This chapter recounts a family’s evolving relationship with Grand Canyon
National Park through three visits and the author’s experiences “pushiking”
trails with Kellisa, who uses a mobility chair. The author explains that
choosing the Grand Canyon for the book was easy because it held unfinished
ambitions from earlier trips. On the family’s first visit in March 2006, when
Kellisa was seven, they expected typical Arizona heat but instead arrived to
frigid temperatures, snow, and ice along the South Rim. Although winter
conditions limited them to paved sidewalk trails, the canyon’s gray and blue
tones still left a powerful impression. The author departed eager to return and
explore natural-surface trails with Kellisa.
During our June 2007 Southwest
adventure, one destination had been high on our wish list for years—Monument
Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Few places are as recognizable as this
incredible landscape of towering sandstone buttes rising from the desert floor.
By the time we reached the visitor center, the brilliant blue sky and deep red
sandstone created one of the most unforgettable scenes we had ever witnessed.
From the moment we arrived, we found
plenty to enjoy with Kellisa's manual travel wheelchair. The paved overlooks
around the visitor center allowed us to experience many of Monument Valley's
famous vistas without difficulty, making it easy to stop, take photographs, and
simply admire one spectacular view after another.
Kellisa’s first visit to Petrified
Forest National Park during spring break 2010 was unlike anything we had ever
experienced. Although it was officially spring, northern Arizona still felt
more like late winter. The air was cool and crisp, making it comfortable to
spend the day exploring under brilliant blue skies without the summer crowds or
heat.
This trip was especially meaningful
because it was one of the first trips where we relied on Kellisa's new Special
Tomato special needs jog stroller. The rugged three-wheel stroller proved
to be an excellent companion as we explored every accessible trail and overlook
in the park. Smooth paved paths allowed Kellisa to comfortably experience the
incredible scenery.
March 2006
After exploring the ancient pueblos of
Wupatki National Monument, our journey toward Grand Canyon National Park nearly
came to an unexpected end—not because of the weather, but because of a tiny
stroller tire.
Kellisa's oversized jogging stroller had become an
essential part of our adventures, allowing us to explore far beyond what a
standard wheelchair or stroller could handle. Before leaving Wupatki, however,
one of its tires went flat. In the middle of rural northern Arizona, our
options were almost nonexistent. We pulled into a small gas station, hoping for
anything that might help.
Our 17th anniversary adventure through
Arizona brought us to Montezuma Castle
National Monument on a cool, crisp March afternoon. The comfortable
weather made for a relaxing visit as Chris, Lisa, and Kellisa explored one of
the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the Southwest.
