May 2024
by Christopher Gilmore
At the end of April, we left our home in Colorado and headed west. Thanks to Team Gleason, from May 1 to May 9, we would be making a whirlwind adventure through six of the most beautiful and diverse national parks in the west.
As Christine and I met through a love of being outside and hiking mountains, not being able to get away into the mountains is one of the hardest parts of her ALS diagnosis and one we both grieve often. We haven’t however given up on “seeing mountains and the outdoors.”
Heading south from Lake Tahoe, we found our first hotel (Yosemite Westgate Lodge) just outside the northern entrance to Yosemite Park. This hotel had recently remodeled its accessible room and was by far and away one of the best accessible rooms we have ever seen. Wide entrances, big bathroom with roll in shower, high toilet, lots of room to get around in a power chair.
We headed into Yosemite the next day (weather was amazing) and found the park not too crowded and lots of accessible parking spots everywhere. Many of the paths were paved and if we wanted, we could have traveled outside on the pathways through the whole valley. The waterfalls were magnificent and the smile on Christine’s face made the trip already worth it – and we still have five parks and 8 days to go!
After another wonderful night at the lodge, we headed south to Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks. Some of these parks were still closed due to snow on the roads, but we were able to get into some of the big tree areas. Again, the crowds thankfully were not bad.
One of the things Christine finds difficult is to navigate the chair through crowds, too often no one sees her as she is so much lower, and people are constantly stepping in front of her without noticing she is trying to move forward.
We stayed at a more well-known chain hotel that night, but again, the accessible room was very accommodating (Comfort Inn & Suites Sequoia/Kings Canyon).
Our next day was the longest day of driving, we headed southwest toward Bakersfield, CA then east toward Death Valley NP. After seeing a part of the park, we headed to our hotel in Nevada which didn’t have the roll in shower room available, but after some heated dialogue and protesting, we would be able to have the room the second night we were there (Holiday Inn Express & Suites Pahrump, an IHG Hotel).
We spent the morning getting into the new room, and then headed back to Death Valley where we spent the day looking at the flowers, getting up some of the paved pathways, and going to the lowest place in the United States.
We then headed to Las Vegas for a night (Holiday Inn Express Las Vegas – Stadium Area) – which was very crowded (and on a Monday night). While everything was technically accessible, all the elevators to the bridges to get over the streets, as well as get around in general took a lot of time. If we were to go to Vegas again, we’d stay in one place and enjoy it rather than walk the strip.
The next day we drove farther east and got to see Bryce Canyon NP. Being a lot higher in elevation, it was a bit chillier than our other parks, but we were able to get out and see some of the amazing vistas and get a sense of the park itself. The pathways were steep but doable. After that, we drove to a place about 45 minutes from the park near the town of Escalante. Here we found our favorite place to stay during the trip. In a resort called Offland, we had a tiny homemade completely accessible (Offland Escalante).
It was beautiful and perfect and fun to stay in – we’d go back there if we are able someday.
The next day we went to our last park (Capitol Reef NP) which is a smaller park in size than many of the others and while one of the roads was under construction, we could see most of the park from the car – only getting out to check out the visitor center.
We drove from there to Moab, stayed at a chain hotel, but the accessible room worked well, and it was a nice place to spend our last night of vacation (La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Moab).
The red rocks just outside were stunning, and we found some good food to bring home for dinner.
We left mid-morning to head home and upon getting into the mountains outside of Frisco found ourselves in a white out snowstorm (welcome home!).
Luckily the snow hadn’t started to stick yet so we made it with no trouble.
As Christine’s ALS continues to progress, we are finding the challenge of traveling harder, especially at night. Not having an adjustable bed is becoming difficult, so a few nights she had to sleep in her chair to prevent her feet from hurting, in addition, as her neck weakens, the long drives can be harder too (we are getting a new headrest which will help).
As we returned home, we were so grateful to Team Gleason for not just the financial assistance, but making the reservations, finding great hotels and a tiny home, and the enthusiasm they share with us on our trip is all very powerful. This trip does mean a lot of work for the caregiver (lots of moving stuff into hotel rooms and driving), but seeing so many wonderful sights, having time together, and not having to stress about the planning was worth every moment.
Adventure Details:
LODGING:
Yosemite | Yosemite Westgate Lodge
Kings Canyon | Comfort Inn & Suites Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Death Valley | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Pahrump, an IHG Hotel
Las Vegas | Holiday Inn Express Las Vegas – Stadium Area
Bryce Canyon | Offland Escalante
Moab | La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Moab
