New England Shore Trek's Last Day

 The New England Shore group closed out its Trek with loads of sun and sand!  They went swimming in the ocean, buried each other in the sand, ate lunch on the beach, and of course. . .

They biked!  They put a total of more than 330 miles behind them on this trip -- quite an accomplishment!  Today, they're reuniting with their parents, some in Boston and some in NYC, to tell them all about their adventure.  

It sounds like everyone had a fantastic trip.  Enjoy the last bit of your summer, New England Shore crew, and keep biking!

New England Shore Trek Knocks Out Another 25 Miles

Riding from Sandwich to Brewster, the New England Shore Trek had a speedy day.  They stopped at a consignment shop along the way to look for trinkets -- apparently this one was mostly furniture, but this group has been finding neat treasures at thrift stores and local junk shops all along the shore.

Teen Treks' Director, Cliff Madell joined the group at Sweetwater Campground, near Brewster, MA.

Today, they're heading to Provincetown for their last two nights camping out!

New England Shore Trek Bikes Toward Boston

On the road!  The New England Shore Trekkers are making good time on a breezy, 30-mile ride from Assonet to Sandwich, MA.  Just a few more days' riding until they reach Boston!

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.

New England Shore Trek Cruises Through Rhode Island

The New England Shore Trek was so early to the ferry this morning they had time to hang out and play cards!  The group left Block Island behind and hit Newport running.  They biked around downtown, had a relaxed picnic lunch, and headed for their campsite at Melville Ponds Campground, near Portsmouth, early in the afternoon.  Everyone was very excited to get warm showers.

They'll be in Portsmouth another day, then head to Providence, where they'll take a break from camping by staying at the Omni Hotel.

New England Shore Trek Bikes Across Rhode Island

Today was a big biking day for the New England Shore Trek!  They packed up their gear, left their comfortable hotel rooms and hit the road for a 40-mile day crossing Rhode Island to catch a ferry to Block Island.

Everyone was feeling up for the challenge and excited to get 2 days biking the island, swimming at its gorgeous beaches, and exploring its historic lighthouses and the friendly downtown of New Shoreham.  They zoomed along their route, made the early ferry, and set up camp in what might be record time for trips on this route.

You know a group is getting along when they all collapse into a pile to take an afternoon nap together.  We look forward to hearing what they discover together on Block Island!

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!

New England Shore Trek Meets in NYC and Guilford, CT

The New England Shore Trek met in NYC and picked up a few more bikers in Guilford, CT, beginning a 16-day adventure along the shorelines of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.  The group played some name games to start getting to know each other, went over bike safety rules, and then hit the road towards Hammonassett State Park campground.

The group had a very enjoyable ride to their campsite.  In the evening, they walked along a beautiful beach together and made Sloppy Joes for dinner before heading to bed.  Tomorrow, they'll have a slightly longer day to reach Rocky Neck State Park near East Lyme.

Trekkers, Parents, and Trip Leaders in NYC

New England Shore Trek Reaches Boston

A smooth ferry ride brought our New England Shore group to Boston, where they've been having a great time exploring the city.  This morning, they checked out Faneuil Hall and Mike's Pastry, widely acclaimed as one of the best Italian bakeries in the city.  (And in the whole country, for that matter.)

 
In the afternoon, the group worked together to pack up bikes, and then shared a delicious and very fun dinner at a Chinese hot pot restaurant.

They're taking a bus back to NYC today and will all be back home later tonight, telling stories about their adventures!

New England Shore Trek Hits the Beaches in Provincetown

After a climb up Pilgrim Monument -- 252 feet tall! -- to take in sweeping views of Provincetown, its harbor, and the surrounding dunes, our second New England Shore Trek walked along Commercial Street and sampled some delicious malasadas from a Portuguese bakery. 

Then they biked a beautiful bike trail for a fun afternoon at Race Point Beach.  They're getting in plenty of sun and sand -- yesterday, they went to Coast Guard Beach, often listed among America's top 10 beaches.

