Half a Step Over

Bucket Lists--At Least One Item, Anyway

I’ve never been one to make lists of things I want to do before I die, or before a certain date. Yes, there’s always something rolling around in the back of my mind if I’m asked what kind of day trip I want to take, or for a place I want to visit. But a formal list? No. Then again, I just did something that makes me think if I had a bucket list, this would have been on it.

We were in Orlando. My husband had a couple of days of business meetings and, packing my laptop, I went along. He went off to his meetings, I took a walk, sat by the pool, completed work that was being sent to me to review. But after the meetings we took a day and half for just fun. That afternoon, we hit Gatorland—an attraction we really love for some reason—and went to the Disney Marketplace just to wander around, and pick up park tickets for the experience I had booked the next day.

And that’s when the fun really kicked in. We got into Epcot at 8 a.m.—have you ever been in a Disney Park when it was, essentially, empty. It’s a bit surreal, and really startling. Also, the parking is really really good. But that’s the least of it.

We took the tour with the Segways—yes, those little two-wheeled transport systems you’ve seen people whizzing through crowds on, or used by security people at malls. Once we had signed our lives away, it was on to training. I think I caught on to driving it in less than 3 minutes; I had found my new thing. Yes, to start, I went a bit slowly, but it was a limited space and the only thing that scared me was possibly running into a wall. We learned the basics, and then how to go up and down hills, how to turn—on a dime if necessary, and how to slalom around cones, which would come in handy when we went out into the park.

Then we were off. First, it was over to breakfast (included). We parked behind the scenes and had our own space. The front end of the park was starting to fill in but no problems. When we left we headed out in a straight line—guide in front, instructor bringing up the rear—and just went through the people, calling out greetings and waving (we were told ahead of time to be friendly as we whizzed past). We went into the International Expo, which was not open to the public that early. As usual, the Disney guide knew the hidden secrets so we all could gather around for the inside scoop.

But to me, the real fun was just zipping along in that line, and having a chance to do something different. We went through all the little pathways on the Segways, including the bridges in the Japanese gardens, and the path that runs around the model trains. While we were there, we got to see people cleaning up the model trains area, and setting it up for the Thanksgiving season. A Segway makes you a lot taller than you usually are, and really alters your view of things.

What was also wonderful was watching the faces of the children—and the adults--as our line rode by. You could see they were envious. We just kept smiling and calling hello as we passed. Plus, even when we were where exhibits weren’t open, the workers setting up for the day would be smiling and waving at us. We rode through exhibits, and even through the shop In Morocco—did you know Morocco was one of the first countries to support us during the Revolution? Their prince came to cut the ribbon when the exhibit opened. And people who knew what they were doing came over to do the tilework. And then the prince gifted the exhibit to Disney.

What Else Is Out There?

I have never really thought about doing things like this. I saw the experience on the site and decided it would be fun. Now, I’m planning to check for this kind of thing—the stuff that’s out of the ordinary and not usually heard about—before I go anywhere. I want to know what fun I’ve been missing.

And now, when we plan weekends away, I’m looking up more Segway tours. Since Orlando, we’ve done Segway tours in DC – imagine zipping down Pennsylvania Avenue in the bike lanes at the start of rush hour, with the Capitol building looming in front of you. Or getting to the Jefferson Memorial in 5 minutes – a place we’ve never gotten over to because the walk was just too long. And in October when we were out there after the birth of our granddaughter, we took the other half of the grandparents and Segway’d Denver. They’re converts to the whole idea. I hear the Chicago tour is amazing—now, if I can just have a reason to go to Chicago.

Zipline anyone?