I was really excited when my mom told me that as part of my present for my 28th birthday, the fam and I would be venturing out on a SEGWAY tour in Hershey, PA. We arrived at the Hotel Hershey at bit before 2pm, excited and (at least in my case) a bit apprehensive about the adventure to come. I would just like to note that part of the reason I was nervous was because on the way over to the hotel, my brother, Tom, decided it would be the perfect time to tell me that CEO of Segway died after driving a Segway over the edge of a cliff into a river. SERIOUSLY?
We were greeted by our amazing tour guides/teachers, Bruce and Trish. I wish we would have captured a photo of this incredible couple - they amused us during our 2.5 hour afternoon of Segwaying with tales of life during retirement. They star in local commercials for retirement communities; volunteer their time as actors playing the roles of "man with kidney failure" or "woman with Alzheimer's" for medicial students at Hershey Med; hand out programs and direct people to their seats as they usher at the Hershey Theatre; and, obviously, lead Segway tours at the Hotel Hershey.
Learning to drive a Segway was an interesting experience. I must admit, I had no conception of the mechanics associated with driving a Segway - I honestly assumed that the handlebars had something to do with the operation of it, but this not the case at all. The basic premise lies in the idea that to go forward, you must shift your weight forward on the foot platform (literally, you can just press down with your toes ever so slightly), and to go backward, you shift your weight backward. The handlebar comes into play only to turn. It was a bit disconcerting at first to be on the Segway, mainly because the sensation of driving one is unfamiliar, but after some time practicing it was almost like second nature.
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| Ohhhhh yeah. Looking oh so cool... :) |
We had a great time driving around the grounds of the Hotel Hershey, learning a bit about the history of the area, doing a bit of "off-roading", and stopping to feed some koi. For those of you who may not know this about me, I have a "strong dislike" of large groups of items, particularly living things. I feel like this has something to do with a childhood incident in Palms Springs, California when I innocently started to feed a few geese that were gathering outside our hotel room only to then become surrounded by what felt like hundreds of geese trying to get food from my tiny hands! So when we arrived at a pond on the grounds of the hotel to feed a massive amount of koi, I was less than pleased. I actually think all of us were in agreement that the entire incident was rather disgusting.
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| Imagine this photo times 20! YUCK. |
Spending the day with my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law, Kate, was an absolute blast. I feel so fortunate that we can still spend quality time together, trying out something new, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. One of my favorite parts of the day was near the end of the tour when we put our Segways to the test racing each other up and down an open, grassy hill - going over 12 mph, baby! We wrapped up the day having a delicious birthday dinner at Trevi 5, a restaurant inside the Hotel Hershey.
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| Mom, me, Tom, Kate |
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| Dad, me, Tom, Kate |
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| 28 years old! |
Strong dislike??? I think you meant "paralyzing fear."
ReplyDeleteAlso, some day maybe I'll be like Bruce and you'll be like Trish.
I think we are well on our way to becoming Bruce and Trish.
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