too young to ride until this summer. Prior to coming to the Bay Area this summer, I noticed Segway tours in the Bay Area has been getting cheaper (closer to the $70 range). Furthermore, the age restriction has been lower to 12, thus qualifying both Nick and Matt. To make this even more enticing, Howard was able to buy a block of tickets at Segway of Oakland for $25 a person which included a 1.5 hour lesson/tour plus another 1.5 hour of self-tour!! We quickly worked out the boys' schedule and planned a date in the afternoon of the 6th. Since Jacob was here for a visit, there were a total of five riders. We arrived shortly before our 1pm appointment and got suited up with helmets. Matt was the smart one of the group, bringing his own helmet with him.
Our first experience with the Segway began in front of Segway of Oakland on International Blvd. Our coach/tour guide, Alex, gave us lessons, one at a time. The Segway operates via a built-in gyroscope which balances it on two-wheels. The Segway moves forward/backward and turns as the rider shifts his/her weight on the footpad. We were all a little tentative in the beginning but got the hand of it soon.
The first part of the "tour" went in a blur. We were all concentrating on getting used to the
Segway. Matthew and Jacob were the most fearless ones, zooming around, twisting and turning. While the Segway is supposed to be "self-balancing," we soon found out that it is possible to fall off. Jacob was the first. As we rode from the pavement to a dirt-covered road, Jacob fell as he swirled and accelerated. Matt in a re-enactment of Jacob's fall, fell even harder, landed face-first on the ground. After the dusts settled and ego restored, we continued our tour. Alex, probably not a real tour guide, zoomed around the route at near top speed while we try to follow. Matt's Segway did experience a bit of mechanical breakdown and we were forced to wait for about 20 minutes while Alex went back to the shop to get the required tools. Looking back, our tour covered a lot of ground. We went from the East side of Oakland, down to the Oakland Wharf, Jack London Square, back up to downtown Oakland, Chinatown, circled Lake Merritt, before returning to the shop. After we dropped off Alex, we went back and
tour around the Lake Merritt again. This time, we took our time, stopped and took photos and really enjoyed our rides. The Segway, according to Wikkipedia, was first introduced in 2001. Due to software and hardware problems, it was relaunched again in 2006. Our ride was easy and a lot of fun despite of the three falls (Howard also fell after bumping his left tire on the wall while passing through a narrow passage way). Even after almost 10 years since its introduction, we received a lot of attention during our rides. Most of them were positive, though there were a few negative comments while we zoomed around on or near the pedestrian sidewalks.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. We would all do it again in a heart-beat. We would definitely recommend this activity to everyone. You don't have to be athletic to enjoy riding the Segway. But, you do need to be agile enough to jump off and land on your feet if you are going to fall. But the $25 deal does not happen regularly. So we will have to depend on Howard to find such a great bargain for us again in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment