WITCHITA FALLS, TEXAS

The original Wichita Falls in Wichita Falls, Texas washed away in a flood in the 1800's; however, a 54-foot man-made waterfall was built in 1987 on the south bank of Wichita River. A concrete walkway leads to the falls, which makes the one-mile walk to the falls easily accessible by wheelchair, stroller, or bike.

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

River Falls is located on Curie Ranch at the northern end of Palo Duro Canyon (Texas Grand Canyon). The Falls lies on privately-owned ground behind a 24-hour security locked gate. A vehicle must be driven through the canyon to view the falls. The lower part of the falls is not wheelchair accessible. The Security Guard served as a guide. He was very knowledgeable on the history of the canyon and falls.

Davis, Oklahoma - Turner Falls

Turner Falls, located in Davis, Oklahoma, is one of the two tallest waterfalls in Oklahoma. The 77-foot waterfall in the Arbukle Mountains; the oldest known formation in the United States. Parking is close to the falls; however, a concrete pathway about two blocks long leads visitors directly in front of the falls, which makes accessibility easy.

An abandoned rock castle built in the 1930's by Dr. Ellsworth Collins, Dean of Education at Oklahoma University sits beside the waterfall. It served as a summer home and the headquarters for "The Bar C Ranch".

Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, Florida

A concrete path pleasantly declines through the tall pines toward a boardwalk that branches into two trails. Choosing the left trail, allows visitors to view several large sinkholes. A sinkhole occurs when the roof of a cavern collapses. The opposing right trail leads to Florida's highest waterfall. Named, Falling Water Sink, the fall plummets 73-feet into a sinkhole, which has an unknown final destination.

www.floridastateparks.org/fallingwaters

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

When my husband and I set out to find and take pictures of wheelchair accessible waterfalls in every U.S. state, we were excited about the challenge.  We gave ourselves no time limit to accomplish our feat; however, we had one mutually agreed upon rule that dictated how long we would stay in any given area.  That rule was to never shiver again.  Needless to say, adhering to this rule presented a new challenge.  The new challenge was to find a waterfall that was actually flowing.  Visiting mid-west and eastern states during months that prevented us from shivering are the same months that are hot enough to dry up streams; hence, little or no water flow for waterfalls.  The natural scenery and picturesque landscapes warrant a second visit in the early spring right after the snow melts.

Sioux Falls in South Dakota had enough water flow in August to "wow" my interest to continue searching for waterfalls dry or trickling. The paved walkways allowed easy access to many different views of the falls. Food and snacks were available for purchasing, and a tower equipped with an elevator took visitors to the top which overlooked the falls and nearby city.

Minnehaha Falls-Minneapolis, Minnesota

Our journey started in the southern part of Oregon, where we lived.  My husband and I loved taking a picnic lunch to waterfalls found in the  "What To Do in Oregon" brochures.  Waterfalls, to me, are such a beautiful act of nature created by our higher power.  However, over the years, my multiple sclerosis landed me in a wheelchair and my husband had brain surgery because of a ruptured brain aneurysm.  Needless to say, our physical abilities, rather, lack of abilities, have hindered our waterfall ventures.

Even though we are hindered, we won't be stopped.  Our new focus is to travel to each US state to discover waterfalls accessible by wheels; be it, wheelchair, bike, or stroller.

We found an amazing waterfall on the edge of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  A right exit off a six lane highway immediately turns into a wooded park.  From the parking lot, large concrete sidewalks lead through gorgeous landscaped pathways.  As you pass by the restaurant and bike/stroller/wheelchair rental building, you can hear the roar of the waterfall. Excitement creates "butterflies" in your stomach the closer you get to the stone wall that prevents spectators from falling off a cliff.

Minnehaha Falls is a well-manicured park.  It offers food, rental services, wheelchair accessible restrooms, and different vantage points of the Falls.

Bob 4 years past brain surgery

Wow, it has been 2 years since my last post; I guess all is going well.  It has been 4 1/2 years since Bob's ruptured brain aneurysm and brain surgery.  And, to think many many medical professionals thought he'd never get out of bed. The only thing that gave anyone an inkling that something wasn't right was Bob's short-term memory.  However, that all changed over night when he started wearing a CPAP machine at night.  Before the use of the machine, Bob would wake up 60 times during the night (15 times diagnoses sleep apnea).  Bob was denying his brain of oxygen and rest time.

After 1-2 days using the CPAP machine, Bob's short-term memory is back to normal; his energy surpasses his normal; and, his nap times have gone from sleeping every time he sits down to six hours of sleep a night is sufficient.