Last weekend my adventure group spent a beautiful day touring Washington, DC on Segways and I have to say that if you haven't tried a Segway, you should put it at the top of your adventure list.
What's a Segway? Imagine you're standing on a small platform with a wheel next to each foot and bar with hand grips in front of you. A Segway has only two wheels but balances beautifully with the help of hidden gyroscopes and motors that I won't attempt to explain. The result is that you simply apply more pressure to the front of your feet to roll forward. To stop, shift the pressure to your heels. To turn, you shift your body weight to the left or right.
Our three-hour tour started in the office. We signed release forms, handed over a credit card for a damage deposit (returned in full after the tour), watched a brief safety video and then moved to an alley for a few minutes of personal instruction. I think we all spent about three block getting used to the machine's sensitive nature and speed and then suddenly we realized that we didn't have to think about what we were doing. Driving the Segway became so second nature it felt like it could read your mind.
Our tour took us down sidewalks, along the National Mall, and past all the most famous DC attractions and crowds of tourists. We stopped once to stretch our legs but honestly no one wanted to stop at all. In fact, one of my team kept saying, "I don't want to get off!"
Segways can cruise along at about 12 miles per hours making them a hot trend in law enforcement and, of course, the tourist industry. To see the Segway in action, click here. To take a guided tour on a Segway near you, click here then go to "guided tours" at the very top of the page. You'll find links for cities across the US and around the world.
I spent $70 for three hours and it was money very well spent!
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