Anhinga Trail

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

 

 

 

The Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park never disappoints with it's beautifully accessible paved trail and boardwalk that is surrounded by birds and alligators.

 

(More pictures of alligators, birds and sisters)

Backcountry Tour

Whitewater Bay

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

Both girls enjoy a nice ride on a boat tour, so it was an easy decision to book the Backcountry Tour of Whitewater Bay in Everglades National Park. Boarding the boat was on a first come first board basis, so we were at the end of the line since we couldn't be as fast as everyone else when the boat pulled up to the dock. I was watching the boat fill up and we were going to be stuck at the front of the boat with little room for the wheelchair and in the direct sunlight, which is a trigger for Kellisa's seizures. The boat tour was almost 2 hours and I knew Kellisa would have a seizure. I was thinking about backing off the boat to see if we could reschedule for the next tour when people at the back of the boat offered to relocate for us. If we don't absolutely need this kind of random act of kindness, I will usually decline the offer, but I was quick to agree to the switch. I was even more appreciative when we were caught in a sudden thunderstorm during the tour. I think the heat and lack of wildlife viewing prevented Laurel from maximizing her enjoyment. However, her mood quickly changed when the captain asked her to steer the boat when we reached the open waters of Whitewater Bay.

 

(More pictures)



Eco Pond

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

 

 

 

 

It was hot, very hot, but we enjoyed the short (.58 mile) Eco Pond trail just past the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park.

 

(More pictures) 

Flamingo Visitor Center

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

Picture by: Laurel

 

 

 

 

 

Accessible perhaps, but you better have a strong helper and/or good brakes!

 

(A few more pictures)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



"Things that Go Growling in the Night"

 

 

After writing an article on wheelchairs and hotel safety for abilities.com, I was asked if I was interested in providing another article. I was excited at the additional opportunity and I proposed (and it was accepted) writing about a trip Kellisa and I took to Grand Island National Recreation Area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan back in the summer of 2013. We spent three days and two nights on the island pushiking, backcountry camping and working on Kellisa's speech therapy. I also had a middle of the night encounter....

 

The full article with pictures can be found (here).

Flamingo Campground

Everglades National Park

 

March 2015

 

 

As part of our Spring Break 2015 trip to South Florida, we spent our first night in Everglades National Park camping at the Flamingo Campground. This was Kellisa's 3rd visit to the park and Laurel's 2nd. We picked a walk-in site to get closer to the water and the cool breezes. We had front row seats as we viewed many large birds in their natural environment. It's amazing how quiet both girls can get when observing wildlife in the wild.

 

(More Pictures)



Biscayne National Park

South Florida

 

March 2015

 

 

With our Spring Break 2015 trip to South Florida that included a quick stop at Biscayne National Park, Kellisa has now visited 21 National Parks and Laurel has visited 12. Biscayne is mostly a water park and best viewed by boat. For reasons I'm still not clear on, the concession boat was not operating the afternoon we visited, so we decided to hike the short nature trail on the mainland.

 

The nature trail was an out and back with a total distance of .84 of a mile. It started out with a nice boardwalk and ended with a sand and crushed seashell mixture. I was worried about getting a flat, but we ended up OK. Towards the end of the trail we found several nice little secluded areas to enjoy the water. It didn't look safe for swimming, but the girls enjoyed getting their feet and hands wet to cool off a little on a blistering March afternoon.

 

A quick look at the park map revealed an island with primitive camping...we will be back!

 

(More pictures)

 



Gator Tales

 

(More Pictures from our August 2014 Visit)

 

(Friends of Loxahatchee Website)

National Parks Visited

With a visit to Biscayne National Park during Spring Break 2015, Laurel has now visited 12 National Parks and Kellisa has 21.

 

Complete Lists (Multiple visits in italics):

 

Laurel- Biscayne, Carlsbad Caverns, Congaree, Cuyahoga Valley, Death Valley, Everglades, Guadalupe Mountains, Lassen Volcanic, Mammoth Cave, Redwoods, Rocky Mountain, Voyageurs

 

Kellisa- Arches, Big Bend, Biscayne, Canyonlands, Carlsbad Caverns, Congaree, Crater Lake, Cuyahoga Valley, Death Valley, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, Joshua Tree, Lassen Volcanic, Petrified Forest, Redwoods, Rocky Mountains, Shenandoah, Voyageurs, Zion

Escaping with our Lives (A 1st Anniversary Story)

March 18, 1990

This picture was taken 26 years ago. But, this is the story of what happened (and more importantly, didn't happen) one year later:

We were young, had no money and it was March in northern Illinois. Three good reason NOT to go camping, but we did to celebrate our first anniversary. This was our first overnight trip beyond Chicagoland together. We somehow managed to buy a small tent, a stove and maybe a few other items, but we didn't have the money for sleeping bags. Instead, we threw a few blankets in the car and drove off for a happy weekend. I should mention that we had a 1977 Chevy Caprice that we had no business driving so far from home.

