Although my view of the Bank of Maine and Angus King’s Senate Campaign Headquarters here in Brunswick is nothing short of stellar, it is nowhere close to the photos coming in today. Almost every single trip sent in photos of extraordinary views and gorgeous scenery, with big smiles plastered across the foreground. Enjoy!
CI: The Cape crew woke up early today on their off day in time to get down to the beach to hang ten and catch some gnarly waves at their surfing lessons. Here they are relaxing on the beach before riding the swells.
VM: Pat and Julie’s group is on track for a truly incredible day. Finishing their biking before 1:00 gives them plenty of time to swim in Lake Champlain, get some Ben and Jerry’s while they explore Burlington this afternoon, and enjoy pizza for dinner. Sounds delicious, and should recharge them before a morning of service and afternoon of biking tomorrow! (Enjoy the artsy, if non-specific, shot-in-the-round immediately above the more traditional smiling-and-slightly-backlit group shot below that…)
DEX: The group LOVED the fireworks display from last night, as the dropped jaws below clearly show. We also see a little ingenuity from the kids, as the girls combine their two tents into one big fort and did some lovely moss rearranging! Today they enjoyed a great hike in Acadia National Park and are looking forward to a cookout dinner.
NEMC: The NEMC-ers got to explore Arethusa Falls during a lunch break today, as well as take a dip to cool off at Bemis Falls. I am happy to report there were no falls in the Falls (sorry, that pun was so bad I had to).
CQ1A: After leaving the coast, turning inland and biking their thirty hilliest miles so far, Susie and Nick’s crew made it to camp in in time to eat lunch at camp and relax for the afternoon! (This game is, apparently, called “Look at the Plastic Bag.” Looks great!)
CQ1B: Mirroring (or chasing) the other CQ-ers, these guys spent the day doing community service for the Coastal Mountains Land Trust today, and here they are enjoying a chamber-of-commerce-worthy Maine afternoon on top of Beech Hill near Camden!
MSA: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Addie and Josh’s time in Montana has defined “Big Sky Country.” Below is a picture of their tent colony where they spent last night, a few bikers during today’s ride, and their whole group on the road this morning, with each picture featuring that famous sky in all its glory.
CMC: With no cell phone reception for a few days, we unfortunately will not get any pictures from Jillian, Tim and company until they head inland in a couple of days. Luckily, Chad talked to them today and they sounded AWESOME! They were in super high spirits, and enjoying a beautiful hike in Big Sur.
CSA: Featuring their new friend Chacho (don’t worry, he’s actually their service supervisor), here is CSA atop Mt. Britton deep inside of El Yunque National Forest after another great day of hiking and service! They received certificates of gratitude from the Forest Supervisor this afternoon and are looking forward to leaving their beloved El Verde bunkhouse for Vieques island tomorrow.
PC1A: Back on the bikes after surfing yesterday, here is a photo of several of McKayla and Micah’s brood suffering through another terrible vista on the Pacific Coast.
PC1B: Today we are surfing USA! From the CI-ers on the East coast to these guys on the West coast, Apogee trips across the country are learning to surf. Gnarly, dude!
TSA: The Italy crew had one of their longer rides today to Siena, but it was capped off with a pizza dinner on arrival at their campground. Their sore legs are also looking forward to a day off of the bikes tomorrow. They’ll have a chance to explore the many, many delights that Siena has to offer around every corner. Unfortunately we are pictureless, as this is one of the most gorgeous rides in the whole world, but hopefully we will have an update from them tonight with a photo or two.
ACC1: Dave informs me that these guys crushed 80 miles before 3:00 PM in 100+degree heat. They’re awfully happy to be indoors and enjoying some sweet AC tonight!
ACC2: Chilling out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool (it’s an old reference but it still holds up), Mike and Danika’s first off day has yielded lots of lounging and resting, and MAIL! After a few games of cards and with tons of letters and food from home, the rest day in Lagrange has been kind to the ACC-ers.
