Greetings, one and all! Faithful bloggee, you have Chad at the conn again this afternoon. All things considered, it has been another great day for our remaining trips. It’s bittersweet, though – you’ll start to see words and phrases like “last” and “wrapping up” popping up more and more over the next few days.
We do have one lonely MAP group for you today:
PCB: Hannah and Shem called in and reported a fantastic day of 70-degree sunshine and a strong tailwind pushing them through their 72 miles down the coast. They had put 50 miles behind them by noon. Hannah said that it was one of those days when her face has started to hurt from smiling so much. That said, the phone that can send pictures has no service… But picture happy kids rocketing down the Pacific Coast on a gorgeous, fog-free day and you’ve got the idea.
CSA: On the western edge of Puerto Rico, Mason, Maddie and their amigos wrapped up their last day of service with the rangers at the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge today. Below are a few pictures in various states of seriousness. The one at the bottom includes our Refuge partners and friends Jose and Luis – with whom our groups have now planted thousands of trees over the last three years.
PCA: With better service than their brethren to the north, Micah and McKayla and their Unstoppables are getting close enough to San Francisco to smell the Rice-a-Roni! It’s only two more days until they cross the big red bridge!
NWX: Before they hit the water in the stunning San Juan Islands (see below), our NWXers returned, if briefly, to the Jurassic Period.
TSA: Our Tuscan adventurers have left both their bikes and Tuscany behind them. They left the relative quiet of the seaside town of Orbetello for the sights and smells of the Eternal City. Laura reports smooth sailing into Rome before showers, pizza on the rooftop deck of their hostel, followed by a post-supper tromp over to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Gelato (and birthday wishes for MB) were included, of course.
ACCA: David and Anna’s rock stars put away the bike shorts and picked up the In n’ Out burgers today – an Apogee day-after-beach tradition for our ACC trips. Mmm – it’s a food coma. But it’s an awfully good food coma. (By the way, if you order an “Animal Style” cheeseburger at In n’ Out, it comes with grilled onions…). It’s one more day of hanging out and sharing stories about the past six weeks before the long flights home.
ACCB: And before their own Animal Style cheeseburgers are ordered up, Mike and Danika’s gang had to climb up and out of the desert. Our own Kevin Cashman was on the scene this morning and sent in these great shots of the long climb out of Palm Desert. But you know what? Tomorrow afternoon this climb will be but a distant memory as these guys wrap up their own epic journey in grand, wet fashion splashing through the breakers.
