It was Chris' dad's idea to do a Segway tour. I think this just proves that loving technology and wanting to do things rather than sit around at home is a family trait.
I think there are three different Segway tour companies in DC. Chris chose this one in part because they claim to have the fastest Segways in the city. They claim that their speed governors don't kick in until 12.5 mph. (In order for Segways to be safe on sidewalks with pedestrians they have to have speed governors.) I will tell you more about the speed governors later.
We did our tour on Saturday from 3 to 5 while the kids napped at home and our 16 y.o. next-door-neighbor babysat them. Before the tour, they make you watch a short safety video. The girl, who was one of our guides and who showed us the video, said, “This video is meant to scare you. Once you get on the Segway and see how easy it is, you aren’t going to listen to us talk about safety.” She also said that almost all of the falls that happen on their tours occur in the last 15 minutes because people get so comfortable they stop paying attention to what they are doing and they run their wheels into stuff and fall.
After the video and demonstration, we put on our helmets and tried out the Segways in the store – just enough to make sure we could go forward, stop, backup, and turn. Then we went out on the sidewalk and waited for every one else. I was nervous at first. I am not the most coordinated person and I really didn’t want to embarrass myself. The time out on the sidewalk, gave me a chance to get more comfortable. I found it easy to shift my weight forward into my toes to go forward. It was also easy to slow down by shifting my weight back and then back up by shifting my weight into my heels. I was able to turn from an almost stopped position. I say almost stopped position because staying still was the hardest to master. A slight weight shift makes the Segway move.
I think there are three different Segway tour companies in DC. Chris chose this one in part because they claim to have the fastest Segways in the city. They claim that their speed governors don't kick in until 12.5 mph. (In order for Segways to be safe on sidewalks with pedestrians they have to have speed governors.) I will tell you more about the speed governors later.
We did our tour on Saturday from 3 to 5 while the kids napped at home and our 16 y.o. next-door-neighbor babysat them. Before the tour, they make you watch a short safety video. The girl, who was one of our guides and who showed us the video, said, “This video is meant to scare you. Once you get on the Segway and see how easy it is, you aren’t going to listen to us talk about safety.” She also said that almost all of the falls that happen on their tours occur in the last 15 minutes because people get so comfortable they stop paying attention to what they are doing and they run their wheels into stuff and fall.
After the video and demonstration, we put on our helmets and tried out the Segways in the store – just enough to make sure we could go forward, stop, backup, and turn. Then we went out on the sidewalk and waited for every one else. I was nervous at first. I am not the most coordinated person and I really didn’t want to embarrass myself. The time out on the sidewalk, gave me a chance to get more comfortable. I found it easy to shift my weight forward into my toes to go forward. It was also easy to slow down by shifting my weight back and then back up by shifting my weight into my heels. I was able to turn from an almost stopped position. I say almost stopped position because staying still was the hardest to master. A slight weight shift makes the Segway move.
While going from place to place on the tour, we went as fast as pedestrians and crosswalk signal and the speed governors allowed us to go. When the governor kicked in, it felt like the Segway was coming up toward me. This felt very subtle but it moved in such a way as to encourage me to shift my weight back into my heels to slow down.
Soon after we went by the Washington Monument, I realized that I was starting to get very cold. When I looked at my watch, I was surprised that it was only 4:00. For the next hour, I was fine if we were moving on the Segways but when we stopped my feet and hands were very cold. Chris asked me which tour I enjoyed more, the Adventure Tour in the Outer Banks or the Segway tour. I had to say the Adventure Tour just because it was warmer and I love the beach and the ocean. He then asked if I would rather do the Segway tour when it was 45° or 100°. I can honestly say 100°.
Even with freezing hands and feet, I really enjoyed the Segway tour. I did learn more about DC on the tour because both guides were full of interesting facts. I would highly recommend this if you want try out a Segway and get a fun tour of the city at the same time. All four of us agreed that if given the opportunity, we would do it again.
2 comments:
Awesome! Well, plan to do it again someday (in warmer weather) 'cause you know Mark and I would love to do this with you guys!!
Gotta check to see if they have these tours in San Diego. Ohhhh and our security at one of our shopping ctrs uses these, I think. Or they look really similar!
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