When I was a teenager, several of my many cousins from Europe visited our family at various times. My parents always tried to plan special activities to allow my brother and I to bond with them, since we had (and still have) very few opportunities to see them. During one such visit, my parents booked a Segway tour.
Have you ever seen a Segway or been on a Segway tour? They are those personal “vehicles” with small platforms that have two large wheels and a bar with handles that the rider holds onto. You make them go by gently leaning forward (the more you lean, the faster you go) and you steer with the bar. When you first hop on, it constantly feels like you’re going to fall over, but after about 10 minutes of practice, you can usually get into enough of a groove to feel relatively comfortable.
My brother and I had a blast on our Segway excursion with one of our cousins. Fast-forward 10 years, and Mr. Handsome and I are driving out of the Canadian Rocky Mountains after an eventful seven-day excursion through Banff and Jasper. On our way back to the Calgary airport, we spend a day and a night in Edmonton visiting some folks, and they surprise us with a Segway tour of the Edmonton River Valley.
Now you have to understand that as long as I have known Mr. Handsome, I have been wanting to take him on a Segway, so I was elated, to say the least. It took a bit of time for both of us to get the hang of it, but the tour was a blast, and the River Valley was gorgeous. If you ever have the opportunity to ride a Segway or to visit the Edmonton River Valley, I highly recommend both.
Did you know that the guy who invented the Segway had a bit too much to drink one night, and died after accidentally riding the Segway he was demonstrating off a cliff?
The inventor Dean Kamen is still living. The man who purchased the Segway invention from him is the one that died in an accident but I saw nothing about any alcohol involvement.
Wow! I didn't know that. That's sad. When did this happen?
That sounds like a lot of fun Ellie! It does look like you would fall over. Knowing me, I would actually fall over!
I saw these on the boardwalk at Ocean City two years ago. I would of rent a Segway if I were younger. I did rent a bicycle and that was fun. My hubby was afraid I was going to fall off and break something.Lol Sounds like you two had loads of fun on the Segways…Jane
Actually, yes, I have been on a Segway, but unfortunately things didn't go well. Got going too fast and cars were coming. Of course I went to the side of the road, but was to collide with my brother. Oh boy. I guess I panicked and tried to step off. Managed to roll one of the wheels right over my foot, and get pretty scraped up. I couldn't walk for awhile. My poor dad felt so bad, but, of course it wasn't his fault. So I've been a little wary about trying one again. Stuff like that seem to happen to me and things with wheels. Haha!
LOL (But I'm glad you eventually got better.)
I imagined a scenario like that, while first reading Ellie's blog……before I read your actual comment!
Haha! That's great!
I had two trial runs for a few minutes and thought they were pretty easy to ride. Wish I could do a longer ride sometime. Glad you got to have the experience with Mr. Handsome. I never heard the story about the inventor before.
Someone needs to invent one with a seat of some kind. That way older or disabled people can have a similar experience. But, I guess that's an electric wheelchair. LOL.Looks like fun. You deserve it.
I'd need a Segway tricycle.
After all that hiking it was probably a relief for you to just stand and go whizzing along the walkway! No wonder you were so delighted! A real fun story! Thank-you for sharing!
My cousin lives there and has a dog. I wonder if that would work for walking a dog?
Hello Ellie!
I was wondering: when did Anne have her baby? Maybe you posted something and I totally missed it. 😁
Thank you for what you do!
Hi Betsy,
Your timing is perfect. Anne had her second in October 2016. (I think that's the one you were asking about.) But she JUST found out that they are expecting #3 this October.
Thanks for being a loyal reader. 🙂
Ellie
What country are your cousins from? Did you ever go visit them in Europe?
My cousins are from Germany. I visited as a child, which was a lot of fun, but that was 15 years ago. Mr. Handsome and I hope to take a trip at some point.
Ellie