2014: Another Great Summer of Biking!

We're closing out another fantastic season!  This summer, our Treks brought together kids from all over the US, plus Europe and Asia, for biking adventures they'll never forget.  They visited lively cities and small towns --

 -- and got out in lots of wide-open spaces:

They camped out together,

cooked out together,

learned how to fix their own bikes out on the road,

devoured gallon after gallon of ice cream,

and made lots of close friendships:

They hiked and biked through stunning wilderness spots --

 -- and breezy beaches,

stopping along the way to learn about local history,

pick up lunch goodies at farms,

get off their bikes and out on the water,

and check out museums, art, comedy shows, music festivals, thrift shops, and pretty much everything else they could pack into each day.  They biked hundreds of miles together, up hills and down them, on bright, sunny days and through the rain.  Not a lot of kids can say they've accomplished these kinds of things, but every one of our Trekkers can!

We'll post our 2015 trip schedule later this year, so you can start planning your Trek for next summer.  See you then!

New England Shore Trek Heads into Massachusetts

Last night, the New England Shore Trekkers capped off their stay in Providence with a ghost tour.  This morning, they hit the road early to head to Massachusetts, and packed plenty in along the road.  They made a water stop at a beautiful park --

Learned to weave and got some insight into local history at the Carpenter Museum in Rehoboth --

And had time for some very important ice cream and laughter along their sunny, 30-mile ride to Forge Pond Campground --

Providence Welcomes the New England Shore Trek

Time in their very comfy beds at the Omni Providence has helped the New England Shore Trekkers get well rested and energetic.  They've been getting to know Providence, visiting the State House today to see Rhode Island's replica of the Liberty Bell and the beautiful, ornate architecture.  They're also learning a bit about the state's history and the lawmaking process.

After one more night in their fancy hotel rooms, the Trekkers will enter Massachusetts and start biking toward Boston -- the last leg of their trip.

The Lake Ontario Trekkers Loved the Lighthouse Hostel in Cape Vincent, NY

The Lake Ontario Trekkers had a sad and beautiful farewell this morning at the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. Two of the group's members took a spill that left one of them with a fractured thumb and the other with a sprained wrist -- minor injuries, but enough to send them both home early.  There were warm, heartfelt hugs all around, and everyone agreed to keep in touch.  We'll miss them, but we know they'll heal up better at home.

The rest of the group got back on their bikes and continued on down the New York side of Lake Ontario. They made great time to Southwick Beach State Park, where they ate dinner with fresh corn.  Tomorrow is their longest-mileage day, so they plan to go to bed early tonight and wake up ready for the challenge!

First Day for the Maine Coast Trek

The Maine Coast Trek got a bright start this morning!  Most the Trekkers met at Boston North Station this morning and boarded a train to Lowell, where they picked up the last two members of their group.

In Lowell, they visited the American Textile History Museum, participated in a scavenger hunt, and biked around downtown before heading to their first campsite, nearby in North Andover.

D&R Canal Trek Follows the Delaware River

On their last full day of biking, the D&R Canal Trekkers rolled out of bed in Frenchtown, NJ and headed across the Delaware River back to Pennsylvania.  They got back on the shady Delaware Canal path and headed toward Easton, PA, passing a number of historic canal locks and aqueducts.

At lunch time, they picnicked by the river and went wading in it.  When they reached Easton, they stopped at a wonderful homemade ice cream shop and then got back on their bikes to put in the last few miles to Bethlehem.

Tomorrow, they'll ride into downtown Bethlehem and explore the city before catching a bus back to NYC for the end of their Trek!

D&R Canal Trek Visits Washington's Crossing on the Delaware River

The D&R Canal Trekkers enjoyed another beautiful day of biking, leaving the canal itself behind for even prettier scenery along the Delaware River.  Early in the day, the group stopped at Washington's famous crossing and learned about the importance of crossing the river to the success of the Revolutionary War.

Next, they stopped in Lambertville for lunch and explored the town together.  Everyone did great, cruising through their 30-mile day to reach the little town of Frenchtown in the evening, where they finished the day with some delicious local pizza and a sunset over the water.

Tomorrow, they'll have their last full day of riding, and they're hoping it will be their best one yet!

D&R Canal Trek Reaches New Jersey

The D&R Canal tow path has brought our Trekkers from lovely Princeton to Yardley, Pennsylvania! The weather was absolutely gorgeous for their ride, and they picked up some company in the form of a flock of geese.

About two thirds of the way to their destination, the group stopped in Trenton, NJ, to have a picnic on the State House lawn and play some frisbee. They then took a tour of the State House, learning about the history of New Jersey and some fun facts about the state legislature.

They continued on in the late afternoon, making one more necessary stop for some water ice and ice cream before heading to the hotel to make a delicious dinner.

