Lisa and I spent two weeks in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina back in August 1993. We spent an afternoon at Ober Gatlinburg and I couldn't resist the bungee jump. The poor woman who went right before me wet her jeans on the way down and she was crying hysterically as I made my way up the 90 steps to the top. I wasn't nervous or even afraid of the heights, my only concern was that my life was in the hands of a couple giggling teenagers who were working their summer vacation jobs. As the "kids" gave each other the thumbs up and told me I was a "go", I tried to quickly double check everything they did before I took the one step down.
Both girls had a blast exploring Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island. With the Hippocampe, we were able to navigate over, under and around the driftwood as we weaved in and out of the ocean. Laurel really enjoyed being the leader as she looked for the best path for Kellisa.
We spent an afternoon on the very accessible Jekyll Island, one of Georgia's Golden Isles. The island has many miles of paved trails to explore, but we headed to the Clam Creek Picnic Area on the northern end of the island. We walked the North Loop Trail which was fully paved with a few rough spots in need of repair. After or little hike, both girls enjoyed exploring the very accessible fishing pier.
I would think most wheelchairs could navigate the few rough areas on the paved trail:
Egypt investigating scat:
It was relaxing to walk while hearing the waves from the ocean, just beyond this tree:
We walked the entire length of the out and back paved trail:
A short break to refuel back at the Pilot:
Both girls were excited to explore the accessible fishing pier:
Only an hour from our home, we visited one of our favorite places, the Chesser Island Boardwalk in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We saw a few alligators, including a mama gator protecting her young. When Laurel got a little too close, the mama let out a giant warning hiss and I think Laurel jumped back at least five feet.
We spent several afternoons at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge while we spent a week in south Florida. It was hot, but we still enjoyed a quick stroll along the nice accessible boardwalk. We saw one alligator and one snake in the wild. Both girls loved the interactive visitor center, especially the animal exhibits, virtual airboat ride and the nighttime sounds in the swamp dark room.