Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum

Thirty-five years. That's how long I've been rolling (and strolling) around Arizona. And so it's a bit embarrassing to say I've never taken the time to visit the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum just outside of Tucson. Good thing I finally got my act together.

First, this aint really a museum in my book. It's all outdoors, and really is a zoo, and then a botanical garden, and lastly a natural history museum. For wheelers, its 2+ miles of trails on both concrete and well packed gravel. If you are pushing, this place will wear you out as the compound is on the side of a mountain with some rather steep walking paths in many places. I like that the trails are plenty wide to allow AB's to get by, and that there isnt much side to side slope in the paths. Along the way is plenty of shade and water stops. Hands down, this is the best place to visit and experience all of Arizona's desert environment in one place.

We spent four hours here but it's really an all-day place. There's that much to see and do. Jared, age 6, was still fulling engaged when we hit hour #4. To spend a day here any time other than the winter means you'll be here during the middle of the day, and that means it'll be hot. We got lucky in late March with 75 degree weather.

A few highlights are the twice daily Raptor flights. This is a seasonal event so check their calendar, but the 1:45pm Harris Hawk presentation is amazing. It alone is worth the $12 price of admission. My only qualm is that they herd everyone down to the end of this trail for the show, and you are surrounded by tall people which obstructs the view. If they'd set aside an area for wheelers (and shorties), we'd see the birds better. Next is the Puma (Mountain Lion) exhibit. I like it because it's a very well designed display and the cats are very close. I swear this one cat was eying me for it's dinner. All of the animals look healthy which isnt always the case elsewhere in Arizona. The bears apparently escaped recently because their area has been closed.

The ASDM is impressive because it very clean, very well maintained, and has a friendly crew of staff and volunteers. It's clear the place is a source of community pride. We ate at the snack bar which was a bit pricey, but featured a patio with a scenic view. There's a restaurant on the property as well.

I added quite a bit of comments to each photo in the Flickr set.

The museum is located outside of Tucson to the east. There's two ways to get there. One takes you throught the Saguaro National Park which is a great scenic drive. Visit their web page at: www.desertmuseum.org

Usery Park - Merkle Trail

It's March and mid 80's in Phoenix. Perfect for exploring Arizona. Usery Park is located in the far east valley. It features all kinds of outdoor activities such as horse riding and a shooting range. Amongst it's many trails is the Merkle Trail which offers wheelchair access.

The trail head has about 5 parking spots and is somewhat unassuming. Merkle Trail could actually be called the Merkle Circle. It's a 1-1/2 mile long trail around a small mountain. Visitors should come well prepared for desert travel as there is virtually no shade along the trail for a wheeler to pull under, and no water stops. The trail surface is a course gravel, and is is nicely laid out with not too much slope from side to side. The trail climbs maybe 50-100' in elevation, so with a manual chair there is some uphill pushing required. The trail on the east side of the mountain is a more gradual incline. Almost anybody should be able to push the way up. I left the trail head going around the west side, and you immediately run into a pretty steep slope. Coming back, on the east side, I coasted down the trail braking slightly. (Note: I currently am using a set of eMotion power-assist rear wheels. They often dont seem to get fully charged and leave me stranded, but today the really did the job. I made it all the way around and was very pleased at their performance.)

I like the trail, and it's great for exercise, but it's not my favorite in terms of overall experience. I enjoyed the view but the trail doesn't really get you up close with any cool rock formations or canyon walls. And the lack of shade was pretty noticeable even in March. If you are in the east valley and have the time, visiting the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum offers far more of a total desert experience. Like Boyce, Usery Park allows dogs so that is always a big plus in my book.

Fellow AZ traveler, Laurie Zentner has also visited User Park and offers these comments;

We hiked the Merkle Trail, Usery's barrier-free trail, last weekend. Merkle Trail is no lazy nature trail. It is a 1-mile, hard-packed gravel loop around the base of a steep, rocky hill, with amazing views of Usery Pass Mountain and the Superstition Mountains. The trail is well designed with the trailhead at the lowest point of the loop, so the uphill is first, and downhill on the way back. There are also small benches at intervals (especially useful if the camera tripod gets forgotten!). At the base of the south face of the hill, we encountered a couple watching a Gila monster 200 ft up the hill, and were able to see a rare desert reptile. The Merkle trailhead parking includes a picnic area and a playground for kids.

Outdoor World

Yep, I'm writing about a store. Bass Pro's Outdoor World is one of two stores (the other being Cabela's in Glendale) that is a place for wheelers to sorta be outdoors yet be indoors. So I'm making it an honorary profile.

