Trip Report: Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon

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swalker

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In July my wife, my two sisters, and I took a two week trip. We spent a week in Yellowstone, an afternoon at Bryce Canyon, and four days at the Grand Canyon. It was a wonderful trip.

In Yellowstone, we saw grizzly bears, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, pronghorn (antelope), eagles, osprey, and lots of other wildlife. We also saw many geysers. We went on many hikes and spent endless hours on the boardwalks around the thermal features. We camped out, which was a bit of a challenge. The folks at the campground were GREAT! about helping us to get the wheelchair charged each night.

We only spent a few hours at Bryce Canyon, but I wish we had more time there. The sandstone formations are amazing.

The Grand Canyon was amazing as always. I love the accessible buses they have there. The rim trail is wonderful in the wheelchair. We spent many hours on it. It is also great that they let handicap vehicles on the rim road, so I could pick up the rim trail wherever I wanted to. We camped there as well, and the folks at the laundromat were fantastic in letting us charge the wheelchair there overnight.

One of the great adventures was the fairy falls trail in Yellowstone. We found a van accessible parking spot at the trailhead and unloaded the wheelchair. My wife and sisters moved a log blocking access to the trail. We managed to get the wheelchair over another log blocking access (that was an adventure in itself). We then went on a hiking trail for about 2.25 miles. Spectacular! I did not get to make it the final 1/4 mile to the falls because there was a big rock in the middle of the trail. I waited there while the others went to the falls (I had seem them years ago on a hike with my wife). While there, a family with 2 young girls returning from the falls rounded a bend in the trail and came upon me. The youngest girl (about 6) was in the lead. She stopped dead in her tracks and asked "Why are you sitting there?". It was precious. Her parents were mortified, but I thought it was a perfectly logical question to ask. We talked for about 10 minutes and I told her why I was sitting there. It was great. We all made it back to the car successfully. I only needed a push in the wheelchair in a couple of places. What a great hike.

I took quite a few pictures on the trip, as did my wife and sisters. I have attached a few my wife took to show you what it was like.

  1. We set up a spotting scope to view an Osprey nest. This was on a short trail along the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. That is me in the foreground with my older sister Fran to the right.
  2. We spent many hours on the boardwalks around the upper geyser basin in Yellowstone. From left to right are my little sister Ginger, me, and Fran.
  3. On the hike to Fairy Falls, you pass Grand Prismatic Spring. Here are Fran, me, and Ginger (left to right) on the trail looking toward the spring.
  4. The trail to Fairy Falls is blocked by a log. My wife and sisters moved the log to allow me to get through. I could not have done it alone.
  5. Ginger, me, and Fran at Bryce canyon.
  6. Me in front of some of the wonderful sandstone formations of Bryce Canyon.
  7. Me along the Rim Trail at the edge of the Grand Canyon.
  8. Another picture from the Rim Trail.
  9. Me on one of the buses at the Grand Canyon.
  10. Me on the Rim Trail again.

After adding all the pictures, I realized there are none of my wife. I will add some in subsequent messages of this thread.

It was a great trip, and I am looking forward to heading back out to Yellowstone again in September.

Steve
 

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Steve, awesome. You are so inspirational. I love the fact that you saw your sisters at a place you love so much.
Truly, I'm so glad you share with us. Thank you.
God bless, Janelle x
 
Thanks Steve. I love seeing your adventures
 
im in a pwc fulltime, and i hear im pretty good at navigating it . . . but your pictures near the edge scare the crap out of me! :shock: just one cough, sneeze, or a bulbar\neurological yawn and youre over the edge! :) puts a whole new meaning to maxs 'dont fall' rule. love the pics and hearing that we pals are out having adventures. good for you!
 
your pictures near the edge scare the crap out of me!

It kind of scares my wife too:) I sometimes don't know how she puts up with me.

I get great joy out of being near cliff edges. I think it is one of the things that drew me to rock climbing in my youth. I have a lot of experience being in dangerous places. I am very careful with the wheelchair when I am near the edge.

