The 2012 Season Comes to a Close

We traveled from sea to shining sea and even across the pond. We biked around great lakes and though national forests. We hiked to the tops of mountains and pedaled over sand dunes. We hopped on ferries and jumped in the water. But the best things about this summer are all the amazing stories and friends we've made along the way.

Thank you from the whole Teen Treks staff for letting us share another great summer with you. 

See you next year! 

Maine Coast Trek Finishes the Trip

The final trip of the season finished their adventure in Boston, MA. After aver 400 + miles the group boarded a bus in Bangor, ME that took them down to Boston, MA. Big hugs and good-byes were exchanged as one by one the group disbanded on to begin their next adventures.  

Maine Coast Trek Leaves Acadia NP

"What a great few days in Acadia! After a sunrise ride up Cadillac Mountain we had a huge breakfast and then toured the island on buses (which are better for napping on than bikes) stopping at Echo Lake for a dip. Then we rode through the park and explored the sand beach and thunder hole. We finished the night our favorite way- with smores around the fire. When the next day was rainy and way too windy to want to sleep in tents again we decided to give our trekkers an extra night in a hotel. We had a much drier and cozier night that way which prepared us well for our last day of riding. Tonight in Bangor!" -- Sarah, Trip Leader

Maine Coast Trek Previews the Sunrise Atop Cadillac Mountain

Today when you're enjoying the sunshine make sure you think about us MC kids- we were among the first to greet the sun this morning after biking up Cadillac mountain! Yesterday we hiked up the 1530 ft peak and walked many of the carriage roads of the park, which was a lot of fun. We have had great weather here! We are on our way to check out a lighthouse and a freshwater lake on Mt. Desert Island now. The lakeshore should be a good place to nap after our early morning and we just picked up what looks like it will be a fantastic picnic lunch.

Across America Trek Reaches the Atlantic!

“This is our very last day of the trip. Today we will go on our last ride. We will cycle from Times Square to Coney Island about eighteen miles away. There we will have our last lunch of the trip and dip our tires into the Atlantic Ocean. This trip has changed the lives of everyone who took part. It was an epic adventure. We learned about the strength of the human body and the generosity of strangers. Just a few days ago a nice couple donated a bike tire and fifty dollars to our trip! Two days ago, on the thirteenth, we came into New York City on the George Washington Bridge and later checked into the city park hotel near Times Square. We had dinner at a nice Indian restaurant. Yesterday, on the fourteenth, we said farewell to three of our teens: Alex P., Alex G., and Peter. The rest of us explored the city for a day. Kennedy's parents came by for a surprise visit in the evening and took us out to dinner. We will have our last breakfast soon and head out for Coney Island. Julia's parents will join us for breakfast. Everyone says we need to ride the Ferris wheel. Some of us want to go to the arcade. It took most of the summer to cross the country. In some ways the trip went by very fast. It seemed just a few days ago we were riding through the Columbia River Gorge. In other ways it seemed long, but in a good way, as if we all decided to leave the rat race and become traveling gypsies for a portion of our lives. We will all soon get back into our regular lives knowing we had the best summer possible."  -- Jacob, Trip Leader

Maine Coast Trek heads into Acadia

“Maine Coast Trekkers are finally about to reach our goal, Acadia is only 7 miles down the road and we will be there before nighttime. We had a great time exploring and getting lost in Fort Knox as well as ascending the Penobscot bridge observatory, which is the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. Today we are wandering around Bar Harbor, ME for a bit before riding on down to our campsite. Looking forward to seeing the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain tomorrow!” – Sarah, Trip Leader   

Across America Trek is in Central New York

"August 10th

Wow! It’s getting nearer and nearer to the end of our tour.  We are now in Ithaca, NY.  The roads are nice here and the weather is a little rainy.  The drizzle is actually kind of nice.  Last night we slept in some people's back yard.  We often find yards to sleep in by asking people in town where there is a camp ground.  They almost invariably offer their own homes instead.  We set up camp right before it started pouring.  That has happened several times.  The rain usually waits until we get into our tents before it really starts to come down. 