The group has been camping out at Dune's Edge Campground, and today, they'll catch a morning ferry to Boston and spend the night at the Doubletree Hotel.  Tomorrow, they'll take a bus back to NYC for last goodbyes.  Congratulations, New England Shore Trekkers -- you're almost home!

New England Shore Trek Reaches Massachusetts

The second of this summer's New England Shore Treks has moved into the last major leg of their journey up the coast, leaving Providence to cross into Massachusetts.  Leader Dana helped a couple of the Trekkers with repairs at a bike shop while Andy led the rest of the group onward.  Everyone met up together after a 23-mile ride to Forge Pond Campground, where the kids took the lead on cooking dinner and building a great campfire.

 The group will ride on through Massachusetts for several days, headed toward Boston.

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.

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 England Shore Trek Hits the Beach on Block Island

The New England Shore Trekkers have been having a great time on beautiful Block Island. They biked to one of the island's historic lighthouses (which you can see in the background), swam at the nearby beach, got some ice cream in the afternoon, and then biked out to Mohegan Bluff.  They made dinner together, then made a campfire.

Caleb, pictured above with Amy and Caroline, does not want to let go of his ukelele and get down to the business of planning a grocery list.  (He did, and dinner was very tasty.)

Block Island is full of great bike trails and awesome things to see, so we look forward to hearing more about the group's adventures there before they return to the mainland!

New England Shore Trek Visits Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport welcomed our New England Shore Trekkers on a bright, beautiful day.  They toured the living history museum and took a relaxing shuttle boat ride up the Mystic River and back.

In addition to learning about the region's history, they got some insight into its ecology -- here, they're watching jellyfish swim in the water below.

They had a blast swimming at their hotel's pool and then dug into some pizza.  Their next stop is Block Island, where they'll camp out for two nights, ride some beautiful bike paths, and check out the town of New Shoreham.

New England Shore Trek Camps Out at Rocky Neck State Park

The New England Shore Trekkers biked a respectable 34 miles on their second day out to reach Rocky Neck State Park.  Each day, a group of Trekkers is responsible for planning the coming day's meals and buying groceries, and the group for this day was so efficient that everyone got to have an especially relaxed lunch. 

They made good time getting to the campsite, so everyone had plenty of time to get settled, take a dip in the ocean, and get to know each other a little better.

The group has an early start planned for the morning -- they're heading to Mystic, CT, and they want to have plenty of time to explore the living history museum there.

New England Shore Trek Visits Portsmouth, Newport, and Providence

Our lead New England Shore Trek got off the ferry from Block Island at noon, landing at Portsmouth.  Even with the short day, they found time to take a cliff walk and tour the mansions in Newport before biking to their campsite for the evening.

They rode the East Bay bicycle path and picked up a new friend on the beach:

They're now enjoying two nights in downtown Providence, exploring the city by bike.  Last night, they had a tasty dinner out at Kebab & Curry:

Beginning tomorrow, they'll be biking through Massachusetts for about a week, heading toward Boston!

New England Shore Trekkers Head to Madison, CT

Another New England Shore Trek got started today!  They met up in Manhattan, took a train out of the city, and biked to Madison, CT for some beautiful overnight camping in Hammonasset State Park.  Tomorrow, they'll head to Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme.

New England Shore Trek Waits Out Storm on Block Island

Tropical Storm Arthur kept our New England Trekkers on Block Island an extra day.  They relocated from the campground to a welcoming church and made a game day out of it.  Trekker Alex tells us,

This morning, we went to the donut shop on Block Island for breakfast. While we were eating breakfast, it began to pour.  The rain was awful, but we get to spend a night in a church, which is different but cool. We get to chill and hang out, which gives us more time to learn about each other -- so even though there's a big storm on the way, we're still having a good time.

They played giant Jenga (which apparently makes some spectacular noise when the tower falls), Scrabble, and other games, told stories, and stayed warm and dry.  The next day, normal ferry service resumed, so they came back to the mainland to continue on their way.

Originally, our New England group was scheduled for two nights at Melville Ponds Campground in Portsmouth.  They're spending one instead and biking on to Providence, just as originally scheduled.