Traveling from dry heat to humidity….

Curly and I like to experience different places…our summer pick was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Some have asked why Myrtle Beach…”we had never been there”. We started our trip on a Friday, doing our usual stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico then on to Weatherford, Oklahoma and from their heading to Little Rock, Arkansas.

One of our finds along the way was the Flying Fish in downtown Little Rock. They had Billy Bass on the walls in five different dining rooms. Food was exceptional, Atmosphere was fun, casual dining and yes we would recommend a stop at the Flying Fish. It was unique and easy to maneuver for Curly's wheelchair.

The next day was on to Memphis, not a long drive so we could explore Memphis for two days. We had visited Elvis in our previous life, so we put that part on hold. Heading down to BB Kings Street we were able to get into the jazz restaurant and listened to jazz along with the 50’s and 60’s music. It was hard to stay in your seat the music was above our expectations. Memphis - B.B. King's Blues Club (bbkings.com)

After serving in World War II, Riley B. King, better known as B.B. King, became a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was dubbed "the Beale Street Blues Boy.". That nickname was shortened to "B.B." and the guitarist cut his first record in 1949. Music and food made this a pick on our list. The man at the door arranged for Curly and I to come through a special entrance right by the stage that made it very accessible and this turned into an enjoyable time.

Driving on to Atlanta for a quick night’s sleep before heading into Myrtle Beach where we had our condo for 5 days at the Sheraton Plantation Broadway Resort.

Wow, did I realize I was an Arizona gal. The humidity made it difficult to explore but the families at the resort were very friendly and we did enjoy their visits and meeting new friends along the way.

Kaitlin Moreland was our vacation club contact. She was extremely helpful in our planning at the Sheraton Resort. Kaitlin greeted us when we arrived and made sure our handicap condo was everything we needed. Below is a photo of one of the condos. Ours was a little larger but as lovely as this one.

The resort offered many amenities, large pools, walking paths, tennis, and a concierge service for planning any events you would like to take part in and everything was easily accessible. The Sheraton Resort also worked with the new Residence Inn on the beach, so we had parking available to us right on the beach. The city will provide you with the large tire beach wheelchairs but with the difficulty of transferring Curly we opted out of that option. We enjoyed the beach, but I have always had a hard time sitting still so I tend to be more a walker or restaurant sampler than a person that lounges on the beach but the beauty of the beach was definitely there.

One of the things I was disappointed in was I had called the home health and equipment services in the area. My thought was to get someone to come in to help Curly a couple times and rent an electric lift. I tried several places, and this was not available.

We spent our time eating at ocean side restaurants along with we had a wonderful dinner at Greg Norman’s Restaurant at Barefoot Landing.

From there we drove through the Great Smoky National Park on our way Knoxville, Tennessee. National Parks are one of my favorite places to visit and we could understand why over 10 million people visit this one. Great hiking, scenic vistas and we missed seeing the 1,500 black bears that are looking for berries. Rain is common and we were blessed with a few showers which help in making this area retain its beauty.

Now heading towards Nashville. We had stayed downtown in hopes of making it convenient to sight see. We were able to walk (and roll) around. The Greek restaurant was a real find for lunch.

We then had a quiet dinner at the Hermitage Hotel that was built in 1910. When I asked if we could get Curly in a handicap entrance. They accommodated us. We ended up going through some storage areas to get to what may be the original elevator to bring us up to the restaurant. This worked fine for dinner, but it may have been a challenge if we had stayed there for a few nights.

When we left Nashville, we drove to Conway Arkansas. I had contacted a woman that does VRBO for the disabled. Interesting concept that we will follow up in a few weeks with her aspirations and accomplishments.

After Conway we headed West arriving home two weeks after we left. 4586.4 miles later Moving Forward with Disabilities in Retirement and making fond memories along the way.

What we learned along the way:

• People care and want to help the disabled. Wheter you have car trouble, are in a restaurant, tourist area or hotel. We have good people in our country!

• Our stay consisted of using Marriott Hotel accessibility rooms. They all met our needs.

• Fairfield Inn - simple, clean and has a breakfast. Beds are lower to the ground which makes transferring more difficult.

• Courtyard - does not include breakfast, bed was at right height.

• Sheraton and Marriott - large room and mattresses are just the right height. Some will have bellman to help you with the luggage. Most do not include breakfast but have a restaurant. Club lounges, for members, are now closed because of the virus.

• Residence Inn - the new Residence Inn's are beautiful! A very nice hot breakfast, beds at the right height, rooms are spacious with living room and kitchen facilities.

Our country is going through a difficult time with the virus. When your time is right plan a get away, you will be glad you did. We came home refreshed and learned many things along our way.

Moving Forward with Disabilities in Retirement