Monday, September 28, 2015

Getting on the Train in Germany


From Dean, at the Deutsche Bahn in Germany

This is the device they have you drive in and they load you on the train TravelScoot and all. Only a few minutes before train leaves so you need to reserve help. If all fails fellow passengers help. 

This was from a post in our Facebook group, http://www.facebook.com/groups/elizabethstravelscoot. 

Rhonda added a comment that this is similar to what is used on the street cars in New Orleans. 



Seventy stairs and the TravelScoot


From Nancy, in Paris France:

Phew! Took metro again today, hubby carried TS down nearly 70 stairs, while I carefully and slowly walked down w my canes. Long ride out to the fabric markets. Noticed the elevator once we got to the surface via escalators. Gads, what a trek! Nearly unable to buy more fabric. Nearly. Took a taxi back to hotel, TS fit easily into the back without any disassembly. We fly back to RI at noon tomorrow, I've been out and about for an average of 8 or so hours everyday. Cobbles, curve cuts, language, orientation, this deep chest cold, kooky store/restaurant hours, malfunctioning gps devices, and 24/7 with our spouse, and success is ours! See, there's Glenn at the bottom of one of four staircases at Saint Michel!


Saturday, September 26, 2015

An Adventure Right Out My Front Door


I write many posts about folks who are scooting out on adventures all over the globe. Those are wonderful, but sometimes an adventure is right out my front door and down the street. Riding through my neighborhood gives me a feeling of freedom and peace. Because of health issues I'm not driving right now, and it's important to me to be as independent as possible. 

Today my destination was lunch with my girlfriends, and it was an adventure well worth having!













Lifting the TravelScoot at 88!


From Antonio:

I'm an 88 yrs. old guy and can lift my TS easily.


On the Go in Berlin, Germany


From Dean:

Notice the handy footrest.


On the Go in Charleville-Mezieres


From Nancy:

Finally had the courage to take the travelscoot out today at the festival. !!!!! It actually worked BETTER on the cobbles than my go-go! Kids who looked like 6th graders were leaving school while hubby was setting it up (and transferring other scooter to the boot) and the boys were magically drawn to it. No surprise, but fun to watch from the car. It draws males in especially for some reason. Gadgetry? Two lovely older ladies started asking me questions in French, so I did my best to pantomime a demo! Really wowed me with its performance today. And I used the standard seat - but I turned it backwards and for me that really made a difference! Lots of people in wheelchairs here today. The weekend was a total crush of people. Can't believe I'm managing! Hubby deserves lots of credit. He encouraged me to come, and I'm very grateful.



No More Wheelchair for Me!


From Kami:

I just bought myself a Travelscoot Shopper Junior yesterday! I am already hooked and cannot wait for the adventures to begin! I have relied on someone to push me in a manual wheelchair for 20 years since I can't walk long distances due to a congenital heart defect! No more wheelchair for me! And I can even lift it myself in and out of the car!


On the Go at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts


From Mimi:

I solo-adventured to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts today. The Smithsonian Magazine had a free museum day, so I took advantage of it! The weather was breezy and cool as I scootered up the ramp and sat comfortably on my scooter near the front door in the sunshine for ten minutes before the museum opened. Walking from parking to the museum would have pressed me to my very limits on a very good day and exhausted my resources for a while; on my TravelScoot, it was just a fun little ride and a comfy sit in the sun! Inside, the crowds had to go through a maze-like corral and that also would have been too much for me to do, but again, my TravelScoot saved me and I wove my way through the maze with everyone else.

I wheeled from room to room with not even a thought for how far each exhibit was from each other. I didn't have to search for benches to rest on. I didn't have to cut my museum trip short due to exhaustion or pain or mobility issues. My wonderful, beautiful TravelScoot carried me through the MFA until my head was overflowing with awesome art.









On the Go at the Mondial Mationette Festival


From Nancy:

Here we are at the last day we attended the Mondial Mationette Festival, crossing a lovely little bridge to get to yet another lovely little performance. Scoot did great. Even on the steep incline back onto the bridge! Glenn had to push.


Friday, September 18, 2015

On the Go at Iguazzu Falls

From Christine:

Thought you would like this photo of my husband and me at Iguazzu Falls. Tour company said we wouldn't be able to cope with it, so booked our own plane fares and hotel, took our two trusty Travelscoots, and voila! Some of the trails were marked wheelchair accessible, but of course we also had to take the ones that weren't. One that went to the bottom of the falls was a very steep drive out, got about half-way then pushed the scooters rest of the way, helped by some very lovely young Japanese girls. That is the beauty of them being so light-weight. Later on in the trip, at Punta Arenas on the southern tip of South America took another trip that was supposed to be beyond us - over the frozen, lumpy tundra for 2 kilometres to see a penguin colony. There isn't much our Travelscoots can't do with a bit of persuasion and patience, due to its incredibly sturdy build. We are both around the 300 lb. so we really are asking a lot of them but we are back into mainstream life and when they eventually fail we wont hesitate to replace them. They are worth every penny. Thank you Elizabeth for helping us make the decision so many years ago.

