Everything about mobility, traveling, fixing, and using the One Sexy Scooter and its companion products that make the list. Plus background material on how being handicapped or having a disability may change how you do something, but it doesn't stop you from doing it.
This was originally published on August 26, 2017. We have come a long way since then. Everything was still brand new in regards to navigating the physical limitations and having fun doing it. (We still have fun, but we are much more knowledgeable!)
My husband has hereditary spastic paraplegia or HSP for short. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a general term for a group of rare inherited disorders that cause weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles. Symptoms gradually get worse over time. My husband has never been officially diagnosed, although 2 of his 10 uncles had the disease. He started getting it in his early 30's. Even though he doesn't look it with his pictures plastered all over the website, he is now 54. I jokingly tell him that he is Dorian Gray without the evilness, but there has to be some picture aging somewhere when he isn't!
We just purchased a Triad 750 CSX in May, and it has made such a difference in our lives that I wanted the world to know about it. I have been a web Product Manager for many years so building a website seemed to make the most sense. I told my husband he could be the model spokesperson for the scooter, and he has taken that responsibility seriously. When asked about the name choices for the website, he said, "I don't know. You are the computer genius. I just have to keep putting on the men facial products so I can look 34 instead of 54." However, he still has room for improvement in the spokesmodel department. I tell him that he has to smile more because every picture can't just be the "strong, silent, sexy" type look.
The website is an experiment, and I'm sure it will change over time, but we would love to hear about others experiences with scooters and other devices. Right now, I've chosen Disqus for comments so you will have to make an account to join in. Although, you can always contact us via the form to give us input as well.
Thanks for visiting and spending time with us.
Originally Published September 4, 2017
I read every mobility review I could of the Biltmore Estates before we went. This was our first real “let’s buy a ticket” outing with the Triad 750 CSX that we had just purchased and had delivered the week before.
Biltmore Estate is an 8,000-acre estate that was built during the gilded age by the Vanderbilt family. It is still owned by Vanderbilt descendants. So many famous names helped construct this masterpiece nestled in Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
WHEN TO GO Holidays are going to be the most crowded. This is when they get most of their traffic. We went the Tuesday AFTER Memorial Day weekend and it was lovely.
DISABILITY TICKETS We got the cheaper disability tickets. You have to call to purchase them or purchase them at the Biltmore. They are cheaper because you can only see the first and second floors with a scooter. You can't see the basement or the third floors. They have a movie with pictures of these areas, but, if you purchase the optional audio tour, the movie has no real explanation of the rooms like the audio tour does. It would be ideal if they had an alternate version of the movie that included the audio tour if you purchased it. (And do purchase it even for the first two floors. We each purchased our own copy. The recorders hang around your neck.)
IMPORTANT SCOOTER DIMENSIONS We used a Triad 750 CSX to go through the house, eating areas, and winery. Please take note, the dimensions of the Triad 750 CSX are 29 inches wide and 45 inches long. If your scooter is wider than this, it probably won't fit in the doorway from the outside ramp. I have a picture of the clearance. It might not fit in the elevator either depending on length. I have another picture to show that.
HOW TO GET THERE We have a disability placard. We were able to be passed through all the parking attendants to the main building itself. The main building has a drop off area by the handicapped ramp on the left-hand side of the building if you are looking straight at the main building. I dropped hubby off with the scooter, and then I parked in the lot closest to the main building. They have lots of handicapped slots there, but they also have nonhandicapped parking. I was able to walk a quick five minutes back to the main building. You could also wait for a shuttle. It was a nice day so I walked.
SCOOTER IN THE MAIN BUILDING Hubby was able to get into the main building with about an inch or ½-inch clearance. We then enjoyed the first two floors. We used the original elevator to the building, which requires the attendant to work the elevator from the inside. All three of us managed to fit in, but it was tight. The elevator was called the bird cage and it was beautiful.
The standard ramp to get up to the Biltmore.
The Triad CSX just fits. I don't know if a larger scooter could get through.
It was a tight fit, but all three of us, the attendant, hubby and I fit in the elevator. This is one perk for having mobility issues.
