Arches National Park

We only stopped for one night in Moab/Arches. It was a great place for a layover between Breckenridge, CO and Bryce, UT. We arrived early enough to spend a few hours in Arches National Park. For me, this was more than enough as my eyes become visually over stimulated. Spend an extra day or two here if you want to explore more.

Arches is located in Eastern Utah(adjacent to the Colorado River and 4 miles north of Moab, Utah). Wind, water and underground salt beds have created the most incredible monuments. Definitely a must see. After you see it you will be left saying to yourself " What did I just see?" 

Cost to get into the park is $10 per car but with a National Park Disabled access pass, the fee is waived. You can view much of the park from your vehicle. A few scenic locations have wheelchair accessible trails to view even more spectacular sights. There is so much to look at and the road is constantly turning, so if you're prone to motion sickness be prepared. There are several designated stops along the way to take beautiful pictures. Other activities in the park include hiking, biking, backpacking and climbing. My recommendation is visiting in the spring or fall because summer temperatures can become quite brutal.

I do not have an RV park to recommend. The place we stayed at is going out of business. There were a few other RV Parks in the area to choose from.

 







Another fun thing to do in this area is shopping and eating. The city of Moab, Utah is flat with tons of shops, restaurants and bars to choose from. We ate at, La Hacienda. It was really good!

Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge is located in the state of Colorado with an elevation of 9600 feet. The population is about 4500, but they are mainly part-timers with vacation homes. Breckenridge is mostly known for snow skiing. However it's pretty popular for outdoor summer activities… Mountain biking, hiking, fishing, etc. Being in a wheelchair I wasn't sure what I would find, but I knew my husband would have a blast.

               We stayed at:
      The Tiger Run Rv Resort
             85 Revette Drive
      Breckenridge, CO 80424
              970-453-9690


 

Amenities include;
Full RV hook ups
Extra large sites
Chalets (cute log cabins)
Wi-Fi (that actually worked)
Indoor pool and spa
Tennis court
Volleyball and basketball
Game room
Kid and dog friendly
Laundry and showers
Etc.…



This place is beautiful. Well-maintained and beautifully landscaped. Each spot seems very private. Some of the RV sites are up to 60ft. deep and 20ft. wide. All of the sites are privately owned and at times owner occupied  All have picnic tables and some have much more.  ** they do not allow truck trailers, pup pup trailers or anything under 20ft. in length or more than 20 years old. If you want to give the RV a rest, the cabins are a wonderful alternative to a hotel. The cabins come stocked with all of the basic necessities and room for four adults. The only problem I have with this RV resort is that I am now forever spoiled.

** If you rely on GPS make sure you look at the route it wants to take you on. Ours had us get off the freeway and drive up and over a steep mountain road (above the tree line). Only to find out, that if we stayed on the freeway until the next exit we would be right at the entrance of our destination..

Breckenridge has a lot of outdoor activities. In the winter of course there is skiing. The rest of the year is for bicycles, hiking and fishing. There is a paved trail that leads all the way to Vail, Colorado. A motorized wheelchair or scooter would have no problem on the trail. This is just a beautiful place to be outside.

The actual town of Breckenridge is NOT wheelchair friendly, at all. The streets and sidewalks are in rough condition. The curbs are high and most of the parking is not close by. We look for a restaurant, but everything way found was up a flight of stairs. In all fairness, this is a high mountain ski destination. We were also visiting during Oktoberfest. Because I didn't want to completely miss out on the celebration, I had a beer and bought a beer stein.



Close by is the town of Frisco. Frisco is extremely wheelchair friendly. The streets and sidewalks are mostly flat. Shops and restaurants are easy to get into. If you like pizza you're in luck… It's everywhere. We ate at Kemosabe Sushi. It was delicious!

One scary night in Kansas

We were driving from Nashville, Tennessee to Colorado. Due to a heat wave across the South we decided to take the most direct route and cut straight through Kansas on I70. After we crossed into Kansas my husband asked if I knew anything about the state. Jokingly I said, "No, except I've seen The Wizard of Oz". I70 from the Turnpike to Topeka would be our first ever toll road. Who knew that this day would be our first for a whole lot of things.

As we drove on the wind started to pick up. Drizzle began to fall in the sky got darker. We saw the most spectacular lightning display in the distance, across the horizon. Our only concern was trying to capture the perfect photograph. The rain and the wind got very intense, and the sky went dark. At the end of the toll road there was a note on the toll booth that read, " No Toll. Find Shelter". We explained to the kid battening down the hatches of the toll booth that we were from California and understood earthquakes, but had no clue what to do in a tornado. He gave us a quick tutorial, and said we would have no problem because the tornado was behind us. Wow... was he wrong. All of the weather conditions became worse. We could not see where to go.  Driving speed was now down to about 20 mph. It seem like we were the only ones left on the road. There were very few buildings and nothing but open space. Not even an overpass. Our radio and the cell phones were going crazy. "Tornado Danger – Get Low! Flooding Danger – Get High"!!!

