Hello and welcome back to the Apo-verse! After taking a look at all the breathtakingly beautiful pictures we got from the field today, we were feeling poetically inspired… so we’ve got some haikus for you! Before we get started, I wanted to share my personal favorite haiku:
Haikus are easy
but sometimes they don’t make sense
refrigerator
Fun, right? But not as much fun as these trips are having! Take some time to check out all the amazing adventures happening around the world today, and check in tomorrow for more!
Skip to a Specific Trip: CS, DEX, VMA, VMB, CRMC, CMCA, CMCB, AKMCA, AKMCB, NWX, PC, AXA, AXB, ECC1, ECC2, PMC
Caribbean Service (CS)
Snorkeling in the
deep blue, helping animals
in the bright sunshine
The CS crew had a very full first full day on Vieques! They kicked off the day with a morning at the Vieques Humane Society, where they helped maintain sparkling facilities for all the dogs and cats of the island. After a delicious lunch, the gang then took to the water for a snorkeling adventure! They got to enjoy the crystal clear waters of Puerto Rico and all of the amazing marine life it has to offer. Can I join next time?
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEX)
Kayaking Casco
with ease, exploring islands,
cleaning as they go
Today was another big day for the DEX crew! These seafarers hit the kayaks again this morning and took off for a full day of paddling on Maine’s magnificent Casco Bay. They raced kayaks and went for a swim! In the afternoon, they traded their paddles for work gloves as they worked on trail maintenance with the Maine Island Trail Association. Tonight, they’ll have Thanksgiving for dinner and another night of island camping under the stars! What a life!
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA)
The rolling farmland
urges them toward Montreal –
so close to the end!
Can you believe VMA will be rolling into Montreal tomorrow? Those miles have just flown by! This group was granted an easy-breezy ride today, with plenty of beautiful farmland and Canadian countryside along the way. Once they arrived in camp, they had the whole afternoon to relax and take a dip in the pool. We can’t wait to hear all about the awesome experience of arriving in the city tomorrow – bonne chance, VMA!
Vermont to Montreal B (VMB)
Crushed fifty miles to
the border, working as a
team to get it done
VMB rode into Quebec today! Wahoo! Congrats to this awesome crew on a 50 mile ride and a border crossing. It was a long day for VMB, but a huge success! As they near their final destination of Montreal, the group is feeling accomplished and excited for their final day on the bikes tomorrow!
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
They’ve hiked out of the
rainforest back to service –
now time to explore!
CRMC finally emerged from the beautiful Costa Rican rainforest today! They hiked out from RACE and bopped on over to the lovely town of Uvita, where they’ll be spending the next two days. The crew spent the afternoon in the sun, exploring the coastal village of Bahia. Tomorrow, they’ll take to the water for a snorkeling excursion! Check out these awesome photos they collected during their time in the rainforest!
California Mountains & Coast A (CMCA)
Backcountry section
in Yosemite finished –
hooray for showers!
Hello, CMCA, good to see you again! This intrepid crew emerged from the Yosemite backcountry today, with the tired legs and dirty laundry to prove it. They scooted on over to the city of Manteca after their hike out, where they’ll be able to stock up on supplies, take some real showers, get laundry done, and make phone calls home. Congratulations on the epic backcountry journey, CMCA! Stay tuned for a big ole’ photo dump from their recent adventures!
California Mountains & Coast B (CMCB)
This great crew has hiked
back to civilization –
and with great photos!
CMCB hit the trail bright and early this morning as they hiked out of the great Yosemite backcountry! Kudos to you, CMCB – what a trip! Today, they left wild and wonderful Yosemite in their rear view mirrors, and headed to Manteca. We can imagine it was quite the transition from several days of seeing almost no one outside of their group to a city with a population of over 83,000! Despite the abrupt change in scenery, this fantastic group was happy to get some showers, laundry and calls home! See below for all the awesome pictures they couldn’t get to us when they were out of service.
Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)
Working out those arms
on the kayaks, can’t wait for
glaciers tomorrow
AKMCA took on day two of kayaking and headed straight toward the glacier today! They got their fill of paddling and ferried back to their land base to prepare for an exciting day tomorrow! As fantastic as glacier viewing is, how about hopping right onto one?! Our adventurous AKMCAers are getting pumped up and energized for a day of ice climbing and glacier hiking tomorrow!
Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)
Yay for backcountry
day number two in Chugach –
more photos to come!
AKMCB keeps on trekking their way into the backcountry for day #2! They’ve had a SPECTACULAR day of hiking, and we cannot wait for photographic evidence of their incredible Chugach journey when they emerge from the backcountry tomorrow! Fingers crossed for some great wildlife pics…
Northwest Explorer (NWX)
NWX
keeps the paddles moving off
of Cypress Island
NWX is the middle of their kayak section of their trip, and we hear Cypress Island has the best of it all! From paddling and swimming to hiking and bird-watching, this sweet spot in the stunning San Juan Islands of Washington offers endless adventures for our Northwest Explorers. We got reports that they saw river otters and blue herons today!
Pacific Coast (PC)
Beautiful redwoods
and another fifty miles,
service tomorrow
PC is knocking mile after mile out of the park! They ought to give themselves a great big pat on the back for completing fifty long miles today! Riding the Redwood Coast with unending views sure makes time fly on the seat of a bike. The group was excited to explore Arcata this afternoon, followed by a mail pick-up, and now they’re resting up after yet another bike day absolutely crushed. We’re looking forward to pics of their service day tomorrow, where they’ll be conserving coastal environments!
Alps Explorer A (AXA)
Our Alps Explorers
are crushing the TMB,
soaking up the views
Take a moment to ogle over the magnificent golden alpenglow our AXA group got to wake up to this morning in Chamonix! Today, this crew has enjoyed views of Aiguille de Bionnassay, a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif known for its snowy knife-like ridge. As they wound their way through broken meadows of French countryside, the group also got views of the Aiguille de Bionnassay glacier, which forms the longest glacier in Italy when adding the glaciers it merges with. Today might be one of the most challenging days they have – both physically and mentally – as they head toward Les Praz, France. We have complete faith in these outstanding Alps Explorers!
Alps Explorer B (AXB)
The Italian Alps
beckon to this crew, as does
the delicious food!
AXB was basking in the glory of the views of Mont Blanc all day long! Today was a long day for this group, but their spirits were high as they marched through quaint Italian alpine towns! They can see a rest day on the horizon, and thoughts of gelato and pizza (in true Italian fashion) are carrying them through many kilometers today.
Europe Coast to Coast 1 (ECC1)
Seeing small French towns
by bicycle sounds dreamy –
bring home some cheese, please!
ECC1 crushed over 60 miles of rolling hills through the French countryside today! A road closure tried to slow them down, but a friendly local named Louis absolutely saved the day and showed the group to some beautiful bike trails. Once they got into camp, they found a giant giraffe bouncy house waiting for them! I didn’t know there were giraffes in France…
Europe Coast to Coast 2 (ECC2)
Bienvenue en France
for the ECC2 crew –
that’s their third country!
ECC2 says goodbye to Belgium and hello to France! The group snapped one last photo in front of the Belgian flag before rolling on into country #3 of their journey. They rode alongside canals all morning and past gothic cathedrals along cobblestone streets in the afternoon. It was the first major stretch of non-bike path roads, marking yet another accomplishment for these bikers! Despite it being a bit of a gray day, this crew lights up every road they ride with big bright smiles and high-vis jerseys – keep on cruising, ECC2!
Pyrenees Mountains and Coast (PMC)
Tomorrow will be
summit day, guided by the
beautiful lake views
PMC’s scenes today look like they ought to be right out of a movie! They took in scenes of alpine lakes and a view of Colomia today as they made their way up steep terrain towards their refuge for the night. The group is savoring this stunning country as their final destination isn’t too far away!
What will we do to one-up haiku day tomorrow? Guess you’ll have to check back here to find out!