built to Ride—Custom bikes are a growing industry.” Downhill, cross-country, touring, road, gravel—the high desert offers every option a cyclist could ask for. It follows, then, that the area is also home to a core group of custom bike builders who are pushing bicycle engineering and production past any preconceived boundaries, while also maintaining the spirit of elation and freedom that cycling can provide.
Bend Magazine September-October 2025 Issue
Built to Ride
By Daniel O’Neil for Bend Magazine
Custom bikes are a growing industry
Downhill, cross-country, touring, road, gravel—the high desert offers every option a cyclist could ask for. It follows, then, that the area is also home to a core group of custom bike builders who are pushing bicycle engineering and production past any preconceived boundaries, while also maintaining the spirit of elation and freedom that cycling can provide.
An Argonaut bike is built specifically for its rider.
photo by Mighty Creature
In the United States, about 20 million bikes are sold each year, generating a market revenue of $8 billion. Some 98% of these bikes are manufactured in Asia. This may seem like an unfair headwind for Central Oregon’s bike companies, but instead they use it to their advantage by providing a custom bike build experience.
As Central Oregon’s trail systems expand and more cyclists move to the area, the pack of custom bike companies is gaining speed. Their market, from local to international cyclists, is starting to take notice.
PURSUING PERFECTION
Argonaut Cycles designs and builds some of the world’s most customized road and gravel bikes, which start at $16,000. Founded by Ben Farver in 2007, today Argonaut rolls out 200 high-end bikes a year, all made by hand starting with raw sheets of carbon fiber. Design, product testing and fabrication all happen in Central Oregon.
For cyclists who have spent enough time in the saddle to become one with their bike, customization offers an opportunity to exploit the benefits of different bike-frame geometries and flex patterns. Rather than ride a bike designed for a predetermined style of riding, and a particular weight and height range, a custom bike fine tunes performance. places offer such a surreal yet delightful expanse of climates, altitudes, and, it turns out, attitudes.
For the love of it
Due to steeper prices, and the challenges of reaching a niche market, custom bike building is a small but strong segment in Central Oregon. Without the deeper financial resources of major bike brands, custom builders rely on commitment and stoke instead.
Bend-grown 21-year-old Ethan Eggert founded Arid Cycles after high school. Arid’s full-suspension mountain bike frames are modular, allowing for a rider to select customized options when building the frame. Still in the prototype phase, Eggert plans to open pre-orders this fall. He’s proud to have stayed in Bend to pursue his project. “The market for high-end is there, and it still has room to grow,” Eggert said. “We’re in a good place because we have what people are looking for that they can’t find at the other brands.”
Besides the technical merits, working with a custom builder offers real-life value, allowing rider and builder to develop a relationship like that between surfer and shaper. “You’re supporting someone who’s passionate about what they’re making,” said Max Keegan, who custom welds about three to five bike frames a year as part of his project, Mostly Forever. Frames sell for between $1,900 and $2,500. “It’s sort of the farm-to-table deal, a closer circle. I get the materials, I make a bike frame, and I give it to you—versus a bike frame made overseas, shipped to a distribution center and then shipped to a bike shop.”
Ethan Eggert founder of Arid Cycles
Arid Cycles custom frame
Cyclists from Bend and beyond are becoming aware of the incomparable custom-build options taking off in Central Oregon. “For those riders who have been on the other top-shelf bikes, there’s a growing segment of folks who are looking for something different, cooler and more progressive that separates their riding and puts it on the next level of what’s possible,” Argonaut’s Rudisill said. As far as cycling in Central Oregon goes, from its extensive trail options and routes to its emerging custom builds, nothing is impossible.
click to enlarge
Access for all
Geoff Babb, founder of AdvenChair
photo by Cody Reux
Rich in innovation and collaboration, Central Oregon does not limit itself. When Geoff Babb suffered a paralyzing stroke in 2005, he refused to give up his passion for trails. In response, Babb pursued an off-road wheelchair that could explore places like the Grand Canyon. Babb tested his first AdvenChair in 2016, and today his volunteer-run nonprofit provides all-access wheelchairs for people from age 6 to 96 who previously couldn’t get to places such as Smith Rock in a standard wheelchair.
