Meet Max!

Hello teen trekkers! I’m Max from Berkeley, California. I’m super excited to lead a great group this summer. I love bike travel, because you’re not watching the world pass by behind a pain of glass (like you would in your car)… you’re in IT, breathing the air and soaking in the sun! After my first bike tour from Berkeley to New Mexico, I was hooked. Since then I’ve been traveling in Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, and of course the good old United States. I love writing, drawing, hiking, camping, telling stories, eating, playing music, and most importantly, being goofy and having fun. For the past four years I've worked at a youth summer camp in Berkeley promoting peace, respect, community, and equality. And these are some of the values I continue to carry with me while traveling as I grow as a student of the world (and at UC Berkeley).

Mundane Monday Just Got Better! Meet Your Newest Leader!

Hi, I'm Jacob! It was my love of bikes that led me to Teen Treks. I remember riding all over my neighborhood the moment I got my training wheels taken off, and I haven’t slowed down since. A trip to Mt. St. Helens was my first real tour. To get there I traveled up the Oregon coast, through the windy Columbia River Gorge, then up a three thousand foot climb to camp at the base of that huge, broken mountain. Since then I’ve toured the whole west coast and up to Vancouver, BC.

Right now I live in Eugene, Oregon and I work at a gymnastics club. I am one of a lucky few individuals whose job involves adolescents and trampolines! Besides the gym, I have been working towards becoming a bike mechanic by volunteering at a local bike co-op. Also, I’ve gotten into bike advocacy. In my hometown, cycling group’s work with city planners to make sure all new construction is bicycle friendly.

This summer I look forward to sharing my experience and love of touring with a fun group of people!

Drum Roll Please...Announcing Teen Trek's Newest Leaders!

As promised, we have some great new leaders for this summer! Throughout the next few weeks or so, login to meet Teen Treks newest members! We have been searching high and low, and we are happy with whom we've discovered! We know you will be too!

Meet our first new leader:

Hi my name is Colin and I cannot wait to lead a Teen Treks tour this summer! I've been involved different camps for the past two years-the last being a Film camp! As a Television Production major at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, I have the opportunity to work in a unique college setting, allowing my inner nerd to show through (I’m really into sci-fi, math competitions, Star Wars, and Doctor Who). My passion, however, is traveling and cycling. I like to have fun and I like it when the people I'm with are having fun. I'm looking forward to spending some time outside this summer touring and I'm excited to meet you!

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook!

Newest Teen Trek Member

Hey guys!

My name is Casey Higgins and I am the new Program Coordinator at Teen Treks! It is my job to make sure that every teen has the best experience on each tour this summer, and I am dedicated and driven to make that happen! Throughout the next few months you will be hearing from me-getting you geared up for your trip! If you have any questions or need anything at all, please feel free to email me at casey@teentreks.com or give me a call 716.566.7908. I am incredibly excited about this summer, and I hope you are too!

BONDING WITH YOUR BIKE (and bike naming contest!)

I don’t know about all of you out there, but I’ve bonded with my bike. Now, I know what you’re thinking (something along the lines of “wow, what a weirdo….”). But hear me out!

I bought my gorgeously yellow bicycle last summer, and I have to say, it was love at first sight! Fred, as I have so affectionately named him, is a great bike. He’s reliable and colorful, and awesome!

Before you bust out laughing hysterically, think about it! I love spending time on my bike, and I am sure you guys do too. I think it’s perfectly normal to name your bike (although I have also named myPublish Post car. Francois, if anyone was wondering).

I can’t be the only person out there who has named their bike, and to prove it to you, I have decided to host a contest. For all of you who get back to me with not only the name of your bike, but a picture of it too, I will put all your names in a hat, and pick 5 to send Teen Treks tee shirts to!

So get your cameras ready, and tell me those names!!!!

Post your picture of your bike, along with the bike’s name on our Facebook page and I will contact the winners in a few weeks. I can’t wait to see what names you’ve chosen!!!

Miss your bike?

Remember those days of biking into the sunset, eating ice cream with friends, and being in the sun all day? WE MISS THEM TOO!!! Summer is over...the weather is getting cooler...its hard to bike in the snow. Hope you these pictures keep you warm until you can come adventure with us again next summer!

2010 awesome Photos

All of our trekkers (and our lovely leaders) are home safe and sound, and sadly the summer is coming to an end.
So I figured it was time to take a look back on the summer, and I figured I would share it with you all!!

Here are some of the awesome pics I found from this past summer. And of course, if you have any more to share, I would love to get them from you!! E-mail me at marisa@teentreks.com. Who knows, maybe your favorite pic from the summer will make it onto our website this year!

