S-P-O-O-K-Y

I had a really spooky, heart-rate-spiking incident yesterday morning on the way to work on the Segway.

First of all, let me explain that I come to work really early, arriving by 5:30 AM. This time of year in Phoenix, the sun is not yet up, so my trip starts in total black dark and I arrive at work just at the beginning of light appearing on the horizon. I have a bike light on my handlebar guard that provides me about 20 feet of illumination in front of the Segway for that areas where street lights are not present.

About a mile from the end of my trip, I cross the Salt River and then the 202 Freeway on a pedestrian bridge about 8 feet wide. The total length from the start to the end of this bridge is probably 3/4 a mile. The sidewalls on part of the bridge are about 3 feet tall and concrete, with the other side being either steel rails or a chain link fence.

At the end, right before it goes back to regular sidewalk with no walls on each side, it goes down a little incline and curves slightly to the right. Another feature of the last part of this bridge is that there is a LONG stretch (200 feet) at the end where there is a gap in the streetlights and the sidewalk gets REALLY DARK there. This is the one place I need my bike "headlight" more than any other place every morning to make sure the sidewalk is clear of rocks, bricks, bottles, etc which might toss me off if I hit it at 12 miles per hour.

So, I'm cruising along in a "sidewalk trance" basically, almost at the end of the bridge and nearing the point where the streetlight illuminates the sidewalk again finally.

Suddenly, and completely surprisingly, I notice some movement on the sidewalk on my right, up against the 3-foot-tall concrete road barrier wall. It's a shirtless Hispanic man, in a fetal position but up on his knees, leaning against the wall !! As he either hears me or sees my light, he raises his head and moves his hands forward on the sidewalk like he is about to crawl.

But the really scary part was just SEEING him there and seeing him raise his head up and realizing that in this very dark and "expected to be empty" section of sidewalk, someone was there !!

Well, at that exact moment, I have NO IDEA what his intention might be. Is he about to rise up and mug me? Is he going to jump up and point a gun or knife my way? Is he going to jump up and tackle me off the Segway?

I have VERY limited options to defend myself. First of all, from the time I notice him until the time I will pass him is about 2 seconds total, because I'm moving about 16 feet per second. I don't really have time to react to anything he would do.

Imagine my relief when I see this: he puts his head down and SPITS on the ground beneath him right as I fly by him. That's when it hits me: he's just a drunked up or drugged up guy laying on the sidewalk. He's no danger to me.

I had a brief thought of stopping to see if he needed help; but at that time in the morning, in the darkness, I would really be in a pickle if he was sober enough to want to fight or be aggressive toward me in any fashion. Not that I'm worried about defending myself one-on-one, but if he had a knife or any other weapon, then I would be at a distinct disadvantage.

So it was definitely something I will remember and will think about every day when passing that point. Strange and Weird and Scary and SPOOKY.....

About 405 Miles Per Gallon (equivalent)

Just did the math on my first 2100 miles of Segging. Total electricity cost: $12.96

At $2.50 per gallon of gas, getting 2100 miles for $12.96 equates to

404.95 miles per gallon

for the 2100 miles I have done on my Segway so far.

Pretty decent !!! :)

New Speed Record? Maybe so....

This morning I made it from about two blocks down Broadway to Thornwood in less than 21 minutes. I caught all the lights green and really was cookin'.

No way to know if this was an "official" speed record, but it was pretty darn fast !!

P.S. 29 Days since my wrist injury, and it still hurts and is weak. Surely I must have cracked a bone in there somewhere.

Ouch. (ouch.)

Sprained and/or broken and/or cracked wrists really hurt. Some of the time at least.

Still mystified as to the exact sequence of events which lead to my severe crash on Monday morning. It happened so fast and was so strange that I guess I will never really know the exact cause.

Sidewalk Pavement Is Hard

Major wipeout today on the Segster. Complete driver error.

On my commute to work today, there is this one spot where a little drainage ditch right beside the road does not have a sidewalk across it. To get onto the sidewalk on the other side, you are required as a pedestrian or biker or Segger to Leave the sidewalk, go briefly onto the shoulder of the road, and then cross a little asphalt "bump" back onto the sidewalk where the sidewalk starts again. That "little bump" really is not so little - I usually catch a little air everytime I got over it.

Today I caught TOO MUCH air, and the result was getting to eat some sidewalk. (oops)

It happened really fast and I was not EXACTLY sure what happened to cause the crash at the time. After thinking about it for almost two hours now I think I know mostly what happened after reconstructing it in my mind.