An AdvenChair costs around $12,000, but Babb works with outdoor schools and tour operators in the United States and beyond to make the chairs themselves more accessible. “We’re allowing a whole range of people to be outside enjoying nature,” Babb said.
Each AdvenChair is made by hand
photo by Eleanor Moseman
Central Oregon’s strong sense of community and entrepreneurship provided the ideal environment for AdvenChair to get rolling. “Really important locally is just being in Central Oregon where there are so many small businesses, so many startups,” said Babb. “I really benefited from being in this incubator, in this small, very supportive group of companies.”
In Bend, Oregon, Outdoor Adventure Belongs to Everyone
Condé Nast writer Sophie Morgan visits Central Oregon and is impressed by the accessibility to its natural environment, thanks to the AdvenChair hiking wheelchair. “Surrounded by a grinning team of able-bodied volunteers, all strapped onto the Advenchair with ropes, they prepared to lower me into what felt like the set of an epic Western. Smith Rock, a jagged, rust-red marvel shaped by ancient lava and sculpted by wind and water, rises from the Oregon desert like a sandstone cathedral. Ahead of me lay a trail that clung to the cliffside. Behind me: the rope team affectionately known as the “mules.” By all logic, this terrain should have been off-limits to someone like me. But this environment was nothing to the Advenchair, Geoff had taken it to the depths of the Grand Canyon previously.”
halbergman/Getty
By Sophie Morgan for Condé Nast Traveler
On a visit to this adventure magnet, Sophie Morgan goes for a trek in the high desert in an off-roading wheelchair and catches an outdoor concert, washed down, of course, with a few pints of local craft beer.
Bend, Oregon. It is one of those places people talk about with a kind of reverence. “Oh, Bend,” they’ll say, drawing out the vowel like there is a secret there that will only be revealed when you go. A renowned outdoor adventure capital, it draws climbers, kayakers, and powder chasers in droves. But as a wheelchair user, I wasn’t sure if that secret extended to people like me. Curious by nature and intrepid by design, I went to find out.
This small city, tucked into the dry side of the Central Oregon Cascades, home to just over 100,000 people, gets over 300 days of sunshine a year, yet Mt. Bachelor—just 22 miles away— collects an average of 462 inches of snow every winter. The city is hemmed in by more than 1.6 million acres of ponderosa pine forest, laced with nearly 300 miles of biking trails, and yet a mere 20-minute drive away the landscape shifts dramatically into high desert plateaus, where temperatures soar to 90°F in peak summer.
Meaning that within the span of one day, you can sip a hoppy IPA in the sunshine at one of the 30+ craft breweries (the highest per-capita rate in the U.S.), carve through alpine powder, paddle the Deschutes River, and still have time for an afternoon bike ride. The choice of outdoor activities are seemingly endless; few places offer such a surreal yet delightful expanse of climates, altitudes, and, it turns out, attitudes.
Within a few hours of arriving, I was strapped into a bright-orange, off-road wheelchair heading to one of the Bend-area’s most popular attractions, Smith Rock State Park. The AdvenChair, a uniquely human-powered, all-terrain chariot was created by Geoff Babb, a local legend who, after losing the ability to walk after a stroke in 2005, refused to be exiled from the wild, so he built his way back in. Necessity being the mother of all invention, after all.
