One-two-three - Segway!
“The motto of our tour, is we do not fall, and nobody goes down!” Wayne Fredericks, founder of Segway Desert Tours, said.
Wayne Fredericks started wrangling Jeep tours back in the late 70s, switched to Segway tours a few years later, but was restless to get people off the pavement and back out to the wilderness.
“It's not a city-slicker tour, it's an off-road Segway adventure, you're on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation,” Fredericks said. “So, we feel we're very lucky, we've got 25,000 acres all to ourselves out here.”
Segway Desert Tours is part of Fort McDowell Adventures, and no matter which trail, you take out here, you're under the looming gaze of the Four Peaks.
Every tour starts with a lesson; skills, come quickly.
“We don't want folks to think of Segway as a motor car or a race car, Segway is an easy way to get around without walking or hiking,” Fredericks said. “You're standing on a human transporter, so you're like gliding, like Star Wars, through the desert.
Stopping is important, not just for staying in control, but for a getting a closer look at things like a majestic saguaro cactus.
Is there danger out there?
Sure, when you get cocky and feel tempted to maybe wander off on your own.
“We have wildlife, we have things that could hurt you, you're with professional guides, you go in one line,” Fredericks said. “We have rattlesnakes, we have herds of wild horses, we have maverick cattle out here. So, we're on the look , we want to see this wildlife. That's why you're with us.”
For more information, visit www.fortmcdowelladventures.com.