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Segways give tourists a cool cruise through Denver

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Contributed by: Charmaine Robledo/YourHub.com on 7/7/2008

Larry and Linda Reynolds want tourists to sightsee Denver in an unconventional way. Instead of walking through the historic parts of the city, the Reynoldses take their customers on Segways, the vertical, two-wheeled scooters invented in 2003.

The Broomfield couple's two-year-old company, Colorado Adventure - Segway Tours, hosts two groups of out-of-state visitors per day to see Denver. The couple has nine machines for tours. Larry is the guide for each tour, which he said he customizes for each group.

"I've never had the same tour twice," he added.

He takes tourists through South Platte River Park, by the State Capitol, the convention center, the Denver Mint and other parts of downtown. Larry said in every tour, he encourages visitors to make a return trip to the places he takes them.

"The ride's a mix," he said. "It's just fun riding around and seeing things, and I give them a brief history of Denver."

The minimum age for someone to go on the tour is 14. Larry said this is because the Segways respond to weight shifts in order to move forward, backward and sideways. The minimum weight the Segways hold is 100 pounds, which is about the weight of preteens. Any younger, Larry said, and the person wouldn't be able to control the Segway.

The oldest person Larry has taken on a tour was 86. He joked that the only problem he had with the man was at the end of the tour: "Once we were done, I couldn't get him off the machine."

Larry added that he has had 60- to 80-year-old couples that go on the Segway tours.

"Generally, they're thrilled," he said. "It's a walking tour with wheels. They're able to ride these without any sweat."

Larry recalled the wife of a doctor who had severe back problems and couldn't walk comfortably. At the end of a Segway tour, she cried because she was so happy to have been able to see things and do things she normally couldn't do, Larry said.

On July 2, Larry hosted a tour for Allan and Kim Bruning, of Hastings, Neb. The couple was in Denver for the long Fourth of July weekend and said they always wanted to try one of these tours.

For their tour, Larry took the Brunings through South Platte River park, up by Cherry Creek, Centennial Gardens, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the convention center, along 15th Street downtown and across the Denver Millennium Footbridge.

Along the way, the group encountered obstacles such as curbs, dips, sharp turns and passing bicyclists. However, since Segways are still an usual sight in the streets of Denver, tourists also encountered stares, cheers and the occasional whistle.

For the Brunings, the segway trip around Denver was "awesome."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Allan said.

"I'd recommend it for anyone who wants unusual fun," Kim added.

And though Colorado Adventure - Segway Tours caters more to out-of-town visitors, Larry said he's had more local people try out his tours.

"It's surprising," he said. "I didn't figure on more local folks or repeat business. It's a pleasant surprise."

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