Lake Ontario is Back in the US!

7/13

“We woke up in the morning and took the ferry from Wolfe Island back to the US. We rode for a while and it was really hot so we cooled off at the beach. We got to camp pretty early so we set up camp and cooked dinner. We had burgers, baked potatoes and for dessert we had banana bombs!” -- Daniel, Teen Trekker

7/14

“We are at Fair Haven, NY. Today was pretty good, it was a little hard with some rolling hills and it was a long day but we did it! All the kids have great sprits. We stopped for Ice cream to help with the heat. Everyone enjoyed that!” -- Myron, Trip Leader

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New England Shore Hits the Ice

“Today we continued to explore the east side of Martha's Vineyard with great success. After biking around Manuel F. Corellus State Park on a beautiful Sarturday morning, a passerby informed us of an ice rink that was just opening. Spirits were high as we attempted to imitate our favorite Olympic figure skaters. As it turns out, our very own Natalie and Olivia are figure skaters, and showed the rest of us their impressively smooth moves. Simultaneously, I was not as elegant and demonstrated multiple times to the group the proper way to fall on ice. After our refreshing skating adventure we decided to compliment the day by a few hours at the beach (talk about a change of temperature!). We totaled about 30 miles today, and ended the evening with an awesome BBQ cookout.”-- Kyle, Trip Leader 

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Lake Ontario is on Wolfe Island

“We just arrived on Wolfe Island where we are camping for the night. We spent the day in Kingston, ON and besides it being really hot, it went very smoothly today. The kids really enjoyed having some free time around Kingston; it’s a pretty cool city. We had absolutely no bike problems today, so that was great!” – Kat, Trip Leader 

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New England Shore Rides the Ferry

“After a long day we were well-rested and super enthusiastic heading to Martha’s Vineyard. We woke up early today so we could catch the morning ferry back to Rhode Island. We rode north so we could catch a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. The ferry was really fast and extra bumpy. We not only ate dinner on it, but we also went to the front of the boat and almost got blown over by the wind. We had a really cool view of the ocean. Today was really exciting  and we can’t wait to explore Martha’s Vineyard.” -- Drew Amanda & Travis, Teen Trekkers .

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Across America Says Good Bye to Montana!

“We are in Alzada, MT. It is our vey last night in Montana; we are about 2 miles from the Wyoming border. In the morning we are going to look at maps and decide whether we want to go to Mount Rushmore or go up to Minneapolis. Tomorrow we expect to go through Wyoming all the way to South Dakota because we are only going through the top corner of Wyoming. Today we did 90 miles, everyone was going and feeling good, and we had minimal bike problems. We’ve been eating good food, the cook groups have been working well.” – Julia, Trip Leader

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This last photo is a little old but we love it! 

European Phantom Tastes Europe

"Gutenblog! We're all safe and sound in Amsterdam. After trying the waffles, it was pretty hard to leave Belgium. Add tasty fries served with mayonnaise (weird, right?) and Sarah and I were hard-pressed to convince the kids to catch a train from Bruges to the Netherlands. Amsterdam is great, though-- so bike friendly! We can't wait to see the Anne Frank huis and to go in an awesome walking tour of the city."-- Bryan, Trip Leader

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Pacific Northwest Made it Back to Seattle!

“We have been hanging out on beaches every day for the past few days. This afternoon we find ourselves on the beach at Kitsap Memorial State Park. This afternoon we biked across the Hood Canal bridge. It was over a mile long and everyone was amazed to find out that it was a floating bridge. Now the cook crew is preparing our last meal over a camp stove and everyone else is relaxing in the sun.” -- Darcy, Trip Leader

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New England Trek Makes it to Block Island

"Well rested we woke up at the Days Inn at 6 a.m. for a long 40 mile trip that would bring us to the ferry for Block Island.  Today was the longest and steepest ride yet.  We all worked hard to conquer the challenging hills but although today was tough, we did not forget to have fun.  We played games all day and we re-enacted the Titanic on the ferry. It was a great day with few bike problems, tons of fun, and was not one to forget. Overall we had a great day filled with interesting challenges that we overcame as well as a plethora of unforgettable experiences." -- Drew, Teen Trekker.

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New York - Montreal Finishes the Trip!

After travelling north 350+ miles, the group hopped on a bus back to New York City. They spent the day exploring the Big Apple, stopping in the Village for lunch and the Strand bookstore. They then went to Bryant Park to say good bye and head home after this great adventure.

European Phantom Leaves Paris

"Teen Trek bids adieu to old Paris and goedemorgen to Belgium.  We had a wild time in Paris trying to get in all the sights and crossing out every must-see on our list.  After a complicated train ride to Ghent, the group cannot wait to sit down and grab some waffles before heading off to Brugge later today.  Afscheid and love from EP" -- Sarah, Trip Leader 

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Pacific Northwest Hits the Beach

"We just rolled into Port Townsend. The clouds have burned off and we are ready to swim the afternoon away. As the trip winds down, everyone is sad to stop biking, but excited for the next adventures." -- Darcy, Trip Leader

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Lake Ontario is Enjoying the Ride

“Today the group left Presqu'ile Provincial Park and grabbed some breakfast from a local bakery. We continued on at a cruising speed and sang a bunch of Disney songs. We also played 20 questions while biking through some rather smelly areas of farmland. Hunger soon overcame us and we stopped in a shaded area and settled down for a nice lunch. Afterwords, we continued on to Bloomfield and stopped at the Bloomfield Bike Shop where we encountered a few very nice and extremely hilarious characters who were so kind as to fix most, if not all, of our bike problems. The owner, Katy, was very kind and hospitable to let us crash in her barn full of antique bicycles!” –Kira, Teen Trekker

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European Phantom hits Paris!