With that said, I am sure I go closer to the edge that most.

Steve
 
Beautiful photos and what a great trip. So glad you could spend time with your siblings as well, and on that subject - man do you all look alike :) are y'all triplets by any chance?
 
NotBrad: We are not triplets, but we are very close to each other. It is a blessing to have a family that is close like that.
 
Wonderful photos from your trip. My dream road trip includes those destinations!
 
NotBrad: We are not triplets, but we are very close to each other. It is a blessing to have a family that is close like that.

SO very, very true. One of the things I've always treasured most is my family.
 
I have finally managed to get through all the pictures I took at Yellowstone. Here are a few to show you some of the wonderful sights and experiences I was able to have.

All of these were shot from my wheelchair, except for the pronghorn, which was shot with me next to the car with the camera on a tripod.

  1. My wife, Lori, in front of Lone Star geyser as it erupts. Lone Star is at the end of a 2.5 mile trail that is a mix of asphalt and dirt. It was a great trail along the upper part of the Firehole River.
  2. The boardwalk in Norris Geyser Basin. It was early morning and quite chilly. The ground fog was spectacular. The wheelchair does fine on the boardwalks. This is one of my favorite geyser basins.
  3. Pools in Porcelain Basin, which is part of the Norris Geyser Basin. The colors are amazing, and ever changing there.
  4. A bee at the Dunraven Picnic area, where we had a very pleasant lunch.
  5. Inquisitive pronghorn in the Lamar Valley
  6. My wife stowing the wheelchair lift at the West Thumb geyser basin on the shores of Yellowstone lake
  7. Mud Pots at the West Thumb geyser basin. These change throughout the year, depending on the amount of moisture available. They are always interesting.
  8. Castle geyser erupting at the Upper Geyser basin. This is a very large geyser cone that is spectacular when it erupts. We were blessed to have very dramatic skies during the eruption, which made for wonderful picture taking.
  9. My wife at Punchbowl spring in the Upper Geyser basin
 

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Steve, I particularly enjoyed the pics from the Grand Canyon. Been there several times years ago, so was good to go back and visit through your pictures. You are so adventurous, camping with ALS--something I can't imagine doing. Thank you for sharing your love of life through your trips and photos.
- Charlene
 
Thanks Charlene.

My camping days are coming to an end. I will camp as long as I can, but recognize the practical limitations of doing so. I do more of adapted camping now, meaning my wife does most of the work. My main job is to crawl into the tent and then out of the tent when it is time to get up.

As many can probably appreciate, I find it much easier to get to ground level than the reverse. Heck, I even do it accidentally from time to time (but don't tell my wife I fall).

We leave for a 3 week trip to Yellowstone in about a week. We will be camping with friends for the first week and then in a hotel for the following 2 weeks. I am really excited about it, but my wife and I are both apprehensive about the first week of camping.

In the meantime, here are a few shots of the Grand Canyon from our July trip.

  1. Our campsite at the Mather Campground
  2. My sisters, Ginger and Fran on the rim of the Grand canyon
  3. The Grand Canyon as the light is fading
  4. A panoramic shot of the canyon just after the sun went down
  5. A sunset shot of the Grand Canyon at Pima Point
  6. A different perspective on sunset at Pima Point. This shot was taken just a few feet from the previous shot. This panorama gives you more of a feeling of what it is really like:)
  7. A picture of the Trail View overlook. I was not able to make it to that one, so went further down the trail and shot back toward it.
 

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I finally finished going through all the pictures from our July trip. Here are a few from Bryce Canyon. It is a beautiful place that we were only able to visit for a few hours. I hope we are able to return for a longer visit sometime.

  1. Panoramic view of the rim between Sunrise and Sunset Points
  2. View in the same area showing folks on a trail into the canyon. It was too steep for my wheelchair. Ask me how I know:)
  3. Scenic shot looking toward Sunrise Point
  4. My wife Lori and me along the rim near Sunset Point
  5. Me along the rim

Steve
 

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