August 11^th

We only have two days of camping left.  In New York City we will stay in a hotel for two nights.  Last night we slept at an old school that was turned into a furniture store. They let us use their big grill and borrow some comfy mattresses and we all got a good night's sleep under the big awning. We almost went 25 miles farther than we were supposed to, and had to turn around. We found a shortcut back that turns out to be one of the funniest roads of the whole trip.  We arrive in the town of Hancock and demand to know the location of the nearest ice cream from an unsuspecting local.  "Half a block away" he said.  Best day ever!" -- Jacob, Trip Leader

Enjoying Those Wild Blackberries on the Maine Coast Trek

"The Maine Coast Trek is going strong! We left Portland and got some delicious treats at Holy Donut, where the employees were happy to see us riding with our helmets and gave us a few free donuts to show it! Then we rode up to Freeport and saw the giant LL Bean complex in the town. After a ride to the campground we had a tasty dinner and told ghost stories by the campfire. The rain didn't hit us until we were all snug in our tents and we got lucky and avoided it all day today too. Did we mention the blackberries? They are everywhere and so tasty! We often find Alex off in the bushes with a motherload. Everyone is happy, healthy, and staying dry... for now!" - Sarah, Trip Leader

Maine Coast Trek Enjoys Portland

We got up bright and early after a refreshing sleep in our first (hotel) beds. Also we were all feeling really content after dining last night at the Portland Lobster Co. Today we biked downtown and took a ferry to Peak's Island. There we found a rock beach full of awesome artistic rock formations and we built some of our own. Then we explored an abandoned fort. It was dark and spooky and the perfect place for a scary noise contest. We had a nice picnic lunch on the island and then headed back to the city to explore. Brian and I promised the kids a "date night" since we were all wearing our clean clothes and were freshly showered. Some of the boys took that to heart and went to a thrift store for some crisp new threads. They looked awesome biking  around in ties. We then went to a park for live music and a juggling lesson from Ian, our friend from Bicycle Benefits. - Sarah, Trip Leader

Across America Trek Hits the Home Stretch

“This morning we are heading out for the home stretch of our across America ride. We have just six more days of biking and five nights of camping. Everyone is feeling energized after our rest day yesterday. Originally we planned two rest days but instead we spent the first day biking to Niagara Falls. There we enjoyed people watching and frozen lemonade. We enjoyed a delicious meal with Cliff and Carol at the Teen Treks headquarters. The hostel in Buffalo, NY was wonderful and everyone enjoyed beds and showers. We are all looking forward to New York state and some low mile days!” – Kiana, Teen Trekker

Maine Coast Trek has a lot of Moxie!

“ We’re in Portland, ME now and ready to take the city by storm. Yesterday we stepped off the beaten path and found the eastern trail. That’s a trail system that will eventually stretch from Key West, FL to northern Maine! We stopped at old orchard beach on our way up the coast for a great big lunch with my aunt and uncle. Some trekkers played some guitar while others went to the beach. They sent us on our way to portland loaded down with tons of snacks. The hotel is a nice break from camping. All of us are psyched for a good night's sleep in a real bed, a dip in the pool, and some warm showers. Can’t wait to explore more of Portland, ME today!” – Sarah, Trip Leader 

Maine Coast Trek is in Maine!

“Hello from Maine! We finally crossed the state line today. It’s been really hot and sunny lately and we’re all working on our bike shorts tans, which we lovingly refer to as ‘Nashbar-knee’. Seriously though, we have been going through a lot of sunblock, water and ice cream… not to mention bug spray.  The mosquitos can’t get enough of us! After some beautiful riding along the coast of New Hampshire today we stopped in the cute little town of Portsmouth, NH for some lunch. After crossing the border into me, we stopped for a dip at Ogunquit beach. Phoebe and Giovanni cooked us a great dinner tonight of grilled cheese and tomato soup. After dinner the group went for another dip at the campsite’s pool. Another great day and looking forward to Portland, ME tomorrow.” – Sarah, Trip Leader

Across America Trek is Home! (well, home away from home)

