Bungee Jumping

Ober Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg, TN

August 1993

 

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.

 

(More Bungee Jump Pictures Here)

Driftwood Beach

Jekyll Island

GA

 

November 2014 

 
 

 

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.

 

(More pictures from Driftwood Beach)

Clam Creek Picnic Area

Jekyll Island, GA

November 2014

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:

 

Sidney Lanier Bridge:

 

We walked a total of 3.32 miles at Clam Creek Picnic Area:

 

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Chesser Island Boardwalk

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

 

November 2014

 

 
 

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.

 

More Okefenokee Pictures

States Visited- Laurel

With the Carolinas, Laurel has now visited 28 of the 50 United States:

 



A Wheelchair Guide Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Florida 

August 2014

 

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.  

 

(More pictures can be found here)



One of the Days I Almost Died

Somewhere in Georgia

 

Thanksgiving 2001

 

My Thanksgiving 2001 story actually starts back in July of that year. We were in Jacksonville for a few days to check out the housing market. We were living in Edgewater, FL and I had a job interview in Jacksonville. We had decided that we needed to live closer to a big city for Kellisa's health care. The night before the interview, I had severe pain and thought I had food poisoning. It got so bad that I drove myself to the emergency room. I spent most of the night at the hospital being diagnosed with an ulcer which made a lot of sense considering all the uncertainty and stress in our lives at the time.   (Read the rest of the story here)

 



A Wheelchair Guide to Daggerwing Nature Centure

Palm Beach County, FL

August 2014

 

 

 

 

The girls enjoyed an afternoon at the Daggerwing Nature Center in Boca Raton, FL learning about the native wildlife. The enjoyed the hands-on exhibits and live animals, including a snake presentation.

 
 
(More pictures from Daggerwing Nature Center)

 



A Wheelchair Guide to the Cathy Burdett Nature Trail

Daggerwing Nature Center

Palm Beach County, FL
August 2014

 
 
 

We managed to escape the congestion of Palm Beach County for a nice little hike at the Daggerwing Nature Center.  The Cathy Burdett Nature Trail was fully accessible and a pleasant walk. It was blistering hot with little shade, so we did not linger on the trail.