Whitney, Vacation Fun, and Discounts

We actually got away for a few days as a family last weekend. Our trip to Yellowstone was wonderful and Whitney had a great time. Visiting the geyser basins in the park requires a lot of walking along uneven trails and boardwalks. But Whit was very stable on her feet and walked a lot of it. When she felt unstable, she held the hand of a family member, but she kept on walking. We walked all over the Old Faithful area, Norris Basin and Mud Volcano and Whit just kept right on going. I'm really pleased by her endurance and mobility these days.

Whitney also understood a lot of what was going on around her while we were out. She heard us talking a lot about seeing various animals in the park, like bears, elk, deer and so on. So when we headed out on a walk our first morning, Whitney politely asked if we could go see the penguins and the tigers. Those are her favorite animals at the zoo and clearly if we were on a walk and going to see animals, we must be at the zoo! Melanie and I laughed and explained that we were going to see some different animals and Whit was satisfied. In the picture above she's signing deer. Whitney really enjoyed seeing the elk, deer, bison and the bear we managed to see in the park.

Our favorite thing about visiting national parks with Whit is that she has a special pass that the federal government issues people with permanent disabilities in order to access federal land for free. That means Whit's pass gets us into Yellowstone, other national parks and even BLM land for free. If you've got a family member with a permanent disability, you can learn more about getting a pass by visiting the USGS website. It doesn't cost anything to pick one up.

We all had a great time getting away. The pressures of doctor visits, appointments and daily care fade away when we all get to change our routine and relax for a few days. Below is a video of Whitney and our extended family having some fun in Yellowstone last week. We are all very glad we got to go.