I must have accelerated a little too much on my approach to the bump. That was Problem One. When I hit the bump, I think I must have been leaning forward too much - Problem Two. Once I was over the bump and the Segway started accelerating and leaning forward too far, I should have either leaned back more in an attempt to slow it or else should have jumped off and let it go down - Problem Three. Once I was into the fall with no way to get out of the crash, I should have tucked my head and done a front roll, letting my helmet protect me and not trying to catch myself - Problem Four.

So the Segway went down forward, I went down with it, and was thrown to the front left. Like I knew better than to do, I tried to catch myself with my left wrist and ended up smacking the left side of my face on the sidewalk. When my cheekbone hit the pavement I saw stars and knew I had scraped my skin off. The unsuspecting part was that I had not only a small strawberry on my upper cheekbone, but also a larger one down on my cheek right to the left of my chin and up on my face a little bit. And my left wrist was sprained from the ill-conceived and failed "catch myself" effort.

I got to work and cleaned my wounds and Jerry recommended a wrist wrap to immobilize the wrist. I noticed a little "double-strawberry" on my left knee also. I think I must have been going between 8 and 10 miles per hour at the time, because it was a pretty significant bang to the ground. The Segway, thanks to the handlebar guard and the front bag, was fine; just a little dirt on the front cargo bag.

So, lesson learned: keep your speed down and senses with you when going over a known bump - too much air can lead to too much sidewalk in the facial area.

Almost got to Eat Some Pavement Today

I was cruising along, full speed, on a darkened sidewalk less than a quarter mile from my work. All of a sudden the Segway hits something and does a little bounce-turn to the left, then back right, then wobbles almost enough to toss me off as I lean back to slow it down. All that in about 1 second of real time. My heart was racing with the adrenaline of almost getting to eat pavement for an early breakfast.

I stopped and went back to see what I hit. I recognized it instantly. It was a fist-sized rock, and amazingly, it was a rock I had noticed a couple of days before on the afternoon trip. I thought I would never have to worry about it because it had been about 2 inches from the edge of the sidewalk, and I usually never get a wheel that close to the edge. But this morning I did, for some reason; maybe just drifted.

Anyway, I kicked the rock off the sidewalk into the gravel, and I hopefully will not have to worry about that rock ever again....

Well, Life Does Change !!!

Been a few months since my last post, so I guess I should say I'm still a-kickin' and still a-Seggin'.

In fact, I'm on my Segway for an hour and 20 minutes every day now.

My Mom is retired, and has moved from Clyde, TX to live with my two kids and me in Phoenix. She is my "unofficial" nanny and is taking care of the kids for me during workdays. This means I save about $6000 a year in child care fees, some of which I am paying to her for room and board and I give her a little "allowance" every week so she can have pocket money. She turns 62 years old on November 30th, so she will start her Social Security withdrawals at that time. I will get to claim her as a dependent on my 2007 taxes, so that will help me even more. It's really a win-win situation for both of us.

What this means in term of the Segway is that now I get to seg all the way from home to work and back every day. This means 12 round-trip miles a day, at 40 minutes per leg of the trip. This is piling up the miles.

Before this new development, my goal for miles had been 1,700 for the first year on the Segway. With my new, longer commute, I'm going to hit about 1,839 miles by my 1 year anniversary date, which is March 10th. That's great, and means my Segway will have saved almost that many miles for my car (not every mile was commuting but most of it was.)


So things are going well. Still loving the Segway, still getting honks and waves and questions from complete strangers. All is well !!!

New Speed Record......

Timed the Segway run from Holdeman to T-Wood at

17:35

this A.M. Fastest run ever. I hit all the lights and had 2 little "3 second delays" waiting for traffic to pass in other situations. Me Likey !!!! :)

Segway is a CAR REPLACEMENT VEHICLE not a substitute for Walking

I just wanted to say that in a lot of news stories which provide "comment" sections, there seems to be a lot of people who call Segway owners "lazy" or refer to the Segway as a replacement for WALKING.

That's not REALLY what the Segway is for.

What the Segway should REALLY replace is the use of a VEHICLE.

In my case, that's exactly what it does. I park my car and ride my Segway for the last 4 miles of my commute. People who live close enough to their jobs, such as in a downtown environment, can and should look into doing the same thing. I could WALK that commute, but it would take me too long. I could BIKE that commute, but in Phoenix I would get too sweaty, involving showers at work, showers at home, multiple sets of clothes, etc etc. And at my age that's just too much trouble.

A Segway can replace a car for certain short commutes in certain situations. It is far more energy efficient and far less polluting.

New time record on Segway?

