OregonTrailRunner
New member
Long story short... my wife was injured 12 years ago and is slowly losing her eyesight. She suffers extreme pain and photophobia (light sensitivity) from radiation burns to her eyes and that continues to get worse with time. She spends 99.5% of her life inside our home with special lighting and window blinds.
Once a year around the equinox we try to do a trip so she can see things she has never seen, and may never see again. The logic is on the longest days of the year the sun is overhead longer and she is sheltered in the 4runner with the tinting and shades I've installed. I also have an awning so we can picnic on cloudy days or under shady trees. We try not to travel east in the morning or west in the afternoon to avoid direct sunlight and harsh reflections off cars, but that's hard to do. Late starts or early finishes are required depending on direction of travel. She has a movable light blocker in her hand to deal with errant sunbeams and I have a big black umbrella to get her into hotels or wherever. She wears sunglasses that allow 2% light transmission and no, we can't travel at night. Headlights and interior lights are like painful lasers in the dark.
Two years ago we did Montana and Yellowstone. Caught a break and it was cloudy and rainy much of the time. We actually got to get out of the rig and walk around a little. We even got to fish a few places. Last year we did Glacier and up into Canada, but hit sunny weather the whole time. Enjoyed the Going to the Sun Road views and the wildlife she could see from inside the runner, but the trip was very tough on her and set her back a bit. It's a price she is willing to pay for the experiences and memories.
Here's where you folks come in. I'm hoping to hit the road in a few weeks on another adventure and looking for suggestions. Hopefully we can catch some wet spring weather...but I know we can't count on that. It's hard to plan more than a couple weeks out because we never know what her pain level will be due to other influences, but we're going to make a try at it.
So, knowing all of the above. Knowing we're in the Portland, OR area. Knowing that wildlife and mountains are her favorite things, toss me a couple ideas. I like to keep the trip around 7-8 days and don't like to drive the same road twice. I've been kicking around Yosemite, but not sure what she could see from the 4runner if the sun was beaming. Would it be worth it? Other suggestions?
Thanks in advance for the input.
Once a year around the equinox we try to do a trip so she can see things she has never seen, and may never see again. The logic is on the longest days of the year the sun is overhead longer and she is sheltered in the 4runner with the tinting and shades I've installed. I also have an awning so we can picnic on cloudy days or under shady trees. We try not to travel east in the morning or west in the afternoon to avoid direct sunlight and harsh reflections off cars, but that's hard to do. Late starts or early finishes are required depending on direction of travel. She has a movable light blocker in her hand to deal with errant sunbeams and I have a big black umbrella to get her into hotels or wherever. She wears sunglasses that allow 2% light transmission and no, we can't travel at night. Headlights and interior lights are like painful lasers in the dark.
Two years ago we did Montana and Yellowstone. Caught a break and it was cloudy and rainy much of the time. We actually got to get out of the rig and walk around a little. We even got to fish a few places. Last year we did Glacier and up into Canada, but hit sunny weather the whole time. Enjoyed the Going to the Sun Road views and the wildlife she could see from inside the runner, but the trip was very tough on her and set her back a bit. It's a price she is willing to pay for the experiences and memories.
Here's where you folks come in. I'm hoping to hit the road in a few weeks on another adventure and looking for suggestions. Hopefully we can catch some wet spring weather...but I know we can't count on that. It's hard to plan more than a couple weeks out because we never know what her pain level will be due to other influences, but we're going to make a try at it.
So, knowing all of the above. Knowing we're in the Portland, OR area. Knowing that wildlife and mountains are her favorite things, toss me a couple ideas. I like to keep the trip around 7-8 days and don't like to drive the same road twice. I've been kicking around Yosemite, but not sure what she could see from the 4runner if the sun was beaming. Would it be worth it? Other suggestions?
Thanks in advance for the input.