New England Shore Trek Gets Inside History at Mystic Seaport

Our intrepid New England Shore group reached the living history museum at Mystic Seaport early in the afternoon, so they had lots of time to explore the seaport and learn about old New England maritime life.  Our report from leader Josh included the phrase "and it was just really cool" no fewer than five times, and "the kids loved it" four more times, so apparently it was a real hit.

In addition to taking a few funny photos, the Trekkers went to the planetarium to learn about navigating on the ocean by the stars, got a demonstration from a blacksmith about how whaling harpoons were made and used, checked out ship-building exhibits, made candles, made rope, and generally poked into every corner of the site.

    

They have a long day of biking ahead of them -- almost 40 miles -- so they plan to take full advantage of the cushy beds and air conditioning at their hotel tonight, so they can wake up fresh and ready to face the next day's challenges!

D&R Canal Trek Samples Local History and Local Ice Cream

Our Trekkers had a great second day along the D&R Canal! The first bit of the trail was a little rocky, but the path smoothed out into a finer gravel, making the kids' ride much smoother.

Along the trail, they saw several old shipping locks and the bridge that George Washington crossed after the battles of Trenton and Princeton in the days of the American Revolution. We emerged from the wooded trail near Princeton and biked through the town.

In town we met up with Caroline, one of the Trekkers from a New England Shore Trek leader Dana led earlier this summer.  Caroline took the group to a sweet ice cream shop, and then everyone rode through Princeton University's beautiful campus before heading to the hotel for the evening.

Lake Ontario Trek Explores Southern Ontario

The Lake Ontario Trek group biked out of Niagara Falls and coasted down a series of beautiful hills, heading toward Toronto.  They stopped for lunch at the Museum at Lock 3, where they had a picnic lunch in the museum's park and watched a barge get lowered down beyond the canal walls.

In the afternoon, they had a great swim in the pool at their campground, then built a fire and roasted hot dogs.  They're camping out again tonight, and then they'll spend three nights in downtown Toronto before striking out on winding back roads and bike paths through Great Lakes country.

Architecture, Art, and More Poutine: New York - Montreal Trek Enjoys Montreal

The New York - Montreal Trekkers had a superb day in Montreal.  They started off with a great breakfast at McGill University:

Next, they walked to Old Montreal and admired the beautiful French architecture and numerous historic statues and landmarks:

They ran across a car show and some murals painted by the Etam Cru, a team of artists leader Rachel particularly likes.  Here's one of those:

It's not hard to see why she's a fan!

They went up to the Chalet du Mont Royal at the top of Mont Royal, the hill that gives the city of Montreal its name, and ate lunch while enjoying sweeping views of the city.  They cooled off by going to the movies to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and capped off the night with some delicious Portuguese chicken and pastries -- and more poutine!  Finally, they got in some exercise on the swings and slides at a playground and had a pull-up contest on the monkey bars.

Tonight, they'll take an overnight bus back to NYC, where they'll run around the city together before pickups in the afternoon.

Leaving Block Island for Providence: New England Shore Trek Bikes On

Mechanical problems with the Newport Ferry gave this group an extra day on Block Island, and they used it well!  In the morning, they rented kayaks and paddled around the marina and the island's shoreline.

They enjoyed picnicking in town, then hopped on their bikes and headed to Sachem Pond, a beautiful freshwater pond on the north end of the island.  They relaxed around it, went for a swim, and then came back to town to get dinner from a local take-out restaurant before heading back to their campsite.

This morning, they too the Point Judith ferry and biked into Provincetown, where they're going to get to live it up with two nights in the Omni hotel.  In the morning, they took a tour of the statehouse, learning some interesting things about the building's history and about Rhode Island.

They ate lunch at Roger Williams National monument park and then explored Main Street a bit. In the afternoon, the Trekkers went back to the hotel to get some swimming in before going out for dinner later.

Pacific Northwest Trek Packs Fun Into its Last Days

Trekker Anna tells us about the Pacific Northwest Trek's jam-packed last couple days together --

On Friday, July 11, we woke up to the sad realization that we would only have three more days of biking together, and the even more devastating idea that the coming night would be our last one of camping (sob!). To take our minds away from these dreary thoughts, we decided to explore the old fort on the campground where we were staying in Port Townsend. So we broke down Tent City, packed up our gear, and headed off to the bunkers.

We first explored an area near the beach, wandering into dim rooms and imagining how the huge cannon-like weapons must have looked. We made our way over to the lighthouse, then to Artillery Hill. We soon discovered the pitch-black tunnels in the bunkers there, and, guided only by Monique's phone flashlight, crept through them into even darker rooms. After Russell and Dan decided to act like young boys (yelling and jumping out at every dark term), Sarafina and Sunny ventured back to comfortable daylight with screams and roars no longer echoing through the tunnels.

