Accessible. Intentional. Ours.
Cryptid Caravan is my ongoing commitment to doing more.
More day trips.
More coffee pilgrimages.
More thrift store exploration.
More “yes, even if it takes planning.”
Some adventures require spreadsheets.
Some require wheelchairs.
Some require leaving the service dog at home because loving her means protecting her peace.
Adventure is not about distance.
It’s about intention.
🧭 The Roadmap
Legend
🔮 Dreaming
🚧 Planning
✅ Completed
🐾 Luna Approved
🌙 Off-Duty Adventure
♿ Spoon Scale
🍴 1 Spoon – Minimal energy required
🍴🍴 2 Spoons – Light pacing required
🍴🍴🍴 3 Spoons – Moderate planning and recovery needed
🍴🍴🍴🍴 4 Spoons – Strategic rest required
🍴🍴🍴🍴🍴 5 Spoons – Full expedition mode. Recovery mandatory.
Recovery time is not weakness. It’s maintenance.
🐾 Would Luna Approve?
🐾 1 Paw – Not service dog friendly
🐾🐾 2 Paws – Likely stressful
🐾🐾🐾 3 Paws – Manageable with caution
🐾🐾🐾🐾 4 Paws – Comfortable working conditions
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 5 Paws – Excellent for service dogs
A lower paw rating does not mean a place is bad. It means responsible handlers assess what is fair. And I will make sure to go into detail when talking about each place in the blog post or leaving notes by each place why each place got the paw rating that it did.
The Cryptid Caravan Accessibility Scale
Because “accessible” can mean anything from fully accommodating to “there’s technically a ramp behind the dumpster.”
🛣️ 4/4 – Smooth Sailing
Clear pathways. Legitimate accessible parking. Elevators or ramps where needed. Staff who understand disability access without making it a whole thing. Rooms and venues that are thoughtfully designed, not reluctantly modified. Would absolutely return.
🌤️ 3/4 – Mostly Navigable
Some minor barriers, but overall manageable with planning. A few tight turns, maybe a heavier door, possibly limited seating options. Not perfect, but workable without major stress.
🌲 2/4 – Call Ahead First
Significant physical barriers or inconsistent accommodations. Stairs, ladders, cramped spaces, unclear ADA compliance, or staff who are unsure how to help. Do your homework before booking. May not work for all mobility levels.
🪨 1/4 – Rough Terrain
Major accessibility concerns. Promised accommodations not honored. Limited mobility access. High effort required to participate. Proceed only if you have backup plans and energy reserves.
🚫 0/4 – Turn Around
Unsafe conditions. Health hazards. Refusal to honor accessibility requests. Situations that actively compromise disabled travelers’ safety or dignity. Report and reroute.
🔮Dreaming & Planning
🦴 Pokémon Fossil Museum – Chicago
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: TBD
Real paleontology meets fictional fossil Pokémon. Ancient bones beside childhood joy.
This feels like the perfect first Cryptid Caravan stop because fossils are proof that things endure.
Not only that but it is the 30th anniversary of Pokémon and their first stop outside of Japan.
Accessibility will matter. Museums mean pacing, seating, elevators, strategy.
🐠 Shedd Aquarium – Chicago
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: TBD
Water tunnels. Low lighting. Sharks overhead.
The wheelchair will absolutely be making an appearance here. Your ghoul is not attempting this one on foot. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to the Shedd and I want to be able to enjoy it fully, without worrying that my legs are going to give out on me.
🌊 Wisconsin Dells
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: 🌙 Off Duty Likely
Family nostalgia. Splashy chaos. Midwestern rite of passage.
Disabled adults still get to do silly things.
Growing up we used to go to the Wilderness Resort for my birthdays as a teen.
I hear that they’re opening up a new DnD themed resort this year, and that could be a lot of fun.
🦁 Milwaukee County Zoo – Milwaukee, WI
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: TBD
Outdoor air. Built-in pacing. Wheelchair highly probable.
There is something grounding about watching animals exist without productivity.
And did I mention penguins?
🧀 Alphonse’s – Milwaukee, WI
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴
Luna Status: 🌙 Off Duty unless it’s piggybacking the zoo.
Home of the legendary Lightning Rod mozzarella sticks.
Sometimes culture is fried cheese.
This is sacred.
🍁 Winnipeg, MB
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: Research Required
Cross-border cryptid expedition.
Worth it. There isn’t much a hug from Aunt Lise won’t fix.