I made a GREAT speed run from Holdeman to Thornwood this morning. I hit EVERY light green or yellow, and the only pause of any type I had was to wait for a school bus driver at an intersection to see me, which was about a 5 second pause.

Best I can tell is I made it somewhere between 17:30 and 17:45. Really fast. I also hit 755 miles on the Segway this morning. That's 755 miles of not driving the car !!!

Approaching 700 miles

Was of today 8-4-06, I am at 696 miles on the SegSter. That's 696 miles I did not pollute by driving my car. I am averaging about 145 miles a month on the Seg.

I managed to survive the whole summer with the Phoenix heat. I'm looking forward to the Fall and Winter rides too, prepared to bundle up for the 40-55 degree weather. Seldom in the 30s here, even in the coldest part of the mornings.

Based on my experiences in March 2006, I know that my ears and face get very cold on the 20 minute glides in the coldest mornings. I might have to find somekind of pullover face and ear covering or something to keep the heat.

Keep on Seggin' !!!!!

Segway Tire Air Level Matters A Lot

I noticed yesterday the the Segway tires were low of air. I had been using a lot more battery on each commute, and noticed a little softer ride, and noticed a better grip in the dirt. Once I thought about it, I realized the air was low.

Put them back to 22 lbs this morning, and BOY did I notice the diff today !! Stiffer ride and less traction in the dirt. I had to go offroad today to go around a construction pickup which was parked on the sidewalk of all places and I had to go up and down a little dirt hill. Tires did slip a bit.

I think I got the best end of the battery usage thing though, as more air means less rubber friction on the road.

Segway a BIG HIT at Family Reunion...

Took the Seggie to the Family Reunion 2006. Everybody liked it. MANY people tried it. My Mom probably liked it best and picked up on it fastest (genetics, perhaps?) She had literally rode it for about a minute and she took off down the road unsupervised. Most people, I made them ride it while I escorted them in case they had a problem. The only incidents were that Uncle Ronnie tried to use the turn control to stop and almost left the sidewalk but I stopped him, and neice Amber was having trouble on a downhill getting stopped, and tried to step off but stepped back on, then I got in front of her to stop her.

All in all, Segway was a cool thing to have at the reunion. Much fun.....

Big "FIVE HUNNERT"

Hit 504 miles this morning on my Segway. That means 504 miles of between 610 MPG and 620 MPG travel. That's 504 miles for LESS than the price of a SINGLE gallon of gas. My Gosh that's incredible !!! Thanks Dean Kamen !!

Just wanted to let you conspiracy types know that once AGAIN Bin Laden has implicated himself as the perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks. See the ABC news website today for a transcript.

But he was just a "patsy" for G-Dub huh?

Here are his words:

"From Usama bin Muhammad bin Ladin to the American people: Peace be upon he who has followed the guidance.

This is a brief message whose topic is my testimony on behalf of the Muslim prisoners you are holding, and in it I will talk about the truth concerning them, which is something that the Bush administration hates and is hostile to.

I begin by talking about the honorable brother Zacarias Moussaoui.

The truth is that he has no connection whatsoever with the events of Sept. 11, and I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers — Allah have mercy upon them — with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission. And his confession that he was assigned to participate in those raids is a false confession that no intelligent person doubts is a result of the pressure put upon him for the past four and a half years."

So all you Conspiracy Freaks get a life....

ANOTHER (broken record) Commute Lowest Time Ever Report

Once again, I have set a land speed commute record on the Segway. This morning I left at 6:32:50 and arrived at my parking space at work at 6:51:10.

That's 18 minutes, 20 seconds I do believe.

That means I have set a speed record which will be VERY difficult to beat. This one even involved at LEAST 20 seconds of "goof off" time. Once when I was trying to decide whether to cross the road, I waited several seconds before deciding it was too busy. Another time, I dropped my Spicy Hot V8 bottle into a trash can at a bus stop as I was cruising past it, but I missed the can, so I had to stop, go back, pick it up and can it, and leave again. I know those two delays cost me AT LEAST 20 seconds of wasted time.

To beat this record, I will have to have ZERO red light time and ZERO goof off time. Not easy to do.

Segway Land Commute Record

Set my record for fastest commute time today. Unfortunately, it's just an estimated time, since I did not check EXACTLY what second I left Holdeman. I made it somewhere between 18:40 and 18:55 though, which beats my record of somewhere around 19:00 even. The benefit today was not hitting ANY of the red lights; I had to pause not even for a SECOND of delay time. I don't think that has ever happened before. Gonna try and best it this afternoon.

