Shoestring Express - handicapped women describe travelling in US and Canada - Brief Article

Accent on Living, Spring, 2001 by Millie Malone

Two post-polios travel cross country and meet members of their online support group. They did not know what the trip would entail, but after all was done - would they do it again? In a heartbeat!

We are two middle-aged women, both handicapped by postpolio syndrome and a severe lack of funds. However, when Ginger, a fellow polio survivor living In Portland, Oregon, sent a post to our online polio support group saying that she would be receiving her Masters of Science degree in June, we decided we would attend that graduation or die in the attempt.

We sent an announcement to the online group that we were on our way and offers of lodging poured in from across the U.S. On those occasions where friends were too for off the beaten path, we would sleep in the van and cook on the campstove. We would only need money for gas and groceries. Of course, it is very helpful on these occasions to be blissfully ignorant of all the dangers a couple of women with more nerve than brains can encounter.

It's a long way from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, where Carolann lives to my home in Iowa. But Carolann bravely set off to meet me and we were off. Bright and early (before noon, that is, as neither of us do single digit mornings), we set off across the flatlands of Nebraska in a roundabout trip to our goal. We wanted to meet as many of our online group as possible. Enroute, we stopped at Salt Lake City, Utah. Then Las Vegas and on to Bakersfield, California. Although Carolann is terrified of bridges, she decided that it would be best if she drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. That left me free to hang out the window like a Golden Retriever and gawk at the Pacific Ocean. We then crossed the even longer Oakland Bridge, again with my head out the window. No matter what Carolann may tell you, my tongue was not lolling out of my mouth.

We arrived in Portland the evening before the graduation. Our enthusiasm was contagious enough to entice three others of our group to meet us there. On the day of Gin's graduation, there was quite a contingent of us, all wearing our signature color (hot pink) in baseball caps, streamers and lapel pins. The Dragon Fighters were gathering to support their own! Armed with airhorns and hot pink silly string, we cheered Ginger's achievement. (Most of us spent our youths being responsible adults, and having gotten that out of the way, we are spending our later years having fun.)

Once the graduation was over, we decided to extend the trip even more. At the invitations of more of our online friends, we had lunch on top of the Space Needle in Seattle and spent a couple of nights in Olympia, Washington, before taking the ferry across Puget Sound for a visit in Victoria, British Columbia, on beautiful Vancouver Island. The ferry was my first venture on a boat of any kind. We decided to leave the van on the mainland for our five-day visit. Mistake. The ferry is a long way from the parking area. When we complained about the distance we had to walk from the area labeled Handicapped Parking, we were told, "Everyone has to park there. Obviously the phrase Handicapped Parking meant something else to BC Ferries.

Our return trip was through the magnificent Canadian Rockies. The U.S. Rockies stay a respectful distance from the interstate so one can get a good view without getting involved. Not the Canadian Rockies! They crowd close to the road, towering and glowering and doing their best to intimidate with their granite heights. But the jewel-bright glacier-fed rivers and lakes soften the effect to a great degree. An afternoon spent soaking in Radium Hot Springs was a very welcome respite for two weary and aching travelers.

We learned what would take an able-bodied person a few hours might take us polio survivors a couple of days. We had to stop frequently for naps, stretching breaks and change of drivers. My stamina is good for driving on the interstate, but Carolann's nerves handle city traffic better than mine, so we make a good team. When we reached an enticing rest area , we would stop for the night, cooking our meal on the campstove and enjoying the scenery as we ate.

A swift descent through Montana and a rapid swoop across South Dakota with a short detour through Custer State Park rounded out our trip. We coasted into my driveway in the wee hours of a Sunday morning, with about $16 in cash between us, part of which was Canadian currency. It would take a few weeks to recover the energy spent during that month on the road, but it was well worth It. I relive that trip with its lighthearted fun, camaraderie and delight often and yes, I'd do it again -- in a heartbeat.