Mesa Verde National Park: Morefield Campground

Date of Visit: June 25-27, 2011

At Mesa Verde National Park we stayed in the tent area of the Morefield Campground.  The campsites are not very good accessibility wise, but that's tent camping.  You get to choose your spot, so you can go around and find the one that seems best for you.  Note that a good number have steps up to the site.  They all have raised packed dirt pads where tents must be set up.


Most sites also have a picnic table, but none of them are wheelchair accessible.  This is kind of annoying when they actually have wheelchair accessible picnic tables that are very obvious when you drive by the group camping area.  Mik could sit at the end of the table and set stuff on the table, but he could not roll under enough for it to be very useful for eating.

The bathrooms near the tent site do not have accessible stalls, but there are some in the RV areas that at least on the map are marked wheelchair accessible.  Also, they have nice companion style ones up by the camp store and restaurant.


The restaurant has a nice pancake breakfast that we ended up enjoying on Sunday morning.  Mik loved the pancakes and bacon, as well as the fact that they had wheelchair accessible picnic tables to eat at.

Morefield Campground certainly is anything special, but it is not much different than some of the KOAs accessibility wise.  It is definitely convenient for visiting the attractions at the National Park.  The best part is the price.  Not only was is much cheaper than KOA at its regular price, but we actually only paid $25 total for 2 nights because we got 50% off with Mik's Golden Access Card.  Make sure you tell them you have the card and have it ready to show at check in.  I had put it on the notes when I made the reservation online and paid the first night deposit.  The guy did not notice it at first and I forgot about the discount and paid for the second night at check in.  He then noticed and right away refunded the second night charge since our deposit paid for the full stay.

Photos by Kjersti
Text by Kjersti with Mik's wheelchair accessibility input

Destination Info:
Morefield Campground
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde/Cortez, Colorado

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise: Disney Dreams An Enchanted Classic

Date of Visit: July 18, 2011

Mik and I enjoyed the Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic on the final night of our Alaska Cruise.  It is shown in the Walt Disney theater just like the Golden Mickeys.  For the most part we skipped the evening entertainment, but this is by far the best of them to go to.  Toy Story Musical, which only Mom and I went to, is pretty good, but Disney Dreams is an unique show.


Disney Dreams is kind of like Peter Pan, but for the girl to fly she ends up going on various adventures featuring scenes from other Disney movies.  This show uses a lot of props and special effects.  It is fun to see the variety of Disney characters get worked into one show with it still being its own unique show, too.  The end is especially fun with the lighting making it seem like the whole cruise ship is getting covered in pixie dust and supposedly also flying.

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise: Mickey Mania in Studio Sea

Date of Visit: July 17, 2011

Mickey Mania is one of the evening game shows Mik and I went to on the cruise.  Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer? is still our favorite, but Mickey Mania was much better than the Pirate game show.  It was at least Disney trivia. It kind if reminded me of playing Disney Scene It.


The selection process is whoever the host decides to pick and again it was partially split with the kids club.  The randomness of Who Wants to be a Mousketeer? is nicer.  Plus, if you are not picked at the beginning your not going to be playing in this game at all.  However, we didn't actually want to play anyways, especially since the podiums are up on a stage and wouldn't actually work with Mik in a wheelchair.

Navajo National Monument

Date of Visit: June 25, 2011

We had not planned to visit the Navajo National Monument, but when we saw a sign for it on our way to Four Corners and Mesa Verde we decided to stop.  It ended up being a worthwhile detour, although we only saw the visitor's center.  Of course, it was also nice to add stamps to our National Park Passports, especially since they had the 25th Anniversary of the National Park Passport stamp.


The visitor's center at the Navajo National Monument has an automatic door, which Mik liked because he did not even have to push a button to open it.  Inside the visitor center is a small exhibit about the Native Americans in the region.  It includes a replica of the house structures that even Mik could roll into, although there was barely enough room for him to fit.


Outside the visitor's center is the Sandal Trail, which is paved and takes you to an overlook to see the cliff dwellings.  The trail is accessible, but Mik was freaked how close it was to the edge of the mountain even though there appeared to at least be a railing on the edge.  Also, we still had a lot of driving to do that day, so we did not go on it.

Near the trail there is a little area set up with an example hogan dwelling.  The paved path ends right on the edge of this area, but it really is not much to see by getting closer.  Thus you do not really miss out if you cannot go in the dirt path.

Overall Navajo National Monument impressed us.  We did not do the accessible trail, but it was great that there was an option.

Photos by Kjersti
Text by Kjersti with Mik's wheelchair accessibility input

Destination Info:
Navajo National Monument
Shonto, AZ

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise: Beach Blanket Buffet

Date of Visit: July 2011

Several mornings we had breakfast from the Beach Blanket Buffet, although mostly it was Mom bringing food back to the room from it.  Mik really enjoyed the doughnuts.  He liked the ones with cream filling the best, although they didn't always have them.  The Mickey waffles were also awesome, although they are quite doughy as are the pancakes.  Like with the doughnuts, the Mickey waffles were not always there.

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise: Catching Harry Potter in Ketchikan

Date of Visit: July 17, 2011

Mik didn't plan on getting off in Ketchikan, but when Mom and I got off and discovered the movie theater was not too far I went back and made him get off the ship. He had been wanting to see the new Harry Potter movie and was glad to get a chance to see it in Ketchikan instead of having to wait a week to see it.

The movie theater in Ketchikan was right in the downtown area within walking distance of the dock. It is a small town theater, but they just got 3D that weekend, so we got to see the new Harry Potter in 3D. It was not a 3D necessary movie, but it was cool to see a 3D movie the first weekend it came to Ketchikan.

The theater is the older ramp aisle style. The only spot for a wheelchair, though was in the back off to the side. Thus you get an odd angled view of the screen, since the theater is also wider than typical modern ones. However, it was still good enough to enjoy the movie.

Disney Wonder Alaska Cruise: Captain's Gala at Parrot Cay

Date of Visit: July 17, 2011

For the appetizer Mik enjoyed the Garlic and Herb Suateed Shrimp. He enjoyed it, although three shrimp was a little too small of a serving in his opinion. I had the Wild Mushroom Sop, which was really good.

For dinner Mik had the Seafood Salad. He liked it, although mainly for the seafood and not the lettuce. I had the Blue Cheese and Asparagus Risotto, which was delicious, although too filling to for me to eat more than half.

Mik was excited for the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake dessert, which was delicious in his opinion. I thought about getting it, but was glad I went for the Captain's Sweet Temptations instead because they really are cake like and not brownie style like Dominos Pizza has. The Sweet Temptations included Amaretto Cheesecake, Banana Creme Brûlée, and Coconut Macaroon. I especially enjoyed the Banana Creme Brûlée.