A wedding invitation heralded a milestone
event in the lives of our treasured friends in
Seattle, Washington; only half a continent away
from Wichita, Kansas. How did two adults, one a
T-6 paraplegic, accomplish that trip with the
least expense and the most fun? Well, like topsy
we let the trip grow and unfold along the way.
Flying is faster, but also expensive,
aggravating, and if the seating isn't right
physically difficult. Once in Seattle an
accessible rental van would provide the most
comfort and convenience, however, after
searching our magazines, surfing the net and
dialing the phone, I found that the nearest
rental to Seattle was in Oregon. Although they
offered to deliver the van to us at the airport,
the cost was enough to make us consider driving
ourselves. ROADTRIP!
Our 1994 Ford van is equipped with lift,
6-way seat and hand controls. We had previously
built a two-piece platform bed that fits over
the van's bench seat when flattened, to use for
camping and travel. This allows Richard needed
down time which leaves him more able to share
the driving, and to be less fatigued while
enjoying sightseeing and activities along the
way.
The ten hour drive to Denver, Colorado was
rewarded with a cold beer for Richard and a
frozen raspberry Margarita for me at a favorite
spot for Mexican food called the Blue Bonnet.
After a nice meal we moved on to Cheyenne,
Wyoming to spend the night. We have had good
luck with moderate priced, newer motels in our
travels and only had difficulty once on this
trip finding accessible lodging. There is nearly
always a flaw of some sort to make life
interesting, but after all travel is an
adventure.
By traveling just before Memorial Day it was
easier to get reservations in Yellowstone. We
stayed in an accessible room at the Old Faithful
Inn. It was churning, twin beds, no phone or
television. There were lots of wheelchair
accessible boardwalks (built from recycled
plastic, the surface was easy to roll on and
held up to the harsh weather conditions),
buffalo were in abundance, the weather was
perfect and not at all crowded before the
summer's peak season. We spent two nights and
three days exploring geyser basins and searching
for waterfalls and wild life. Richard spotted a
pack of wolves stalking a small herd of buffalo
with their young.
One could easily spend more time and visit
Jackson Hole Wyoming, or West Yellowstone in
Montana. The National Parks provide a free
Golden Eagle passport for disabled visitors, so
we were able to enter and enjoy several parks
along our trip. The passport includes everyone
in your vehicle, and we always found the
facilities adequate and well cared for.
Well, upward and onward, we had to cross
Montana to get to Washington and on to Seattle.
Plan A was to stop at a bed and breakfast that
was advertised in Paraplegia News June 1999: The
Roaring Lion Inn at Bitterroot Valley. Alas they
were not yet open for business so we checked out
the area, found other places to stay and drove
on to Seattle.
In Seattle, we stayed at Extended Stay
America, with a spacious accessible room, a
coffee pot in our room, laundry facilities and
vending machines. We enjoyed a trip into the
city to Pikes Market, and later a dinner with a
view of the Lake. The sunset was incredible.
The day after the wedding we rolled on into
Portland, Oregon for lunch. We then trekked
briefly into the Redwood forest, as well as
locating Medford, Oregon and their beautiful,
roaring rapids which we had read about in
Paraplegia News, May 1999. As an unexpected
treat, we eventually found ourselves at Crater
Lake. Still lots of snow, (north exit not yet
bulldozed open), and even without reservations
we were able to stay at the Lodge there. Cold
and crisp, the lake never freezes due to its
depth and the effects of the sun. It was
absolutely stunning.
Another day, another long drive and we were
in the scenic beauty of Utah. Many towns are so
small and so old that accessible lodging was not
available. In one town we measured the doors and
had to have the owner take the bathroom door off
the hinges so we could make do. We also learned
to seek out public libraries and city halls for
bathroom facilities, as these were more likely
to be up to code. I thought of stopping at a
hospital, but it was a very old one... need I
say more? Trust me, it's a lot funnier a year
later than it was at the time we were looking
for a place to relieve ourselves. Can we just
buy one of those airline aisle chairs to keep in
the van for emergencies?
Bryce Canyon, our fourth national park, was
awesome to behold. Viewing spots to the canyons
were pretty accessible. We met a paraplegic from
Norway, who had flown into Las Vegas and rented
a camper with a companion. It did not have hand
controls, but he said they were having a
wonderful trip. Lake Powell and an incredible
Dam were our last tourist experiences. The wind
was too strong to permit tours of the Dam
itself, but the views, the film and rangers
presentation were absolutely worth the trip. We
again crossed Colorado and Kansas and returned
home ready to get back to the structure of daily
life.
We had more than a nice vacation. We proved
to ourselves that we could take major
cross-country trips, face the unexpected
challenges that the unknown can offer, and grew
more self-confidence in our abilities to adapt
to life on the roll.
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Richard at Bryce
Canyon
Old Faithful Inn
Richard in
Yellowstone
Seattle Sunset
Redwood Forest
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