California - 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide and Travel Planner - (Page 12) discover » technology » angel island Cruise around the island on two wheels for sweeping views of San Francisco Bay and cool woodland groves, passing historic forts. cool runnings Explore Angel Island State Park on a high-tech Segway alifornians have always been fascinated with technology, myself included. As our Angel Island L Angel Island] guide [ spoke about the history of the quarantine station opened there in 1891, I wasn’t listening. Instead, I was busy playing on my Segway— whirring back and forth, carving forward and backward circles while I gazed out at the bay, marveling at the intuitive design of the personal transporter. Like white wine and Dungeness crab L crab], the Segway’s cool [ technology is the perfect match for an island tour. The first thing you’ll learn on Angel Island’s Segway tours is that the transporters are way fun to ride. In fact, initially they can be a bit distracting, and you might miss out (as I did) on some of your guide’s narration. Don’t worry—as you settle into the tour, the novelty begins to wear off and you’ll start appreciating the island’s many attractions: the diverse flora and fauna, which are a combination of native and introduced species; the military history spanning the Civil War through World War II; and of course the world-famous views L view hikes], [ including spectacular glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge, 12 C DEAN LA TOURRETTE Enter L keyword in Search box at visitcalifornia.com Martin Sundberg downtown San Francisco, the San Francisco Bay, and Tiburon. Zipping along the paved roads on the island, riders are greeted by a cornucopia of sights and smells, including tall eucalyptus groves, shadowy oak trees, and pungent sagebrush. The electric motors are all but inaudible, ideal for observing wildlife: Our group approached several deer and numerous bird species without spooking them. Whatever guilt I felt passing hikers and bikers on the road vanished when our Segway L tech tour] pod encountered [ a bulky gas-powered tram tour, which looked oddly out of place as we all whizzed by. Exercise or not, it felt good to know my battery-powered two-wheeler had virtually no impact on the island’s environment. http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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