10 Bikers, 55 Days, 3600 Miles; 1 Awesome Country to Cross

Ten weary yet jubilant Across America Trek bikers arrived at Coney Island in Brooklyn to dunk themselves and their bicycles in the Atlantic Ocean at 6:15 p.m. on August 18th, They finished a 3600+ mile journey that began 55 days earlier in the Pacific coast town of Seaside, Oregon. Averaging 70 miles per day and maxing at 112 miles on the second to last day these bikers completed a personal accomplishment like no other. The mob of parents, friends, and family members celebrated with the bikers on the Coney Island Boardwalk until dusk. It was a great finale to a fun and challenging adventure.

MC-A6's Garrett Solomon's Words from the Road

8/08/2010
We awoke to the whistling of a guy named Chucky. Chucky was someone who lost both of his sons to heroin over doses and decided to take a stand. So now he does anti drug talks at schools. In addition to this he videotapes himself taking a dip in the ocean everyday. We decided to join him. (go to Chucky'sfight.com and look at the video dated 08/09/2010!!!) After we took the dip we rode around the town on our bikes. At around noon we were ready to begin riding. We rode and stopped at a diner for a delicious lunch (and air-conditioning). After lunch it was time to hit the road again and before we knew it we were pretty close to our camp site, we quickly stopped and had really good pizza for dinner. After that we rode a little bit more to our campsite. We unpacked our stuff and then jumped in the pool where we had our nightly discussion about the day. After our swim in the pool we were all ready to go to sleep and after a quick campfire which was a great way to end our fantastic day we all went to sleep.

NYM-J26

After leaving Albany, we pulled into Schuylerville, NY and we were
greeted by a festival across the street from the camp ground that we
intended to stay at. Festival was complete with blue grass music,
carnival rides and foods, and the whole town out and enjoying
themselves at this "Turning Point" festival, celebrating an important
moment in the Revolutionary War. After getting dinner we were
approached by the Mayor of Schuylerville, let told us we could camp
out in the park right next to the festival and enjoy the fireworks
right above our heads.
We headed out the next day to Lake George, riding along bike trails
most of the way made for a nice ride with several historic sites along
the route. By the afternoon we arrived in the quaint tourist town at
the south end of Lake George. Our campground was right along the
water and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of souvlaki. The following
day we started out early with a breakfast buffet and boarded the
Mohician 1908 steamboat vessel and shipped off for the north end of
the lake where we got off and continued our day on our bikes. Later
on in the day we took a ferry across Lake Champlain into Vermont and
we camped at D.A.R. state park.
Taking off in Vermont we followed the Lake Champlain bike route, which
was a great ride with beautiful views all day and sunny skies. We got
into Burlington surprisingly early and took a short tour of Church
street and checked into the camp ground early with plenty of time to
swim at the beach. A collective effort towards dinner led to our best
yet, chili!
Continuing north on the Burlington Bike trail, we were led to South Hero Island, VT and from there crossed Lake Champlain once more back into New York. We rode most of the way to to boarder and camped out in Chazy, NY; 10 miles from Canada. With an early start we made it through customs and into Canada, and immediately became confused by the French road signs. The temperature seemed to drop as soon as we crossed the boarder and by this morning everyone was happy that is was our last night in tents.
Needless to say, we have made it to Montreal and are currently enjoying our freshly showered selves in the Youth Hostel.

NE-J24 Updates

Greetings from Providence, RI! We spent the past two nights outside of Newport, RI, and on Friday we rode into town to see the sights. We toured a bit of the Cliff Walk, with the ocean on one side and Newport's famous and enormous mansions on the other! We then took the scenic route down to the beach, where we enjoyed some perfect weather, refreshing swimming, and beach games. On Saturday we woke early and rode here to Providence, where we're enjoying our last stay in a hotel until Boston. In the early evening some of us headed out to the lawn in front of the State Capital building to perfect our Frisbee skills, before wandering around the downtown waterfront area. We stumbled upon an artists' market in the park, as well as some live music, before heading back to the hotel for dinner. Afterwards we strolled back down to the waterfront, where we caught a glimpse of the "fire water" evening, in which baskets of fire are floated down the river while the Providence orchestra plays in the background... and soon it's off to bed before heading into Massachusetts tomorrow!

New from NYM-J26!