The biking was very nice, with hills that would previously have been frustrating now only slowing us down a little -- until we hit The Hill. Now, you must understand, The Hill was like no other hill we had encountered. Monique's guesstimation was that it was a 12% grade, meaning that it looked like a wall of tar. It was impossible to build up momentum, the day was hot, and we had already taken a 3-mile detour. Only Monique, David, and I made it up without stopping.

Shortly after The Hill, we discovered that the closest food store was an extra 6 miles from the campsite. So we had our second gas station meal of the trip, eaten in camp after setting up another Tent City in our final campsite. We ate a dessert of canned peaches and oreos on the beach, and Russell improved his shell-skipping skills. We found a playground and made each other dizzy on spinning rides, climbed on a pirate ship, and got stuck on slides before bedding down for our last night of camping.

Saturday, June 12: Our last day of biking! With the one and only Dan as the one and only point, we had what may have been our easiest day, with only 20 miles on the road. We finished our last ferry ride by dancing to Pharrell's "Happy" (playing in our heads) and being cheered on by strangers before returning to the Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle.

We unloaded our gear, showered, and rode over to the Pinball Museum, happening on a Chinese Dragon Festival right outside. The boys and Monique stayed inside the dim, air-conditioned room to play, while the other girls ventured outside to get bubble tea and explore the festival. Then the effects of biking hit, and Sunny and Sarafina had their first bouts of dehydration. So instead of biking an extra 5 miles to dinner, we returned to the hostel for Pedialyte (termed "expedialyte" by Sunny), and then bussed over to West Seattle for a seafood dinner, encountering another festival right outside the restaurant. Back at the hostel, we threw in our laundry and went to bed, leaving it to our two wonderful leaders to separate the cold-water-wash-only and then to pick up the rest. We all fell asleep immediately.

Today, we woke up to our last full day together: Sunny's birthday! Once everyone was up, we broke down and boxed our bikes, then turned to the TV to watch the World Cup Final. Shortly thereafter, we had our tarot cards read and then went on a walking tour of Seattle's Underground City, built after a fire in order to help with the sewage system in the city. As it turns out, a whole 33-square-block area of Seattle is actually built over a pre-existing first level of the city, destroyed in the fire and rebuilt in time for the Gold Rush.

We returned to the hostel and explored more of Pike Place Market, then reassembled for Free Taco Night at the Green Tortoise, followed by a birthday celebration.

Although we are all looking forward to sleeping in beds and being clean (after our nightly highs, lows, and props of course), we are all upset to think that this will be our last night together, and that in the morning we'll each depart for different destinations and the rest of our summers.

New York - Montreal Trek Has a Great Time in Albany

Our second New York - Montreal Trek enjoyed smooth biking into Albany, where they stayed in the very classy Hilton Garden Inn, right downtown.  They had a particularly fun and energetic guide for their 2.5-hour tour through the New York State Museum, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing -- but especially the carousel:

The Trekkers had picked up a whiffle ball set, and they put it to good use in Washington Park:

They finished their day with ice cream, some much-needed laundry, games, and swimming in the hotel's pool and hot tub.  They should be well-rested, because they have their biggest biking day ahead of them: 48 miles to Moreau State Park.

New England Shore Trek Bikes into Provincetown

Over the past two weeks, our New England Shore Trekkers have biked 277 miles!  They've now reached Provincetown, on the eastern tip of Cape Cod, and the rest of their trip will have them exploring cities on foot or, if they want, by bicycle.

The Pilgrim Monument, built just over a century ago to commemorate the Pilgrims reaching the New World and signing the Mayflower Compact, towers over Provincetown.  The Trekkers spent the morning climbing the 252-foot-tall tower and taking in its stunning views of the town, harbor, and dunes.

In the afternoon, they biked the National Seashore's Sand Dunes Bike Trail, which took them up and around enormous dunes.  They're now camped at Dune's Edge Campground, where they'll stay until Sunday morning.  Then they'll catch the fast ferry to Boston for the last leg of their adventure!

New York - Montreal Trekkers Bike the Hudson Valley

Our New York - Montreal Trekkers are having a great time making their way up the Hudson River Valley.  They're getting good biking weather and bonding well as a group.

Two nights ago, they lived it up at a hotel in Fishkill, NY, with a pool:

The night in left them refreshed for a 32-mile day. They biked across the Walkway Over the Hudson at Poughkeepsie, a former rail trestle that's been converted into a stunning pedestrian bridge, 212 feet up and 1.28 miles long -- the longest bridge of its type in the world.

From there, they went on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt House, where they toured the grounds and the first Presidential Library ever founded.  They hit a little rain on the way to their campsite for the night -- but it had been a hot day, so even that worked out all right.

Over the next few days, they'll head toward Lake George, into Burlington, VT, and then cross into Quebec!