All you really need to know about this place is it's huge, it's got everything you could want for outdoor enthusiasts, and it's a cool place to roll around. Last night, a few photographers showed up for a stuffed-animal photo-safari. It was 10 times funner than I expected, and actually somewhat challenging. The easy part of it all is the damn things don't move. The challenge was positioning to improve the background. For a wheeler, its a rare treat to be able to shoot animals from a flat floor.

Regardless if you bring your camera, it's a cool place. I give the people who do the interiors very very high marks. Its impressive to see all the animals, mountains, rocks, trees, water falls, etc. Both Pro Bass and Cabelas are a tad pricey, but given the venue, you can see why they need to charge a few bucks more.

London Bridge - Lake Havasu

Its late November and in the high 60's in Phoenix, so I decided to find somewhere warmer. I see Lake Havasu is predicted to be mid-70's so I packed another pair of shorts and headed west for the 2 hour drive.

Forty years ago some clever people in Lake Havasu, Arizona bought the London Bridge for $3 million from London. They spent another $7 million getting it back to Lake Havasu, now it's a pretty cool place to visit. Lake Havasu is on the Arizona California border. The lake has a reputation for big time lake parties and some awesome boats. We visited over the Thanksgiving weekend. Not many parties but plenty of seriously fast (and sexy) boats.

The bridge goes across a 1-mile long channel which has beaches on both side. Above the beaches is a 5-star urban trail that goes from the city's Rotary Park, along the shoreline, up and over the bridge and then down the coast of the island. What I like is that its got a little bit of everything. The park has a great beach. The sand is compact enough that I could get the ol' power chair to get right on the shoreline. The palm trees add some tropic flavor and the lake and mountains are very scenic. We stopped and watched the kids race the RC cars at a cool little track.

Click on the photo for notes, or see larger photos at Flickr

As you approach the bridge, there's numerous shops and bistros on the path. Beneath the bridge is a stage where music events occur. Now here is where it gets a bit tricky. In order to get to the island you cross the bridge, which means you have to get up to street level and the one path that is obvious is way too steep. We found a much easier detour by the tennis courts of the London Bridge Resort. You have to cut through their parking lot for a 1/4 mile but it seems like the best route.

Going across the bridge is easy and scenic. When you get to the island, take the sidewalk around the Javalina Cafe (ok food, nice view) and head to the lobby of the Heat hotel. We met the general manager who said they allow PwD's to use the elevator to get down to the shore. There's another route but this was easy. From here the path runs south toward London Bridge Beach. This is a really nice path the goes past a great dog park. During our visit they were working on the path past this point, but there's a great looking park that goes down to the end of the island. One other path is located on the island itself. This is basically a 3-mile bike path that would be great for exercise. It takes you all the way around the island.

Where To Stay
We stayed at The Nautical Inn and really liked it. They have 3 rooms that are ADA wheelchair accessible. Only one has a roll-in shower. The rooms have a great view of the lake. Whats really cool is they have a path leading down to the beach. If you look close you can see my tracks. The restaurant is accessible, and the tiki bar is really fun.

We also visited Heat Hotel, which is right next to the London Bridge and has a room with roll-in shower that has a great view. Heat is definitely a eclectic festive location and the GM tells me the parties slow down around 2pm, so dont expect less. They have two levels of outdoor bars and good music, so its definitely meant for a fun time.

As for fishing, I had hoped to visit the Havasu Springs Pier (Wiki info)which is located 10 miles south of town and supposedly accessible, but we ran out of time.

Firebird Raceway

This entry marks the first "Sport Venue" entry for Accessing Arizona. The purpose is to provide insight into finding accessible seating before you buy the ticket. I hate buying tickets without knowing what view I'm going to get, and or if there is better seats available if I had only known more. So we're going to try to visit the various locations around Arizona and get the inside skinny.

Firebird Raceway is located in Chandler, on the Gila Indian Reservation, just south of Phoenix. The property has both a drag racing track and a water sports lake. It is the lake where we'll get started. This weekend is the IHBA Top Fuel Boat Drags. It is the first time I've ever visited the lake. We'll add info about the asphalt drag strip the next time an event comes to town.

[Click on the photos for comments]

The first bonus we PwD's get when going to a lake event is VIP parking. Basically you park right beside the lake. This is a significantly shorter walk compared to the general parking area which requires you to traverse a catwalk over another race course.