Starting from Tuckahoe, New York this trip begins with a nice
easy bike path heading north. By the end of lunch everyone was pretty comfortable with each other and we were all pretty excited about our next two weeks together. At the end of the path a very nice man stopped to talk to us and was kind enough to lead us through town. Things such as food committee were new to us, but we all worked together and had adjusted well. Camping was new to some of us and to others its just the great outdoors. Having a tent-mate is also a new experience. But its a nice way to get to know that one person a bit better than everyone else. After biking all day sleeping is no problem, we all sleep quite well. In the morning we pack up camp and its on to the next days adventure. The trip so far has had its fair share of nice highlights. Seeing the FDR house in Hyde Park was interesting and a must see thing. In Poughkeepsie we biked across the largest pedestrian bridge in the world, which was an old railroad bridge recently converted. The bridge was 1.25 miles long, around 500 ft high, and had an amazing scenic view up and down the Hudson River. Every chance we get to swim is refreshing, we swim every chance we get. On the third day we biked through Germantown. It was a rural area of mostly arms that was simply beautiful in its lack of development and free space. For most
of us who are from cities and suburbia it's a fresh sight into how other people live. The next day after eating breakfast in Hudson at a park on the Hudson River we stopped at the local Salvation Army station to use the bathroom. We ended up unloading an entire truck of food and supplies to feed those in need in the area. That left us all with a good feeling of helping others and giving back. Today in Albany we got a tour of the NYS Capital. The building is one of a kind in its architecture and style. With the numbers it cost to make that building its no wonder New York is in a bit of debt. So far the trip has been just fun and adventure. Whether its riding along the Hudson or stopping to see the state capital this trip is certainly one worth making.

C & O Trek, end of the road....

Everyone woke up early and energized today knowing it was our last day of riding on the C&O Canal. We biked along the Potomac and bounced over fallen branches until we reached Swain's Lock at which point we said our final goodbyes to the canal and headed for pavement. Despite the hills it was wonderful to be off the gravel and back on real roads. We had an awesome lunch of specialty sandwiches at Bradleys Food and Beverage Store in Bethesda, MD, then finished off our ride, arriving at Leader Nate's house in the early afternoon. Tired from the culmination of 12 days of riding we relaxed on Nate's front lawn and played word games. After a restful afternoon we mounted our shockingly lightweight bikes and road into Silver Springs where we saw the movie Inception and then went out to dinner at Noodles and Company. We look forward to three days of museums, monuments and strolls on the mall in D.C.

Update from NE-J24

We've had a nice couple of days on Block Island! After a long day of riding on Tuesday (38 miles!) we made the ferry in the late afternoon and got to the Island in time to cook a good dinner and sit around for a campfire and 'smores Tuesday night. Wednesday was a much needed day to relax, and the weather cooperated beautifully! We spent a few hours hanging out on the beach, checked out the town, and saw an action movie (Salt) at night! Overall a very nice and relaxing day on the Island. Today is threatening rain, so we're hanging out around the town until the ferry scoops us off to Newport, RI late this afternoon. On we go!

NE-J24

Hello from Mystic CT
We had a good first day, We spent the night at Hammonasset state park situated on the long island sound. After a rainy evening, the weather cleared up for another great day of riding, swam at the beach and spent the night at rocky neck state park, now in mystic, we took a tour of the historic seaport, ate lunch at the famous "mystic pizza" restaurant and have, so far been having a great day. more to come.
cheers - sophia & adam

C & O Trek News!

Rafting in Ohiopyle, PA
After a 20 mile bike ride we arrived in Ohiopyle, PA at 11:15am only to realize that our campsite was still a half mile hike up a grueling hill and we had to do the climb with our fully loaded bikes. It was a strenuous hike in the heat with bugs buzzing around and Jesse’s bike rack broke half way up the hill due to the weight on his panniers, but thankfully John ran ahead, unloaded his gear and returned to pack up Jesse’s bags and carry them up the rest of the hill. We loaded into the Ohiopyle state park campsite, set up tents and then set out for our white water rafting adventure. The trip back down the hill without all of our gear was wonderful and it took us a mere 7 minutes to get into town and find the White Water Adventure headquarters. From there on out it was “rough rafting.” We had a quick snack of PB and Js, donned our helmets and life vests and then followed our guide, Ben, down to the raft load-in zone. Before setting off, the guide warned us of the risks of rafting, stating “When you fall in, and notice I said “when”…” The next 5 hours were an awesome adventure down the Youghiogheny River, dodging rocks, paddling through smooth waters, doing 360s, and screaming and giggling as we bounced over rapids and off waterfalls. Amazingly Gabe was on the only trekker to fall off of the raft, but he handled it like a pro and everyone was jealous of his short swim. 2/3 of the way down the river we stopped at a river portage spot for lunch and a break from the chaos. It was a much needed reward after nearly 3 hours of rafting, but in no time we were back in the boats. Our adventure ended around 6pm and the white water rafting guides shuttled us, with all of our bikes, up to our campsite where we dined on veggie tacos and then roasted marshmallows over a fire.

