It’s Friday, folks, and what better way to help us get through that final push to the weekend than with some fun facts? For many of our groups it is their last full day together (my, how the time flies!) and that means returning from the wilderness and exploring some pretty cool places! Let’s dive in and get our daily dose of trivia!
Skip to a Specific Trip: MCJA, MCJB, NEMCA, NEMCB, CRMA, CRMB, CS, MCCE, MCP, DEX, VMA, VMB, CRLS, CRMC, CMCA, CMCB, AKMC, NWXA, NWXB, PCA, PCB, SH, AX, PMC
Maine Coast Junior (MCJA)
What better way to start the day than to give back? MCJA got their gardening gloves on and helped out at the Harpswell Community Garden! After some digging in the dirt, the crew headed to town for a farewell dinner, reminiscing about all of the fun that they had this past week! Fun Maine fact coming your way: because of all of its inlets and islands, Maine actually has more coastline than California!
Maine Coast Junior (MCJB)
Much like MCJA, MCJB showed off their green thumbs today, too! With a day of service at a local garden, MCJB made their mark on the community and then washed the dirt off to celebrate their last night together! Fun Maine fact for ya: Maine is the only state that borders only one state (New Hampshire)!
New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)
NEMCA spent the morning out in the fresh air, volunteering at the Harpswell Community Garden, weeding and tending to the beautiful grounds. They then headed to Portland for some city exploring before a final group dinner. We doubt that they had Italian sandwiches for dinner, but did you know that the original Italian sub was created by an Italian baker in Portland?
New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)
NEMCB took to the water today, kayaking their way around the Maine coast before heading to Portland for a final, celebratory group dinner! Did you know that the word “kayak” means “hunter’s boat”? The only things this group will be hunting are good memories though!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains A (CRMA)
Though they were sad to depart Estes Park, the group quickly put their all into their service project for the morning, helping out at a local community food bank! With a successful community service project under their belt, the group made their way to the one and only Boulder, Colorado! Did you know that Boulder has a building that rivals the Empire State Building? The Third Flatiron building stands 1,400 feet high!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains B (CRMB)
Teamwork makes the dream work! CRMB partnered with CRMA to help out at a food bank, sorting and packing food for members of the community. Their hearts full from the positive impact that they made, they headed to Boulder for their final evening together. They’ll likely run into some bookstores while they explore: Boulder has more used bookstores per capita than any other city in the country! Perhaps they’ll grab some literature to pass the time during their travels tomorrow.
Caribbean Service (CS)
The small, but loud coquí frog is the national animal of Puerto Rico because it mirrors the island’s image: small, but mighty! Much like the coquí, our time together may have been small, but the impact was BIG! We will miss you, CS! Hasta luego!
Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE)
This morning MCCE crossed the last t’s and dotted the last i’s in their essays and then spent the afternoon sharing the fruits of their labor! What better way to share their hard work than to share it with their peers and mentors on the trip? Did you know that the college essay was born at Harvard in 1874? MCCE has officially joined the ranks of 145 years worth of college essay writers! We are very proud of all that you have accomplished, MCCE!
Maine Coast Photo (MCP)
After a morning hike, filling their lungs with fresh Maine air and finding creative inspiration in the outdoors, MCP headed to their final workshop of the trip and put the finishing touches on their photographs. A fun fact about photos: today as many photos are taken in less than 2 minutes than were taken in the entire world during the 1800’s…we’re sure that MCP played a big part in bumping up those numbers with all of the photos they’ve been taking!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEX)
Today DEX is attempting the tallest mountain in Maine: Katahdin! This mountain is also the northern terminus for the Appalachian Trail, so perhaps they will run into some of the thru-hikers, celebrating their last few miles on the trail! With weary muscles, the hikers returned to camp in Baxter, settling in for a hearty meal and a well-deserved night of rest! Way to go, DEX!
Vermont to Montréal A (VMA)
Au revoir, VMA! It has been a pleasure seeing you accomplish a multi-national bike trip! Keep on pedaling out there. We will miss you! We hoped you enjoyed your dinner out on the town last night…did you know that Montreal has the highest number of restaurants per capita in Canada and the second highest in North America (next to NYC)? Sounds like you all had a tough decision!
Vermont to Montréal B (VMB)
We are sad to see VMB go – oh the feats that they accomplished and the miles that they crushed! There is a lot to be proud of, dear friends, and we will miss you so! We know you’ll have all of the wonderful memories of the trip to bring back with you, but we also want to send you off with this fun fact about Montreal: the first ever hockey game was played in the city in 1875! Maybe next time you will come back during the snowier months and take part yourselves!
Costa Rica Language & Service (CRLS)
Well, zip-a-dee-doo-dah! CRLS zipped around the rainforest canopy – literally! Nothing like a zip-line adventure to wrap up your time in Costa Rica, eh? Fun fact: not everyone calls it zip-lining…other names for the activity include “aerial rope slide,” “foefie slide,” and, our personal favorite, “flying fox.” After their adrenaline pumping day, the group enjoyed a final dinner together, celebrating and reminiscing all that they have accomplished! Enjoy, you flying foxes!
