By: Michael Kravitz and Gracie Wright

Pull back the throttle, cool down the pistons, and get out the landing pad – we have some Apogee spaceships that are preparing for touchdown! The monumental endings of our America Coast to Coast cycling trips are just the beginning of trips wrapping up across the country. We have Vermontsters and Cape Cod Island riders who have stuck the landing and are being shuttled off home, and many other trips who have now arrived at their final destinations. As they inch closer to landing back on Earth, Apogeers across the board are taking advantage of their last funny photo moments, playing Whoosh, and saying their final A’s and P’s as an Apo-family. It’s no wonder the Perseid Meteor showers are gracing the skies tonight – they’re sending off our Apogee trips with a bang!      

Maine Coast Junior (MCJ3): Our MCJ-ers got on the saddle today as they pedaled themselves around the carriage roads of Acadia. Once part of the Rockefeller Family’s personal estate, the carriage roads span dozens of miles over the hills and around the lakes that dot Acadia.The group capped off the day with a trip to Bar Harbor and a pizza dinner. 

Cape Cod & the Islands (CI3): After an incredible trip of exploring the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Boston, our CI-ers said their final goodbyes today. While we are happy to have seen the crew succeed on trip, we are sad to see this great group go. We hope they will stay in touch and to see them on another Apogee adventure!

New England Mountains & Coast (NEMC3): Our NEMC crew hit the water today as they hopped aboard large inflatable whitewater rafts. The group reported a thoroughly exciting trip and only has a few more adventures in their future as they look forward to community service and sea kayaking in the days to come.

Caribbean Service Adventure (CSA3): Our CSA crew enjoyed their last day working with Reach For Success today, putting in another 5 hours of community service. However, it wasn’t all work for this Caribbean crew: they spent the afternoon kayaking on a bioluminescent bay. Tomorrow the group will transition back into “the real world” as they enter San Juan.  

Vermont to Montreal A &B (VMA&B): After nearly two weeks and hundreds of miles of riding, our VM crews have made it to the end of their journeys. After exploring Montreal in the evening and enjoying a well-earned final dinner out on the town, the crews had a great last night to reap the fruits of their riding labor. Though we are happy for the success of this group, we are sad to see them leave!

Maine’s Downeast Explorer A (DEX3): After hiking a section of the notorious “Hundred-Mile Wilderness,” the group left the backcountry today and it is now preparing for their trip up Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The crew is in high spirits and is excited for the amazing challenge they have ahead of them tomorrow!

Costa Rica Language & Service (CRLS3): Our CRLS-ers transitioned from the Ecolodge to Quepos today. Upon leaving the Ecolodge, the group traveled from one wonderland and into another. The new environment is an animal kingdom filled with sloths, monkeys, toucans, lizards, and lots more – not to mention the beautiful Pacific beaches!

 

Coast to Quebec A & B (CQ2A&B): Bienvenue à Quebec! After a relatively flat morning rolling through farmland, the group conquered the last and biggest hill of their trip right on their way into the city. For the next two nights, the crew will be staying at a hostel right in the heart of the city. They’re looking forward to exploring Quebec tomorrow — bon travail!   

California Mountains & Coast A (CMC3A): After a fairly short hike out of the backcountry, our CMC group has left Yosemite and is now in Santa Cruz where they will be for the next couple of days. They’re enjoying hot showers tonight, perhaps one of the most missed amenities in the backcountry! The group is excited to no longer have backpacks on and for the day of surfing ahead of them.

California Mountains & Coast B (CMC3B): After waking up on an island this morning, the CMCB crew packed up, loaded into their kayaks, and headed to shore. They then traveled to Santa Cruz where they will enjoy an exciting morning of surfing tomorrow. 

Montana Service Adventure (MSA2): The last day of grinding gears served these MSA2ers well as they biked out of West Glacier and into Whitefish. Now that they are in Montana’s outdoor recreation playground, they are just itching to swing through town and explore. Luckily, they have all of tomorrow to adventure in Whitefish and take full advantage of their last hours together before heading home!  

Northwest Explorer (NWX2): Leaving the profound beauty of Cypress Island was tough for this NWX2 crew, but transitioning from kayaking to motoring toward the Emerald City made it all the more better. They settled into camp at one of Puget Sound’s shoreline parks and became instantly excited at the thought of getting to see more of Seattle tomorrow. Perhaps they’ll start off with some morning coffee? They are in the home of Starbucks, after all…

Pacific Coast A (PC2A): The suspense of crossing into San Francisco is now over, since Bonnie, Mike, and their crazy cycling team zoomed over the Golden Gate suspension bridge! They were all smiles as they biked over this iconic landmark and into the city of ‘Frisco. They posted up at a hostel with the other Pacific Coast cruisers for the night, and excitedly await their adventures in the city tomorrow!

Pacific Coast B (PC2B): These Pacific pedal pushers zipped right on into San Francisco today – with a grand entrance across the Golden Gate Bridge! What better way to wrap up their last day of riding than riding over the one mile “Wonder of the Modern World?” They revved up the steep streets of San Fran afterwards and settled into the city life with a little exploring and yummy foods. Tomorrow they’ll have ample time to tour around the bay, they have the whole day together to scope out the scenes!

Scottish Highlands Explorer (SHX2): After all of the hard work these SHX2ers have put in while chugging along the Scottish trail, they earned themselves a train ride from Iverness to Edinburgh today! With a visit to the botanical gardens, they were then inspired to cook up chili and cream puffs for dinner and dessert. They will have all of tomorrow to explore more of the medieval capital city, but right now they are sleeping soundly to the echos of bagpipes and street bustle from within their hostel.

Alps Explorer (AX2): Alarm clocks were buzzing extra early this morning for the Alps crew as they took off on their last day on the TMB. 17 kilometers later, they paused to take a celebratory picture with the Trient pink church and then loaded on a train to Geneva. They’ll be strolling the Swiss streets on their last and final rest day tomorrow, with chocolate and schnitzel in hand for the most authentic tour of Geneva.

America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1): Get out your red, white, and blue hankies – it’s goodbye time for the first batch of ACCers. After 6 weeks of wheeling through miles together, it’s time for final see you laters, heartfelt hugs, and one last look at the Pacific Ocean as the crew parts ways. Even though they may be separated by many miles and oceans, the bonds between these cyclers are bungee-packed tight. Congratulations ACC1, our hats are off to you and your amazing accomplishment!

America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2): This morning our ACC2ers woke up well-rested (albeit a little disoriented that they weren’t having to pound bagels and the pavement) and ready to relax in San Diego! They happily left their bike jerseys at the hostel and donned their finest beach attire for a low-key morning on the water. Further exploration of San Diego this afternoon followed by a mountain of dinner topped off a great first full day in this Cali city.