We drove uneventfully to Apple River Canyon State Park in NW Illinois. We were the only campers, but that didn't bother or scare us (at first). It didn't take long to set up our meager camp. We probably went on a hike before cooking a simple dinner. I remember it got dark fast and it was very cold, so we retreated to the tent. Before we could fall asleep, we heard footsteps and were scared to death. Then we heard branches breaking near the tent. Since we were the only campers, there was only one logical explanation for the noises we were hearing. We were convinced there was a murderer in the campground. We ran to the car and drove off into the night leaving behind our camping possessions.

Special Olympics

St. Johns County Summer Games

Menendez High School

 

March 7, 2015

 

 
 

We can now say that Kellisa is a Special Olympian after she participated in the 2015 St. Johns County Summer Games. Kellisa trains with her friends from school and her amazing teacher. She was entered in two events, the 50M Assisted Wheelchair Race and Tennis Ball Throw. She came in first in both events. It did help that she was the only one entered in both events, but we'll take the 1st Place finishes just the same as it allows her to participate in the "Area" Summer Games.

 

Videos of Kellisa's Two Events

West Lake Boardwalk Trail

 Everglades National Park 

March 2015

 

I knew from previous visits to Everglades National Park that our best chance to see the threatened American Crocodile was at West Lake.  Kellisa stayed in the air conditioned car listening to music while Laurel and I investigated the water around the boat ramp. We were immediately rewarded when we saw this little guy in the water. It's estimated that only 500-1,200 crocodiles remain wild in south Florida and we had one swimming in front of us:

 

 

I told Laurel that the momma crocodile was probably close and she started looking for her. It didn't take long to find the mother:

 

After a couple of minutes, the mother swam off into the lake:

 

This is a cool picture because there's a crocodile on the left and an American alligator on the right:

 

I thought I could take a picture of Laurel centered between the crocodile and alligator, but you can only see the alligator:

 

We hiked the West Lake Trail:

 

Kellisa did a great job of wheeling herself on the boardwalk trail:

 

 

We found this bird watching over our car after our little hike. Laurel "talked" to the bird for close to an hour:

 

TRAILS

HOME

No, I'll Take the Room I Reserved, Thank You

Kellisa at Abilities Expo- Atlanta 2013

 

 

I was recently asked to write an article for Abilities.com, the premiere resource for the disabled community. I've become very familiar with this organization since I attended their 2013 Abilities Expo in Atlanta with Kellisa and Laurel. I did not hesitate to agree to submit an article. I was given the opportunity to submit anything for consideration as long as it somehow pertained to the disability community. I had already shared my thoughts on the importance of getting first floor hotel rooms when traveling with Kellisa on this website, but I still feel strongly about this subject, especially since most ADA hotel rooms are NOT on the first floor. I reworked and expanded my initial thoughts for the article I submitted. I was honored when Abilities.com agreed to run the article because I knew it would not only reach a lot more people, but it would reach my target audience. Thank you!

 

The full article with pictures can be found (here). 

 

 

 



Sometimes the Difficult Path is the Right Path...

 

 

 



Bayard Conservation Area

 

 12 Miles South of Jacksonville, FL

 

February 2015

 

 

Laurel and I had a rare few hours to ourselves and she wanted to go for a hike (heart stops to melt moment), so we went to Bayard Conservation Area. Bayard is my favorite place to hike within 30 minutes of home. It's a huge protected area with many miles of trails offering countless loop and out & back hiking options through several different forest types and one trail even ends at the banks of the St. Johns River. Since we didn't have Kellisa, I was able to take Laurel on a trail that features a very cool, but too narrow for any kind of mobility chair, boardwalk. The rest of the trails are wide, flat and usually free from mud. We didn't see any wildlife, but Laurel was ready to learn how to follow a trail using painted blazes on trees. (More pictures)

Hiking to the St. Johns River at Bayard with Kellisa (Nov. 2012)