By: Tim “Grubes” Gruber, Gracie “G Muny” Wright, & Hannah “Hans Olo” Gensheimer
Oh the wheel on my bike keeps on turning! Oh the 80s, how we miss them. As our office reveled in the sounds of the 80s today, our APO trips near and far were laying down the fresh new beats of today. And the beat goes, shoobie doobie do be doobie doobie do…..
Maine Coast Junior (MCJ2): While some trips are saying hello, our MCJ2ers are saying goodbye after a week’s worth of hikes, bikes, and the likes of Maine’s coast. You say why and I say I don’t know, oh no why are goodbyes always so tough?! A delicious dinner in Portland, finished off by some A’s and P’s capped off this group’s adventures. And that’s a wrap! Another trip for the ages in the books!
Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE2): Today, we salute you MCCE2ers. Steadily working your way up the high school ranks to this Apogee. From sea kayaking in the great outdoors, perfecting interviews better than Katie Couric, and writing a more riveting story than John Grisham, here’s to a week in the woods! We look forward to hearing about your adventures in the coming days!
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI2): Now that these Cape cruisers have gained balance on their bikes, they tested their coordination even further today with some surfing! Waves and wobbles aside, the surf and sun were definitely up and dealt the group a beautiful morning on the beach. Grace and Henry can’t stop raving about how rad this crew is – is it too much to try and tote surfboards on bikes for the rest of the trip?
New England Mountains & Coast (NEMC2): It’s time to air out the tents, break in those hiking boots and clip on those carabiners. That’s right – NEMC round 2 started today! The gang came together for an afternoon of games to break the ice (and the heat!) before settling into a night at camp. There will be plenty of time to monkey around tomorrow when they hit the ropes course – word on the street is that bananas are on the menu for breakfast!
Caribbean Service Adventure (CSA2): Surf’s up! The sun was shining and the waves were calling along the gorgeous shores of Rincon today. Our CSA crew hit the beach early this morning with their amazing teacher, Ramse, to learn some surfing basics before heading into the cool, blue waters. According to Sam and Zach, we had a few future Laird Hamilton’s out there (for those who don’t know Laird Hamilton, take 2 minutes to look him up on YouTube…) After working hard out there on the water, the afternoon was spent with a picnic lunch and some swimming at the beach. #paradise
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA2): If you’re near the Vermont/Canada border you might feel the earth move under your feet and your heart may start trembling because our VM2ers are into Canada today! A spurt of thunderstorms forced these eager beavers to post up in a welcome center to wait out the rumbles, but a lil’ rain didn’t dampen their spirits. A nice stamp in the passport book and some poutine, sounds like a good reward, eh?
Maine’s Downeast Explorer A (DEXA2): The soft pitter-patter of rain was the natural alarm for the DEX crew this morning as they awoke before dawn to catch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain! They were not only the first in the country to see the sun but the leaders also set a record by getting a picture to us in the wee hours of the morning. Luckily this group could catch up on zzz’s on the van ride to Bangor, where they stocked up on food and fun times in preparation for the backcountry tomorrow!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer B (DEXB2): It’s 9 o’ clock on a Saturday, DEXB2 hikes on out, there’s my best friend hiking next to me, telling jokes that make us all crack a grin! Oh sing us a song we’re going to Baxter State Park! DEX2B (or not to be?) made their way into Baxter State Park, but not before they treated themselves to some delectable ice cream as a reward for hiking out of the backcountry! Ice cream? TREAT YO SELF!
Costa Rica Language & Service (CRLS2): The CSRLers were up bright and early (is 5 am early enough for you??) to pack up and leave the Spanish school by 6:00 AM for their next part of their Costa Rican journey – three days in the beautiful rainforest! They met up with their guides a little before lunch time, transited to their trailhead, and hiked a stunning three miles to their Ecolodge which will be “home” for the next few days. Their hike included toucans, enormous, indigenous ecology, and plenty of waterfalls. Their cell phone service won’t be anything to call home about (pun intended), so we’ll be without photos for the next few days until they return back on the 26th.
California Mountains & Coast A (CMC2A): It’s ta-ta for now as this crew takes a brief hiatus from the tendrils of technology and completes their first full day in Yosemite’s epic wilderness (and who can blame them?)! They saw no shortage of lakes today as they climbed to the Ten Lakes Basin, and we anxiously await to see the photos they have of the incredible views. Hopefully the abundant marmots in the area don’t sneak away with anyone’s camera….
California Mountains & Coast B (CMC2B): Guess who’s back -ack -ack, back again -gain, -gain…that’s right, this crew has returned from the Yosemite backcountry! Viewers take warning (as a direct quote from leader Nick): “These pictures will make you buy a one way ticket straight to Yosemite.” Good times were had by all on CMC2B – their 9 mile Challenge Day was tough but they all came together and made it through, not without the help of a surprise jar of Nutella! Reuniting with their van and showers was the cherry on top of a great trip in the wild wilderness. Don’t worry, they have ample time to rest their legs with the start of their kayaking adventure tomorrow!
Europe Coast to Coast (ECC): Our ECC caravan cruised along the flat bike paths by Bodensee today, the scenic route! At 115 km, it was one of their longest days of the trip thus far. After a tour of some of the most gorgeous lakeside towns, they stopped at a lovely playground for lunch. Turns on the carousel brought them back to their roots before getting back on their bikes to cross yet another border! They’re excited to have a rest day to explore Breganz tomorrow. Ugh ECC, why’d you have to go breaking my heart with all these stunning European cities?
America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1): Wait, what’s that over yonder? Where? Over there! Oh wow, is that? No, it can’t be. It is! Jimmy Hoffa? Close, that’s New Mexico! Toot too ra loo ACC1 cycled their way through Texas and on to the new frontier – New Mexico! Six states down, three to go! Is it too early to play some California Dreamin on our turntables?
America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2): Lucy and Dixie say, “We gotta hold on to what we’ve got. We’ve got to drink enough water cause we’re sweating a lot. We’ve got each other and that’s a lot. For love we’ll give it a shot. HALFWAY THERE! OHHH!” Fabulous day for our ACC2ers hitting the halfway mark in their odyssey (thanks for the intro, Jon). Hope you didn’t just realize you forgot your teddy bear back in Charleston cause this group’s punching their way to Cali!
