Canada At Last for NY-Montreal Trekkers!

August 16: In the morning we ate our last breakfast in America then set out into the vast farm land that separates Plattsburgh from Canada. We ran into some bike trouble near the boarder, but every one worked together and our crossing into Canada was quick and easy. Our route was flat and we cruised the whole way arriving at our campsite at 2 in the afternoon. Once we were settled the kids planned a surprise birthday party for Cory and we bought a cake and card in secret. Afterwards we explored the suburbs of Canada and considered going swimming but ultimately decided we would rather hang out in the shade playing cards. Eggy and Julia cooked us a wonderful dinner of gnocchi. We wound up staying up past our usual bed time of 10 o'clock since it was Julia's last night.

New England Trekkers Enjoying the Comforts of the Providence Marriott Hotel

We started one of our longest day (40 miles) with an early breakfast. After a quick bike safety check we headed out. As we rode through some calm hills, with some drizzles in our faces, we looked around and saw some amazing farms. After a little more than 15 miles of biking we stopped at a college green to eat lunch. After a quick game of Ninja and some yoga we were ready to hit the road again. We headed onto the bike path which was one of our most enjoyable rides up to now. Along the way the boys stopped for some frozen lemonade while everyone else picked some berries. As we continued Yotam, Willem, and Adam raced ahead, while the girls took the ride slowly and calmly. As we got to the end of the 10 mile bike trail ride we turned on to the main road and got close to the Marriott Hotel. We rode for another half and hour and got to the hotel happy and ready to do laundry. We went to get the laundry done and as we were waiting for it to finish we went and got dinner, ice cream, and glue for Elazar's shoes. After a Chinese picnic outside of the laundromat, we got back to the hotel and went swimming. We then hung out for a few hours and went to bed after a long day. -written by Trekker Yotam

Across America Trekkers Doing the Hills of South Dakota

July 23- We started our day with a generous amount of oatmeal and sunshine. We zoomed through the last 10 miles of Wyoming and made it to South Dakota, our sixth state!! We entered the Black Hills National Forest, sweating out our weight in water climbing up the rolling hills. We couldn't find shade for miles as lunchtime quickly approached, but luckily a rancher let us hang out on the shade of his property just in time to avoid sunburn. We celebrated by cracking open a watermelon and enjoying it spoonful by spoonful, with John gulping down the last of the deliciously refreshing juice. We continued onward, following Route 16 towards Custer, and made stops at the Jewel Cave where we learned about the vast cave systems underneath the hills! Later that day we arrived in Custer, where we explored an old trading post that sold a variety of animal skulls and cowboy paraphernalia. We treated ourselves to sundaes and a full strawberry rhubarb pie at The Purple Cow before riding to camp and making a full spaghetti and meatball dinner, complete with garlic bread.

Across America Knocks Off Wyoming

July 22- We woke up early and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at John's aunt's house (cheesy eggs, caramelized cinnamon bagels, yogurt, strawberries and blueberries!) before heading out to conquer the remaining miles of Wyoming. We spent most of the day battling strong headwinds, forcing us to end our day a bit earlier than expected. During our last 20 mile stretch, we were met with a fierce thunderstorm that turned the sky black. To our backs was a beautiful clear sky, and ahead lay lighting and a slightly out of place double rainbow within the storm. A kind gentleman passing us on the road went out of his way to drive 10 miles up the road to ask a family of we could camp on their lawn, as we were looking a bit hopeless! Unfortunately that didn't pan out, but we did end up being helped by another kindhearted individual a couple of miles later who Gave us water and directed us to a prime camp site. We made sesame chicken and went to sleep satisfied under another sky full of stars.

Lake Ontario Trekkers Bike the Niagara Region

LO Group Leaving the Niagara Falls Youth Hostel

Today we had a delayed start because we had to stop by the bike shop to fix Jake's bike. While we were waiting the group explored Queen St in downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario. Stephanie bought some amazing bread from the local bakery that we ate for lunch. We also picked up some delicious locally grown yellow plums at a farm stand. We traveled on down the road to the Welland Canal Museum in St. Catherines where we learned all about the big lake freighters that go up and down the canal. It was a hilly ride right at the end of the day when we rode the last mile into the campground.  Tonight we're camping at the Balls Falls Conservation Area. After a sloppy joe dinner spearheaded by chef Kyle the group went to explore the waterfall and waded in the river.

