Loading a fully assembled TravelScoot in a van from the side door

Using front wheel as a fulcrum, lift up the back

The back is easily lifted so back wheels are on the floor of the van.

Then just lift the front and roll it in

Scoot in the van.

Rolling it back out. The frame will support it until the front wheel gets on the ground.

Dear Elizabeth,

   One time a while ago someone asked how I transported my travel scoot. So maybe you can use this when blog is slow. Certainly not as pretty as most of the pictures posted. Anyhow, I am sending 5 web size pictures, of me loading and unloading my scoot in my 2000 Toyota Sienna minivan, in the side door, just behind the driver's seat. A very convienent location. I don't have any van seats in the back. Sometimes I use a rubber bungie around steering column and hook to handle on the back of drivers seat, but really it seldom falls over. The key is using the front wheel for mechanical advantage. Just one time I parked where there was a gap between the asphalt and the curb, where I need to load it back up, and I had to remove the battery to be able to lift it in, but normally I don't. And sometimes nice people come a long and load it for me but it is nice to know that I can still do it myself.

Granny Nancy

Field of Wheat

Travelscoot looking at a wheat field just outside Helsinki.

From Elford, whose TravelScoot only sees beautiful things!

Preventive Maintenance

Rhonda posted a comment about an idea for a preventive maintenance list. I'd be happy to compile it if you guys want to give your input. How about it, you experienced TravelScooters?

Rhonda commented...

I have always been lucky when it comes to getting help from a stranger, my worry is that it will happen when there are well meaning strangers who aren't mechanically inclined. Dave has decided that my scoot will undergo regular preventive maintenance in the form of a belt check. He said that short of a catastrophic event breaking the belt that regular use will produce cracks on the teeth side of the belt before it breaks. When you see cracks on the belt, it's time for a change. I bet there are several items that could be checked and fixed prior to breakage, we should start a preventive maintenance list.

More belt changing details

You mechanical wizards might just want to skip this post because you're going to be laughing at the rest of us (or at least me!) after you read it...

I think changing the belt is something the non-mechanical among us are always worrying about in the back of our minds. (Or maybe we're just worrying about getting stranded!) I've had my scoot for 18 months, and my original belt is still good, so it's probably not a reasonable concern, but I seem to grab onto any bit of information I can get about it, just to prepare myself for the possibility.

Tony at TravelScoot wrote out instructions for us which are posted here. Dean has also posted a comment about his recent belt change, and since not everyone reads the comments sections, I thought I'd post it here too.

From Dean:

To be honest it is easier than posted. My guy took the wrenches and first loosened and took off the protector piece of metal. Then he loosened both sides of the axle on the tire and the belt came right off....you put the new one on and tighten it back up. That was it....would be easier on a table perhaps but my 'angel' did it on the carpet of McCormick Place Convention Center....

Deciding when to use your TravelScoot

These are responses to a post from Rhonda.  To read the original post, go to:

My Friend Is Not My Yardstick, and I Shouldn't Be Yours

From Fran R:

These [Rhonda's] comments are right on target. I intend to keep walking when and where I can too. Depending on my level of pain on a given day - I may make a quick trip on foot into a store to pick up a few items. But other days - there is no way I would try to do that and my TS saves the day. There are some stores that don't lend themselves to using my TS - they may be small enough to allow me to navigate on foot - or maybe their layout doesn't accommodate a scooter well. I wait to go to those places when I have a day where the pain of walking is more tolerable. But give up my TravelScoot ?? No way !! I think most of us will keep walking when we can but make no apologies when we opt to ride.

