11 Trekkers and leaders Lauren & Colin set out for 16 days of biking along the Long Island Sound and Atlantic coast, passing through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Block Island, Cape Cod, and Boston. Today they will be swimming and camping at Hammonasset State Park.
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
See you next week!" - Rebecca George, Teen Trekker
Follow the trip:
The group has had an exciting few days. After spending a lot of time exploring the Niagara falls region the group got on the bikes and started to ride. They soon got the hang of it and quickly have put about 105 miles in the past three days. Yesterday the group pulled into Toronto, ON and will spend the new two days finding out everything Toronto has to offer.
"Yesterday I road 53 miles from York, ME to Portland, ME even with having several flat tires. That night it was nice to sleep in a hotel and sleep in instead of waking up at 7am in a tent. We've found many good places to go, swimming spots which were refreshing after being on a bike in the blazing hot sun. Today we spent three hours playing Ultimate Frisbee and I caught both game winning catches. We also went to the biggest outdoor store I have ever seen which included a whole floor for guns and another whole floor for fishing gear. One of the bad parts of New Hampshire and Maine is that there are massive amounts of bugs that will bite you from head to toe, so I have been wearing long pants and a rain jacket at the camp sites. Other than the bugs the trip has been spectacular! " -Noah Monastersky, Teen Trekker
The New England Coast Trek reached Cape Cod yesterday following some neat bike paths and bridges on their way to Sandwich, MA. Today they tried out the beaches in Dennis, MA during their days ride toward Brewster, MA and Nickerson State Park.
Off the boat in France the group had to adjust to biking on the right side of the road and a new language. Luckily several group members speak French. Their days ride included the Pont de Normandie , a modern suspension bridge over the Seine and the town of Honfleur, one of the most beautiful cities in France. Their day ended at the campground on top of a hill overlooking the Seine in the small village Conteville.
Biking through Southhampton and onto Portsmith was beautiful as the group followed a coastal route of bikepaths and 3 ferrys (including a small, very pink ferry). They arrived in Portsmith in time to walk through the Maritime Museum to see many famous boats of the once powerful British Navy. Late that night they caught an overnight ferry that took them to LeHavre, France.
"Across America is rolling into Missoula, Montana today, after spending our Fourth of July climbing up Lolo Pass in Idaho. It was 5200 feet up at the top! We followed the Clearwater River to the Lochsa River as we climbed, and the scenery was beautiful. Blue skies, tall pines, and clear rivers. We rode 70 miles that day, and 85 the day before, so we're looking forward to a restful afternoon in Missoula." -Taylor, Trip Leader
"Everything went great today! After meeting early this morning at the 42nd St. Library in Manhattan, we caught a train up to Tuckahoe to begin our bike adventure. We had a good time getting lost a couple of times and everyone getting used to their bikes. We took a break during the hot day to enjoy some ice cream sandwiches and are about to head off to hopefully see fireworks over the Hudson!" -Elise, Trip Leader
From the grunge of camping and biking to a luxurious Marriott hotel in downtown Providence. These Trekkers are livin it up. On Saturday they played group games in Roger Williams Park and hung out at the Waterfire Festival in the evening. On Sunday they biked around Providence and in the evening the girls went for dinner and a movie (Midnight in Paris) and the boys did dinner and an arcade. Now back in their hotel they are getting ready for tomorrows ride toward Cape Cod.
"We've been biking through hills upon hills of Europe, yelling at every new hill, and smiling at every downhill. Upon our travels we made friends at the youth hostel in Salisbury, people from Australia, other parts of Europe, and just annoying yelling kids. We visited a great bunch of stones at Stonehenge (overrated) and then hit the Salisbury Cathedral, and took a very long tour with a hilarious old English man, seeing the earliest clock still around. The architecture of England is beautiful as is all of England. We just biked to the beach and are now skipping stones in the river, peace."- Milo Selchaif, Teen Trekker
10 strong bikers and 2 Trek Leaders arrived in Buffalo for an awesome 500+ mile adventure around Lake Ontario. With no time to waste, they crossed the boarder into Canada over the Peace Bridge. Today the're biking 20+ miles to Niagara Falls, where the best views are seen from a bicycle. For the next 2 nights they are staying at the Canadian Niagara Falls Youth Hostel and tomorrow they will bike into NY to ride the Maid of the Mist under the falls and do some amazing hiking in the Niagara Gorge.
A great day in Newport, RI on the Cliff Walk and seeing Mansion Row. Late in the day the group found a nice beach for a cool dip in the Atlantic. The group is heading today to Providence along some beautiful bike paths and will spend the next 2 nights at the downtown Marriott.
"Last night our group wrote a bunch of haikus for the blog. Here they are:
After 2 days of biking the rolling hills through Basingstoke and onto Salisbury the group has 2 nights in the very nice Salisbury youth hostel. Today they left their panniers and took a leisurely ride (18 miles) to Stonehenge to view those ancient stone monuments. Along the way they passed through small villages with beautiful thatched roofed houses and village squares.
Boston, MA is a great place to start an adventure. The group is off exploring everything that Boston has to offer. This year we have a new way of keeping track of our trip, custom maps on Google. Here is the link to the Maine Coast Trek map. It will be updated as the trip continues so be sure to check back regularly http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&vps=2&doflg=ptm&ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=206781293978240337088.0004a6649835860c2921a
The teens are riding south to the town of Basingstoke, England. Along the way they are passing through the beautiful English countryside, dotted by small towns it is the best way to see the real England.