“We saw Versailles and were amazed by the gardens and tempted to take a nap in the king's bed... but decided not to. It was a lot nicer than the tents we have been staying in (but they're okay too).Next to the beautiful city of Paris, where the bike lanes aren't quite so wide,but the sight-seeing is well worth having to share sidewalks with cars. We saw the magnificent Saint Chapelle and were left in awe by its floor to ceiling stained glass windows. We checked out Notre Dame where Bryan gave us his hunchback impression, and then got to explore the ruins of the old city underneath the cathedral.Today we have to force ourselves to leave the wonderful Louvre where we could have easily spent all day, but there is so much to see! Next we're off to the Pampidou and the Eiffel Tower, which will be worth a postcard home.” -- Sarah, Trip Leader

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Across America Gets Wild!

“It was hot today but luckily we are right next to the Yellowstone River. We cooled off after having a delicious lunch of tortilla wraps and fruit. Lately we have been following a small mostly carless road which parallels I 90. We decided to try riding a pace line. That is when we move in a tightly packed group. Each person drafts off the person in front of himself. The person in the very front breaks the wind. When he tires he pulls back and lets the next rider break the wind. We moved very fast this way, probably averaging 18 miles an hour. Yesterday was amazing because we saw wolves and bears on the same day. The wolves we saw at a bed and breakfast. Howlers inn it was called. We saw a grizzly bear just a few miles away. Don't worry everyone in the blogosphere. The wolves and bears were both in nature preserves behind fences. Other than that we have been making good time going east. We will hit billings tonight. We went through a town called Manhattan Montana. I am glad we have thousands of miles still until New York.” -- Jacob, Trip Leader


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Pacific Northwest Rides Hurricane Ridge

“Yesterday we rolled into Olympic national park. Not an easy task as we had to carry 2 days’ worth of food five miles up a mountain. It was all in preparation for our big challenge of the trip, HURRICANE RIDGE. This is a challenge that cyclists from all over the area come to do and brag about having done. In total the climb is about 17 miles and the top is 5,200 ft. We were lucky to be able to camp at Heart of the Hills campsite just inside the park boundary shortening our climb today to a mere 12 miles and 3,000ft gain. Everyone accomplished this amazing feat and we got to enjoy crystal clear views from the top of Mount Olympus and the rest of the Olympics. Everyone enjoyed the downhill and we are closing in on our last few days of camping.” -- Darcy, Trip Leader


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Lake Ontario is in the Lake!

The group is on the north side of the lake and loving it! The weather has been a little hot but thanks to the route they are travelling next to the best swimming pool ever. This group is making us reconsider that this is really a swimming trip with the chance to bike! Overall the teens are really starting to get into the groove of bike touring. They hit a little bit of hills today but those brand new leg muscles powered right through them. 

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Across America Enjoys Montana

The group is in Bozeman, MT. They’ve decided that they will ride out to Livingston, MT, only 30 miles east of Bozeman, today. The extra time will be used to take their bikes into a shop for some much needed bike repair love. They also found out a REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) store located nearby and they wanted to take some time to check it out. We really can’t blame them as REI is a very cool store. All of the riders are having a great time exploring Montana and are loving the adventure. 

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New England Shore Starts to Bond

"The group is having a great time in spite of the hot weather. They’ve been learning about bike touring and about each other. One of the highlights of the day was when they crossed a ‘swivel’ bridge which unlike a drop bridge which raises and lowers to allow boats to pass, rotates around. Overall the group is really starting to bond and is doing a great job cheering each other on” – Klye, Trip Leader 

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Maine Coast Finishes the Trip Strong!

"The first Maine Coast Trek ended on Saturday with many happy but tired faces. The group caught an early bus out of Bangor, Maine and arrived in Boston mid-afternoon. When I caught up to the group in Boston's South Station, two tables were pulled together and filled with lunch leftovers including Daniel's lemon cake. Each Trekker had their one wish fulfilled whether it be a scallop dinner, clams, or lemon cake. Unfortunately Noah's wish to see a moose was never realized".-- Cliff, TT Director

French Baguettes and Palaces for the European Phantom Trek

Moving through France is not as easy as you think. Did you know there are many hills in France?  Yesterday we visited Monet's house and Lily gardens that was the inspiration for many of his impressionist paintings.  After visiting the gardens we had a very French lunch. Baguettes anyone?  Later that day we made it to Versailles to the campground called Hutopia,  a cross between a campground and a luxury hotel.  This morning we visited Louis IV's palace and gardens.  Opulence at its best.