Good evening, Wide World of Apogee! Chad here. Lot’s going on out there today – let’s skip the preliminaries and get to it, eh?
VMA: Our two Vermont to Montreal trips came to its conclusion today after a long van ride down from Montreal to Manchester. The pouring rain providing fitting symbolism for the bittersweet hugs. Here’s a shot of Noah and Rosa’s gang saying “au revoir” at the airport earlier today.
Hey, where’d you guys get those cool shirts?
VMB: Here’s a shot of Victoria and Matt’s group from a couple of days ago – they did not, in fact, decide to stay….
CSA: It was a great first day of service down there in the hills above Utuado. Hannah, Dylan and Co. got their hands dirty before 7:30 in the morning. After crushing the service on the finca until lunchtime, they took time to explore some amazing caves and an indigenous heritage center this afternoon. It’s back to work early tomorrow morning!
CQA: Up here in Maine – it rained today. A lot. You’ll notice a theme as we talk about our CQ and DEX groups – everyone was wet. That said, spirits remain high. Ben and Lizzie’s group was looking forward to their service project this morning, but found themselves with a free day to hike and explore Camden after the service had to be canceled due to rain. So – hiking Mt Megunticook and a little post-hike hot chocolate in town was an excellent way to carpe the diem!
CQB: Also a bit soggy, but no worse for wear, Posie and Postyn’s group pulled into Camden themselves this afternoon. They should have a much better day for service tomorrow. In fact, we’re looking forward to a Chamber of Commerce-worthy stretch of weather in Maine starting tomorrow. Cool, dry breezes and sunshine should be order of the day for a long stretch!
DEX: Our Maine triumvirate is rounded out by our DEXsters. I heard from Izzy today – she said the group was coming together very nicely. They were taking advantage of the foggy day by hiking some of the wonderful, forested trails in Acadia National Park. It was a perfect day to build fairy houses (popular up that way, or so I hear…).
CMC: Well, well – look who emerged from the woods! Jack, CC and their crew bid farewell to the Yosemite backcountry today – they reported that their time in the woods was magical but that they were looking forward to hitting the coast later this afternoon. They made up for lost time with the smorgasbord of pictures you’ll see below!
Clean plates post back-country…
NWXA: Kelly and Garth’s crew got off to a fast start – I’m not sure we’ve had an NWX group hit the snowpacks so early in the trip, but these guys are smooth operators. All systems are “go” as they are now deep into Olympic National Park!
It sure looks like someone is getting pelted with snowballs….. Sorry, Kelly.
NWXB: To their east and north by a couple of hundred miles, Mia and Jeremy’s group is blown away by the beauty they’re encountering in North Cascades National Park. They snuck out a couple of pictures, but their picture-sending ability is going to be very hit or miss over the next few days – we’ll hope the cell gods look on us favorably. So far so good!
PC: Tim and Ally’s PCers had a picture-perfect morning to start their riding – they’re rolling in to the Coos Bay area this afternoon and looking awfully good doing it.
ECC: On their “off” day in Landeck, Austria, our ECCers enjoyed a little bit of cross-cultural exchange as they worked alongside local kids to clean up the forest around Landeck. They enjoyed a post-service work dip in the lake and even some grilled wursten (apologies to Susie, our resident German scholar – I don’t know how to put the two little dots over the “u”…). They’re back on the road tomorrow – they’ll cross (briefly) into Switzerland and by the afternoon, they’ll be deep into Italy!
ACC1: The stop at the Owl Head Cafe in New Mexico for green chile cheeseburgers has become an ACC tradition. “Rite of passage” – with emphasis on the rite… – may be a better term depending on how you feel about green chile cheeseburgers… These guys are looking forward to their day off in Socorro, NM tomorrow.
ACC2: And a bit to the east, you’ll find Mike and Mckayla’s superstars. They crushed their miles – per usual – today and we’re hanging out poolside this afternoon in Roswell, NM – home of the UFO museum and Area 51. We’ll report any extraterrestrial sightings ASAP!
