Rolling around Mackinac

I'm fairly new to this four-wheeling life. I try to maintain mental balance by not venturing out too much on my own in unknown situations. (That was a way of saying, I don't take too many chances or I'd get frustrated!) But I threw caution to the wind a couple times this past weekend on Mackinac Island - and only a couple times did that pungent Mackinac Island wind (you know what I'm talking about those of you that have been there - a strange mixture of horse dung, fudge, popcorn and lake breezes) blow me over.

First, the Island overall is not wheelchair 'friendly'. It's hilly off main street and if you're in a manual wheelchair (especially a lesser one like mine) going uphill is a challenge best overcome by going backwards if alone or by a really strong pusher (thank you John!). And if you're alone and going backwards in a crowd (and isn't there always a crowd in downtown Mackinac), you're likely to get plenty of; stares, offers for assistance and run-ins with people playing Pokemon Go or just not paying attention. (By the way, in front of one private residence on main street was a sign that read "There are no Pokemon here. Now GO!") Most of the buildings on the Island are old and not accessible - and I'm not going to raise a fuss about that. The older buildings are part of the charm of the Island and to make them all up to ADA is expensive especially for businesses that only have 2 1/2 months to make money. (we've had some exposure to the expense on making changes to our home and are empathetic to the costs associated with accessibility).

However, there seem to be efforts to open the Island to those unable to walk. Most of the bike rental places also had scooters, wheelchairs and adult tricycles (I'm on one in the picture above) and I saw many people using them to get around. It's been several years since I was on the Island, but I don't remember this as an option before.

We stayed at Mission Point Resort. Away from downtown and most of the crowds! Accessibility was challenging - there weren't any accessible rooms, the main entry had stairs and the accessible entry was tucked in the back, the rest rooms in the Inn had narrow doors and no ADA stalls ... there were challenges.
And this is where I threw caution to the wind - and was rewarded!

My first morning, I had a scheduled massage. I was disheartened to see the steep ramp I'd have to navigate to get to the spa - but I was determined! I mean, heck, a massage would be my reward. But I was also rewarded by Mario, a bellman, who saw me wheeling towards the door and he came bounding over to assist by rolling me up that steep ramp to the spa. And after my massage, he seemed to magically appear to whisk me down that ramp, down the steep driveway to the Inn and to the little Bistro by the water and putting green where I waited to have lunch with John. Each time Mario spotted my, he came bounding over to offer assistance (the tip he received may have added to his enthusiasm, but I also like to think it was willingness to serve).

When we rented the bikes, we chose the Island House because it was the closest to our hotel (Mission Point had bikes, but not a tricycle) and furthest from the chaos that is downtown. I really wanted to attempt the 8-mile around the Island trip on M185 (yes, it really is considered a highway) but after taking a break at mile 3.5, I knew that going all the way around would also mean traversing through the throngs of people, bikes, horses and Pokemon Go players at the end of the ride when I would be feeling my weakest. So we opted to turn around - and see Arch Rock twice!

Have you seen the ESPN story of the young girl in North Carolina that is a state-title winning long distance runner with MS? If not, Google it some time to get a better picture of what the next part of my story looks like. I needed to use a rest room and realized that whatever restroom I chose would have to be one that was easy to get to because I was hot and once off the bike it was going to be nearly impossible for me to walk. I remembered the Bistro but I also remembered that it required bikes to be parked across the street and I would be unable to navigate even that short distance. After a stilted conversation with the host where she witnessed my weakness and overheating (a nice way of saying I began to sweat profusely!) she allowed us to leave the bike in front of the host stand where John helped me walk the 20 feet to the rest room. I splashed my face with cool water and welcomed the feel of it on my wrists to bring my core temp down before venturing out to bike the final quarter mile to return our bikes. Writing this now, I can vividly recall the sense of isolation I felt that final quarter mile; though with my BFF and among a gazillion people enjoying the Island at that moment, I just couldn't join them. At that moment, I wanted to flee back to an air-conditioned room where in solitude I wouldn't have to face my isolation. I wanted to go where I didn't have to face the reality that I can't do all that I want or all that I was once able. At that moment, I felt John's loss vividly - he no longer had the partner that could join him on these adventures. He had to hold me up. He had to schlep my chair. He had to witness his BFF melt and wither. 

We got back to Island House bikes and I got back into my chair. And my BFF said, "You did really good! I'm impressed you went that far..."

And you know what happened? I didn't feel the isolation so keenly because I knew he knew and was happily along for the ride. Sometimes John is pushing my wheelchair and sometimes he's alongside me as I throw caution to the wind and try something new. And in those moments, we are rewarded because we're doing it together. Sure there are limits, but with my BFF alongside, I can test where those limits are and know he's there to support and encourage.

So, rolling around Mackinac wasn't all the way around but it was good enough!