Suddenly, we saw light off in the distance. My husband said, "That is where we are going". It was a small truck stop filled with more trucks then I have ever seen. The trucker that we pull behind said something that I will never forget and actually made me cry, "You are safe now, my truck is not moving until the morning". Eventually we were packed in like sardines, and I never slept better.

The morning was quite surreal. The sun came up and birds were singing. We saw the trees that actually blew up from the lightning strikes. We saw the freeway signs that were twisted like pretzels. There was a semi truck that was mangled in the ditch. And then there was someone on an overpass waving and American flag, because oddly enough it was the anniversary of 9/11

Nashville, Tennessee pt.2

 

Nashville was a convenient place to stop and have a little fun on our way back across the country. We stayed at the Nashville KOA.

2626 Music Valley Dr.
Nashville, Tennessee
(615) 889-0286

This RV park is really nice! On our first trip to Nashville we stayed here, and had no reason to try anything else. They have tons of amenities...
Full hookups
Wide level spots
Patio furniture w/ fire pit
Pool, Jacuzzi and sauna
Playground for the kids
etc...

There is a shuttle available that will take you into downtown Nashville. However, the shuttle is not wheelchair accessible and does not have a lift. On my first trip to this RV park my big complaint was that I couldn't find the trashcan. This trip I figured out how it works... Each morning your bagged trash gets picked up from your site (how great is that).

Downtown Nashville is NOT wheelchair friendly. The city is built on sleep hills and the sidewalks are in poor condition. I did find that C Street is definitely manageable. It's mostly flat with restaurants, bars and plenty of shopping. This is the place to go.



The Country Music Hall of Fame should not be missed and is definitely doable in a wheelchair.… As long as you get dropped off in the front of the building. The best parking for this is at a close by church parking lot. It will cost you about $7 for the day. In different areas throughout the city there is underground parking around $15.

Close to the Nashville KOA is the Grand Ole Opry. I wanted to visit The Opry but it was very expensive, so I chose to go downtown instead. In hindsight I wish that I had spent the money, because downtown was extremely difficult... Maybe next time.

Ranger

In loving memory of Ranger. 

1-2000 to 7-2016

I feel blessed to have had Ranger in my life at for 15 of his 16 years. He was a smart, loving and kind Labrador retriever. He had a huge personality and could always make me smile. He was sweet but definitely the alpha dog in the house. We adopted him from Pet Orphans in Van Nuys, California. They found him at a local animal shelter. One of my favorite memories of him will always be… During our adoption home check I showed them our dog doors and the dog-run where he would go potty. I was told "that dog will never do that". I said , "give him 10 minutes ". I was wrong, it only took him 5 minutes. I really can't take any credit for that. Ranger was scary-smart.

He was a known escape artist who love to explore. If we weren't careful, when a door would open he would wander out. Luckily he loved people and people loved him. Neighbors would escort him back home and strangers would call us after reading his tags. His wandering spirit never stopped.

After we started traveling in the motorhome, Ranger could not have been happier. He got to travel and explore with his family. He got to visit many state and national parks. He left his mark in countless forests, lakes and trails. Truck stops and rest stops were equally fun. He traveled in and out and through so many different states. He clocked in an estimated 20,000 miles.  Definitely, a life well lived!



I will forever miss my love puppy.
Rest in peace, Ranger. 

Brevard, North Carolina

While staying in Asheville, we stumbled across another treasure. From that point on we found ourselves making daily trips. Brevard is located approximately 20 miles south of Asheville,  Even though the population is under 8000, with the exception of downtown, everything is pretty spread out. I recommend a good road map and an idea of what you want to see each day. To say this city is beautiful would definitely be an understatement. Brevard has gorgeous green mountains, forests, lakes and waterfalls. In fact, Brevard is known as The Land Of Waterfalls.


  
The DuPont Forest is located here. To be precise, Dupont is southeast of Brevard, between Hendersonville and Brevard. Officially, it is The Dupont State Recreational Forest. This is where scenes from the movies, The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games were filmed.