The writer, Sophie Morgan, in an AdvenChair at Smith Rock
In and around Bend, Oregon —Sophie Morgan
Surrounded by a grinning team of able-bodied volunteers, all strapped onto the Advenchair with ropes, they prepared to lower me into what felt like the set of an epic Western. Smith Rock, a jagged, rust-red marvel shaped by ancient lava and sculpted by wind and water, rises from the Oregon desert like a sandstone cathedral. Ahead of me lay a trail that clung to the cliffside. Behind me: the rope team affectionately known as the “mules.” By all logic, this terrain should have been off-limits to someone like me. But this environment was nothing to the Advenchair, Geoff had taken it to the depths of the Grand Canyon previously.
“For me, it’s never been about conquering the trail, or the outdoors,” Geoff told me. The train of people all paused to let us talk above the Crooked River, its serpentine bend glowing in the afternoon light, a blue-winged heron glided just above the water while the canyon walls rippled in ochre and gold around us. “It’s about belonging to it and helping others feel like they do too.”
—Geoff Babb
Wanderlust Tours, one of Central Oregon’s most experienced outfitters, was guiding us both through the park. Geoff partnered with the company to extend their offering to those of us with physical disabilities, specifically people like Geoff with limited or no upper body strength. Familiar with adaptive adventures myself, I had expected adrenaline, but what I hadn’t expected was the teamwork, the way the ‘mules’ moved as one, hauling, guiding, laughing, and making the impossible feel ordinary.
“There’s something powerful about seeing a place become more accessible,” said Jared Garfield, lead ‘mule’ and one of Wanderlust’s guides. “The outdoors can feel overwhelming. That’s why the right equipment matters. But so do the right people. When you have both, you can bring more folks into places like them, especially those who’ve been told it’s not for them. We want everyone to feel included.”
This is a sentiment I would come to find implicit during my time in Bend; the values people take into the wilderness—respect, collaboration—don't disappear when they come back into town. They seep seamlessly into the atmosphere, shaping the way the city feels. And thanks to local advocates like Geoff, or local drag icon Pattie Gonia, that attitude is inclusive, enabling those of us who navigate the world differently, be that disabled, queer, or any other marginalized outdoor lover, access, an invitation to break the mould and redefine the stereotype of an outdoor lover.
Back in town, writer Tim Neville of Visit Bend showed me around the Old Mill District, once a timber hub, now a cultural centre, and into the vibrant downtown, where murals bloomed across brick walls, and record stores sat shoulder-to-shoulder with boutique shops, coffee bars and outdoor outfitters, and talked me through Bend’s long history.
Long before the climbers and cyclists arrived, this land was home to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. For thousands of years, they fished and traded along the Deschutes River, which ran through the city, as it still does, like a lifeline. Bend’s modern incarnation, born in the late 1800s with the arrival of the Europeans chasing the timber trade, has now grown into a recreation capital of the Pacific Northwest. But its Indigenous history runs deeper than any trail map and can be uncovered at the brilliant local High Desert Museum.
Today, Bend’s outdoor spirit is being shaped by organizations like Wanderlust and local nonprofit Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) who cater for sports lovers with disabilities of all kinds. “People live in Bend because they choose to,” explains Cara Frank, OAS’s executive director, who is deaf and moved to Bend from the East Coast, despite there being a shortage of interpreters in the local area, a testament to her adoration for the place. “That makes a difference; we care about this place and therefore about who gets to access it.”
The Deschutes River, which flows through Bend, at sunset Angelo DeSantis/Getty
Cara gathers a group of OAS’s volunteers and adaptive athletes at Crux Fermentation Project, for a communal sunset. Dogs—including her own deaf pup—outnumbered people. I met Ryan Barbee, an adaptive mountain biker and fellow spinal cord injury survivor who had, like Cara, also moved to Bend because of how free it made her feel. She greeted me with trail dust on her wheels and a pint in hand. “The first thing you need to know about Bend is the community,” she said, gesturing to the crowd, where wheelchairs and mountain bikes blended in. “And OAS is the heartbeat of it.”
