EcoMotion Tours

by Susan D. Brandenburg, Beaches Magazine

Adventure awaits you at the end of a two-mile heavily wooded winding road across from the historic Ribault Club at Fort George Island Cultural State Park. There, Islanders Greg and Maren Arnett will guide you on a unique EcoMotion Tour - an incredible two hour sojourn on a Segway that is guaranteed to heighten your senses and enhance your appreciation of nature, history and modern technology.

As guests don headphones and helmets and step aboard their individual XT Cross-Terrain Segways, Greg and Maren explain how the gyroscopically controlled two-wheeled device works. Through a high-tech process called "dynamic stabilization," the Segway senses the rider's center of gravity 100 times a second, processing the information and using five gyroscopes to create balance. Lean forward slightly and the battery-operated Segway silently moves forward. Lean backward and travel backward. Stand upright to stop. The steering mechanism is on the sturdy handlebar and the Segway travels at about 5 miles an hour, or at the speed of a brisk walk.

Prior to hitting the trails, the Arnetts lead EcoMotion guests through a series of practice runs around a wide grassy field. Laughter abounds as guests discover the ease and fun of sailing on a Segway - and this is just the beginning!

Soon, you are floating effortlessly through pristine forest trails of Fort George Island, where gopher tortoises, swallow-tail butterflies and snow-white egrets co-exist with ghosts of Timucua Indians and Sea Island Plantation Slaves. As you travel back in time, smoothly traversing sundappled century-old pathways, your ultra-modern mode of travel somehow fits perfectly into the quiet beauty of your surroundings. Occasionally, as you glide along, a voice speaks softly into your headphone, pointing out a plant, animal or fascinating historical fact. Trees rustle in the island breeze, a twig breaks, a bird sings - and you are one with nature as you celebrate this gorgeous fall day.

Sailing single-file on a recent Saturday through the enchanting maritime hammock, first-time EcoMotion tourists Lydia Long, Mike Barraco, Drew Daniel, and John and Susan Peters soon find themselves bonding as a cohesive team of contemporary explorers. A diverse group - they range in age from 14 to 60. "We've had EcoMotion tourists from 13 to 94," says Maren Arnett. "The ride is easy and people from all over the country find themselves smitten with the beauty and rich history of this park."

While Dr. John Peters and his wife, Susan, hale from San Antonio, Texas, 14-year old Drew Daniel is from nearby Ponte Vedra Beach. Mike and Lydia have traveled from their respective hometowns of Panacea and Alligator Point, Florida to attend a weekend wedding at the Ribault Club. All share a sense of adventure and a fascination with the rich flora and fauna as well as the 6,000 year history of the preserve.

Seamlessly guiding them back through the centuries, Greg talks of the original islanders, the Archaic People, as evidenced by the remaining shell middens (ancient landfill composed of broken oyster shells, pieces of pottery, bones, discarded tools). He talks of English, Spanish and French explorers and recalls the lost tribe of Timucua Indians who once thrived in the forests and marshlands.

It is a silent day, with little wildlife stirring beneath the dense canopy of majestic live oaks, magnolia and cedar trees. As the wide, ecologically friendly wheels of the Segways roll along well-trod paths, Greg pauses, pointing out a gopher tortoise sunning on a sandy knoll. Drew asks if it is one of Florida's many threatened species. "Yes," notes Greg, adding that over 300 other species are dependent on the burrows dug by the gopher tortoises. As the tour progresses, each of the guests acquires a new awareness of their connectedness with all of nature and young Drew's budding dedication to preservation is cemented as he gains insight from his knowledgeable guides.

Segueing back into the early 1800's, the sojourners reach the mid-point in their EcoMotion Tour, arriving at the National Park Service's Kingsley Plantation. There, the Planter's House and tabby slave cabins provide a glimpse of the once bustling community where sprawling fields of Sea Island cotton and indigo were tended by slaves who lived, on average, to the ripe old age of 29! For about 15 minutes, the group strolls around the plantation grounds (on foot) as Maren makes history come alive with legends and facts about days gone by.

Following their brief educational pit stop, the group sails by the historic Avenue of Palms, once the subject of a Scribner's article, circa 1877. Soon, they re-enter the trail, traversing what was once a portion of the 5th and 6th fairways of the Ribault Club's golf course during its brief heyday in the "Roaring 20's." Once a destination of the rich and famous, Greg explains, the Ribault Club languished in slow deterioration for over half a century until it was restored in 2003 through an innovative partnership between the City of Jacksonville, the National Park Service and the Florida Park Service.

Today, the Ribault Club serves as an interactive history and nature museum, event venue, and a charming gateway to Fort George Island and the Timucuan Trail. It is also the gateway to EcoMotion Tours, Inc., Florida's only full-service yearround Segway eco-history tour operating in a Florida State Park environment. A delightful team of modern day eco-historians, Greg and Maren Arnett have definitely put an exciting new "spin" on communing with nature.

"EcoMotion is the way to go!" declares Susan Peters as the group bids a fond farewell to their guides. "Exploring nature and history on a Segway is an unforgettable experience. John and I will be back!"