That’s right, Bloggees, today’s theme is “transitions.” As such, for your viewing pleasure we give you this afternoon shots of trips in motions, moving (quite literally) from one phase of their trip to another. Chad here, as Sam is up in the Maine wilderness facilitating one of those very transitions for our DEXsters. Let’s check in and see how everyone is doing:
We did have a couple in the MAP category (“Missing A Picture” – I feel pretty good about that one. What do you think?) today:
TSA: I’m afraid we over-promised on TSA’s ability to send us a picture today – glacially slow upload speeds meant that we have only a text email from Laura and Pat. They report having had a great day on the bikes, though – they had a late lunch (they wanted to put the last big hill of the day behind them before lunch…) with a stunning view of Lago del Trasimeno. In camp, there was the obligatory gelato after dinner before an evening swim. Tomorrow, they’ll ride one of the most beautiful roads in the world up to Siena. Sure, there’s hills the whole way, but the visual feast will keep their mind off of their burning legs. Mostly….
ACC1: We did get word that David and Anna’s group had made it safely (and in very good time) up into the beautiful high country near Datil, NM. Because this is one of the most remote stretches of their entire ride, they didn’t have the cell service to get us a picture today.
VM: Transitioning from their bikes to the water was the name of the game for our Vermonsters today – they set off from Grand Isle in northern Vermont and braved some inclement weather whilst out on the water. Nonetheless, Pat and Julie report that a good time was had by all – and they even apparently caught a fish (details on that one to follow…). They’re busting out their best practice “bonjours” this afternoon, as they are crossing the border tomorrow.
CQA: Nick and Susie’s group can’t be held back. They obliterated their mileage today, racing into camp before noon. They then spent the afternoon brushing up on their ulitimate frisbee skills in preparation for the looming match against CQB in Jackman in a couple of days…
CQB: Somewhere between Freedom and Hope (no, seriously, check out the picture below…), Mia and Alex’s group had a fantastic ride this morning, leaving 25 miles of hills weeping for mercy in their wake. From Freedom, Hope and Friendship, these guys are rolling on to Unity. Kumbaya!
DEX: In the first of three sleepy van pictures, our DEXsters are transitioning away from Acadia National Park and snoozing their way to their Appalachain Trail put-in. They’re on the Trail, hiking through a portion of the famed “100 Mile Wilderness” for the next three nights.
NEMC: The first picture below is from yesterday’s successful summit of Mount Washington. It was definitely a long day – but totally worth it. In the second shot, you’ll see your second of three van transition shots as our NEMCers move from New Hampshire to Maine, from mountains to the water. They’ll be rafting the mighty Kennebec tomorrow!
CSA: In Puerto Rico today, Maddie and Mason’s amigos spent their morning working in the jungle before coming down to the beach. There they played a rousing game of basketball with local kids before taking to the water. Most of them enjoyed their time at the beach, but I’m sorry to report one casualty.
CMC: Jillian and Tim left the stunning Big Sur coastline in their rear-view as they, too, are in a state of transition. (Also in their rear-view are the sleepy kiddos you see in our third van shot below – van rides can really take a lot out of you!) They’re spending today prepping for their time in the Yosemite backcountry. Families should hear from their CMCer today as it will be Monday before we hear from them again. (Also, if you haven’t seen them, we posted a CMC album of pictures on our FB page today. These were taken by staff photographer extraordinaire, Jess Sheldon, during her visit to the group a couple of days ago.)
NWX: It was one more parking lot game of “1 Lobster, 2 Lobsters” in the parking lot today before our Northwesterners take on the Olympic backcountry. If you’re wondering, we have no idea what “1 Lobster, 2 Lobsters” is, either… Unless they hit a pocket of cell service, we should hear from these guys again on Saturday.
PCA: Down the coast, Micah and McKayla’s hearty crew donned their full winter gear for their ride this morning. But chilliness aside, check out that scenery!
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PCB: If you recall from yesterday’s blog, today was Hannah and Shem’s bite at the Seven Devils Road. Well, I’m happy to report seven devils up, seven devils down… In the picture, they are not making cute little butterflies; instead, they are flashing the sign of the Seven Devils Hills killers. It’s really very fierce. Knowing how warmly PCA was dressed by the pictures above, you can see by the short sleeves that they earned those fierce butterfly, devil-killer signs.
ACC2: On their way to a rest day, Mike and Danika’s crew are continuing to live large in New Mexico. Today was an awesome day according to Mike – for one thing, they were looking forward to burgers at the famous Owl Cafe for lunch; for another, they coasted down a forty-mile downhill into their rest day in Socorro. Obviously, we need to make this trip more difficult.
