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Segway The Door Expands Operation to Sturgeon Bay
By Steve Allen
May 10, 2011 - 8:50:00 AM
Spending the summer in Door County is often a dream for non-locals who fall in love with this beautiful area. And if you're a teacher, it's a
Nick Dokolas
great place to recharge and refresh over the summer break. But in order to make this pipe dream a reality, finding a way to support yourself and your family becomes the larger issue. Nick Dokolas of Bakersfield, California found the solution about eight years ago and has been enjoying the outdoors almost every summer day while paying his way by having fun. With his wife's strong ties to the Sister Bay area, the couple was on the lookout for a suitable business that would allow them to be here.
Dokolas, a public school teacher, started Segway the Door Tours after reading an article in the AAA magazine on the Segway® Personal Transporter (PT). Nick started as a dealer for Segway and sold a few units to individuals, but he quickly determined that operating a tour business based on the machine was the better ticket for a successful Door County venture.
The first few seasons brought tourists and this interesting manner of conveyance together for nature rides, primarily in Peninsula State Park near Fish Creek and Ephraim. Dokolas met his customers, who had signed up in advance to take a tour, at the edge of the park, where the PT units were unloaded from his van. After a brief but thorough training and practice session with each rider, off the group went for an escorted tour in one of Wisconsin's most scenic parks. Tours expanded to include Ellison Bluff County Park, Washington Island, and the lighthouses along Ridges Road near Baileys Harbor.
Miles of smiles
Enjoying the outdoors on a Segway
Segway the Door is now starting its seventh season as a tour operator on the Peninsula. But it's a
unique sort of tour conveyance. The battery-powered Segway unit is
the key. This very quiet, smooth, human transporter on two
wheels unlocked a whole new way for Nick's customers to explore
Door County without overdoing it physically. As shown in the photos, if you
can stand up and steer, you can probably become a master Segway driver
in less than five minutes. No sweat, literally.
To ride a Segway, you need to be big enough to handle the machine (and of course tall enough). Although there's a weight limit, most heavier people can ride it with ease. This "vehicle" is quite high tech and accelerates, decelerates, and steers effortlessly, responding intuitively to slight leaning motions. According to the Segway website, "If there's a feeling you get when trying a Segway product, it's like it
can almost read your mind. Well, it's not magic. It's the combination
of propulsion, energy, inertial sensing and an incredibly intuitive
user interface that enables a ride that will force you to hold back a
smile ... Segway's approach to user control is that of minimalism and a natural
connection between man and machine." And of course this whole experience is very green, being battery powered.
Segway the Door's indoor training course in downtown Sturgeon Bay
New for the 2011 season are tours in the Sturgeon Bay area. The company now has a physical location in downtown Sturgeon Bay, in the old Peterson building at 41 N. 3rd. Here there is an indoor practice course with cones and one-to-one instruction. A 45 minute Historic Downtown Tour and even a 1.5 hour jaunt out to the Coast Guard Station and Lighthouse are in the offing. A 1.5 hour tour to the edge of Potawatomi State Park is another fine tour option. "Door County visitors can stop in at our office, ride the Segway indoors or outside, then sign up for a longer tour during their Door County stay", Dokolas stated. "We offer a variety of tour lengths and locales this year and people will have a lot of fun." To date Segway the Door has conducted almost 1,000 tours over the past six years. The Peninsula State Park tour is the most popular every season.
For information and reservations, contact Segway the Door at 920-376-0256 or segway@doorcounty.com. Visit their website at www.SegwayTheDoor.com.
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