Belgian riders seeing the country by Segway

MARSHALL, Mo. -- Every summer, people set off across the county on long journeys. Some drive, some bike and some walk. But Pierre-Jean de Stexhe, Julien Schepers and Tom Boccara of Belgium use Segway scooters.

De Stexhe has long been an avid traveler, he said, but about five years ago he was injured in a skiing accident and is partially paralyzed, so conventional approaches to the journey no longer work.

"If I hadn't been disabled, I would be hitchhiking or biking,"he said. "You can go everywhere on a Segway."

"Our purpose is to discover America and meet as many people as we can," de Stexhe said.

The Segways help further that mission. Everywhere they stop, people often approach them and ask about the machines. By now, the three can quickly rattle off the specifications and performance of the scooters, conveying answers to the usual questions about speed and battery life.

That's just an opening. The three ask about places to stay or where they can plug in to recharge the scooter batteries, and soon they have made new friends.

"People have been kind all around," de Stexhe said. "We've never had issues."

In poor Appalachian communities, people showered the travelers with vegetables and bread.

"We were carrying so many vegetables we could open a shop," he said.

Traveling without a support team made the trio a little nervous at first, they said, but they soon discovered how generous people typically are, and by the time they arrived in Marshall, they were confident they would connect with someone who would help.

They found Roy and Melanie Elfrink, who offered them shelter for the night, invited friends over and held a cookout for them.

Far from feeling like they are imposing on people, they now recognize that their visits provide something for their hosts, too.

"People say 'thank you' to us for coming by,"de Stexhe said. "People say they have been lucky to have us stay."

While de Stexhe and Schepers have traveled together before, Boccara was on his first journey with them, serving as an assistant to Schepers, who is videotaping the trip for a documentary film.

"Iwant to tell people it is possible and fun" to travel across country, Boccara said. "Do it."

All three said the satisfactions of the journey far outweighed the challenges.

Traveling helps provide a new perspective on the places visited and on home.

"When you travel, you grow,"Boccara said.

The three said their goal is to make it to the West Coast, but they expect to get halfway this year and finish the trip next year.