Sea Legs/re-aquired Land Legs

[Thai-lad]

The body's vestibular system is responsible for our ability to walk and balance, and normally is set to balance us on terra firma.  But it can also be trained to balance us on the deck of a boat that is pitching, rolling, turning, heaving and/or bucking.  After a long trip on a boat, there is often a period of readjustment to walking on stable ground, where it seems the earth itself is wobbling. A mild form of the condition known as Mal de Debarquement Syndrome.  I suspect the same physiological responses are what are happening when we are learning to ride an EUC and at some point it just "clicks".  The body had learned to balance itself in a new environment and we no longer need to give it much conscious thought or effort, unless we change to different wheels.  So it would seem to me that after a long ride of an hour or two, normal walking about again might feel awkward until your body's vestibular systems readjust to stable ground.  Has anyone experienced that feeling coming back from an extended ride, that your sense of balance for normal walking or standing has been temporarily affected.?

[Nick McCutcheon]

Yep, I know exactly what you’re talking about. It feels weird to walk/move for a few minutes after such a long period of just standing while leaning forward. One time, after a particularly long ride, it felt like I was about to start accelerating whenever I leaned forward, and it caught me off guard when nothing happened! The brain can be so weird sometimes.

[RockyTop]

Walking feels very barbaric after riding. Years ago I had to use construction stilts every day. When you take them off it takes a while to get used to not having them on.