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The weather is getting warmer. People are taking their activities outdoors. My brother likes to go hiking. My mother goes to the beach. I can't go along with either one of them, at least not easily. Since 1991, I have used a manual wheelchair to navigate through the world. Rough terrain and sand don't get along well with wheels. Fortunately, over the past few years, a wide variety of options have opened up to the wheelchair user. Many of them, though perhaps a little odd looking, have allowed people in my position more ability to explore the world.

I started writing about off-road wheelchair racing back in 2005. Back then the sport and the type of wheelchair that allowed people to participate in it were both in the early stages of development. Today, off-road wheelchair racers speed down mountains and swish through slalom courses the world over.

Times have changed. New materials and designs have made wheelchairs tougher. The evolution was inevitable. Wheelchairs have been called into service on many different terrains. As an example, take a look at the latest off-road hotrod, Grove Innovation's DH-X1 (www.sitski.com/dhx1.htm). To the untrained eye this beauty may not look like much, but it's been put through its paces by world champions like Scott Wilson. Wilson won gold in one at the NORBA World Cup Amateur Down Hill.

What if you wanted to don a swimsuit and hit the beach?  A few years ago that might have seemed to be an impossibility. But as more and more wheelchair users have demanded access to our nation's shores, manufacturers have strived to meet the challenge of sand vs. wheel. One interesting model of beach wheelchair, the De-Bug, comes from Deming Designs Inc. (www.beachwheelchair.com/index.html). This chair features large, balloon-style wheels that allow maneuverability on the softest sand, castered rear wheels for easy steering, and an articulated suspension system that will keep you riding comfortably. And, perhaps best of all, you don't have to rely on a friend or relative to get you where you want to go. It's self-propelled (or should I say muscle powered?).

For those who relish the outdoors, there is the aptly named Tank Chair (www.tankchair.com). Instead of wheels, this funny looking chair is outfitted with the kind of tracks normally found on military tanks. Designed by Brad Soden as a means to allow his wife to continue enjoying the camping trips that were a family tradition, this behemoth of a power chair goes everywhere. Now in its second generation, users can take advantage of its two-horsepower, 127 rpm motor. With that kind of power, as you sit in the luxuriously cushioned seat, almost no hill or terrain is insurmountable.

With all these different wheelchair designs, not only will you be sitting pretty, but you'll also discover that the natural world has moved ever closer to being completely accessible. Now, if the man-made world would just follow suit, we'd all lead better, fuller lives.