North American Travel Journalists Association - May 2026 Featured Member

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra - The Ghosts of Christmas Eve

 

Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, CA

November 28, 2025

3pm

 

Lisa and I saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra back in Jacksonville in 2010, but we could only stay for the first half of the show because we had to get home for the baby-sitter. You will never see another “baby-sitter” typed on the blog because this was the only evening ever that we had someone watch the kids while we went out. I take that back, grandma watched Kellisa and Egypt while they slept once so Lisa and I could see a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Golden 1 Center never disappoints its handling of attendees in wheelchairs. They have a dedicated side VIP entrance for the suites where we enter and take an elevator up to whatever level we need. We follow the signs to our section, and someone always helps us find our exact spot and will make sure we are settled before leaving us.

"Accessible doesn't always mean ADA compliant"

 

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A Wheelchair Accessibility Guide to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park

Three years ago, Kellisa and I had a week open for adventure. We decided to spend our time down in the Palm Springs area to explore some new areas while making a return visit to Joshua Tree National Park. Thanks to COVID, this would be Kellisa's first flight in 50 months, by far the longest she ever went without being on an airplane. 

We had such a great time, we thought we would share our guide to the Palm Springs region again for our readers.

Kellisa and I were in Los Angeles in the summer of 2013 for a couple of days for a speaking engagement. We had a few hours and decided to drive over to Joshua Tree National Park. With our limited time, we visited the park like most people, we stopped at a visitor center, I pushed Kellisa on the short, paved trail behind the visitor center, and we drove through the northern part of the park stopping at scenic views for pictures before heading back to Los Angeles. We knew we'd be back; we just didn't realize it would take almost 10 years to return to the region.

Thanksgiving 2025 on the Bay

For the second year in a row, we made the drive to Pier 3 in San Francisco to board a boat for a buffet style Thanksgiving feast while cruising around the bay. The highlights included sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and a close pass of Alcatraz Island. The food was outstanding and we enjoyed some after dinner music and dancing. We also took advantage of the surroundings for several “photo shoots.” I think a tradition has taken root.

 

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

 Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Chattanooga, TN

November 2010

Little River Canyon

 Little River Canyon National Preserve

Alabama

November 2010

Russell Cave

 Russell Cave National Monument

Alabama

November 2010

TEST POST - BACK DATED

 

Swimming with Pigs

Bahamas

May 30, 2025

to

June 7, 2025

Swimming with Pigs in the Bahamas was a dream father-daughter trip for Egypt for many years and we finally made it happen in 2025. I decided to use most of my airline and hotel points to give Egypt a special trip since she had been asking for this for many years and I realize that one of these trips will be our last trip as she starts her adult life in the near future. I'll still hope for many more.

Heart-Shaped Stone

This is the mysterious story of Kellisa’s 25^th surgery which took place in February 2025 at Suter Roseville Medical Center. The surgery lasted three hours when the surgeon told us it should only take 60 minutes.

October 2024 – Kellisa had her first riding horse therapy session in more than 10 years and loved getting back in the saddle. Unfortunately, she started complaining of pain in her hips shortly after the ride. We took her to the doctor when the pain didn’t go away after a few days, and pain relievers weren’t helping. Tests were run and a few x-rays were taken. Nothing was obvious as far as her pain in the hip area, but in the corner of one of the x-rays, the radiologist saw something they couldn’t explain. A dark area of the stomach led them to believe a foreign object was “trapped” and would require further investigation.

Can't Wait

 

Nature Swagger by Rue Mapp

Links: Rue Mapp (Outdoor Afros Founder)

             Nature Swagger

Egypt Days

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Father-Daughter Trip to the Outer Banks (OBX)

North & South Carolina

Summer 2024

For the first time, Egypt selected our destination by herself. She wanted to visit the Outer Banks (OBX) of North & South Carolina after following the adventures of the Kooks and Pogues from one of her favorite TV shows, the Outer Banks. While our trip was cut short due to weather, Tropical Storm Debby, we still managed to check off her main boxes- beach photo shoots and seeing some of the filming locations. 

Stairs and the Wheelchair

 November 6, 2018

Oakmont High School

Roseville, CA

Kellisa was a student at Oakmont High School when Lisa got a call from her teacher, "Kellisa is fine, but she wheeled down a few stairs."

Kellisa was outside in the courtyard on her way to lunch when she took the opportunity when no one was looking and wheeled off from her class. Before anyone could stop her, she wheeled down 3 or 4 cement stairs. Fortunately, she went sideways and landed in the grass on her side in the wheelchair. Thankfully, she had her seatbelt on.

She was a little startled, but enjoyed the ride and found it funny. As did her classmates. The responsible teachers and aides on the other hand, weren't too thrilled. They checked her out and she appeared OK, but they wheeled her to the nurse to be sure.

Kellisa was fine and when the teacher called, she also asked, "Why would Kellisa think it was OK to wheel down the stairs?"