Mammoth Lakes, California (RV Park)

September 2012

I love this area!  The air is clean, the trees are beautiful and there is so much to do.  As an able-bodied person I came to Mammoth often in the winter to ski.  This was my first trip back as a wheelchair user.  At this point I feel the need to apologize.  When I started this RV adventure, I had no idea that I would create a wheelchair accessibility blog from it.  So now I'm playing catch-up by memory of my travels over the last year.  But here goes… 

Mammoth Mountain RV Park
2667 Main St
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 
(760) 934-3822 

Amenities include;

Full and partial Hookups RV site

Cabins and tent areas

Indoor pool and spa

Wi-Fi

The beauty of this park are the trees but that means the sites are full of pine needles and cones. They do offer sites on pavement that are a little more wheelchair friendly but, we chose to go for the full experience.  We stayed in the more natural wooded section.  Although the sites are well groomed I found them a bit challenging in a manual wheelchair.  You may want to use a chair with rugged tires, a power chair or a scooter.  Also a mat or rug for the patio / picnic area.

Accessible things not to miss…

A wide paved path off Lake Mary Rd. in the Twin Lakes area.  You will come across lakes, waterfalls and even a horse stable.

This path along the lakes goes on for miles

Ride the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain.  The staff was awesome and well prepared to assist you on and off the gondola.  A portable ramp is available to roll you and your chair into the gondola.  They will radio the top so a ramp is waiting when you get there.  When you start off it's a little unnerving and you will feel like you're flying.  The scenery is unbelievable!!  Not much to do at the top except say "WOW... Look what I did". (Have a jacket because it can be cold at the top)

9/11/2001 is a date nobody will ever forgot.  The last time I was in Mammoth was with a very good friend who was lost in the 9/11 tragedies.  On 9/11/2012, even though I am terrified of heights, I wanted to ride the gondola to the top in memory of my lost friend.

I started out scared but the ride and view was amazing.

Go shopping at "The Village at Mammoth".

Dining suggestions...

Giovanni's -  An Italian restaurant in town.  Handicap parking spot in front. One step up into the restaurant but otherwise fully accessible. I recommend the Mammoth pizza.  You will be eating leftovers for days.

Roberto's Cafe  –  A Mexican restaurant in town. Outdoor dining is accessible. Good margaritas!!

Truth be told… I have not found a bad restaurant in Mammoth yet.

Helpful advice – Bring a sweater, because when the sun goes down the temperature drops!!

Mammoth Lakes, California (Whitmore 2012)

September, 2012 we headed to Mammoth Lakes, California so my husband could participate in the High Sierra Fall Classic bike ride.  It's an annual 100 mile ride in the Sierra mountains.

The ride started and finished at the Whitmore baseball field, near Mammoth Airport.  We were fortunate to be able to dry camp in right field for the weekend.  It's a beautiful spot next to Crowley Lake.  The promoters of the bike ride hosted a barbecue with music and games.  After the party the campers were given all of the extra ice cream.  That was a win – win for the rest of our adventure.

There was no electricity, no amenities and no facilities.  We were completely self-contained (with only my glam-ping supplies).   The grass is tall and this site was NOT wheelchair friendly at all.

My husband enjoyed his race,  I caught up on some reading and we both enjoyed a couple of spectacular sunsets!!

I survived my first dry camping experience... Yay!!

Chula Vista, California

July 2012 was our first official camping experience in our new motorhome.  It was at the Chula Vista RV Resort.  Chula Vista is located just east of San Diego, California.

Chula Vista RV Resort
460 Sandpiper Way
Chula Vista, CA 91910
800-770-2878

I found the park extremely wheelchair friendly.  Access throughout the park is paved.  Each site comes with a cement patio, picnic table and some sort of hedge for privacy.  We chose a back-in site which was tight but, they also have pull-throughs.  

Amenities in the park include:
Full hook-ups
Wi-Fi
Pool and Jacuzzi
Fitness room
Small dog runs
Ice cream social
Tiki bar
Etc.

The RV park is attached to the southern side of San Diego Bay, across from Coronado Island.  There is a marina, a few restaurants, and a park.  It is all connected by a paved wheelchair accessible path.  ** The gate is a little bit tricky.  To get out the handle is high and the door opens inward.

Attractions in the area:  
Sea World
The San Diego Zoo
Seaport Village
Coronado Island
Legoland
Etc.

On this trip we did not bring an extra car. I guess that means that next time we will have even more fun things to do.

On the negative side, the freeway system getting to the RV park was a nightmare and we were disrupted by maintenance crews cleaning the park in the middle of the night.  All in all we had a good time.

** Keep in mind summer temperatures in Chula Vista can be very hot.     

Maiden Voyage

Almost immediately after the modifications were completed, we went out on a test run.  We went to a local RV park with full hookups.  We spent 24 hours trying to learn how everything worked, plugging in, turning on and playing with every gadget.  We filled and emptied, opened and closed, raised and lowered, in and out, on and off, the whole 9 yards.