We also have quite a few places and restaurants that we want to go visit that we weren’t able to go to last time we were north of the border thanks to an imminent snow storm that almost got us stuck in Fargo.
☕ Door County, WI
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: 🐾 Likely
Home of Door County Coffee & Tea Co.
Coffee pilgrimage. Tree tunnels. Lake air.
Luna says to bring her ball.
🌲 Cass County, Minnesota
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: TBD
Less vacation. More reclamation.
Approached with care and humility.
Since finding out that I have family born on the reservations up there, I’ve wanted nothing more than to learn more about them. How better to learn than to go looking for answers in person?
🏔 Salt Lake City, UT
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: 🌙 Off Duty for swimming at the very least but 24-hours is a long time in a car.
Return trip. Ritual. More mountains. More hot springs. More.
🌵 San Antonio
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: Likely
She visited me. It’s my turn.
Reciprocity is an adventure too.
She better have restaurants and fun adventures picked out. I’m ready.
⚜️ New Orleans
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: Situational
Coffee. Cemeteries. Literary pilgrimage.
Because what ghoul doesn’t want to go?
I also keep making the joke that I’m either going to run into Lestat or find a voodoo queen that can tell me what the hell is going on inside of my body. Either way, I won’t be disappointed.
🎢 Walt Disney World and Universal Studios – Florida
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: Heavy Consideration
Shade strategy. Hydration strategy. Exit strategy.
Disabled joy is still joy.
Do I want to hear one single word about “Disney adults?” No.
If I want to take my broken immune system to Disney and see Jack Skellington and Baymax, then that is exactly what I’m going to do.
🍷 Montreal
Status: 🔮 Dreaming
Estimated Spoons: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Status: Cross-Border Planning
Family. Food. Road trip energy.
I’m told the smoked meat sandwich alone is worth it.
🏁Completed Adventures
Adventures that made it from spreadsheet to steering wheel.
(You’ll move entries here as they happen.)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: 2022
Spoons Used: 🍴🍴🍴🍴
Luna Approved:
Recovery Time: A week and a half
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
In April 2022, M&M and I launched what would become the very first chapter of the Cryptid Caravan. What started as a drive from Illinois to Winnipeg to scoop her up turned into a full blown, two-country adventure that carried us all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah. We rebuilt the Jeep Renegade with equal parts determination and chaos, then pointed it toward the mountains and didn’t look back. It was my first real road trip, my first time booking hotels on my own, my first time driving through mountain passes, and my first vacation without family. We swam inside a geothermal crater, ate shabu shabu hotpot, saw our favorite band live, and packed every possible experience into one unforgettable stretch of highway. The drive home tested us with wildfire detours that nearly doubled our travel time, but we made it back whole, changed, and already dreaming about the next western horizon.
Accessibility Notes:
At the time of this trip in April 2022, I was not yet using my cane full time and did not rely on a walker the way I do now. I also did not have Luna with me yet. My mobility needs have increased since then, so some of these experiences would look different for me today.
Homestead Crater involves stairs to access the crater and vertical ladders to enter and exit the water. The ladders were not particularly mobility friendly, and the changing areas were also limited in accessibility at that time. It is possible things have been updated since 2022, so I would recommend contacting them directly for current accommodations.
Our first hotel was supposed to provide a handicapped accessible room, which had been requested in advance. Unfortunately, we were not given that room upon arrival. Combined with other serious issues, including black mold in the room, the experience was unacceptable. We reported the issue and were able to secure a full refund and relocation thanks to the trip planning app we were using.
The second hotel was a completely different experience. The room was larger, featured a spacious layout, and included a bathtub with proper accessibility considerations. Staff were accommodating, and the overall stay felt safe and supportive.
The concert venue itself was also accessible and accommodating, making the live show experience comfortable and enjoyable.
As always, accessibility can change over time. I recommend confirming specific needs directly with venues and lodging before booking.
🐾Luna & Road Trip Ethics
Luna Bean is a medical alert service dog. She is my partner, not my accessory.
Some trips she will attend because she is needed.
Some she will sit out because protecting her training matters more than optics.
Responsible adventure includes knowing when to stay home.
🚗The Caravan Fleet
Coming Soon…
Accessibility Disclaimer:
These ratings reflect my body, my mobility, and my needs at the time of each trip. Bodies change. Access changes. Policies change. Always confirm accommodations directly with the location before booking. We deserve spaces that are safe, honest, and actually accessible.
