COOL PLACES – ACCESSIBILITY AND COMFORT ON THE ROAD THROUGH THE FOUR SEASONS: PART 1

COOL PLACES PART 1

By Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright

The United States is brimming with cool places in the desert, on the Pacific Coast, in the most urban surroundings and even in the subtropical swamp.

These places are cool because they’re hip, they’re cool because when you gaze on their natural and manmade charms, you’re sure to shout out “how cool!” and they’re cool in terms of climate – if you pick the right time of year.

Here is a guide to four wheelchair-accessible major destinations, with information on picking the right time of year and tips for staying cool in all four seasons.

Moab and Monument Valley

Desert solitude and silver screen-worthy rock formations, that’s what drew Edward Abbey to Moab and John Ford to Monument Valley. The fresh air will draw you to the southeastern corner of Utah, especially in late April when the mercury rarely exceeds 70 degrees, even in this arid desert climate.

Enter Moab’s Arches National Park about 90 minutes before sunset and you will be treated to the sun’s revelations of shadows and shapes.

Park Avenue’s cyclopean assembly of massive stone facades, named for the Manhattan street with its stretch of buildings that they resemble, reveals itself.

With so much to see from the car, Arches is perfect for those with limited mobility or a need for climate-controlled temperatures. Cruising along the main park drive, visitors are surrounded by landscapes straight out of Gustave Dore’s illustrations of The Divine Comedy. Rock surfaces swoop and soar, ascending into infinity and back again.

Balanced Rock performs its timeless levitation atop a majestic pedestal. Like a sentinel, like a yogi master, always on the verge of perfect enlightenment. At an accessible parking lot, visitors can step out and soak in the magnificence of the mighty rock, never wanting the moment to end.

About three hours’ drive from Arches, Monument Valley is about the only place on earth that could rival Moab’s boundless beauty.

Toward the end of the spring day, the light is forever painting and repainting on the valley’s rocky fortresses. Blues become light purples, then dark purple, then fiery red, then back to blackish blue.

The barrier-free visitor center has clean restrooms, an air-conditioned gift shop and excellent observation areas for breathtaking views of the iconic Mittens and Merrick Butte. The building also has a gently-graded ramp that takes wheelers all the way up to the second story observation deck.

A 17-mile loop road winds along the valley floor among the rock sentinels that tower 400 to 1,000 feet above. The road is raw and unpaved, but that’s a good thing because it slows traffic to a nice leisurely pace.

RVers and people whose idea of tourism is seeing everything from the blur of an 80-mile-per-hour drive often ask when the road is going to be improved. The Navajo workers gently roll their eyes and answer “not anytime soon.”

Southeastern Utah pioneers Harry and Mike Goulding invited Hollywood director John Ford to Monument Valley during the Great Depression In 1939, Ford’s Stagecoach featuring John Wayne was released with much success. Wayne became a big star and from then, people around the world recognized Monument Valley – first in movies and later in everything from television episodes to car commercials.

Gouldings Lodge has small, clean, mostly accessible rooms. To this day, Monument Valley inspires filmmakers, photographers and visitors magnificent landscapes and mystical ambiance.


Editor's Note: The idea for Cool Places came from a friend of ours who has Multiple Sclerosis. Folks with MS generally do not fare well in the heat and humidity -- thus the need to travel to the subtropics or desert when it's cool out.