Day 38 – It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Sam here. The heat that began the summer has returned, and looks like it’s here to stay in Brunswick for the foreseeable future.  Another sweltering day in Maine means 85 degrees…while for our ACC1-ers it means 101+.  So let’s get to the trips in the field.  Just two without photos today.

TSA: While low camera battery sadly prohibits a blog shot from the Italy crew, Laura and Pat did check in to give us some details on another stunning day in Italy (I sense a theme here). A morning of service was spent in the vineyard and the kitchen, working with food fresh from the estate.  One tasty, very freshly picked lunch later, they spent an afternoon lounging with some board games and a litter of baby kittens to round out a great, relaxing day.  The only thing missing was gelato!

NWX: Still in the backcountry, no news is good news. So great news folks, no photo today!

CI: The CI-ers finished all their biking (for the day and the trip) before lunch, as it was smooth pedaling into Provincetown.  They were very happy to board the ferry to their final destination of Boston, where they will spend one last, awesome day together tomorrow.

CSA: Today brings the first “all-alive, all-awake” photo from CSA in a while! Their second day in Cabo Rojo was spent in the Salvation Army, organizing (and perhaps even some playing with) children’s toys. The group is having a great time and looking forward to surfing lessons tomorrow.

PCA: Today was an incredible day of riding for PCA.  Conquering the biggest climb on the Pacific Coast between Canada and Mexico (Leggett Mountain) is no easy feat, but they did it with gusto as the motivation of a rest day pushed them forward.  Tomorrow  they will get some well-deserved rest, relaxation, and non-bike time.

PCB: Another day along the Eel River, this group continues to cruise towards San Francisco. On their way to some great swimming at the campground tonight, here is a shot of the group at the grocery store at lunch.

ACC1: The group got their first real taste of CA today that wasn’t just sand and desert as they rolled into Palm Desert (it’s name is deceiving, there is lots of green from irrigation).  The group is preparing for a crazy climb out of town in the AM tomorrow (like 12 miles uphill), but they have less than 150 miles to go (it seems like it was just yesterday they still had 2800 to go).

Per request of fearless co-leaders Dave and Anna this photo is captioned: “NANANANNANANANANNAANANANANNA BATMAN”

ACC2: A quick 56 miles brought Mike and Danika’s group into Parker, where they first laid eyes on California. Most of today will be spent in air conditioned motel rooms napping and cheering for the USA in the Olympics before a quick 17 mile headstart later this afternoon to their campsite.  The next 24 hours will be one of those many days that allows us to describe this trip as EPIC as they will cross 110 miles of desert to get to 29 Palms…which will bring with it a motel pool – what more could a group ask for after biking 110 miles through the hot, hot heat of CA?!