The Segway ride

We had a Christmas present for a Segway riding tour for two, and last week hubby and I finally had a chance to go! It took us awhile to find the place because, well, they didn't tell you that they don't actually have a real location. So, after walking up and down the street at the address listed, we started asking random people who pointed to a corner where Segway riding usually happens and a door in which they usually come out of, which happened to be a pub. Suddenly Segways were being lined up on the sidewalk, and we knew it was a go!
It looked like soo much fun, but I was SO nervous! -Especially when our tour guide, Vince said 'there are no brakes' and other comforting things like 'if one of your wheels touches someone else's, you will all fall like dominoes' and 'the segways keeps moving even if you fall off.' Fun!
But since the other people in our group were in their 60's and 70's and since my hubby caught on in about 2 minutes and went zipping around the corner,
I decided I better buck up!

Here is how they work:
You lean forward to go forwards and the further you lean the faster they go. (up to 13 miles per hour) You lean backwards to slow down and if you keep leaning back it will start going backwards... Turning it isn't like turning a set of handlebars even though they look similar.  (which messes with your brain) You have to glide with your feet and your body. The gyroscope, that controls it, is under your feet and it literally seems to sense what you want it to do and it does it... Really amazing technology.
I, unfortunately kept over-thinking how to ride it and it kept me from catching on as fast. I did much better when I kept telling myself that 'it' would 'read my mind' and to just go with the flow. But since I'm not really a 'just go with the flow' type of person, I made it harder than it had to be. In fact, I probably make everything in life a little harder than it has to be. LOL Life lesson #1 learned on a Segway. (don't think I have a #2 though) ; )

After the six of us had a brief lesson, Vince had us heading single file down the sidewalks of St. Pete!
Oh my stars! -As if, after 4 minutes I was qualified to share the sidewalks with REAL people and their REAL dogs and cross REAL streets at crosswalks next to REAL cars! Scary! But we did it! : )

 I had to concentrate for all I was worth and ignore Vince who was telling us the history of all the interesting sights we were passing. I also had my hubby who was weaving in and out of obstacles for fun and whistling at me and being a very cute distraction because he apparently was born to ride a Segway. : )  - I got the hang of it eventually, and had a blast and a half! -If I had $6400.00 laying around, I'd love to OWN one! I'd be the cooling person in my neighborhood going to Publix, that's for sure. ; )

At one point we went on a road, used for racing, that was blocked off from traffic, so we could go as fast as we wanted to. This was Hubby's favorite part. I was just a little ways behind him and I was having trouble remembering how to slow down. -And then we passed 30 middle-schoolers on a balcony who were clapping and cheering for us and thoughts of wiping out and becoming a You Tube sensation, made me nervous. So, I kept trying to slow down but I couldn't tell if it was working, and then suddenly our whole group was stopping and then before I knew it, I'd come to a graceful stop right beside with them, not really knowing how I did it. So, I'm convinced that Segways read your mind! ; )

By the end of the tour, we were all weaving in and around sidewalk cafes that had chairs and tables on the sidewalk with only a few inches for our wheels on each side. Who would've thought!
-And not one of us wiped out and became You Tube sensation!
We had so much fun, I can't wait to go again someday!

Here are some pics! -Ignore the dates, which are terribly wrong.

Here's my guy

  and here's how fast he caught on

 Our group. -Props to my hubby who could ride and take pictures!

 Me, riding through a palm tree 'garden' of a hundred+ species

I took this of my hubby while riding and then I ended up going around in circles, which ended any plans I had of a Segway photography career. ; )


~Becky