Are you embarrassed to be seen on a scooter?

Tools to help you walk, like a scooter or wheelchair, are built on the most ENABLING of early technologies -- the WHEEL. Without wheels there wouldn't have been an Industrial Revolution, we'd have no trains or automobiles, no jet engines, no way to transport goods and services, and little ability to travel.

I know there are people reading this blog who are embarrassed at the thought of using a scooter. Maybe you can't walk far enough to enjoy the zoo or traverse an airport. Perhaps you don't want people looking at you, thinking you've given up or you're just lazy.

The wheels of my scooter enable me to briskly move where I would have been walking slowly and with pain, or more likely not walking at all. My wheels energize my world while saving my knees. I am more active with my TravelScoot.

It is up to us to empower ourselves without concern for what others think.

If we limit our world over what someone else MIGHT be thinking then we never go sleeveless, never put on a bathing suit, and miss out on grand things the world has to offer us -- museums, big stores, airports, visiting loves ones at the hospital, shopping for ourselves.

If you're having trouble walking but are hesitant about using wheels to enlarge your world, please put yourself out there. It gets easier every time you do it. Start with trying a scooter at Walmart, Sam's Club, or Target. (Although good luck finding one that actually works and has a charged battery at Target!) By the time you graduate to a TravelScoot you'll be so thrilled with how it changes your world that you'll be telling everyone. Just like me.

Grass

Here are Lynn Ellen and Misha again, and THIS time she's riding on grass, but it was flat and not thick. Misha is sitting at perfect attention.

My understanding is that TravelScoot doesn't recommend riding on grass or gravel, but obviously with certain types of grass and gravel it works. At least for short stretches.

Riding on Gravel (sung to the tune of "Walking on Sunshine")

This is Lynn Ellen, with San Francisco in the background. What an amazing picture.

And yes, that is hard-packed gravel she is riding on. I tried the same thing in my driveway and didn't even move an inch, so gravel isn't always TravelScoot-friendly, but in this lucky case, it was.

Attaching the front basket

Cynth sent me a picture of how she's modified how her basket is attached. She replaced the tie down with a longer camera strap and a plastic latch. She said the tie down would make the basket get caught on the metal part she circled in the picture.

I've tried attaching my basket, but also am having problems with it hitting on the metal "v" part in the picture.

I've seen a picture of Lynn Ellen's TravelScoot with the basket attached (and loaded), so I know it works. Bee and Sarge also use theirs.

I think I need to have a moment of clarity and try attaching mine again.

Cynth's Shopping Tips

Cynth's Shopping Adventures and Tips

Cynth said...

I took today off (4/17/09) to take care of appointments and decided to just go for it and go to Walmart to do my first in-store grocery shopping in 5 years.

It took me a little over 2 hours, but I did it. I wouldn't want to shop during peak hours and once I figure out where everything I need is and on what side of the isle it is it will go smoother.

I got in a few peoples way, but then again people got in my way too. And our Walmart has posts in the center of some isles that require shoving the shopping cart past it on one side while I drive past it on the other.

I do feel much better now knowing that the scooter will take me shopping. I parked clear out back in the parking lot so I could have room to get my groceries in the car and fold the scooter up and down without someone parking next to me.

I also saved about $50 by shopping myself and not using Albertson's delivery.

Ok the mission today (4/18/09) was to go to Target. Mission accomplished. Our Target does have some groceries so I was able to pick up some coffee on sale and various sundry items.

I got my grandkids each 2 outfits and had fun looking at all the baby clothes (I had a new granddaughter March 23 and I have twin granddaughters that are 6).

As far as the isles go, the main isles are wide enough but the isles that have items on them are too narrow for me to drag the shopping cart through. Well ok, I "could" but that would take up the entire isle and I hate when people do that walking side by side so I avoid it.

I decided instead of buying a grocery organizer I'd first try using the box the TravelScoot came in. It should fit across my backseat just fine.

Oh and today when I was unloading and loading I was much faster. I watched Hardy's videos again and noticed he does not put the handle bar down when unloading and folding. So I tried that today and it was MUCH easier to get it to "snap".

I also paid more attention to how I was getting it in and out of the trunk; I do both with one hand. I really don't find it that heavy at all.

Elizabeth says...

Whoo hoo! You are hitting the ground running! Or should I say rolling? It must have been so fun to pick out baby clothes at Target. They have some of the cutest stuff. My Target is a Super Target so it's got a big grocery section and all the department store items too, but at least yours has some grocery items. Yesterday at Target I was able to pull my grocery cart directly behind me when I needed to fit through a narrower space. Most of the time I just park my buggy somewhere at the end of the aisle and zip back and forth putting things in it. I spent about $150 on groceries, so I bought quite a few things.

Tips for Getting Up a Ramp or Incline

I haven't faced many ramps yet. The tallest one I've been on was 2 - 3 foot tall. I made it about 75% of the way up, then had to put my feet down and help push. Lynn Ellen says the hill up to the church near her house is a bit steeper at first and then is fairly gentle so she just leaned forward and off she went.

Ramps going into stores have been easy to handle. I have not yet tried mine on a handicap ramp that takes the place of stairs.

Tips for Getting Up a Ramp or Incline

1) Get a good running start.
2) Approach the incline straight on, not from the side.
3) Lean forward. It changes your center of gravity and helps you go forward.
4) If you have to, put your feet down and help propel yourself up.
5) If all else fails, get off and walk your TravelScoot the short distance up the incline.
6) If this is a continual problem, there is an alternate motor that has 11 teeth instead of 13. This motor has its drawbacks though, so it might not be right for you. It cuts down on the total distance you can go on one battery charge, and it lessens your top speed. It's also harder on the belt. You did buy spare belts for an emergency, right? I'd rather just walk my scoot up the occasional steep ramp if I need to. And as far as I know, the 11 teeth motor hasn't been tested by a supersize person.

Added note: Empress Bee says that Sarge has one of the lower teeth motors and he wished he didn't. "He had to change the belt on our cruise this past week. my scooter has the other one and the belt is much older than his and still going strong. but we both love our scooters. so many people want them on the ships!"

Keeping a stool in your trunk

Cynthia figured she would need a stool to sit on while she gets the scoot out of and into the trunk. She went googling for something that would work and decided on a "Nova Heavy Duty Bath Bench Without Back." It ended up costing $96 with tax and free shipping. The free shipping saved a lot, other sites wanted as much as $35 to send a similar bench.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp;jsessionid=XL0BBXMKVGJS2CXOUAUB3KQK30QCQ3MK?CATID=303768&navAction=pop&navCount=2&id=prod3200326

I bought a garden kneeler bench a few years ago that will work too. Walmart online has them for $29. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2132498