Day 28: Hanging With the Glacial Erratics

Good evening, Dear Reader!  For better or worse, you have Chad here again.  And again, we’ve got a lot going on out there, so let’s get right to it! 

CQA:  The ghosts in the machine that control such matters deigned to let through one picture from Lizzie and Ben’s group today.  They enjoyed a great day for riding and are now happily ensconced in Unity, ME.  With every day of riding now, they’re getting deeper into the great north woods.  

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CQB:  Meanwhile, back on the coast, Posie and Postyn’s group had a great day for service today.  They built and installed three bog bridges on trails in conservation land managed by the Coastal Mountains Land Trust – nice work!  As a post-service treat – some people like ice cream, these guys prefer glacial erratics.  Go figure.

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On the bridge they built…

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Hanging with a “glacial erratic.”  I told Posie that they used to call me that in high school.  Never knew what they meant… 

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Hanging under the same glacial erratic.  No CQers were harmed in the taking of this picture…

DEX:  Further down the coast, it our DEXsters took in not one, not two, but three peaks today.  And we’ve got the pictures to prove it!

IMG_20130724_115712Peak #1.

IMG952013072495105909Peak #2 – large-muscled animals!

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And….peak #3!

CSA:  Here are a couple of great shots from our Caribbean service rockstars – the first is the stunning view from the caves they conquered yesterday – then a couple of shots from service on the hacienda.  They got to see one of the largest old-growth stands of Tabonuco trees on the island – these 500+ year-old trees are majestic.

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IMG_1027Nothing like spreading 700+ pounds of eggshells on a plantain field to make a spot of shade feel awfully nice…

CMC:  Unbelievably – to me at least – our CMCers are most of the way through their last full day together.  They got off to a great start this morning doing service at Half Moon Bay State Park – pretty nice day for it, don’t you think?  This afternoon, they’re in San Francisco, exploring the city, looking forward to a great dinner out, and sending in the requisite day-glo headband/Golden Gate Bridge shot…

IMG_4068Take that, non-indigenous iceplant!

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PC:  We received some great shots from Ally today as their group is cruising up and over the infamous “Seven Devils Road” south of Coos Bay, OR – each “devil” is it’s own hill…

IMG_1492Ally called this the “Putin Face” shot…

IMG_1493Maybe the “Putin After Snowden Finally Leaves the Airport” Shot??

IMG_1486Conquering the Seven Devils!

NWXA:  Kelly found a pocket of cell reception to send us these great shots from the ol’swimmin’ hole over there in the Olympics.

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IMG_53991, 2 …..

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NWXB:  Over in the North Cascades, it was a different cell-service story.  Mia and Jeremy, unfortunately, did not have the same luck as their pals in the Olympics.  They should have better luck tomorrow as they’ll be sneaking back towards civilization to take in a day of rafting on the lovely Sauk River. 

ACC1:  On their second-to-last (!) rest day before San Diego (!!), Alexis and Nick’s dynamos enjoyed Socorro.  They also enjoyed their time sharing stories with some of the more senior members of town in Socorro today.  They’ll be right back at it tomorrow, though, making their way up into the hills near Datil, NM.

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ACC2:  Mike, McKayla and the crew were charging hard to the west today, getting their first real view of the southern Rocky Mountains.  They had a postcard-perfect day for riding today – and check out that tail wind in Pic #3…

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ECC:  Our ECCers are tucked into one my very favorite medieval villages in Europe – the town of Glurns (or Glorenza to the few Italian speakers in this part of South Tyrol) in Italy’s Adige River valley.  They didn’t have the ability to send in a picture today, but here’s another good one from yesterday – this is post-service at the lake in Landeck, Austria.  You’ve got Anna in the foreground and your humble riders over there on the left.  Cool shot, David!

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