We are home from some pretty crazy adventures

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swalker

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I have not posted very much for the last few weeks. Here is why.

At the beginning of the summer, we planned two fall trips. The first was 2 weeks in Yellowstone and the second was for a week at the Grand Canyon.

We were planning to stay in a hotel at Yellowstone and tent camp at the Grand Canyon. These two trips seemed like a lot when we planned them, but I knew that we could back out of them if I was not up to them.

Then, reality set it.

  1. A good friend in Santa Fe, NM suggested we visit. We decided to stop by Santa Fe for a few days on our way to the Grand Canyon.
  2. I realized that my tent camping days are coming to and end, so I extended the Yellowstone trip to three weeks, with the first week spent tent camping.
  3. A week before we were to leave for Yellowstone, a very desirable backup wheelchair became available in Arizona, so we committed to a quick trip there to pick it up.
  4. The day before we left for Arizona, a 4x4 wheelchair (Magic Mobility X4) became available in Denver, so we dashed down there to buy it.
  5. While we were in the Grand Canyon, the travel trailer of my wife's dreams became available in California, so we committed to go there and fetch it right after the Grand Canyon Trip.

The result is that we have been travelling for most of the last 8 weeks, covering about 8,000 miles. We returned home two days ago and I am now trying to recover! I am more than just weary from the travel, but am happy as a clam that we were able to do all of this.

During all this, we have dealt with car issues, wheelchair issues, and torrential rains (while tent camping). My wife and I have had an absolutely wonderful time. We have met wonderful people, seen amazing sights, viewed spectacular art, and experienced extremes of good and bad weather.

It is bittersweet to know that my tent camping days have come to an end, but now we have a very nice travel trailer to take camping. I just made trailer camping reservations in Yellowstone for both spring and fall of next year:)

I have thousands of pictures to go through, but will eventually make my way through them and post a few. I will also post some writeups of some of the things we did and experienced during the trip. It is going to take awhile, though.

I am not sure who is happier for us to be home, me or the cat:)

Steve
 
It sounds like a great couple of months. No wonder you're wiped out! Glad you had such great travels and more to plan :)
 
Wow! What an adventure! Looking forward to the pictures and some stories--sounds like you have some to tell!

Steve, you really might want to think about writing an accessibility guide to Yellowstone. It sounds like you know the whole park intimately and you've spent lots of time there in every season. Could see it going over very well (we'd love to read it!), and you've sure got beautiful pictures to illustrate it. Just a thought.
 
This made my day. Could not be happier for you!
 
wow... loved reading about your adventures and the time that you and your wife spent on the road. This is the way to live and I really admire your ability to see the good in all the storrms.
 
Thanks for the kind comments, everyone.

4tloml: I have considered writing just such a guide for Yellowstone. In fact, I talked to one of the park rangers about how I could communicate various ways to improve the accessibility within the park. It is very accessible, but with just a few minor changes, it could be even more so. My plan is to start keeping a log of all the obstacles I encounter in Yellowstone with suggestions on how they could be cost-effectively removed.

Steve
 
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