From Peggy R:

I agree completely with Rhonda. I have been packing up my classroom and normally do not ride my scooter to my classroom instead opting to walk. The packing is taking a toll on my back. By using the scooter I conserve my energy and can do more physical labor in the classroom. Some days you feel like a scootin' some days you don't. Peggy

The Little TravelScoot That Could

The adventures of; "The Little Travelscoot that could!" By Glen Glancy
	It has been a dream of ours to take all eight of our children and their spouses to the Holy Land. That dream was not possible until Hardy’s TRAVELSCOOT— We booked our trip with Educational Opportunities out of Florida. It was called "In the footsteps of Paul." They chartered the MV Crystal out of Athens. They Travelscoot was quite at home navigating the gangway, halls, elevators and even the doorway of our cabin. I took delivery of the Travelscoot in plenty of time to test its capabilities. I decided after a trip to Victoria B.C. that it needed a drive train modification before it would do well on the cobblestone streets, gravel paths, and dirt trails of the Middle East. So after a bigger motor, lower gear ratio, we were off to Greece, Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. This is what the modification looks like. Notice chain drive, forward reverse switch, and a new NiMH battery that is now in testing.
	We started with a trip to Athens and the Acropolis. The steep hill to the base of the scooter elevator was a major test for the modified scooter. Here is a picture of the elevator part way up the hill. Once you got to the top, you had to navigate gravel, rocks, and a very rough surface.
	Here we are a Dome of the rock in Jerusalem; my son is navigating the stairs.
	This is the crew in Gethsemane.
	My sons helping me break coming down a very steep hill in Jerusalem.
	Small streets, steep hills, and very rough going. I would not suggest taking a stock Travelscoot to explore the archeological ruins in the Middle East.
	Our next trip was a river cruise up the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. We booked this trip with Avalon Waterways. This ship was also very comfortable with the Travelscoot; up and down the gangway, in the elevator, down the hall thru the door to our cabin.
	Scooting down the gangway.
	Scooting up the gangway to our lovely ship.
	The canal boats were a little snug--- Here I am getting on a canal tour boat in Germany.
	This is my much better half and I across from the Cologne Cathedral.
Thanks to Hardy, the Travelscoot enables me to travel the world and enjoy my family and a great life!   This is what I designed my Travelscoot to do, to explore the beauties of the great earth! This is Beacon Park in Victoria B.C., enjoying a Saturday afternoon concert.

Cool new blog feature

Dear Blog Readers,

I just added a feature to my blog. If you look at the bottom of the post you'll see a small bar with icons on it. You can use it to email a post, blog it, twitter it, post it to Facebook, or share to Google Buzz, if you have any idea what that is.

There are times when some of you want to be able to at least email posts, so this should come in handy. Thank you Blogspot!

Elizabeth

US Airways flight 92

Dean Hughson just emailed this to me.  He's on his way from Chicago to Phoenix. 

Elford's TravelScoot on the Go

These gorgeous pictures are from Elford's "TravelScoot on the Go" series. He took these shots in Helsinki.

1. Alexis Kivi National Poet
2. Main Railway Station
3. Metro
4. Seat Wind
5. Senate Square
6. Tourist Tram

Rhonda at the Harley Davidson store

Here is Rhonda's spiffy new silver cup holder.  She got it when she went to the Harley Davidson store.  I wonder if it came with an "I want to be a Harley when I grow up!" bumper sticker for her TravelScoot?

Rhonda said this cupholder cost about $40 and they installed it for her.  She's going to use this one for her bottled water, and the one with the orange on it (from Think King) is where she puts her cell phone.

The Miracle in Chicago

My TravelScoot and I have done alot of traveling recently. Today in Chicago the belt decided it was the end of the road. I started noticing a thump and after inspection realized I had a tear in the belt. I luckily had bought an extra belt and had my wrenches in my trusty TravelScoot bag. Being at the IFT Food Show I was wondering how I would find someone to help me. A man walked up and got a sample of a sandwich which was being given next door and asked if he could sit on our couch we had put there just for that occurrence. I said Sure. He asked me what was wrong with my scooter and I told him my tale of woe. He happened to be a mechnical engineer from Guadalajara Mexico and he quickly figured out how to do it....5 minutes later I was like new. You should know that I am married to a woman from Mexico and we have always had good luck in Mexico with people helping us when we had car trouble so I guess I should have expected this but it made me tearful. I was sort of frightened about the idea of having to walk my scooter a couple of blocks and then figuring out how to get it fixed. I am one lucky person: help comes my way when I need it. The lesson here is all folks with TravelScoot keep an extra belt with you at all times and your little Allen wrenches. You never know.......Dean Hughson

Tip from Elizabeth: Print out these instructions too!