DuPont is loved for its miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and swimming etc. If your a wheelchair user (like I am) there is no reason to feel left out. When you present your Access Pass to the ranger in the main office, you will be allowed to drive through the park. Triple Falls, High Falls and The Bridge are set up for wheelchairs. They all have parking, a picnic areas and wheelchair accessible Andy Gumps. Be warned… I could see everything and should've been perfectly happy, but I thought I could get a closer look. My front wheel got stuck in a rut and I took a tumble out of my chair. A lot of people came running to give me a hand. No harm no foul… Except for my ego nothing was hurt. After my husband finished giggling, he told me that on the previous day both he and two of his friend fell off their bikes in the same area. I became a proud member of the "I wiped out here club".










  







Also adjacent to Brevard is The Pisgah Forest. I think this is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. Every moment took my breath away. I literally felt like I was living inside a beautiful oil painting. The lush forest is full of high peaks and cascading waterfalls. Most of the sites have areas to pull your car over and take pictures. Also, pack a lunch because there are picnic tables everywhere.

 
On Highway 276, as you enter The Pisgah National Forest you will find Dolly's Dairy Bar. This is a MUST STOP for great ice cream. 


A little further up 276 is the Ranger Station and Visitor Center. Continue up 276 and you will see Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock Falls and a Vanderbilt hunting cabin. 
You can see Looking Glass Falls from the road. There is an accessible overlook for a better view. Stairs go down to the bottom of the falls but they are not very accessible.

Sliding Rock is a fun activity spot. For just $1 per day you can actually slide down and play in the waterfall. This is not an accessible activity, but the viewpoint is.

 



One of Vanderbilt's hunting cabins still stands.







Topping 276 is The Blue Ridge Parkway with several accessible overlooks.

Downtown Brevard is relatively flat and touristy. There are many fun little shops, restaraunts and a retro movie theatre. While you are there I recommend eating and Millberry's café.



 


The co-ed movie theater is a retro experience with first run movies for only $7 during the day and $8 at night.
The popcorn is pretty great, also!



 




* Sidenote… Another reason that I love this place could be because my favorite holiday is Halloween, and Brevard is the County Seat  of Transylvania county.

Asheville North Carolina

This was our second trip to this area. We loved it so much the first time we started considering a permanent move. We wanted to see Asheville a little more normal day-to-day and less as a tourist. We also wanted to see how the August heat would effect my MS symptoms. I believe we accomplished our mission and did a lot of fun stuff too.

We stayed at;
Asheville's Bear Creek RV Park & Campground
81 S. Bear Creek Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
828-253-0798
www.ashevillebearcreek.com

Amenities:
Full hookups
Tent area
Heated swimming pool – seasonal
Bathrooms
Laundry
Playground
Cable TV
Wi-Fi

I love this RV park! The people are incredibly friendly and helpful. Everything is well-maintained and clean. The Wi-Fi is hit and miss (depending on the time of day). Some of the sites are satellite friendly, but this is a mountain location with a lot of trees. The lower level is definitely wheelchair friendly, however the rest of the sites are on a hill. The higher you go the better the views. Providing you have a car the location is perfect. Easy freeway access no matter what direction you're headed to. The freeways encircle Asheville and are easy to navigate. But, some of the on and off ramps are confusing.

We had to check out the farmers market. The NC Farmers Market is close to the RV park but you will still need your car. This market was enormous. It's not a walk-through it's literally a drive-through. They had tons of fruit, veggies and plants… However, I was surprised that they had nothing organic.

An indoor shopping mall is only a couple of miles from the RV park. It has enough stores to get your retail fix and lots of parking.

About 6-miles away is the North Carolina Arboretum.
It's located next to the Blue Ridge Pkwy at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way.
The price is per car not per person. There is plenty of handicap parking. I recommend using a power wheelchair or scooter. The Arboretum has 65 acres of gardens. 10 acres of hiking and biking trails. Lots of events for kids. Most of it is accessible but there are a couple of spots that may be difficult for any type of wheelchair. They have a gift shop and a cafe, but I recommend packing a lunch.

One of my favorite things is to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter what time of year it's gorgeous! You can read about the Parkway to the North in my first Asheville post. And you will be able to read about the Parkway to the South in my upcoming Brevard post.



The Folk Art Center
382 Blue Ridge Parkway
Asheville, North Carolina

Since the 1930s the folk art center has been the gathering spot for mountain craftsmanship with shopping and exhibits. The parking and facility are very accessible. However, it is a steep ramp up to the front door and a ramp to the second floor.


I never end a blog post without food recommendations;

Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company
675 Marion Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801

This could be the perfect place. Pizza, beer and movies. It's a fun place for the whole family and the pizza is really good. My only negative was that we were sitting outside with our dog and everybody was smoking.




All Souls Pizza
175 Clingman Ave
Asheville, NC 28801

 

Gourmet pizza at its best!

Bandidos Latin Kitchen

697 Haywood Rd.

Asheville, NC 28806

It's an awful location, But the food is great and the margaritas are amazing!!