The food scene in Bend is also wonderfully ambitious. One standout is Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, the new venture from brothers Brian and James Malarkey, who recently returned to their home state with a vision to bring a slice of ranch life into the heart of town. Set around a wood-fired oven, the restaurant has canvas tent dining, a lively outdoor patio, live music, and a menu that leans into their ranch-to-plate philosophy, with beef and produce sourced from their nearby Tumalo Ranch. Think high-quality steaks and hearty, unfussy food served with a generous dose of Oregon hospitality.
And just like the food, Bend’s music scene hits all the right notes. Later, I rolled into Hayden Homes Amphitheater, a performance venue on the Deschutes. Leon Bridges was serenading a sun-drenched crowd beneath a sherbet-orange sky while I sat comfortably in the accessible seating area, surrounded by a joyful sprawl of dancing hikers, hipsters, families, and fellow disabled folks—totally smitten.
Inclusion can be an elusive feeling for disabled people, hard to define, harder still to find. As I cruised home past the Craftsman bungalows and ponderosa pines that lined the streets, I caught myself not just longing to return but imagining a life here, and even after just a few days, feeling like I already belonged. On my final day, I sat with Geoff in his home talking about the creation of his ground-breaking chair. “A wheelchair chair powered by people?” he said. “That could only come from Bend.” I nodded in agreement, now finally in on the secret.
Where to Stay
The Oxford Hotel is an eco-luxury boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Bend; it’s ideal for walking or rolling to nearby shops and cafés. For a modern, pet-friendly place to stay, check out Element Bend. It’s located just off of Pioneer Park and very close to the Deschutes River, which winds through the city. Just outside town you’ll find the Tetherow. This upscale resort is tucked between forest and fairway. Stylish, accessible accommodations, and mountain views make it a peaceful retreat after a day spent outdoors.
Where to Eat and Drink
The lively downtown outpost of Thump Coffee is a community hub for coffee lovers—it’s step-free and just the spot for either a quick on-the-go espresso or a slow morning spent with a cardamom latte and a flaky pastry. Drake, a downtown bistro, serves American comfort food with fresh, local ingredients: the deviled eggs, burger, and seasonal cocktails are must-orders. A globally inspired restaurant born from a food truck, Spork is now one of Bend’s most popular spots and loved for its street food fusion and a laid-back vibe: don’t miss the spicy pork noodles. Wood-fired mains, creative cocktails, and live music in the dining area make Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge a standout for dinner. The riverside Deschutes Brewery is the original Bend brewery and still the most iconic, serving a large selection of craft beers and tasting flights alongside pub classics in a relaxed, accessible setting. Crux Fermentation Project, a beloved brewer-owned spot with panoramic mountain views, has a rotating menu of small-batch beers, food trucks, and a lively, accessible outdoor lawn. Check it out at sunset.
The author, Sophie Morgan in Morocco
Sophie Morgan
After training in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, Sophie turned to broadcasting, a career that gave her a ticket to travel the world. As a TV Presenter, Producer, travel writer and ambassador for brands such as Airbnb, CanAm and PADI, Sophie, recently selected for Women Who Travel's Power List, is on a quest to find the perfect accessible space. Her bucket list includes adapted mountain biking in the Rockies and, one day, riding around the world on her Ryker.
AdvenChair & Wanderlust Tours Connect to Earn Partnership Award at Governor’s Conference on Tourism; Reconnect for 2025 AdvenTours
A collaboration between two outdoor industry pioneers that launched in 2024 yielded a prestigious award last week, even as they were building on the foundation of their teamwork this year.At the 2025 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism held at the Portland Convention Center last week, AdvenChair and Wanderlust Tours were honored with the Partnership Award, which recognizes that leveraging traditional and non-traditional partnerships enables organizations and businesses to maximize their budgets, employee capacity, and skill sets to create an increase in efficiencies and a higher-level of aligned outcome.
((L-R) Courtney Braun; Geoff Babb; Lucinda DiNovo, the Chair of the Oregon Tourism Commission; and Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon
A collaboration between two outdoor industry pioneers that launched in 2024 yielded a prestigious award last week, even as they were building on the foundation of their teamwork this year.
