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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!"
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