 

On the Go in Berlin

From Dean:
Taxi from Berlin airport was overkill for a 32 lb scooter

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Peggy's Story

 

From Peggy:

I purchased my first scooter, Silver, in September of 2009. After some issues with the switch and we, my brother and I, weren't sure what else, I decided to order another before the first one completely died. That way it could be a back up. It turned out that both of my batteries died at the same time. My ion battery had lasted SIX years. The other battery made it 3 and a half.

 

The new scooter came in yesterday and got it's first full day workout today. It is very different. I hadn't realized that my old wheels probably needs to be lubed because the new scooter rolls so easily! The throttle moves so much easier too. I'm glad I can still use my feet for reverse because I like having the control. When I ordered it, I had Tony (at TravelScoot USA) set it for the faster speed. It's not that I use the high speed often but when I need it, I need it. As a teacher of students with special needs, there are times when they may be on one part of the campus with my assistant, i.e. lunch, and I am on break and something comes up. I need to get to them quickly. If the coast is clear, I go full speed ahead. The lightness and ease of movement of the travelscoot has allowed me to continue to teach.

I also did my first grocery run with my new scooter. All went well. One of the things I was sure to remember was to turn the scooter OFF and lock a break when I stood up to reach something up high because this scooter rolls easier. And as is the case if someone is around I always ask for help. People are willing. I especially like to ask little children (sometimes it's the stuff on a lower shelf), it makes them feel so big! It took me about a year to get over asking for help but with each request it got easier and I remember I always help others in ways that I can.

 

1963 Lotus Elite


From Lois:

The TravelScoot fits in the boot of a 1963 Lotus Elite

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

On the Go in San Francisco at Earthquake Trail


From Ruth:

I had fun today trying out the TS on the Earthquake Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco. It's a short (0.6 mile) paved trail that I used to walk easily, but not for the past 15 years or so. The trail begins at the southeast corner of the Bear Valley Picnic Area, just across the street from the Bear Valley Visitor Center. It's paved (see photo.) The lovely thing is that you really do get out into some nature, farther out than I am usually able to go, but since it is paved and fairly level, no worries about getting stuck.

The only thing that gave me pause was that it's a loop, and the first part DOES go downhill a bit. I was wondering about the scoot getting me back up the hill, but it turns out that the return side of the loop isn't as steep (not that the "out" side was terribly steep, just enough to concern me about coming back up.) It was great. It was also beautiful. The pictures don't even tell half the story. I had such a good time!

 

 

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Lunch in Boston (sort of) with the President

From Mimi:

Recently, a friend and I drove into Boston to have lunch. We hadn't realized that the President of the United States was going to grab lunch to go at the restaurant just next door!

I scootered from the parking garage with my friend walking beside me. We made our way around the police-cleared block, and eventually found ourselves politely escorted by a suited gentleman and then two policemen right to the door of our restaurant, just two minutes before a string of dark SUVS and more police arrived.

 

On the Go in Boston at the Lawn on D

 

Recently, Mimi had plans to go on an evening Boston adventure with her partner who had been away for two weeks hit a snag when his time away was extended. Here's the rest of the story in her own words.

"We had planned to see a temporary outdoor art installation (Strandbeests) and a longer-lasting installation, the Lawn on D. On my way home from work, I was sad about the canceled plans. But then I thought about the thread here (on FaceBook, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ElizabethsTravelScoot/?ref=ts&fref=ts) where folks had posted where their TravelScoots had taken them recently and how good it would feel to be able to post that I had not just stayed at home...so I fed the cat, and I grabbed my battery, and I got back into my car, and I drove into Boston.

I couldn't find Strandbeests, but the Lawn on D was filled with music and art (and a lot of people who stared rudely at the very fat girl with the flowers in her hair on the TravelScoot, but that's another story). The sky was beautiful, the air was warm, and I watched folks swing on glowing swings and sprawl on green grass and my TravelScoot let me do all of this.

And because Elizabeth holds this space for us, I felt encouraged to get myself up and out of my house and onto my TravelScoot for an adventure. Thank you, Elizabeth!"

 

 

On the Go at Rocky Mountain National Park


Here is Susan On her Travelscoot at the Alpine Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park with her husband and friends.


TravelScoot Wedding Train


Hardy Huber, TravelScoot inventor, recently made a video of a wedding train that you have to see to believe. One TravelScoot is pulling two extra seat (one each for her son Dieter and new bride Giny), and a cart for his granddaughter Naelle.

The stovepipe hat that Dieter was wearing was also worn by Hardy's grandfather when he married 103 years ago. (It was fashion back then.). Also notice that there's only one TravelScoot powering this train AND they're riding on gravel.