Kinzi and Chuck on the Boardwalk

HI Elizabeth. I really enjoy your blog and check it every day for new entries. I have had my 'Scoot for almost a year now and love it. I travel a lot and it is a life saver in airports. I check it at the door of the aircraft and they bring it back to me at the door at my destination. I love talking about it and carry brochures and business cards to give to people who stop me. I bought mine directly from Hardy when he was in Lantana, FL. But now Tony calls me when someone from South Florida is interested and I meet them and demonstrate it.

The picture is of me and my great granddaughter, Kinzi, on the Hollywood (Fla) Beach boardwalk. She loved riding in it and would wave at people who waved at us. Several stopped us to take pictures.

I don't know who to submit things for your blog so just sent them directly to you.

Keep up the good work!!

Chuck
A semi-reformed Tequila Crazed Gypsy

I get comments from readers all the time about how they LOVE seeing posts from others who are enjoying their TravelScoots. If you have something you'd like to share with your fellow scooters, please send it to me by email, elizabeth@ifisher.com.

If you'd like to receive new posts from this blog by email, go to http://mytravelscoot.blogspot.com and look in the top left-hand corner where it says "Subscribe via email." Enter your email address and click on SUBSCRIBE. The folks at FeedBurner will send you a confirmation email that you have to respond to, and then you'll be subscribed. There currently are 92 subscribers.

Cushioning the Seat

Last Friday I got an excited call from my sister Kay, who was in the automotive section at a Walmart in New Jersey. She was using her TravelScoot and was sitting on a gel seat cushion she'd just plucked off the shelf. Of course within 24 hours Rhonda and I had $20 gel seat cushions from Walmart too. I don't use it at work because I'm not on the scoot for very long, but it does improve the comfort for longer rides. This is a link to the manufacturer's website: http://www.comfortproducts.net/products/product/id/178

I've been wanting to start this discussion for awhile, but wasn't sure how to get it started. If you're not currently a TravelScoot user but are thinking about getting one, please don't read this post as a negative. The TravelScoot seat is comfortable. Somewhere on the TravelScoot website it says that it's about as comfortable as a good dining room chair. I agree with that. But with any seating surface, after an hour or so you start thinking of ways you can make it better.

Having said that I'd like to open the floor for discussion on ways to make the seat better for longer sitting periods. You can comment here on the blog or on Facebook. (To comment on Facebook you need to be my Facebook friend. My email address is elizabeth@ifisher.com. Please send me a message along with your request so I'll know who you are.)

I also have an extra TravelScoot seat that I'm considering having recovered with leather over a gel seat cushion. I've been looking at motorcycle seat solutions on the net because from what I've read a numb bottom is common on long rides.

Granny commented on another post that she's trying out a motorcycle air cushion by ROHO called an "airhawk". So far she has found it comfortable and she says it's lighter weight than the gel cushions. A selection of Roho seat cushions is at http://www.therohostore.com/Departments/Comfort-Products/AIRHAWK-Motorcycle-Seat-Cushions.aspx .

Girls Gone Wild ... At Target!

My sister Rae and I spent most of Sunday at Target, shopping our hearts out. We got up early (for us) and put in a couple of hours looking for the perfect birthday gift for our 15-year-old niece Morgan. That night we went back with the birthday girl to do more shopping and exchanging. I got to road-test my new gel seat cushion (more about that in another post), and I did my best to use up the whole large lithium ion battery, but it was still green after hours of flying around Target.

Now, about that picture. Rae and I were at the end of an aisle and I saw the shelf and the post and told her I was going to turn around, that I couldn't get through there. Her comment was, "I thought you said your TravelScoot would fit anywhere!" She was right. I decided to give it a try and cleared the post with no trouble. She started to follow along behind me and promptly got her shopping cart stuck! She pulled out her iPhone so we could blog about it.

Mammogram on a TravelScoot

Yesterday I went for my yearly mammogram. I dread the mammogram for the obvious reasons, but also because it's difficult for me to stand up that long without back pain.