Yesterday’s post-hike beach adventure
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
Snorkeling yesterday and surfing today, we just can’t seem to keep CRMC out of the water! The group grabbed their boards and hit the waves for their last morning in Uvita. Fun surfing fact: the longest ride ever done on a single wave was 37 minutes on a wave in the Amazon River. I wonder if any of our CRMC-ers broke that record? After hanging up their wetsuits, the group headed back to Alajuela where they will spend their final night together and enjoy their last tortilla-filled meal!
California Mountains & Coast (CMCA)
Kicking the day off by giving back to the community, CMCA helped the rangers at Half Moon Bay State Beach with habitat restoration, removing invasive plant species from the landscape! This beach is actually home to some of the tallest surf in California, making it an excellent place for surfers! After their service, the group headed to San Francisco for some exploring and a final dinner in the city!
California Mountains & Coast (CMCB)
CMCB teamed up with CMCA this morning to remove invasive plant species at Half Moon Bay and we hear they were a force to be reckoned with! After completing their community service they headed back to where they started: San Francisco! After a day of exploring the city, the group enjoyed their last dinner together and sipped some refreshing drinks through bendy straws, which were invented in San Fran (let’s hope they were reusable bendy straws). Enjoy these sweet shots from yesterday’s surfing adventure!
Alaska Mountains & Coast (AKMC)
We’ve got some action shots from yesterday’s adventure ice hiking on Exit Glacier! After that adrenaline-filled adventure, the group headed to the Alaska Sealife Center where they spent the morning volunteering with this awesome organization which hosts a public aquarium and a marine mammal rehabilitation center. The group then headed back to Anchorage for their final evening together! Fun fact about Anchorage: according to the American Water Works Association, Anchorage has the best tasting drinking water of any US city! Enjoy your last day together, AKMC and drink all the water you can!
Northwest Explorer (NWXA)
A full day of fun in Seattle for NWXA! The group took the city by storm, exploring all of the exciting sights and delicacies that the city has to offer. Perhaps this fun fact feels particularly relevant since we are listening to The Beatles at Apogee headquarters today, but did you know that Seattle was the first US city to play a Beatles song on the radio? The group Came Together for one last dinner before they get their Ticket to Ride back home tomorrow!
Northwest Explorer (NWXB)
It sure is amazing how quickly three weeks can fly by! Moving from naturescapes to cityscapes, NWXB spent the day exploring the Emerald City – no, not the fabled home of the Wizard of Oz, but Seattle! Why is it called the Emerald City you ask? Well, because it is surrounded by lush greenery all year, of course! Enjoy this last day together, NWXB!
Pacific Coast (PCA)
Trading in their bikes for walking shoes, PCA took to the streets of San Francisco today and got a real flavor for the city! So much to see, so little time…the seized the day though and eventually made their way to a restaurant for their final group dinner…so bittersweet! Speaking of things that are bittersweet, San Francisco is home to Ghirardelli Square and home of Ghirardelli chocolate. The owner came to San Francisco during the Gold Rush to sell his chocolate to gold miners…glad they stuck around after all these years!
Pacific Coast (PCB)
What better way to celebrate yesterday’s accomplishment of finishing a 600 mile bike ride than to spend the day exploring the Golden Gate City? Surely the bridge will serve as a point of reference for the group as they explore the nooks and crannies of the city, but did you know that the bridge almost wasn’t painted its iconic International Orange color? The US Navy wanted it to be painted black with yellow stripes…we’re happy it turned out the way it did! After pounding the pavement, the group gathered for a final dinner to celebrate their biking feat!
Scottish Highlands (SH)
Our Scottish Highlands crew spent the day enjoying all that Auld Reekie has to offer! Did anyone else know that was Edinburgh’s nickname? Cause we sure didn’t! We also didn’t know that Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn and we think that’s pretty nifty! The group headed for a final dinner (haggis, anyone?), recapping all of the events of their time in Scotland.
Alps Explorer (AX)
Today AX enjoyed their last day together exploring beautiful Geneva, Switzerland! Not only did they take in the sights of the city, they also got to work, cleaning up the city’s botanical garden. Tonight they head for a final group dinner in the city and celebrate all that they have accomplished! Fun fact: did you know that the World Wide Web was created in a laboratory in Geneva? Without it we would be diligently sending carrier pigeons to all of you with trip updates! Thanks for saving us the time, Geneva!
Pyrenees Mountains & Coast (PMC)
It’s the last full day for PMC and they are celebrating in style! Hitting the streets of Barcelona, they wandered and took in all that the Mediterranean city has to offer. Fun fact: Barcelona is the only city in the world to be awarded a Royal Gold Medal for architecture! With visions of paella dancing in their heads, they headed out to dinner and toasted to a wonderful trip together!