The lake is probably a 1/2 mile long and 1/8th mile wide. Interestingly, the lake has a salt content higher than the ocean. This is because a boat is more buoyant in salty water, and buoyancy means less drag and more speed.

Down the west side of the lake is the grandstands which aren't accessible. Instead, wheelchair folks get to sit in the two media areas which are right against the lake. The view is very good, and aside from the camera people who share the area, it is unobstructed. You can not get any closer and still stay dry. The only problem with this seating is a lack of shade that is available in the grand stands. So if it is summer, perhaps an umbrella would come in handy. Your friends and family can bring folding chairs that will be far better than the grand stands as well. The bathrooms are right behind the grandstands and the entire area is flat and accessible. As a sitting photographer, the fence obstructs my lens. I understand the need for it, so I had to sneak down to the end of the lake to get my photos.

Firebird Lake gets good marks. The access is nothing elaborate, but you wont be disappointed, and the racing is very entertaining. I also get the feeling that manangement and employees have a can-do attitude and can find real-time solutions to any access needs that might come up.

Incidentally, for anyone into boat racing, we witnessed one helluva crash during my visit. The boat lost control and basically just decentigrated in a split second. Check out Mark Rebilas' web blog for photo account here.

Summit Challenge !!

Phoenix Parks and Recreation has a great program called Daring Adventures for people who push chairs, use canes and all the other assorted PwD's. Basically the program is designed to get everyone up and out, and doing something recreational.

So we all met up for the Summit Challenge on early Saturday morning at Papago Park. The Challenge is basically a 4-part recreational walk at 4 parks in Phoenix which feature accessible trails. After Papago, we went to South Mountain, then Rio Salado, then North Mountain.

Any of the first three are great places to enjoy Phoenix. I cant give North Mountain too much praise as its literally a 5 minute sidewalk through some rather unexciting vegetation. But by the time we got there we all knew each other so it was still worth wild.

Thanks to TJ, and Rocky and everyone for the effort. It's too bad we didnt get more wheelers out to enjoy the great weather. I know quite a few who could use the exercise.

Desert Botanical Garden

Ed Note: There is a lot of places in Arizona such as the Grand Canyon which I have purposely not included as yet. It is not that they are not accessible or that I have forgotten, it's just that you can assume certain places are reasonably accessible. Someday I will cover the Grand Canyon when I have time to find unique points of interest. I do not want Accessing Arizona to become just another marketing website. I want it to offer content you could not find anywhere else.

To a certain extent, the Desert Botanical Garden's is similar. At least in the US, it is pretty rare to visit a public garden or park where there is an admission fee and not be able to get around. So I was in no hurry to cover DBG, but it is October and the weather is fabulous in Arizona and so I spent a Sunday afternoon enjoying a great place to explore all of the deserts of the world.

Suffice it to say DGB is a very accessible place to spend a leisurely afternoon. Located on the borders of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, DBG is right next to the Phoenix Zoo, and Papago Park. If you are anywhere in Phoenix, it is pretty easy to locate. Note: DBG is approximately 1 mile north of the Metro Rail Station 19 which opens Jan 2009. If the weather were nice, this would be a good push for any wheeler.

If I were a 30 year old male, I would be getting sick of this blog. It's all leisure and no cool activities. And you are correct, so until I find a few interesting activities, consider DBG as a great place to get some really good wheelchair exercise. The paths twist and wind for probably a good mile. And there is a number of good inclines for cardio fun. A few laps will have anybody catching their breath.

For those interested in the desert, you will find cactus and other plants indigenous to deserts and arid regions spread throughout the park. It is definitely not just plants from the southwestern desert. So even to locals, there is plenty of reasons to visit. Probably the best reason to come to DBG is that it is a relaxing convenient place to explore the desert. There is plenty of shade, and water, and concession stands for food and drink. The garden hosts small musical concerts, weddings, and art related festivals.

As for accessibility, DBG gets high ratings. All of the paths are plenty accessible. There are paved paths and dirt path, and I've never gotten a flat tire here. All of the concessions and restrooms are convenient as well. As a photographer in a wheelchair I constantly wishing I could get at ground level for prospective and close-up photographs. In a place such as this I am looking for planters that are about 24" high with a retaining wall beside the path. Now I can shoot from "ground level." DBG has a few good ones. I also like that they stay open past dark to allow you to experience sunsets and how the desert changes when darkness arrives.

Another good reason to visit DBG is that Papago Park is right across the street, and Mill Avenue/Tempe Lake are near by as well. The combination makes for a great day.