eSCAping Type 1

My last post has me fixated on planning our next road trip. But, since we’ve got a while until that takes place, allow me to reminisce as I take you through our last cross-country adventure for now!

Having taken a brief summer vacation to Maine, we only had one corner of the U.S. left. So, in 2018, we set off from good old Western New York to Seattle, Washington.

This might be my favorite road trip so far, simply because we finally had all the tricks figured out. Like buying a twin-sized mattress topper that we could unroll while sleeping in the car; easily our best purchase yet. Or the fact that I set an itinerary to ensure we saw everything we wanted, but nothing hour-by-hour, so we still felt free to do whatever, whenever. Oh, and we brought Bogart, again.

Day 1: Chicago

Knowing we could make it to Chicago in one day, that’s exactly what we did. Nothing super exciting to report. The pizza is still good.

Day 2: Milwaukee

Now, this wouldn’t have been my stopping choice, but the Harley Davidson Museum is my husband’s Mecca, so to Wisconsin we went. The museum itself was actually interesting and fun, with interactive exhibits, a wall of iconic gas tanks through the years, and a floor housing famous bikes from different eras, people, and movies. I’m just upset because we went on a Sunday, so the huge Miller brewery across the street was closed.

It is definitely worth noting, however, that this was the very first time I used a walker and it changed my life. I’m not even being dramatic. For the first time in years I wasn’t constantly scoping the room, searching for the closest object or person to grab onto, navigating my path instead of enjoying my surroundings.

Sure, it was initially a bit embarrassing and intimidating, but a) I didn’t know anyone in that entire state and b) the independence I immediately felt was amazing. I could go off by myself and do my own thing and be perfectly fine. Even though we were there for three hours, you would have thought I LOVED motorcycles more than Cody with how happy I was that whole time.

Day 3: South Dakota

South Dakota is an interesting state, in that there is literally nothing there for about four hours when all of sudden you hit Badlands National Park. No exaggeration; it is flat and brown and basically Nebraska when out of nowhere these amazing “buttes, canyons, pinnacles and spires” appear.

Miles of layered rock formations scatter the once-barren land, with Bighorn Sheep and Mule Deer that we swore were fake because of how close they were.

You can drive the “Loop Road,” plus some of the trails are actually flat “boardwalks,” making it perfect for me to experience while sitting on my rollator.

From there, we drove to the only other thing in South Dakota: Mt. Rushmore. Now, I am not a history buff, and my only pretend knowledge of Mt. Rushmore comes from the movie Richie Rich, but I highly recommend stopping here.

Though I’m doubtful anyone under age 20 would find it interesting, my 28 years of world experience made me really appreciate just how cool it was. It was captivating and pretty  – especially given the light snow falling. My picture does not do it justice.

Day 4: Yellowstone

Yellowstone remains at the top of our “Return Here” list. It is, so far, our favorite stop, despite the fact that it was only March when we went, so most of the park was actually closed… But our lack of planning was actually PERFECT because it wasn’t crowded at all and our limited options made the short five hours we had there more than enough time to see all we could. Ah, the magic of road trips.

Starting with the hot springs at the Boiling River. Now, you ARE allowed to swim here. But, like I said, it was March so the trail leading to it was very much closed due to winter damage and path deterioration… not exactly key conditions for a person with Ataxia.

Alas, my stubborn husband somehow carried our towels, camera, and me around the barricades and down the half-mile-long path to a beautiful, steamy oasis. We did not swim, but we had the whole place to ourselves, took a ton of pictures, and very simply just enjoyed the moment.

After that, we went to the Mammoth Hot Springs. Basically, they’re huge limestone terraces formed from underground hot water steaming and cooling over time. The boardwalk through them is wheelchair accessible (at least the small part we did was), and it’s open year-round (hence us being able to see it), however I think we only actually saw part of it? Apparently there’s this whole upper section we did not go to, which is described as “mythical and mesmerizing” on Yelp reviews.

I mean, what we saw of it was cool… I’ll just add it to the list of reasons we need to go back.

And then we drove down the only open road at the time – Highway 89 at the North Entrance, between Gardiner and Cooke City – which we shared with more Bison than cars. Easily, actually, honestly the most mesmerizing thing ever.

The first Bison we encountered was admittedly frightening. I can’t say that Drivers Ed taught us what to do when there’s a Buffalo in the middle of the street (though the State Farm commercial gave us some tips). But by the end of our drive we were pulling over with the windows down for personal pictures of these amazing beasts.

They were so close to us we could’ve touched them (we did not – they are huge, scary wild animals. You’d be surprised at the number of people who genuinely asked this). And there were so many. Bogart was loving every minute of it.

Rivaling the Bison for our attention was the landscape, and in many spots it definitely won. Words will never suffice. And, of course, I can’t find the billion pictures I swear I took. Which means you’ll just have to go there yourself!

I highly recommend going during the summer and spending a few solid days here. I LOVED not having to get out of my car to get the full experience; Ataxia did not hinder me AT ALL. I can’t wait to go back.

(Note: If driving out of the park at night, watch out for Pronghorn Antelope!  A packed herd was literally lining the pitch-black street when we left. Maybe that’s not typical, but be careful.)

Day 5: Driving

The fact that I can’t find any pictures to share is more depressing than I can even express. Overall, it was an uneventful day, driving from Yellowstone to Spokane… BUT Montana might just be my favorite state to drive through. If my memory serves correct, it was a seven hour drive through the Rocky Mountains with parts along the Snake River and it was BEAUTIFUL. Ugh.

Day 6: Seattle

In less than a week we had made it across America (again), while stopping for plenty of adventures along the way. Day five landed us in Seattle – a city we both actually liked, despite our distaste for, well, cities.

A very large part of that enjoyment can be contributed to Pike Place Market – a waterfront public market filled absolutely anything you could imagine. From fresh fish to flowers to fruit (how was that for unintentional alliteration?), to homemade pasta, and tea, and BBQ, and pastries… we spent hours there just eating and exploring.

Things to note:  I sat on my walker and used it like a wheelchair the whole time. Granted, we were there Easter weekend, but it’s pretty tight and crowded. There’s no way I could have walked – even with a rollator, people would have inadvertently knocked me over.

Also, regardless of where you park, it’s a steep hill down to the Market. Like, had Cody let go of me even for a second, I would have easily bowled over a dozen people.

Once you get there it’s definitely worth it – ramps by any stairs, elevators to get to the lower level –  but there are some challenges along the way.

With another full day designated to Seattle, we hit the hay pretty early – in a wonderfully cute Air B&B camper parked in our host’s driveway just outside the city.

Continue reading about week #2 HERE!