East Coast Roadtrip

East Coast Fall foliage

It had been more than two years since we had ventured on our first roadtrip*.  It was time to move from using a walker to a wheelchair.  That was a particularly difficult humiliation bullet to bite.  I thought I had accepted the inevitability of progression, but I found myself whining, "No-o-o-o!"  Was this the end of the road before absolute immobility? Were my traveling days over?  More importantly, would I strain Earl's back and were my scooting days over? 😱

As with previous transitions, logic and practicality won out.  I was so freakin' slow with a walker. I didn't appreciate how frightening my precarious balance was to others.  Finally, I knew an injury was the bigger personal threat and was to be avoided at all costs.  Thelma and Louise ** became a permanent part of my next chapter.  Wheelchair use gave me greater mobility and freedom than I had expected.  It didn't impact my travel, scooting, and I didn't "break" Earl. 😅

Oh, please

So we boarded a plane and flew to Asheville, North Carolina to begin our East Coast roadtrip.  We had previously been to many major big cities on the east coast (New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta) and we wanted to see new places and more rural areas this time.  We even put Mt. Airy on the travel itinerary.  Mt. Airy is the town on which the fictional Mayberry was based.  Boy, did the town ever capitalize on that 60s TV claim to fame! There was the Andy Griffith Museum, Floyd's Barber Shop, and Aunt Bee's Bakery.  Really?

Lightweight Thelma (a transport chair) was easy to get out of a rental car and much faster to get into any restaurant or site that captured our attention.  If it seemed like we would cover some ground exploring, out came Skeeter.  Asheville had a funky art scene and an interesting main street, but the sidewalks weren't 'Skeeter friendly'. It was a short adventure. Oh well, live and learn...😐

Blueridge Parkway

A major destination that called to us was the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we headed out.  Apparently, it's a popular cycling destination as well.  Since the weather was good, we saw several cyclists heading up the mountain.  Earl was a bit wistful and I knew he wanted to be out there, but he coped and kept driving.  What Easterners would call a "mountain", Westerners would call a "hill".  But, to a cyclist, elevation is still elevation.  Aside from the rural scenic vistas, museums, and 200 year old buildings, there were Gaps, Hollers, and Gulches all along the way.  That's how everything was originally named.

Shenandoah/Appalachian Trail

The Shenandoah Valley had many confederate museums, civil war history and battlegrounds.  That was one thing we were looking for, but we weren't prepared for the number of people who still referred to the "Northern war of Aggression".  Picking our battles carefully, we kept our Yankee mouths shut.  More vistas and Earl hiked a bit (a very little bit) on the Appalachian Trail.  Skeeter, Thelma, and I stayed in the car.

Niagara Falls

We thought that everyone had been to Niagara Falls except us, so we included that in the travel itinerary.  We also had the impression that it was an over–hyped tourist attraction.  It wasn't. Not only were the falls breathtaking, but the Canadians have done a fantastic job creating an accessible walkway that takes advantage of the falls.  Sure, it was crowded and touristy, but Skeeter and I were happy. 👏

Seneca Falls

Nestled quietly in northern New York, was one of the highlights of my trip—Seneca Falls, birthplace of the women's rights movement. Again, it was very 'scooterable'.  Between Skeeter and Thelma, I was able to hit all the major sites.  I never thought of myself as an activist, but I found Seneca Falls to be fascinating and emotional.

Lake Placid

The town of Lake Placid (very scooter–friendly) is actually along the scenic Mirror lake. Another travel highlight was visiting the Olympic Training Center skating arenas—the 1932 Shea arena and the main Brooks arena . Earl and I talked about the skating history, realizing that there are probably few younger people who even know who Sonja Henie was (Olympic figure skating gold medalist, 1928, 1932, 1936).  In fact, there are probably two generations who think the 'Miracle on Ice' refers to a Disney skating production. Trying to take in all the 1980 Olympic venues, we drove up to Whiteface Mountain, but didn't have time to see the bobsled and jump areas.  However, we were able to see the speed skating track where Eric Heiden trained, an outdoor oval at the adjacent high school as part of my scooter tour of downtown Lake Placid.

We had also never been to Montreal.  The second largest city in Canada, it is beautiful.  But while it paid some attention to accessibility, we didn't find it to be very handicap friendly.  In all fairness, there's only so much you can do in a city trying to preserve over 300 years of history and a European influence.

Montreal

Many businesses have only stairs, sidewalks are not beveled well at intersections, if at all.   Skeeter and I never tipped over, but there were a couple of times that scared the crap out of Earl.  The US is ahead of most other cities with regard to accessibility.  Crowds walk 3-4 abreast, tune into their phones, and ignore others (a global issue).   One evening, Earl and I made reservations at a restaurant that promised great grilled octopus.  Skeeter managed the narrow, bumpy sidewalks, but the restaurant had steps into it 😲.  Rather than lose paying customers, the restaurant proprietors just walked me to the table and carried Skeeter. 
I scooted through the old port built along the St. Lawrence River and the city's namesake, Mount Royal.

Burlington/Montpelier

The final stop before flying home was Vermont.  Our friends told us Burlington was reminiscent of Portland in the 70s.  They were right, although the East Coast does a better job of preserving old historic buildings than the west coast.  Our definitions of what constitutes 'old' do differ. We consider building old if they're 150 years.  On the east coast, 😂.
They live in the capitol, Montpelier. Their home was very accessible and they had wine.  Earl had to do more pushing of me and Thelma, but it worked.  Although we were a couple of weeks ahead of the scheduled fall colors, we enjoyed the turning foliage in the Adirondacks, Appalachia, and New England. The east coast is heavier on deciduous trees and light on evergreens.  In contrast, the west coast is heavier on the evergreens, and light on deciduous trees.  Maybe it wasn't peak color, but it was still a magical part of the trip. 

The lesson: The East Coast maybe not as handicap friendly as the West Coast, but we had a will, so there was always a way.

*Previous post: Road Trip With Disabilities: Part 2 of 5
**Previous post: New Wheels: The 'girls'