Ooh baby, it's magic!

Now, as an able-bodied individual, you might think...what's all the hubbub...so it just has knobby tires and they're in front instead of the back. Big whoop!

I'll tell ya, it is a big whoop. This summer at Surprise Lake Camp, I found everything to be so much easier. It really set my mind at ease. Dirt roads are the main paths everywhere and this year my older son was on the other side of the lake. Previously, I would walk places with a cane or a big stick. But really would time my walking so I wouldn't really need to move that much. I would also try to bum rides from the few people who drove around in the golf carts. Needless to say, I would rarely get to the other side of the lake if I didn't have this chair.

It is almost magical. I kid...there's no magic involved, but it is a really cool chair. Having those big knobby tires up front really keep this thing moving. Down hills, across fields and rooty/rocky terrain and through the woods to grandmother's house we go... Also, with the wheels being further in front, there is a lot longer that your hands can be pushing. This helps a lot when pushing up hill. I was amazed at the difference it made.

There is also an issue that you run into when using normal/standard wheelchairs of tipping over while going up hill. You have to lean forward and you're always fighting to keep from tipping. Not having to worry about tipping is huge. While you do adjust the angle of the seat to be more upright, it doesn't change your purchase on the wheels and it actually makes going up hill easier.

This here's a photo of Heidi in Western Australia. I can't tell if she's taunting the water or has just wheeled herself across this stream...

Part V: It fits!

It fits!

The wheels pop off (well, not at random), the rear wheel assembly collapses and the foot rest retracts. Easy-peasy. This is how it fits in the boot of my Hyundai Veloster. Boot, for those that may not know, is what the Brits refer to as trunk/back compartment of a car. Since I am putting a British wheelchair in it, I must now refer to it properly.

Not that I was worried if it would fit or not, Mike from Trekinetic was able to give me dimensions of the chair in collapsed form.

Once I got up to camp to see my family, I got the chair out, set the back wheel and popped the big wheels on and off I went. My first journey was mostly downhill. What a joy that was. I didn't have to touch the wheels at all. I just kept my fingers on the brake levers and pulled on them gently to keep my speed slow. While it can handle greater speeds, I didn't want to get road rash on my face, especially on my first trip.

This chair is smooth. It was so comfy. I didn't have to ride anywhere in a wheelie. And NOTHING stood in my way.

I was really happy to have the push handle in back. Some of the hills were too steep to handle, so I get up out of the chair and use the chair as a sort of walker as I get it and myself up the hill (or bat my eyes at some cute passers-by). Yes, I can walk, but as the years have progressed, the legs ain't what they used to be. ...and I have been referred to a few times as the "walking-talking quad" (back when I played wheelchair tennis).

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Part IV - The Waiting and Arrvial

Now it was the waiting time. Summer was approaching and I wasn't going to have the K2 until July 7th. I was curious to see how I'd manage the terrain of Surprise Lake Camp with my old chair.

Well, the time came and it was a little treacherous. I knew I'd have to pop a wheelie while going downhill. It was tough. Plus, the old chair has rubber coating on the push-rims because at the time I got the chair, I had lesser hand strength. Burning the skin off my hands was not fun! I also realized, that due to the rocks on the road, I had to ride most of the time in a wheelie. It was difficult. The K2 couldn't come fast enough! I was able to manage for those few weekends, but I knew I'd have a chair in a few weeks that would open up the roads!

I was excited when my friend Sarah departed for the Emerald Isle. It meant that she was coming home with a special gift! I could hardly contain myself. I was very excited. I left camp early on Sunday afternoon to drive to her house.

Seeing it in the back of her car was awesome! She has an SUV so she was able to have it in back fully assembled. In this photo the wheels are at the narrowest setting. The black (with silver in the middle) axle is how you adjust the angle of the wheels. The way the wheels are here is called the "lean" setting. Twisting the axle changes the wheel angle. I immediately twisted the axle to change the wheels to the "mean" setting before taking the chair out.

Then, it was time to take it out for its inaugural spin! I hopped in, easily adjusted the back angle (there's a little lever in back that you depress), and started pushing myself around. While the wheels have push-rims, it is way easier and more effective to grab the wheels and push. I played around with the brakes which definitely took a little getting used to. The chair spins pretty easily as I realized when I pulled to much on one brake. But wow, what a sweet chair! The back wheel, while it is on a caster stays straight mostly. It has a setting so that when your traveling, it stays "locked" in because most of the time you want to go straight. This also is beneficial when you're zipping down a hill. You don't want a wheel behind you going all akimbo...it could cause you to spill. When you need to turn, however, it pops out of that setting and swivels.

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