Last Biking Days for the New York Montreal Trekkers

7/19 In the morning after tenting in Trip Leader Andy's back yard, the trekkers encountered a severe thunderstorm.  After trying to brave it for a few minutes, we quickly turned back to Andy's apartment and waited it out for a few hours.  We threw our clothes in the dryer and played some Carcasonne - a strategy game based around building a feudal landscape.  Carter was the winner! After departing,  we braved some intense heat, and some more on and off rain, some rain that trekker Jonathon was quite thankful for.

After staying at "Camping des Arpents Verts" and having some hilarious difficulty communicating with the locals, The trekkers were finally off to see Montreal!

Cape Cod Trekkers Complete the Circle and Make it Back to Boston

Provincetown was quite possibly one of the most beautiful places we visited on our whole trek, but we had to leave and carry on. We took the earlier ferry out of P-Town yesterday, after grabbing a pastry at the Portuguese Bakery.

The ferry was much smaller and faster than the one we took into Martha's Vineyard. It took only an hour-and-a-half to get to Boston. The wind was ferocious as we glided across the water, passing the towns and landmarks onshore, where we first began our trip.

When we pulled into port, we biked into the North End, and shared pizza on the grass by Long Wharf. After relaxing in the park and playing tag, we biked to the historic Hotel Buckminster - which once housed jazz greats such as Billie Holiday and was the place where the plot was hatched to rig the 1919 World Series - and made ourselves comfortable in our rooms.

Our evening continued with a subway ride to the North End, and a stroll through Quincy Market, abuzz with musicians and street performers, as we weaved in, around and through the many shops.

As a celebration for reaching the end of our tour, we treated ourselves to a feast at Legal Seafood on Long Wharf, where mussels, lobster, clams, salmon and calamari filled the table.

It was a tad bit late when we left the restaurant, completely satisfied, when we came across people running and jumping through a pressurized fountain, which made the water look like it was dancing. We couldn't resist the fun, so we decided to join in, getting soaked as we tried dodging the bursts.

Though we rode the subway home a little wet, the night full of laughs was a well-deserved, but bittersweet end to our two-week-long journey.

-- Trip leaders Annise and Cory

NY-Montreal Treks' Big Day!

"The big day!"

In preparation for the longest day of the trip -- a whopping 50 miles, the trekkers woke up a half an hour earlier this morning so they could beat the heat, and get a jump on their way from Albany to Saratoga.  Since they were in Albany, Leader Andy invited his family to join for continental breakfast and to see them off in the morning.  At the time of the writing of this blog (1pm eastern time), the trekkers are in Mechanicsville eating lunch, halfway to Saratoga.  Luckily Andy was able to reserve sites early, and we got the ones that are right next to the bathroom and showers.

California Coast Trek Enjoying the Fruits and Scenery of the California Coast

Today the California Coast trek team awoke from tents nestled beside a riverbed in Lompoc, CA. After practicing toasting bagels over a camp stove, the group packed up camp to hit the road. Although the mystical avocados still eluded us, we did encounter fresh corn and 3 for $1 mangos! The mangos were a sweet treat amidst a very hot and sunny day of biking. One highlight of the day was riding down a long valley surrounded on all sides by glorious peaks and cliffs looming above us in the sky. Lunch was an entertaining affair, as Alex, Dan, and Jared experimented with eating fruit in new and unique ways. The grapefruit was a hit. We arrived at our campsit in Gaviota State Park with enough time to get ice cream and to run down to the beach for a swim in the Pacific waves!

 Dinner chefs (Dan and Jared) are working on camp lasagna for dinner. The campground is fortuitously surrounded by desert mountains and beside the sea.
-- Trip Leader Sarah