Saturday, October 29, 2005

Sailing Away


We took the Pacific Northwest Cruise aboard Celebrity Cruise Line, leaving Seattle, WA. on September 8 and returning on September 13. We stopped at Astoria, Oregon; Nainamo and Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

The Segway worked very well on the trip and as usual, made it possible for me to participate in any activities I desired. It was an object of extreme interest aboard the ship by both fellow passengers and members of the crew. You can only imagine how good it made me feel to be called "Superman" or "The Gladiator" as I glided effortessly by, knowing that my handicap was made completely transparent while I was aboard the machine. My wife, who has heard me talking to people hundreds of times, commented "Don't you ever get tired of talking to others about it?". I responded truthfully, "No, because I want others who are either handicapped or who might have a handicapped relative or friend to know how much it has meant to me and what it might mean to others like me."

To me, the funniest experience came during the whole day we spent on a rather rough Pacific Ocean with the ship rocking and rolling about. We spent most of that day out on decks, exploring the ship. I couldn't help laughing several times as I observed others staggering about trying to maintain some semblance of physical composure due to the ships motions. I was able to maintain a sense of being well balanced due to the stabilizing influence of the Segway. I said later that everyone else was having a great deal of difficulty, but since my balance was screwed up anyway, and due to the Segway keeping me on an even keel, I didn't notice that much of a difference as the one I observed in everyone else.

The picture is of me sitting in one of the lobby areas with my leg on the Segway to keep it from rolling about while it was at rest.

We had a very fun trip and look forward to taking another.