Welcome New Trip Leader- SARAH

Hey, Teen Trekkers, I'm Sarah! I come from the small town of Charlton in the central part of New York State and I am incredibly excited to get out into the world while leading a trek this summer! As I'm sure many of you can agree, biking is the perfect way to combine two of my greatest hobbies-- traveling and being outside. After living in Copenhagen for five months last fall and using a bike as my main mode of transportation, I truly fell in love with this way of seeing the world as you are able to experience everything, from the smell to the sounds, just as it is. I have explored both coasts of the U.S., much of Europe, and only a small part of what South America has to offer. I also just graduated from college with a degree to teach middle and high school English, and outside of the classroom setting I have been a swim coach and lifeguard for years! Aside from bike traveling and everything that comes along with it, some of my greatest hobbies include listening to music, cooking, reading, and spending time with great people. I look forward to meeting all of you and sharing our next great adventure!

New York-Montreal Trekkers on the US-Canadian Border

We had a relatively easy day of biking and riding ferries across Lake Champlain to reach our campsite at Cumberland Bay in Plattsburgh. We almost decided to continue on and enter Canada, but due to lack of confirmed places to stay we decided to just hang out at the intended campsite. We biked to Walmart for groceries and then to Michaels for some tye dye so we could decorate our shirts in Canada! Then we headed back to the campsite, took showers and went swimming before finally settling down and cooking delicious hamburgers for dinner and preparing to finally cross the border tomorrow into Canada!

Across America Trekkers Are Biking in Canada

8/10 We woke up to the not-so-pleasant surprise that Detroit's bumpy streets had broken a spoke of Lydia's. We gobbled down the complimentary hotel breakfast and Lydia headed out 8 miles to a bike shop while the rest of the group finished getting ready. After John discovered a flat and fixed it the group hit the road and quickly caught up with Lydia, whose bike had been repaired. The whole group made their way through the suburbs of Detroit, pointing out potholes along the way. At 26 miles we stopped at a gas station for a huge snack of Clif bars and bagels as storm clouds rolled in. We made it another 27 miles to Algonac in steady rain with only a quick stop when John wiped out. We had an amazing late lunch at a restaurant next to the ferry: one-pound burgers and generous omelettes. After a quick ferry ride we picked up a map of Ontario in Wallaceburg and ate a hearty dessert in
Dresden. A friendly backpacker invited us to stay at his house where we played with his border collie, Zoe, and learned about the history of the town (Uncle Tom's Cabin is in Dresden!). By 11 we settled down for a good night's sleep.

New York - Montreal Trekkers Bike the Adirondacks

We woke up to a rainy morning in Albany. Thanks to a few bike issues we managed to delay leaving until the rain had stopped. By afternoon it had turned into a beautiful day so we stopped for Stewart's ice cream. It rained again around lunch time, so we had lunch under the shelter of a nice woman's garage. After the down pour passed we finished out our 50 mile day and made friends with another group of bikers also on their way to Moreau State Park.

New York-Montreal Trekkers Reach Albany

We woke up at our campsite at the icebox and enjoyed a large breakfast of oatmeal and granola to get fueled for the day. We then set off on our 20 mile bike ride, which was on the Route 9J which was composed of wonderful rolling hills the whole way. We stopped at roadside farm stand along the way and enjoyed plums, peaches, tomatoes and zucchini bread. After that we finished our ride to the city, checked into the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, took some much needed showers, and headed out to explore the city. Since it was Sunday, it was very empty. We grabbed a larger meal at a local deli and then got Ben and Jerrys ice cream before heading back to the hotel and relaxing for the rest of the night. We finished the night by playing some cards in one of the hotel rooms, and then went to bed to get ready for yet another adventure filled day in the city of Albany.

New York-Montreal Trekkers Are Enjoying the Hudson River

We started our day in Margret Norrie State Park with a quick breakfast and a downhill ride out of the park. We spent the morning enjoying an amazing 41 mile ride through the rolling hills of upstate New York. Taking breaks for some amazing ice cream, snacks, and a few quick games of cards. We arrived early at the National Estuary Preserve with plenty of time to play Frisbee, cook dinner, test the muddy waters of the Hudson, and hang out together off of our bikes. At the end of the day we were rewarded with a quiet, beautiful camp site on the edge of the Hudson.

Across America Trekkers Overcome Breakdowns and Make it to Michigan

8/7 We began our day bright and early leaving camp by 6:30. We crossed the border to Michigan and did a group photo with the sign - then we crossed the road to the Welcome to Illinois sign to snag a shot since we'd been cheated a welcome sign on the way in. We ate breakfast in the small coastal town of New Buffalo where we discovered our first flat of the day, sadly as we were just about to hit the road. We made it halfway to Niles, our lunch spot, before we encountered our second flat of the day. Pushing onward we got to Niles and had a speedy lunch of deli sandwiches, strawberries and oranges. On our way out of Niles we had to walk our bikes across some train tracks and Tyler's rack snapped off his bike. John and Tyler went back into town to seek help from a bike shop while the rest of the group went ahead to Kalamazoo. Katie, Lydia and Branton made incredible time to Kalamazoo while John and Tyler reluctantly bought train tickets to catch up. For the trio, some accidental detours brought the day to an impressive 95 miles. The whole group reconvened in Kalamazoo by 9:00 for a warm welcome by the Nelson family. We ate chicken wings and delicious donuts from the Sweetwater Mill. Before bed we hopped into the hot tub to relax our muscles and then climbed into our tents.