Day 10 – Pterodactyls and Other Wildlife Sightings

Another beautiful day in Brunswick was accompanied by a distinct lack of phone calls (no news is good news, right?) which meant it was pretty relaxed here. From what I can tell, the trips all had a good time today too! Wanna see?

CI: The first trip of the year is starting to wind down, as the Cape-ers make their way to their last destination tonight! Below is a shot of the group full of smiles on the ferry from Provinceton to Boston, where they will spend tomorrow exploring, celebrating, and reminiscing about their great trip!

VM: Spending the morning in Burlington removing invasive knotweed and having lots of fun, they demolished their mileage on their way to their island destination. They are super excited about getting to kayak and picnic on Lake Champlain tomorrow!  Who has two thumbs and loves community service?  We do!  (We also love pro-Apogee uses of pretzels…)

DEX: Here are our DEXters summitting Sargent Mountain this afternoon, with stunning Acadia National Park sprawling behind them! The second shot shows them working out their post-hike angst….  After an always enjoyable mail stop, the group is recharged by letters and packages from home and ready to beast out the next few days of the trip! (ED NOTE:  We’re not sure what “beast out” means.  Perhaps Sam will elucidate for us in coming days…)

NEMC: The NEMC-ers got off to an early start today to hike up Mt. Willard. It paid off, as they got to enjoy lunch on the summit with a magnificent view of the presidential range – a truly memorable hike!

 

CQ1A: Sleeping inside tonight Nick and Susie’s group all jazzed, and here are several of their number with their host at their humble abode for the evening! Riding went smoothly today, and the group is ready for Canada in a few days!

CQ1B: The rides today were not only filled with hills, but the massage trains that have become a staple of Mia and Alex’s group breaks – makes the ride much more enjoyable. The group is into Unity tonight and super excited to be sleeping inside, and getting pizza for dinner!

CMC: Another day out of cell reception by the Cali-crew was spent traveling up the Big Sur a bit to a an amazing coastal hike.  Tomorrow, we expect to hear from these guys as they cross the Central Valley, re-provision, and settle in the shadow of Yosemite.  We’ll do our best to make sure that everyone calls home tomorrow, too!

MSA: Exploring the many delights of rural Montana, we see here a group of pterodactyls outside the world renowned rock museum.  Scary!  Another gorgeous day, this group is having a killer time on their journey to Whitefish!

CSA: CSA has a transit day today as they leave behind the beautiful forest of El Yunque for the island paradise of Vieques. The group couldn’t be more excited for a kayaking/snorkeling/swimming adventure tomorrow, exploring the gorgeous ecosystems of the island, and stay in a phenomenal open air guest house complete with sea breezes and all the Scrabble boards one can shake a stick at.

PC1A: When I got the “elk spotting” text from McKayla, I got excited about the first wildlife report I have heard in the office this summer! The photo they managed to take of this “elk” didn’t fail to live up to the hype – must be like a 40-pointer (and, come to think of it, looks surprisingly like the dinosaurs in Montana – quick, somebody call Darwin!)!

PC1B: We didn’t hear from Hannah and Shem today, but fear not – they’re cruising through some of Northern California’s most beautiful area – one replete with enormous redwoods, but short on cell-phone service. When we heard from yesterday, the group was firing with all cylinders!

TSA: After bruising their 86 km yesterday, their longest mileage day of the trip, they are embracing the rest for their tired legs. They are off of the bikes today and exploring Siena (see pic in front of the Duomo this afternoon), where they enjoyed several hours exploring and several cups of gelato! High spirits prevail; below, they are featured celebrating some Yankee pride on the Fourth, and in another of the ubiquitous sunflower fields.  Tomorrow, it’s more vineyards and rolling hills that will take them into the busy streets of Florence.

ACC1: Trampling 70 miles by 12:30, another night of sleeping inside has got this group amped. This night is made even better by some time to watch a movie and enjoy the ping pong table too!

ACC2: Rejuvenated from their lounge day yesterday, Mike and Danika led the group to an early start, from which they pulverized their way to the Alabama border. Unfortunately they accidentally turned around at the border and got a picture which makes it look like they are entering Georgia again, but we promise, they have moved a little in the past few days! Tonight they are in for a treat, as they are having a barbeque prepared for them by the fire department!