Rainstorm on the C & O Canal
Today began wonderfully. We reached the C & O Canal yesterday, crossing the Mason Dixon line just before lunch and as we reached the top of a large hill we discovered a topography map. To everyone’s surprise we realized that we had be biking steadily uphill forth first 5 days of the trip and we were just reaching the beginning of a glorious downhill ride all the way to Washington D.C. The great news of the descent kept us excited all through the day and into the next, but soon our cheer was interrupted but a forecast of rain. A woman at the School House Kitchen in Oldtown, Maryland told us the there were storm warnings, but with 30 miles to go we decided to brave the incoming weather. As you can imagine, it rained, and it poured and we got soaked through, but everyone had prepared for the water, so with sleeping bags and panniers wrapped in trash bags, we splashed through the storm and arrived in the town of Little Orleans as the sun returned. Everyone was covered in mud, but loving it. While a few of the cleanest people biked to Bills Grocery on the other side of towpath, the rest of the gang hung up gear to dry on a clothes line made of bungee cords and then bathed in the Potomac River. Refreshed and clean, we sat down to eat a dinner of pasta with homemade tomato sauce and sausage.

NYM-J19 Updates from the Road!

Greetings from Renneselear! We've had an eventful couple days as we make our way north to Montreal. Despite the flat tires, the un-trued wheels, and stormy weather, this trip has proven a great deal of fun. We toured FDR's estate in Hyde Park, dipped our feet in the Hudson, and yesterday, with the state capital closed, visited the New York State Museum.

Our tour moves on from here, aiming for a homestay with another leader's mother. From there, we take the ferry up Lake George and into Vermont. There's much to be done this morning to get on the road, but all is well. We have a great group of kids, and are looking forward to today's ride.

NYM-J12 Update

Hey again from the new York Montreal trek!! After having so much fun in Albany we spent the night in historic Saratoga Springs. Although the races didn't start until this weekend we enjoyed some home cooked food and laundry at one of the leaders family's houses. The next day we had a fast ride through Glens Falls, where "The Last of the Mohicans" was inspired and written, where we ate lunch before continuing on to Lake George. We explored the lake, which someone told us was the cleanest in the U. S., the following morning on a breakfast cruise that took us and our bike the full length and dropped us off near Ticonderoga. After a refreshing swim we enjoyed two days of riding through the farm land on the shores of Lake Champlain getting to Burlington. There we explored Church street, enjoyed Ben and Jerry's, and rock climbing before taking a ferry back to Ny where we are embarking on our last rides to Montreal!
Keep it rubber side down and talk to you soon!!

The European Trekkers

In the two days since leaving Amsterdam, we have had great days and what everyone voted (except Ben) to be the most beautiful biking of the trip. Leaving Amsterdam, we followed the perfectly marked bike lanes towards Haarlem, where we got a tour of a renovated wind mill. We then biked to the well known town of Noodwijk and spend a relaxing afternoon on the beach.

After swimming and sleeping on the beach, with no precise campsite in mind, we headed south along the dunes (and this is where the amazing biking occured). If you think you know what dunes are as I did, you should note that the dunes in Holland are perfect for biking. (Side note: Holland is very flat and much of it is reclaimed land from the sea. Amsterdam and many other places are below sea level, and in order to keep the sea out, they have created these rolling dunes with small green shrubs) They completed the dunes with a winding bike path, and we followed this for around an hour when we pulled into a cute campsite -- we were a spectacle as apparently our style of tent has never before been seen in the Netherlands.

Today we had another chance to ride in the dunes as we approached Den Haag. We went to the Maurilshuis (a museum) and saw Vermeers Girl with a Pearl Earring. We then biked to Delft where our campsite awaited, complete with a pool. The pool meant that we delayed dinner and played extra rounds of Marco Polo.

We have an easy day tomorrow and in the evening will hop another ferry back to England (and hills).

NYM-J12 Update

Well, we are departing the Albany area today, again heading north. We had a great stay here, enjoyed some Albany site seeing, attended a local BBQ rib competition, and ended our final evening with a baseball game and fireworks! Since the last time we sent out an update we have gone through some small colonial towns and villages throughout NY's Hudson Valley including a stay in Hudson, a city that boasts the oldest active volunteer fire service in NY. The group is riding great, they are physically, emotionally, and mentally strong, with each member contributing a vital component to our effort. Both leaders are enjoying the time they get to spend with these wonderful young men and women, as they venture through this memorable experience. The memories, laughs, and good times are already ingrained in most all of us, and we have so much more ahead!