I embarked on my first road trip in years last week. It was a westward-bound trip that started in Minneapolis, went to Denver, Chicago, and then back home again, following one of the coolest bands you’ve never heard of: Dispatch; a recently reunited, Boston-based independent band.
When you do a road trip by minivan, as a power chair-user, driving about 1,000 miles or so each day, you learn a lot. There are glaring missteps, as well as some pretty awesome lessons to be learned when you’re on the road as a gimp. Here are a few of the best; hopefully just in time for your own vehicular sojourn.
Tie-towns not too shabby: Awful memories still linger in my mind of when I was first injured and had to use a huge mid ‘80s Ford Econoline to get out in the world. Our van had tie-downs. Tie-downs require manual help from someone, and make loading and exiting the van painfully long; especially if you tend to run impatient like me.
For my road rip we used tie-downs the whole trip (automatic lock issues). To my surprise, they worked awesomely. The latest design of tie-downs are a greatly improved version of the mid ‘90s tie-downs. They zip on/off quickly and fluidly. As long as you have quick hands and able arms, or a helper like me, tie-downs aren’t that horribly archaic. By the end of the trip we had a system down, and I was safe the entire trip. When you’re going 80 mph passing semis full of livestock, this is way important!
AC anyway you can get it: When you’re in the middle of Wyoming and there’s no trees in sight, no clouds in sight, and you have no AC in your van, you may just start panicking a little (guilty). As a tree and water child from Minnesota who freaks out whenever she’s in stark, dead landscapes, having cold air blowing on your face helps.
But if you can’t afford AC like my sorry self ($1,000 to fix a cracked evaporator in my ‘06 Dodge minivan? I don’t think so), a quick cheap fix is a spray bottle and about 20 chilled water bottles. Roll down your window down and spray your face, arm, neck, and let the wind hit you. Instant AC. Keep a bunch on hand if you’re in 95+ temps this summer like I was, and if you’re serious about not wanting to overheat. This also helps your drive time because you won’t have to pull over as often.
Indestructible food: If you’re anything like me, your cooler is an afterthought and its almost guaranteed you’ll forget to maintain the ice in it 99% of the time. This is why I say no to the cooler and only pack food that doesn’t require any special treatment from me at all except a spot in my van that’s up and away so I don’t run it over. Even though I’m not a huge meat-eater, beef jerky has proven to be one of the best foodstuffs that meet this requirement. It can even be in your glove box in 90+ degree temps for 3 days and still be edible. Pudding cups, rice cakes, and peanuts are also some of my favorites. These foods are also Zombie Apocalypse friendly.
Books on CD save your sanity: I love jamming out to Sweet Home Alabama as much as the next girl, but even music can’t carry your interest for 14 hours straight. That is why the literary gods created books on CD/MP3. And the best part, they’re free! Yes, that’s right. If you’re a US citizen you can go to the library where there’s usually a vast selection of books on CD. I love getting a variety, non-fiction and fiction. We listened to A Guide to Wine, which taught us every detail of the wine-making process, as we drove through the entirety of South Dakota, the home of beef, not wine. We also listened to a great collection of horror short stories, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson (a regular writer for the old Twilight Zone series).
Always stop at one tourist trap: Please promise me you’ll stop at least one tourist trap during your time on the road. Our classic tourist trap stop was the Pioneer Museum in Murdo, South Dakota. For a $10 entrance fee, you can view this fabulous old man’s car collection, as many as 250+ vehicles, plus an entire collection of authentic, fully-furnished Old Western buildings that were moved to the site, including a jail, a school house, and a general store with yes, super creepy old blood letting kits. There’s nothing like stepping/rolling into another world after several hours of staring at corn fields, and giving any walking travel companions an opportunity to stretch their legs.
Whether you’re driving up north to a far away cabin, out west to a music festival, or out east to see the sites in NYC and DC, remember our open roads, our many highways, freeways, interstates, are one of the coolest things about the US. Sure we have great restaurants, great cities, great parks, but the roads….oh the roads…connecting it all are an adventure unto itself.
Looking to travel abroad this summer, read Andrea Kennedy’s post “International Travel For Wheelchair Users“.
Do you have any travel tips for fellow road trippers embarking on their next adventure?
I really enjoyed reading this article about your road trip. I’m just beginning the process of trying to obtain a stationary standing machine for use at home with the goal of being strong enough to once again travel like I used to before becoming wheelchair bound. It’s been six years since I’ve driven a car or been out of this city (Las Vegas). Even if it turns out I will continue to be a wheelchair user for years to come, I’m itching to start road tripping again and your tips are very helpful to prepare. Thanks again.
Get on the road, Nina, anyway you can. :)