Thanks to a grant from Visit Central Oregon’s Future Fund, AdvenChair, an innovative leader in all-terrain wheelchairs, and Wanderlust Tours, Central Oregon’s trailblazer in naturalist-guided adventures, combined to offer a successful series of “AdvenTours” last year. AdvenTours gave people of all ages with mobility challenges the chance to experience some of Oregon’s most inspiring natural places matching AdvenChair’s unmatched durability, safety, and comfort with Wanderlust’s unique style of education, interpretation, and environmental appreciation.
At the 2025 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism held at the Portland Convention Center last week, AdvenChair and Wanderlust Tours were honored with the Partnership Award, which recognizes that leveraging traditional and non-traditional partnerships enables organizations and businesses to maximize their budgets, employee capacity, and skill sets to create an increase in efficiencies and a higher-level of aligned outcome.
According to an announcement from the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon):
“Wanderlust Tours and AdvenChair won the Oregon Partnership Award for their innovative collaboration to enhance accessibility to Central Oregon’s outdoor experiences for individuals with mobility challenges. By combining Wanderlust Tours’ expertise in guided outdoor adventures with AdvenChair’s all-terrain adaptive wheelchairs, the partnership has created inclusive, immersive tours that allow individuals with mobility issues to explore iconic locations such as Smith Rock State Park and Lava Lands National Monument. This initiative, supported by tourism grants, not only promotes Central Oregon as an accessible, inclusive destination and improves visitor experiences, but also fosters community engagement and exemplifies how creative collaborations can drive positive change.”
Courtney Braun, owner of Wanderlust Tours, was naturally excited and honored to receive the Partnership Award. “What started as a great partnership idea from Geoff Babb [AdvenChair’s chairman] has blossomed into something big and meaningful,” said Braun. “We’re proud to be seen by the tourism community for making the outdoors accessible in Central Oregon. It means that there is great support and momentum for ensuring that all those who desire to adventure are able to do so, regardless of their age or ability.”
AdvenTours begin where the pavement ends.
In addition to Wanderlust’s regularly scheduled public tours in 2025, the next six months will bring a larger number of accessible AdvenTours to an even more diverse array of trails around Central Oregon, including:
Accessible Guided Scenic Hike at Smith Rock State Park, Sunday, May 25, 8am-1pm
Accessible Guided Hike Deschutes River Trail: Benham Falls, Sunday, June 22, 8am-1pm
Accessible Guided Lava Lands National Monument Hike & Stargazing, Friday, July 18, 7:30 PM – Midnight
Accessible Guided Crater Lake National Park Hike, Saturday, August 30, 8am
Accessible Guided Paulina Creek Hike, Saturday, September 6, 8am-1pm
Accessible Guided Scenic Hike at Tumalo Creek/Shevlin Park: Saturday, October 18, 8am-1pm
All AdvenTours depart from Wanderlust Tours headquarters in Bend’s Fred Meyer Shopping Center on SE Third Street and cost the same as their regular guided hikes.
For Lincoln Foreman, a geologist and stroke survivor, and frequent AdvenTour participant, the appeal of the AdvenChair/Wanderlust partnership is threefold. Not only does the AdvenChair enable him to access the trails of places like Smith Rock State Park where he can actually touch the volcanic tuff, it allows him to enjoy the experience with his wife Cathy and interact with other individuals who share his love for natural sciences, as well as to learn about local history, geology and culture from Wanderlust’s engaging guides.
“Being able to access nature beyond the pavement — actually way past the pavement — together is something we’ve never been able to do since Lincoln’s stroke 15 years ago,” said Cathy Foreman. “So having these opportunities is really important to both of us.”
Get close to nature, as well as friends and family.