"Well, here I am at Teen Treks headquarters in Buffalo, NY! Today, Jacob and I left the group to get to Buffalo a little earlier to ensure that I won’t miss my flight to Atlanta. The rest of the group is off at Niagara Falls right now, and coming here to Buffalo tonight. Recently, we have been stopping at Tim Hortons a lot...(3 times in 24 hours) to enjoy such things as breakfast, coffee, and of course numerous donuts. This is our 13^th state out of 13!! Only 350 miles to the big NYC to finish off the trip! We’ve hit both hot and rainy weather in Canada, but now it is just a nice, sunny day in the United States. Thankfully, there are still Tim Hortons in Buffalo.” – Bryson, Teen Trekker

Bryson is leaving the trip for a day to fly to Atlanta and back to take care of some business for his upcoming year in France! The rest of the group is going to be giving those feet a break as they explore the many cool things Buffalo, NY has to offer! 

Cape Cod Trek Finishes in Boston, MA!

The group has made it back to Boston, MA. Amazing! After spending having a great time in Provincetown, MA the group took a ferry back to the city of Boston. Of course it wouldn't have been this group if they didn't make time to stop for a little more ice cream. They’ve traveled 250+ miles together and sadly it’s time for them to say good-bye. 

Across America Trek is in Canada

Across America spent the past two days riding in Canada and loving it. They've had some hot days but they are still riding with the same great spirit as always. Tomorrow they will cross back in the the United States and enjoy Niagara Falls.

Follow the trip

Maine Coast Trek Rides North!

"The Maine coast trip trekkers had a day full of beaches, hills and thrills! We arrived at our awesome campground with plenty of time to explore a nearby beach, a market with a petting zoo, and have a campfire. Today's food group did a fantastic job cooking corn on the cob and sausage over the fire. We finished it off with s’mores and banana bombs. We're all exited to roll into New Hampshire tomorrow. This morning we rode with my Uncle Tim who had some awesome rode racing experiences to share with us" - Sarah, Trip Leader 

Maine Coast Treks' First Day

"We are at our first campground on Winter Island, MA and having a great time. We went swimming right by our campsite on a beautiful beach after a nice day of riding along the coast in northern Massachusetts. The group stopped by the Audobon bird sanctuary and had a picnic lunch during our hike in the forest. It has been a great first day and a great group of bikers". - Sarah, Trip Leader

Across America Trek is Getting Close!

"We can see Canada! We have to take a 1/2 mile ferry ride across the river but we will be there shortly. Perhaps even more exciting is the fact that today we'll be doing our 3000th mile! That is a lot of miles. We're getting close, only 9 more days of riding which is crazy. We went out for a large and tasty breakfast this morning at Coney Island Restaurant after camping behind the New Haven Fire Dept/Police Dept/City Hall. Yesterday we had a nice, relaxing day, we rode 37 miles to Kiana's grandparents' house where they had lots of pizza, a huge salad and ice cream sundaes for us. Yum. After lunch a few of us took luxurious naps while some people went on the paddle boat, some watched the Olympics and others read their books. We're looking forward to a successful border crossing, a few nice days of riding in Ontario, a trip to Niagara Falls and then 2 rest days in Buffalo before continuing on to NYC! Hope all is well back home!" - Julia, Trip Leader 

Follow the Trip 

Cape Cod Trek is Bouncing Around

“Yesterday was great we had a very big lunch then we went to Inflatable world. Inflatable world is an amusement park full of bounce castles; we had a really fun time there. After the park we went to get some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  Now we are halfway to Provincetown about 10 or 12 miles away”-  Aislinn, Teen Trekker 

Maine Coast Trek Enjoys Acadia!

The group has spent the last few days in the great Acadia National Park! They've been having an amazing time exploring all the park has to offer. They spent some time hiking up Cadillac Mountain as well as splashing around the beach. The weather has been very kind to this group! Today they said good bye to the park as they pedaled north to Orland, ME. Only 30+ miles to go! 

Across America Trek is in Michigan!

"We're in Michigan and we are on our way. We’ve been having a really nice day. The weather has been great. The group’s new big deal is getting ice cold water at every possible location. We are now really looking forward to getting to Buffalo, NY. The bikes are working very well, no major issues. Everyone has a smile on their face which means it’s going good!" -- Jacob, Trip Leader