This year I had a brilliant idea. I started with the woman at the breast center who checked me in for the exam. After I'd given my social security number, a picture ID, my insurance card, and signed enough documents that she may now own my car, I had just one question for her -- Can a mammogram be done while seated? She knew how much the mammogram cost, which HIPPA regulations she had to follow, and every place I needed to sign or initial, but didn't know this and suggested I ask the technician. On my way to the next waiting area I passed the reception desk where I stopped and asked the same question. At least they're consistent in their knowledge, because she didn't know either.

When the technician called me back for my test, I asked about doing the test seated. She agreed that I could, but only with the TravelScoot handlebars dropped all the way down. It worked great! If any of you have put off having your screening done because you have a problem standing during the testing, now you have no excuse.

If you're wondering why I used a picture of my cute mom in this post, about 23 years ago she was certain she had a lump in her breast. She got tested, then tested again a few months later. She had breast cancer, and because she was diligent about getting help we had another 22 years with her. :-)

Pride

	This beautiful location is a downtown Baton Rouge building of brick and glass made even more beautiful by the bright sunshine and hundreds of people inside. It's also the location of my Saturday scoot adventure. People of all ages, colors and sizes were there, from the little ones with their painted, giggling faces to older couples finding a quiet spot on a remote bench to talk. Faces would light up when friends saw each other across the venue. Lots of hugs and smiles were exchanged, the room was vibrating with energy. It was like being at a family reunion -- if you could choose your family.
Welcome to my first PRIDE event. Made possible by my TravelScoot and the dedicated folks at Baton Rouge PrideFest.
One of the highlights of my day, I made sure I was there in time to hear the New Orleans Gay Mens Chorus. Being on my TravelScoot gave me the best seat in the house -- the one near an air conditioner vent! The pianist made me reminisce about Kerry, my best friend from high school, who I hadn't seen in years. Fifteen seconds later I heard him calling my name! :-)
Almost as soon as I arrived a couple stopped me to quiz me about my scoot. They were funny because one of the women thought her partner was asking about it for her, but instead she was inquiring for her mother. A couple of hours later another couple came up to me and asked about it too. They were also asking for one of their mothers, who likes going places, but just can't walk very far. Later on a friend (waves to Rachel) with an injury questioned me too. She was jealous of how easily I was zipping around! Beep! Beep! I don't think this little girl's feet stopped moving all day. She was delightful to watch.
This pretty girl is my younger sister Rae, and the reason I'm here today. I'm not normally allowed to "out" her, but since she was performing at Pride, I think she'll be okay with me doing it, just this once. Rae is my person. I don't even have any memories before she was born except being 3 years old and arguing with my brother Sam about whether the baby was going to be a girl or a boy. I won. I'm really proud of her for singing her heart out for the crowd today, but I'm even prouder of what it took her to get to where she is now. Gays and lesbians face a lot of adversity, probably the hardest of it is coming out to the people who are supposed to love them the most. I'd like to say our family took it in stride and just kept going, but it took us awhile to get to that point. That was 30 years ago. My hopes are that it's easier for gay and lesbian teenagers today, but judging from the reactions I got from some people over just attending a Pride event makes me wonder. It wasn't anything overt, just some dead air and a deer in the headlights look. PrideFest was a family event, with entertainment for the kids (of all ages), and an opportunity to open our minds and hearts to a group of people who face far too much adversity just to live their lives. So take a look. This is what gay looks like. My hopes for my family and yours is that we accept the whole gay and lesbian community, not just our family members. ~~ Here's Rae with Daphne MuShatt, singing their hearts out. And not only can Daph sing, she was also the very first instructor for the Women of Size fitness classes in Baton Rouge. She's a woman accustomed to blazing trails! Stephanie, Rae, and Daphne And finally, one picture of me to prove I was actually there! This one was taken right after the performance was over, and I had just (accidentally!) run into Daphne's foot. I don't think she ever did get to finish that cupcake. That's Laurie with me and Daph. You might remember her from the Women of Size Scooter Party.