Cali Vent Adventurer


It’s not very often you see someone who uses a ventilator venturing out in a big way at state parks, and that’s exactly what Mark, a man with Muscular Dystrophy living in California, has been doing these past four years, documenting every visit he makes to the dozens of awesome California state parks.

When you use a wheelchair, finding hobbies you actually enjoy can be rather difficult. You have to make concessions, and if you’re a nature lover, it can be heartbreaking not being able to get up and immerse yourself in nature.  But the good news is that many of the state parks in California offer some of the best accessibility features found at any state parks in the country.

And Mark is documenting every accessible feature found at the parks. How many handicapped spots there are, how many trails there are that are fully accessible, where the accessible bathrooms are located. Mark, known as the “Adventures from a Wheelchair’ guy thanks to his blog, is one thorough reviewer.

He manages to hit about 3-5 state parks each spring/summer once it warms up.  He started his blog in 2009 and to-date, he has created 20 video reviews.  From Sawyer Camp Trail and Stevens Creek Reservoir to Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, he has been everywhere in the Golden State.

And the coolest thing about his video blogs is that the records all the videos himself.  He was going to by an expensive mount for his powerchair to “hold” the camera himself, but he instead made a jerry-rig solution using an old plastic M&M tube, duct tape and a few clamps. Watch how he made it here.

To check out his video blogs for yourself, visit his site – Adventures From a Wheelchair.

Are you a fan of state parks? Which park is the most accessible you’ve found in your area?


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