Primarily we wanted to make sure that everything worked.  We made a list of questions and concerns. Also, we were able to shake off most of our first-timers fears.

This was not the fun stuff but so well worth it.  You don't want to get too far away only to find out "The whatever" doesn't work.

This was a SUCCESSFUL first outing…

My goal of this blog…

My vision of this blog is to go on my RV adventure and report on my accessibility findings.  Because everyone's perception of accessibility is different... I will do my best to include as much as possible.  I welcome any corrections, comments or questions.  Just be respectful… You never know who's reading this.

Since my paralysis comes from a neurological condition, I face a lot of different accessibility issues. Along with mobility restraints I deal with temperature and fatigue.  However, I am blessed to have a "Hunky Hubby" who helps me navigate the tougher spots.  You might find my observations as not nearly enough or "overkill" but... I hope that it helps.

It doesn't matter if you're reading this for yourself or someone else.  Don't let limitations scary you. Get out and live life!!  This is me "Living outside of my comfort zone".

Remember, my thought on was camping was always equivalent to a bad motel.  So… My RV adventure will have a "Glam-ping" twist.  Enjoy!!

The wheelchair-lift and other modifications

After verifying with Mobility Specialists that this motorhome was a good candidate for the necessary modifications, we made the purchase. 

They did a great job of adding the door and integrating it with the lift so that it all operated with the same remote. I could not be happier with the fabricator that I used!!
   
The Mobility Specialist, Inc. 
Vince Fabozzi 
490 Capricorn Street Brea, CA 92821 

(877)777-LIFT
 www.mobilityspecialists.com

By removing the loveseat and cutting a hole in the now vacant area behind the passenger seat a wheelchair-lift was installed.

Because the model of RV that I chose has a full-wall slide I have plenty of elbow room.  After purchasing a shower seat ($30 from Amazon.com)  and, building a ramp ($0. for materials found in my garage) for the step up into the bedroom I was good to go.

Deciding on the RV for me.

Choosing the RV was no easy task!  The choices are endless.  The research took on a life of its own. From fantasy versus reality the process seemed to take forever.  New or used?  Big or small?  Drive  or tow?   Where will you keep it?   And, the bottom line… How much are you willing to spend??

At first we thought "Okay this will be easy".  We will get a toy-hauler type trailer.  The wheelchair can go in and out the ramp in the back.  Plus, the insurance for the trailer is much less.  Oh crap… Now we need a new truck big enough to pull whatever!  Because we thought that all of the costs for a new truck would negate any savings on the trailer we moved on.

Now we're looking for something that you drive.  Not too big but big enough for two adults and two big dogs.  My husband is a cyclist  so we will have a minimum of two bikes traveling with us.  Even if I only take one, my wheelchair is still another big thing.

We now seem to be looking at a Class-A something.  Still wanting to save a few pennies we were looking at the gas models.   Because the door for the gas model is generally in the center of the RV we thought it might be a good spot to widen and add a wheelchair lift.  With help from Nick at Niels RV we started looking for a floor plan that would work.  Nothing we found seem to be an easy fit (too small, too many modifications required, etc...). So we kept looking.

Motion sickness is often a problem with multiple sclerosis.  After researching we found that a diesel pusher has a smoother ride because it has air suspension.  Now I need something with the perfect floor plan to accommodate a wheelchair lift and maneuvering room inside.  Many of the diesels have a love seat that can be removed to cut a hole in the side of the RV for my VIP entrance.  I would also like it to require minimal amount of modification to make it accessible for me.

After what seemed like forever this is what we found…

2007 Fleetwood Discovery 39V

We purchased it from Nick at Niels RV in North Hills, CA.  Nick was not your typical pushy salesman.  Very relaxed and easy going.  If your in the market for an RV I highly recommend that you contact Nick at www.nielsrv.com

How this adventure began…

I love to travel... see and do something new! However, 20+ years ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Along the way I became a wheelchair user, which put a wrinkle in my plan.  The best word I have to describe travel in a wheelchair is challenging.

It never failed when booking accessible hotel rooms the result was anything but!  The room for the handicapped person is always the furthest away.  Most things in the room were either too high or too far.  The roll-in shower was usually a bathtub.  I even found a perfectly appointed handicap assessable room with a doorway not wide enough for a wheelchair to get through.  The worst was after traveling 3000 miles we got to our hotel and found they don't have accessible rooms (Even though our email confirmation said they did ).

After years of vacations being overshadowed by making sure everything was accessible enough my husband came to me with a crazy-ass idea.  He wondered if I had any thoughts about a RV?  I said "Have you ever met me"?? The idea seemed so strange because my idea of camping is a bad hotel. After researching the idea we found that it just might work.

And the adventure begins: