SCOOTER TRAIL RIDING

Scootering on quite gravel roads for many is considered the perfect outing, but for wild and crazy guys like Randy and myself it is a little too boring.

Give us some mud, ruts and uncharted scooter territory. We like terrain that warns of danger and impending doom.

We found such a trail out near my home a couple of weeks ago. Not only was the trail ominous, but the sky was indicating a possible thunder storm. With a caviler attitude Randy, who's nick name is Mud Slinger, continued on the trail with his steely eyes fixed on the challenging terrain.

Randy and I may like to live on the edge when scootering pushing our skills and machines to the limit, but we also know when to call it good enough and turn back. When we encountered a steep hill on the trail we knew that we had met our match. Next year our scooter will have 12" on clearance when we toss our stock tires and replace them with aggressive knobbies. We still are in negotiations with Man vs. Wild to pay for the custom jobs on our scooters. We hope to do a couple of shows.

THE TWO AMIGOS

After working on an old Amigo Scooter that Randy had, we took a few shake down rides in his neighborhood to assure it was dependable. It turned out to have a couple of problems. Since I know very little about anything and especially about electrical systems, it looked like a lost cause to get the scooter road worthy. But yet again, tinkering combined with the power of prayer provided the solution. A business in town that services these electric scooters has a technician who was very willing to give me a few ideas and also some simple encouragement to keep tinkering. The scooter is now adventure certified. The first adventure was for Randy to teach me how to board a city bus.

Getting on a bus is not too difficult. It requires some backing up skills and the ability to perform while all the other riders are watching. Being handicapped involves teaching others patience too, as the bus driver has to lower the bus, extend a ramp, prepare a parking space for the scooter and then secure it. The process takes about 5 minutes, so travel comes to a halt. I imagine that one will encounter a grouchy bus driver every once in a while, but so far they have all been kind and patient.

We rode the bus for about 4 miles to the Duluth Rose Garden http://www.superiortrails.com/duluth-rose-garden.html and then took the Lake Walk down to Canal Park.

The Lake Walk http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/trail_pages/lakewalk.cfm follows the shore of Lake Superior and is designed for walking, inline skating, running, biking and of course scootering. It is a very popular place especially on a beautiful summer day. Randy and I moved along at a leisurely pace enjoying all the sights and sounds.

Pictured above is Lief Erickson Park . Festivals and other gatherings occur here often. The past few years the City of Duluth has had Friday Night Outdoor Movies. This has turned out to be a very big success. The movies are for all ages so a good crowd gathers together with their blankets, lawn chairs and coolers full of treats!

There is a scenic train http://www.northshorescenicrailroad.org/Home/exdaily.asp that travels up the Northshore of Lake Superior. There a variety of rides available from short relatively inexpensive ones to others that are longer and offer a meal.

We traveled all the way down to the bridge then took the Duluth Skywalk system http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2009/04/18/duluth-skywalk-video/ up to the downtown business area and caught a bus back to Randy's house. The entire trip took about four hours.

THE WHEEL WORLD

It has been two months since my motorcycle accident. I have been confined to a wheelchair that entire time. I will continue to wheel around for at least one more month. My bones are healing, but it seems like it takes more time when one is older. My fracture of the tibia is also right at the joint so it is critical that it is well healed prior to putting much weight on the leg.

My time in a wheelchair has introduced me to another view of the world. I have experienced the challenges of getting around in public places and especially public bathrooms. Fact: Just because a bathroom is handicap accessible does not guarantee that it is functional for the handicapped. I have my favorite bathrooms in the Duluth area and I have several that I prefer to avoid. I am tempted to go into detail, but you probably aren't that interested. I have met many people, who when I come wheeling into their world, they anticipate the obstacles I will encounter and just help clear the way. Of course there are also some people who don't seem to see me and are themselves an obstacle I need to navigate around. If I were to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my earthly life, it would take me a good while to wrestle with that reality and come to terms with all its implications. Being a part-timer obviously only gives me a very small glimpse into the wheel world, its challenges and limitations.

We know that limitations and barriers can be challenged. I happen to have a friend who meets the challenges of the wheel world with determination and an adventurous spirit. Randy has cerebral palsy and has been using an electric scooter to navigate the world for the 30 years I've known him. He worked every day for the Duluth Public Library as a disability specialist until his retirement several years ago. He has camped, sailed, explored many walking trails and of course gotten himself into trouble countless times. I recently reconnected with him, since my accident, and have had the opportunity to discover his various efforts to create an adventurous community for people who are wheelchair bound. You can check out his website: http://wheelsontrails.org

I spent an afternoon and evening at a camp out he organized a couple of weeks ago and have spent time with him getting an old scooter of his up and running for my personal use. Randy and I were once know (by our wives) to be masters of getting into trouble together. Well now that I have an unreliable scooter at my disposal, Randy and I are able to get into trouble again.

I believe Randy approaches challenges in his life with a "why not" attitude. A couple of days ago we were trying to figure out what was causing the old scooter to simply shut down. We really did not figure out the short circuit, but since it seems to be running he said lets take it out around the block. "What if if shuts down", I asked. " I will push you back to my house", he answered. I thought that sounds good to me. So we took it around the block and every thing went fine. So of course, we then decided to go on a more extended trip, despite the fact that the scooter was still unreliable. We ended up being stranded. Randy's scooter got low on power (he likes to push the limits of his battery capacity before recharging) and my scooter shut down and would not power up again. Here is the picture; two fellows who cannot walk are sitting on two scooters that cannot move. We sat out in the hot sun until my wife came by and rescued us. Looking for adventure? Join Randy and I. We can find you an old scooter. We will welcome you with open arms into the Wheel World.