Why Segways Should Be Allowed *virtually* Anywhere Pedestrians Are Allowed

I read on a news report that a park department leader somewhere in America declared the Segway "banned" from the city's park trails because it is a "motorized vehicle."

That's just an incorrect policy, and let me tell you why.

A Segway is nothing like a motorized razor scooter or a mini-motorcycle.

First off, Segway is a vehicle designed for PEDESTRIAN USAGE. Anywhere a pedestrian can walk, anywhere on a fairly even surface where the tires can get traction, that should be considered OK for a Segway. Segways can travel on grass, gravel, thick or thin dirt - anywhere the tires can gain grip.

A Segway in width takes up about as much room as a broad shouldered man. A Segway takes up LESS ROOM on a sidewalk than most wheelchairs, and less room than anyone walking with crutches.

Segways can get out of a pedestrian's way in a split second. Segways can stop almost on a dime, and CAN turn on a dime - zero footprint turns are possible with a Segway. A Segway can stop and balance the rider perfectly still, remaining in one spot.

Segways can go backward, and can get off the sidewalk to let a bike or a group of people pass them, and can go down or up a curb. Segways can travel as slow as the slowest walking person if required.

Segway tires were engineered to evenly distibute the weight so that Segways do not carve severe tracks into grass or dirt trails. If a Segway rider happens to "bump" into another person, it's really nothing more than if a person walking bumped into another person walking.

Segways are very quiet - the two motors, even when at full speed, produce little more than a loudish hum. Segway motors are quieter than most home computers.

As far as using them on a park trail, whether a Segway is appropriate for the trail depends on the trail itself and the terrain. If it is a dirt or gravel or grass trail, with no severe inclines and no stairs, then a Segway rider would have no trouble negotiating that trail. Stairs are handled by dismounting from the Segway and pulling the Segway up the stairs while using the Segway motor to assist the pull.

So the arguments against Segway are what? Too noisy? Nope. Too large? Nope. Unwieldy? Nope. Dangerous? Nope. Comparable to other "motorized vehicles" like gas scooters or mini-motorcycles? Nope.

Officials and authorities who are in charge of making policy for pedestrians need to put Segway clearance on their agenda. There really are no valid reasons for banning a Segway from a pedestrian area.

Cruising "Sweet Spot" Located

Good drivers over 35 yrs of age will recongnize this scenario. Say you have a car which does not have cruise control. When you first get the car, it's difficult to "hold the perfect cruising speed" at highway speeds because your foot has not learned the perfect pedal position yet, and your leg has not memorized the perfect position to hold your leg and foot so that locating that sweet spot is possible. But after a few weeks, your muscle memory takes hold and you know EXACTLY where to hold your foot, how much pressure to apply, etc., in order to HOLD that perfect cruising speed.

I hit that moment on my Segway last night.

I found that there are at least three components to holding the Segway at top cruising speed, which I estimate to be somewhere between 11.8 and 12.2 MPH.
1. Position of my feet on the platform. They need to be centered and not angled.
2. Position of the handlebar in regard to how close I have it to my stomach. Too close is bad, too far is bad, about 1-2 inches seems to be perfect.
3. The most important one: The sound of the pitch and whine of the little electric motors. I can tell by the sound that the motors have reached the peak position where if I go any faster, the accelerometer is going to forcibly slow the Segway down. If I can use my ears and keep the whine about the same place all the time, I stand a better chance of maintaining that perfect "top speed" without being forced to slow down.

This is going to make for faster commutes over time, as I perfect the method of recognizing and maintaining that sweet spot speed.

Also from yesterday: I forgot to mention that my dentist also took a huge interest in the Segway. He came outside with me to see me ride it and asked many questions about it. He seemed genuinely interested. I love the social aspect of the Segway more and more as time goes by.

Lots of Segway Inquiries/Comments on Cinco De Mayo

First comment of note was a 20-something young dude in a car who yelled, "Right on bra, that thing is SICK!" as he drove by.

At REI, a guy in a black diesel truck asked me, "What the Hell is that?" I said, "Segway." He said, "What?" I said, "Segway." He said "How fast can it go" and I said "12.5 miles per hour" and he said, "can I see how fast it can go?" And I said, "sure" and gave him a little 20 foot and back demo. He said, "Cool, thanks." and took off. I apologized to the young lady waiting behind him in the green car and she said "That's OK."

On my last leg home, I saw a guy standing in his drive and he waved me over and asked me a bunch of questions. He thought it was "tight, Bro."

Had at least two other people yell and honk at me today. I guess it's the Margaritas !!! LOL