THE STABLES After the main building, we ate at the Stables. There is a brick floor in the courtyard. If you have mobility issues, this might be a problem for you. It was wonderful with the scooter. He was so relieved that he could navigate this with ease. Before he had a scooter and would try to walk things like this, he couldn't.
Navigating the uneven bricks was a breeze.
WINERY AREA I then retrieved the car by using the shuttle, and we went to the winery area. If you don't have a motorized scooter and you park in the regular handicapped parking area, you better be in shape if you are pushing a manual wheelchair. A mother and daughter were having a hard time getting up the long winding ramp to the main area, and then they had more problems getting up the second ramp to the winery. I looked around after seeing their problems, and it seemed that there was a handicapped drop off at least to the main area, but it you don't know it is there, it would be hard to spot it. They hadn't. My husband's scooter had no problem with the ramps, the winery (including the wine tasting room) or the wine shop.
Navigating the Biltmore wine store wasn't a problem. We purchased three bottles. The basket was handy for that.
Hubby preferred to stand. The scooter wasn't far away though.
We had fun tasting! They also serve little crackers to clear the palette.
THE UPSHOT These dry facts, while important, don't talk about the magnificence of this place. The architecture, the views, the artwork by Durer and John Singer Sargent. This place is a museum of the highest caliber. My husband and I really enjoyed it.
A FEW OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST There is a land tour that you can take that goes on a bus. Sign up for it beforehand if you want to go. It was full so we couldn’t get on it. (I called in the morning and there was space. I should have booked it then.) There is also a Segway tour. I wanted to see if we could go on the Segway tour and have hubby on his Triad, but they said, “no go.” (Hubby likes the stability of the Triad Scooter. He didn’t even want to try a Segway. I’ll have another post about this.)
http://www.biltmore.com/visit/visitor-information/estate-accessibility
Originally published April 18, 2018
The Triad made all the difference in the world in my husband's trip to Disney. My husband never wanted to go back after he rented a regular four-wheel low scooter two years ago. With the Triad, he actually looked forward to returning. And boy, did we do everything.
My early 20's kids, my husband, and I all "drank" around Epcot. This is something that you only do once. I read lots of blogs about it, but the actual drinks in Epcot didn't live up to the hype for us. We would buy one or maybe two and then split the drinks.
The funniest part of the whole thing is that SOOO many people came up to my husband to talk about the scooter, we figured everybody else was drinking around the world too so they had no inhibition to approach. (Coming up and talking about the scooter is fine at any time, he LOVES talking about it. But, I think some people might wonder if it is OK to do.)
My husband also compares his ride to a Chinese or Japanese steed. I can't remember which one. Of course, hubby doesn't have armor.
Originally published September 6, 2107
Some general mobility observations or how to navigate Gatlinburg with a handicap.
I tried to find everything I could before we went to Gatlinburg about what was and what wasn't scooter friendly.
My husband can walk short distances, and he did use his walking stick in restaurants, although he could have driven to the table in many of them as well.
Here is a quick list of resources. I'm going to be posting more in-depth posts on the area as well:
HIKING RESOURCES:
http://www.cabinsforyou.com/blog/advice/stroller-friendly-trails-in-the-smokies.htm (what works for strollers often works for scooters.)
http://www.yoursmokies.com/handicappedaccessiblegsmnptrails.html
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
PLACE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF LOCALS:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g60842-i150-Gatlinburg_Tennessee.html
REVIEWS OF LOCAL AREA
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g60842-Gatlinburg_Tennessee-Vacations.html
Originally published September 22, 2017
I should have written this post first thing after we got back last week, but things have been busy around here.
This was our first time going to an Abilities Expo. We went for two days. It was held at the Boston Convention Center. Besides the fact that Google Maps had us going totally AROUND the convention center, and I should have printed out the paper registration papter in order to get in, things went smoothly. We learned a lot.
Toyota was there and they showcased different ramps with their Sienna's. Since ramps that come out from the van take up any space that could be used by AWD, those ramps were not of interest to us. (See this post for reference on New England winters.)
I didn't get a pic of the ramps for the Pacifica by Braunability, but if I remember correctly, that one was the widest of the three we tried.
We did find one other scooter that could be put in the category of "sexy scooter." It was from a company in Israel. Weight limit was 220, the grade that it could climb was nowhere near what the Triad 750 CSX could climb, but it certainly was portable. And for a scooter with no height, it had design appeal. It was called Atto by Moving Life. Hubby took it for a spin.
