GLS and West Bloomfield Parks & Rec Team Up to Provide Exciting Trail Tours

This October, Great Lakes Segway and West Bloomfield Parks & Rec formed a unique relationship. Instead of GLS advertising and offering Segway tours, WB Parks & Rec took over that role and we brought the Segways to them!

It all started at a Michigan Parks & Recreation Conference. Our Operations Manager, Jody Talbott, met the WB Recreation Operations & Systems Coordinator, Amy DeRosier, and she showed an interest in a joint venture with our Segways and their beautiful park trails.

Not long after that the two met again at the Lakes Area Coffee Connect and were able to schedule a ride with the West Bloomfield Parks employees on their trails.

The employees had a great time and agreed the idea would be a success so Jody and Amy scheduled 5 dates in October for training and tours. One of the dates was on a Saturday, with two separate tours scheduled with Linda, the Naturalist on staff at WB Parks & Rec.

Each of the 3 mile tours began at the Arrow Head Trail entrance, where riders rode the trail to Orchard Lake Road and back.

According to Jody Talbott of GLS, “It was interesting to see the changes in nature from the beginning of October to the end. It also gave good exposure to Great Lakes Segway and was a fun way to expose West Bloomfield’s parks to people who don’t normally use the park.”

In speaking with Amy DeRosier, her sentiments were just as encouraging. “It was cool to see that on each of the tours, most spots filled up. We had every age group out there enjoying the tours.”

Future meetings are scheduled to see how this venture can continue to benefit everyone involved, including the public. Even though we’ve just had our first snow fall, I think everyone would agree that times flies and spring is just around the corner!