Man, I don’t know about where you are, Dear Reader, but it is hot up here at Apogee central. Jungle hot. And that, my friends, is not something the little hamlet of Brunswick, Maine is set up to handle very well. Nonetheless, sweat-soaked though we may be up here in our air-conditioning-less office, we will bring you the news from around the horn.
Let’s start off in Puerto Rico today, maybe because it feels a lot like Puerto Rico in here right now. Both of our groups safely shifted their locations to Cabo Rojo (in the case of Lidia and Alex’s group) and El Yunque (in the case of Mike and Annie’s group) yesterday and were getting used to their new digs. Lidia, Alex and Co. sent in the below shot from their first morning on the job at the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Apparently, lizard shots are like kitten shots — everyone loves them.) Both groups had to call it an early work-day today because of strong storms passing through the area — everyone is safe, sound and dry (although Mike and Annie did have to negotiate some serious blow-downs on their way back to the Bunkhouse).
To Montana — where the temperature has been struggling to climb out of the 60’s (!). We talked to Sam today (Sam has been struggling with a nasty, stomach bug the last couple of days and gets a gold star for so gamely riding on today). The group was looking forward to a ride that would take them out of the Blackfeet Nation reservation and up into the mountains and towards Glacier National Park. Today’s riding conditions looked to be nearly perfect — cool temps, sunny skies, and a light breeze. Must be nice…
Our Quebecers, upstate from us here in Brunswick, are both in Jackman, Maine tonight. Corley and Andy’s group had a fantastic day on the river today — the water felt delightful on a day like today. They’ll be leaving the States and Old Glory behind tomorrow as they cross the border into Canada! Pete and Emily pulled into Jackman early today, crushing their miles and seemingly oblivious to the high temps. They were kind enough to send in the below picture of their good-looking crew.
We got a quick call from Vermont this morning – all is well. The crew is really looking forward to their two days on the lake. They’ll be camping tonight at a State Park accessible only by boat. And they, of course, kayaked out there. They’ll wrap it up tomorrow night with a big night out in Burlington after they come off of the water – and then, on Thursday, home!
To New Hampshire and our intrepid New England Mountains and Coasters. The group had a great day on the ropes course — what better way to get to know each other on the second day of a trip than to do a trust fall into your new pals’ arms? David sent the pre-trust fall picture below. David also reported that it was, for lack of a better term, toasty in their canvas yurt last night, though — and the group is very happily tucked into the White Mountains tonight, where they have cooler temperatures and an even cooler river flowing right by their campsite for the next three nights.
And down to Mississippi, yes, Mississippi, and our Coast to Coasters. Nick, Cait & Co. continue to dominate the road — cruising over the Alabama/Mississippi border and into Kosciusko, MS early this afternoon. That makes three states down, a mere five to go!