The upshot for us around looking at vehicles, etc. is that we decided that we wouldn't get a ramp, we would get a lift. There were two vendors there, Mobility Works and a Bruno Lift dealer that was at the Braunability booth. We have done research on trucks and cars since then, and we "may" have a plan. We'll let you know later on this weekend.
Originally published August 28th, 2017. We accomplished a lot on the list since then!
The list may change, but this is what we are learning about now.
Feel free to chime in with any suggestions!
The winters in New England can be brutal.
Yes, this is our driveway. There is a Ford E-350 van buried behind that pile.
Yes, that is a Subaru Outback buried in snow in the background of Chris's smiling face..
While we have a long time before we retire, we have started to take trips to places that might be a possibility. TN has been on our radar because of the beauty, low taxes, cosmopolitan areas, music and more. We checked out the Nashville area in the past, but we wanted to check out eastern TN. Combining a vacation and location scouting seemed perfect. We own a Marriott timeshare, but Marriott doesn't have any timeshares in TN at all, so we traded for one in Gatlinburg that would meet our needs. However, how could we do this trip without a scooter even though he has a handicapped placard? And how could I get my husband to even look at a scooter after he hated the traditional scooter he tried at Disney?
SCOOTER DECISIONS: I looked at renting a normal scooter up here in Boston (wouldn't fit in our Subaru Crosstrek) or renting one at Maypops on the strip in downtown Gatlinburg.
Renting one down there meant renting one like they have at Disney. My husband hated the scooters at Disney. Too low and too big (we wouldn't be able to get one into our car to visit the sites. Plus, there were big hills and teeny scooters just wouldn't work for the inclines) So, after extensive research and disregarding the advice to automatically discount three-wheel scooters that I found on many sites, I found the Triad brand of scooters. It was a revelation to me. THIS, THIS TRIAD scooter I could show him and it might appeal to him.
This scooter was ONE SEXY SCOOTER!
And hubby agreed, it was ONE SEXY SCOOTER. Eureka!
What's more, it could fit in our Subaru Crosstrek, go up the hills of Gatlinburg, and fit in an elevator!
My husband knew that in order to do this trip, he needed help, and this fit the bill. We had two months to get the scooter, figure out how to get it into our car, and go!
But which model of Triad scooter?
THE MODEL DECISION PROCESS
We reached out to Triad to see if there was a dealer in our area. There wasn't, but there WAS someone signed up for the Triad Friends program in Salem, MA. Triad reached out to her and she said "yes" to sharing her email and phone. We got in touch with Joanne (thanks so much, Joanne!), and it helped immensely with our decision. My husband and I went over one spring day and she let my husband graciously try her SF model.
The SF model has a hump in the middle of it. My husband has drop foot so it was difficult for him to lift his leg up. This made our decision easy. At the time, Triad had an XL model (now discontinued?), and the SF and SF2 models. The CSX model wasn't even on the website. When I emailed Triad saying we would like to buy one, they gave us the specs for the CSX. We were immediately hooked on the CSX. (Of course, my husband also purchased the Subaru Crosstrek so he likes good looking compact crossovers.) We tried to patiently wait for it. (Please be advised that it can take weeks for delivery, so if you decide to get one and you don't have a dealer, there will be a time when you patiently try to count down the days.)
THE WAIT AND NEW FRIENDS:
If you don't know it, Triad has a facebook page. I scoured that page, and Triad reposted something from one of their dealers about a lift. Since we were trying to figure out how to get the scooter down to Gatlinburg, I sent them a message and a friendship with Jeff and Missy from Tri Electric Scooters was born. Jeff sent me recommendations on how to augment our scooter with after market parts, and you will see some of those recommendations on the parts page. Feel free to chime in with comments there as well.
SCOOTER FIT: The Triad 750 CSX, which we received the week before we left, was 45 inches long and 29 inches wide.
It totally changed our trip for the better. We have further posts in our travel section.
The Triad driving past a sea of traditional scooters that are available to rent from Maypops on the strip in Gatlinburg, TN. Notice the seat height of the Triad.