Friends, the haze has lifted, the temperatures have dropped, and Brunswick, Maine’s brief, but painful, “Vacation in Somalia” appears to over.   Hallelujah!   I certainly hope that the same is true where you are….

OK, we have a few in the FAIL category this afternoon:

CSA: I talked to Wyatt this morning, they had an early start on their service today and were really looking forward to their crazy experience in the BioBay tomorrow night.

ACC: Our Coast to Coasters are concentrating on pushing the pedals today as they have a big 88-mile day to Springerville, AZ today — but that means they have left New Mexico behind!   One more border to cross before the sweet, salt air of the Pacific!  From deep in a cell-phone dead zone, Emily did get us a text saying that they were having a great day – they crossed the Continental Divide today and, perhaps more important, chowed down in Pie Town.

TSA: Our resident Italophiles spent their day exploring Florence today — rest assured that gelato was consumed and probably in inhuman amounts.   They’re back on the bikes tomorrow and heading towards the medieval towers of San Gimignano.

I suppose I should warn you up front that we have a few pictures in the quasi-FAIL category today, too, because the resolution of a couple of photos is pretty pathetic, but I’m including them anyway, just so you can try to guess which student is which based on pixel-placement…

CI: The third iteration of our Cape trip is off to a fantastic start.   I spoke with Peter today and he said that despite some off and on rain this morning, they were loving life and looking forward to clearing skies and an afternoon at a gorgeous Sound-side beach on Martha’s Vineyard.

VM: Here are several of Mason and Rachel’s brood enjoying a break way up in Canada.   They’re in Marieville tonight and ready to make the final push into Montreal tomorrow!

CQA: Here’s a quasi-FAIL shot for you… These guys were showing off their huge biceps up near Jackman, Maine this morning.   They are rafting the upper reaches of the Kennebec tomorrow before starting their big push towards the border on Tuesday.

CQB: About a day’s worth of miles behind their pals in CQA group, Hannah and Shem enjoyed a spectacular day of riding into the sprawling metropolis of Greenville, Maine.   They stopped by a yard sale today and made purchases of, according to Hannah, “neon jackets, bling, and a tape player.”  Keeping it real in Greenville – nice…

NEMC: Sam and Jillian and their Hearty Band had a beautiful day for hiking in the Whites today.   Jillian checked in and said that they have a great group of hikers who make it look easy.   They sent in above shot and asked that I title it “River Wisdom.”   So — there you go.   River Wisdom.  Omm.

PCA: Danika and Andy’s group is just crushing their miles.   And today, they crossed a rather auspicious border…

PCB: Slightly less dignified than our riverside sages above, Anna sent in this shot of their post-snack people pile.   I shall call it “People Pile Wisdom.”  Omm, again.

DEX: Our Downesters are headed into the 100-Mile Wilderness as I type — they will have a beautiful stretch for backcountry hiking over the next few days.   Assistant Director Mike Lessard was there at the trail head and sent in the above shot.

NWX: Our other quasi-FAIL shot of the day — David and Anna finished up their short backcountry hike in the Olympics this morning and sent in the above jumble of pixels.   And pixilated or not, that is a great big tree!   Anna said that they had a fantastic time.   Among the highlights was encountering a herd of 30-40 elk this morning.   They’re now on their way north and will be enjoying a day on the Sauk River tomorrow.