Ride on: Santa Barbara Segway takes a different route

click to enlarge Ride on: Santa Barbara Segway takes a different route
PHOTO BY EMMA FUHS
JUST ROLL WITH IT: Cruise along the oceanfront and take in the historic buildings of Santa Barbara with a trained guide, like Josh McDonough, who can answer all of your questions and provide a tune, too.

I love working. Having specific tasks to accomplish and the feeling of finishing them to my best ability—that’s what makes a job well done feel satisfactory. But even the most wonderful workdays need to be balanced out by some fun.

When thinking of adventures to embark on, my mind always flashes to normal activities like hiking, biking, or going for a drive. It seems difficult to find activities that are truly unique in an area I’ve explored all my life.

I’ve always enjoyed Disneyland, but trying to make a day out of a visit to the magical park is easier said than done. Mini-golf and arcades used to provide hours upon hours of merriment, but after too many elementary school field trips, I fear that the novelty of such activities has worn off.

But what else is there to do? I couldn’t let sheer desperation take over as I racked my brain for unique happenings in the local area.

Then, my mind alighted on something I’d always wanted to do, but never had the nerve. I wanted to ride a Segway.

Two days later, I found myself in the “funk zone” of Santa Barbara, wearing a helmet and ready for action.

I didn’t know what I was doing at first. Unless you happen to own a Segway, stepping onto one for the first time is an exciting, yet alien, experience.

Segways are extremely sensitive to bodily motion: Lean forward and your Segway rolls quickly forward, lean back and your Segway comes to a smooth halt.

They also have a zero-degree turn radius, meaning that they can pivot and pirouette without moving from their original axis.

Our group consisted of myself and five other people, led by seasoned guide Josh McDonough.

After a crash-course lesson on all things Segway, there was one more item to grab before our fleet embarked on our maiden voyage.

McDonough disappeared into the shop for a moment before returning with a black Ibanez acoustic guitar. He slung it over his shoulder and leapt aboard his Segway in one fluid motion, looking more like an odd twist on an action hero than a Segway guide.

“We’re ready to roll. Pun intended,” McDonough said, leading the charge as we raced forward and began our tour.

Gliding along the wide street that ran parallel to the Segway shop, we picked up speed. It was easy to feel comfortable on the Segway, which easily responded to every move I made.

Then, our group was in for a treat. While we all held on to our handlebars for dear life, McDonough ignored his and instead strummed his guitar. I don’t know what I was expecting to come next, but I couldn’t have anticipated the seemingly flawless Flamenco-style song that he began expertly playing.

Later, we found out that our modest but multi-talented guide plays 22 instruments and has practiced guitar for about 18 years. After becoming a guide in 2011, he started playing mandolin during tours. He eventually worked his way up to playing the much larger guitar after about a year with Santa Barbara Segways.

“I decided that I was going to make this creative,” McDonough said.

As we passed historic landmarks and scenic vistas, McDonough proved himself to be knowledgeable as well as talented. He could easily explain the significance of various buildings that we passed, and always threw in a cringe-worthy joke to make things even more entertaining. You can tell that McDonough truly loves his city and his day job.

His obvious enthusiasm made the experience even more enjoyable for those of us who were taking his tour.

Ride on: Santa Barbara Segway takes a different route
A DIFFERENT WAY TO TOUR: Santa Barbara Segway offers tours seven days a week at varying times throughout the day. For more information, visit segwayofsb.com.

As we passed the oldest fig tree in the continental United States, I was struck with the realization that I had been to Santa Barbara countless times throughout my life, but I had never seen it the way Segways allowed me to. In this way, I found the venture truly eye opening.

Zipping out of the “funk zone,” McDonough struck up Led Zeppelin’s classic “Stairway to Heaven.” For fans like me, it was incredible to hear the song played so effortlessly by a native Californian cruising along on his Segway.

“That was an original composition. It’s called ‘Segway to Heaven,’” he said afterward.

We made stops at a cute coffee shop called Handlebars, the first street in Santa Barbara, the historic courthouse, and the beautiful Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens.

As the tour wound down, I found myself not wanting to return to the Segway shop where we had begun our 2-1/2-hour journey. The time had flown by, and I wanted nothing more than to keep on Segwaying until there wasn’t a single inch of Santa Barbara that had gone unexplored.

Alas, our adventure came to an end, but not without many memories that I took with me.

“I wondered how cool I could make a Segway look,” McDonough told me after our tour.

After witnessing his tour firsthand, I can attest that he makes it look very, very cool.

 

Intern Emma Fuhs rode a Segway through heaven. Contact her through Arts Editor Joe Payne at [email protected].

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