Saluti a tutti! Kevin and I are back from our whirlwind tour of Umbria and Tuscany. It was a great trip and we are all the more excited to introduce next summer’s Tuscan Service Adventure as our first overseas offering. The bicycling is challenging, but stunning. The vistas are amazing, the sense of history is palpable, and the people warm and welcoming. The food isn’t bad either.
…but someone has to do it!
I know, I know – it’s brutal, but Kevin and I are off for Bella Italia on Sunday to scout our newest trip.We are really excited about the forthcoming (drum roll, please) “Tuscan Service Adventure.” The name is slightly misleading because our groups will be seeing some of the fantastic towns in Umbria – and wrapping up in Rome – but “Tuscan/Umbrian/Roman Service Adventure” just doesn’t sound right.
Dear Reader, of our four trips in the field, everyone is enjoying their last full day together today exploring big, beautiful cities on the West Coast.
Of our Pacific Coasters, now firmly ensconced on the south side of the Golden Gate, Alex and Lidia’s gang is, as I type, urging the driver of their double-decker tour bus to take on Lombard Street’s tight turns. Rachel and Sam’s group is just across the city in Haight-Ashbury (under very, very close supervision, I promise). Apologies in advance for the patchouli and tie-dye products parents are likely to see tomorrow night…
It’s official, ladies and gentlemen. Our 2010 bicycle riding has concluded. With ACC now chowing down on fish tacos and working on their non-biker tans at the beach in San Diego, and (as of about ten minutes ago) both of our Pacific Coast groups over the Golden Gate, we are calling it a wrap! The ACC gang has already boxed up their bikes and shipped them home — then they were driving (??) over to the beach this afternoon. The PC groups will be, to borrow a bit of today’s vernacular, maxin’ and relaxin’ in San Francisco for the rest of their time together over the next couple of days. Kevin is in San Francisco right now — taking pictures of the groups with a very talented photographer buddy of his. He did send me one shot of Alex and Lidia’s group posing on the northern end of the Golden Gate (he also told me that it was 54 degrees on the bridge at noon today…)