In addition to the pre-arranged AdvenTours, AdvenChair is also available to Wanderlust for special custom tours with advanced reservations. Last year, AdvenTour guests ranged from a six-year-old girl with Down’s Syndrome visiting Crater Lake National Park for the first time to a grandfather who got to explore Smith Rock State Park with more than three dozen family members.
AdvenChair’s Geoff Babb was equally delighted with the growing relationship with Wanderlust Tours and for the recognition they’ve received.
“I’ve witnessed the smiles from so many people who wouldn’t be out in the wilderness without the AdvenChair,” said Babb. “Whether it’s a family with a child who is disabled or a grandparent who can be with their grandkids on their favorite trail as they pass the love of the outdoors on to future generations, it’s very heartwarming to see. We are just so grateful to collaborate with a group like Wanderlust Tours who love the outdoors as much as we do and know how to share it.”
About AdvenChair:
AdvenChair is an all-terrain wheelchair designed for people with mobility challenges who want to venture off the beaten path and experience the grandeur of the wilderness. It is the brainchild of Geoff Babb, a fire ecologist and avid outdoorsman from Bend, Oregon, who loved to ski, mountain bike and backpack with his wife and twin boys until a near-fatal brain stem stroke on November 10, 2005 forced him to use a wheelchair.
While the stroke forever changed his ability to move, Babb soon discovered that the biggest obstacle to experiencing a simple outing on local trails with his family again was not so much his body, but the frailties of common wheelchairs. Rather than lobbying for wheelchair-accessible wilderness trails, Babb chose to develop a wheelchair capable of adapting to the trails, and the AdvenChair was born.
On November 10, 2017, exactly 12 years to the day after his stroke, Babb survived a second brain stem stroke, which was a major setback. Yet it made him more determined than ever to share his all-terrain chair with other people dealing with permanent or temporary limited mobility. While developing the first AdvenChair, Babb also launched The Onward Project, LLC, to inspire, encourage and enable outdoor adventures for people of all abilities.
About Wanderlust Tours:
Since 1993, Wanderlust Tours has welcomed guests to vibrantly share the natural and cultural history of Oregon in order to instill appreciation and protection of the environment. We hold great respect for the natural surroundings of our beautiful central Oregon landscape and hope to introduce people to these delicate ecosystems while maintaining a low impact on the environment. Wanderlust Tours is made up of people who are passionate about the intricacies of nature. We thrive on sharing our knowledge and passion for the natural world with those who join our tours!
We are so excited to be partnering with AdvenChair and to help those with mobility challenges get into the outdoors and explore beautiful areas that initially may not seem accessible. With the AdvenChair off-road wheelchair, we can empower every member of our community in their quest for adventure!
Video: Oregon’s travel and tourism industry hits Convention Center this week
On Monday night, many of Oregon’s leading members of the travel and tourism industry were honored during the Achievement Awards at the 2025 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Oregon Convention Center. More than 600 professionals gathered for the event to share ideas, while also discussing how to improve the quality of life, culture, diversity, ecosystem, and economy of communities across the state through these partnerships hosted by Travel Oregon and Portland.
Many of Oregon’s leading members of the travel and tourism industry were honored during the Achievement Awards.
KPTV.com Fox 12
By Dylan Scott
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - On Monday night, many of Oregon’s leading members of the travel and tourism industry were honored during the Achievement Awards at the 2025 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Oregon Convention Center.
More than 600 professionals gathered for the event to share ideas, while also discussing how to improve the quality of life, culture, diversity, ecosystem, and economy of communities across the state through these partnerships hosted by Travel Oregon and Portland.
This year’s ceremony recognized breakthrough achievements across the state, including the following award winners:
Governor’s Award (PDX Next)
Leadership Award (Ana DeVincentis)
Stewardship Award (Alanna Kieffer)
Hospitality Award (Jason Coleman)
Gene Landsmann Gemütlichkeit Award (Dan Schindler)
DEI Award (Remy Drabkin)
Partnership Award (Wanderlust Tours/AdvenChair)