Traveling Cherrie

On our last leg of our cross country journey we got the opportunity to explore a bit of the Mother Road -- also known as Historic Route 66. This Chicago to Los Angeles road bustled with activity in the 1920s to the 1970s, but it was eventually replaced by I-40 in 1978.

Today you can find remnants of the old road, and the roadside businesses along the way; but thanks to local preservationists there's a very cool 41-mile stretch that you can actually drive along in Arizona. It makes for a fun diversion, and Cherrie loved the trip. It was like going back in time.

Today we drove from Amarillo, Texas to Flagstaff, Arizona; but we saved some time to explore some of the historic roadside stops along Route 66, and had a great lunch with two friends in Albuquerque. It was a fun day.

I will say that it was very foggy while we were in Texas, but once we crossed over into New Mexico the sun came out and we opened up the sun roof and enjoyed the scenic drive into Albuquerque. Once we arrived, we found our friends Neala and Kay waiting for us at Los Cuates restaurant. There was plenty of accessible parking there, and the restaurant featured level access and some very nice accessible restrooms. It was a welcome stop after our drive through Texas and part of New Mexico.

After enjoying a yummy BBQ breakfast in Kansas City, we hit the road and headed south toward Arkansas – Northwestern Arkansas, to be specific.

Since we really don't get the fall colors at home, we thought it would be nice to get a taste of them in the Ozarks. And we weren't disappointed, as the leafs were just starting to change, and Cherrie really enjoyed the ride. We even had time to stop along the way and explore a bit. Cherrie had a fun time playing in the leafs, and learning about the different kinds of trees that grow in the Ozarks.

Cherrie had a fun time exploring Kansas City, and found most parts of it of it easy to navigate in her wheelchair. She especially liked the Country Club Plaza area, which has a definite Spanish feel to it . Many of the buildings in the plaza area are patterned after those  in Seville Spain; which serves as a sister city to Kansas City.   

Of course we just couldn't leave Kansas City without sampling some of their world famous BBQ, so we had dinner at Jack Stacks on the plaza. It wasn't exactly an original  idea, and there was an hour wait for a table; so we used our time wisely and took a little stroll around the plaza. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of  the J.C Nichols Fountain.  We saw it in the daytime too,  but it was especially stunning in the evening when it was all lit up.

After leaving Nashville, we traveled north through Kentucky and the southern part of Illinois, before turning west in St. Louis and heading to our final destination - Kansas City.

And as luck would have it, we had a chance to meet with Miss Diana, who is in charge of the SATW Traveling Teddies program. She's more affectionately known as the "bear chair" to all of us involved in the program.

There's a reason that Nashville is nicknamed " Music City - there's music everywhere. Literally. In the Honky Tonks, along Music Row and even on the street corners. It's a lively and creative place, where you never know who you'll run into, and where your tour guides and servers are often song writers and performers. It's a great place for anyone who enjoys music --  any kind of music - but Cherrie especially enjoyed it because she's a huge country music fan.

After leaving Maryland we headed south for Tennessee. It was a long drive, but it was also very scenic. The leafs are just starting to change colors, and Cherrie liked that a lot.

After a lovely drive through Maryland and Virginia we arrived at our wheelchair-accessible cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee. The address is a bit deceiving, as it's not exactly in a big city, but on a ridge overlooking Wears Valley. It's very nicely decorated, and Cherrie felt right at home with all of the bear carvings.

After traveling east through Ohio, we spent several days staying with our friend Connie, who lives just outside of Philadelphia. That's one of the great things about traveling -- it gives you a chance to catch up with folks that you haven't seen in while. We also had a chance to have lunch with our other friends, Ann and Mickey. Everyone was happy to meet Cherrie. Here's a photo of us all in the parking lot after our lunch date.

As it so happens, both Ann and Connie are travel agents who specialize in accessible travel, so we also had a chance to talk a little business. Ann wanted me to autograph my latest book, which is why she is holding it up (prominently) in the parking lot photo.

Today we meandered along the back roads of Brown County and visited some local artist's studios. There are a lot of artists to choose from in the area -- from photographers, potters and painters to furniture makers, jewelry makers  and even basket weavers. Most of these folks have their studios in or near their homes, so it's a great opportunity to meet and chat with artists and even see them at work.