Trek Log

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away,  There was a hotel with great air conditioning and 10 trekkers. The group woke early to eat a buffet breakfast that was out of this world. After saying their goodbyes to the very kind hotel staff, the young Jedi’s set off on their space ships to adventure into the unknown. Treated in to flat space the crew flew at the speed of light. Making good time, they arrived at the unexplored planet Poughkeepsie where they had many alien meats (baloney) and explored the beautiful walk over the Hudson bridge as depicted by the photo below. The rest of the day flew by, but the crew appreciated the scenic hills and home station of Franklin D. Roosevelt. They declared war on the mosquitos of Mills Norrie State Park and, finally, they finished their day with a beautiful sunset along the Hudson.

Bright and early like a neon bullet train, we were up and at’em between 5-7am. East Coast mindstate on West Coast time. Instant coffee granules plinked about the pot as H2O molecules danced the Charleston until steaming like John Henry’s iron opponent. At this point, the two merged like sputtering corporate entities into squid ink black java which could cauterize Luke Skywalker’s severed arm. We sipped, packed, adjusted, tightened, yawned, brushed and watched a featherweight stray dog chase one of Whidbey’s quintillion bunnies, ears floppier than the state of 1990’s disk storage. Five miles in, we ‘petaled’ to the beautiful Flower Cafe for drinks or pastries of choice. Charged up like Nissan Leafs, we took leave and fluttered towards the grocery store to buy our next three meals. Another five to a coastal garden lunch spot with some bodacious hills which had us down to a crawl. A bird perched atop Zach’s head for at least one Geico commercial’s length, and we strolled a bit before another run of the hills. We’re gonna be putting on some serious quad muscle this week… Breaks made plenty more time for our game du jour, Contact, and a scenic coastal ride to another store for fruits, chips ‘n fudge ice cream replenished our glycogen reserves enough to power us through to the home stretch. Opting for a short cut, we found a delightful gravel bike trail that put us near camp. We then portaged through a woodsy labyrinth of a mountain bike trail and emerged at Ft. Ebey campground, where Elliot, Annabelle and Jacob produced an angelic gnocchi as the group stood as a living halo around the fire. We arose to meet the challenging hills, and the road unfurled before us, blossoming into a day of color and fragrant comestibles. Next up, Lopez Island.

We woke up around 7:30 in the hostel in Seattle. We had free breakfast before going to pack our bikes and leave the hostel. Isaiah and Jacob navigated us out of Seattle, getting us to the ferry terminal on the breathtaking Puget Sound waterfront after some shopping. We took a FAST ferry to Kingston to then get on another one to Edmonds back on the mainland. The ferries had beautiful views of Seattle and of the Cascades. We also learned new card games as well as playing well-known ones like B.S. (which is totally insane with 6+ people). Once on the mainland, we had some real riding to do. We rode through the suburbs of Seattle, with minty fresh breath courtesy of Altoids, and for the most part the ride was quite smooth. There were few cars on the road, and for the most part we stuck together quite well. At one point, however, we had to adjust cables on Annabelle’s bike. Lowen and Elliot volunteered to take a side quest with a leader to a bike shop to retrieve said cables. This just gave the rest of us even more time to learn new card games (like Egyptian Ratscrew, which is really a blast). Eventually the bike was fixed, and we started riding again. We got to the ferry terminal for our third and final ferry, after many fun (though twisty) downhills. This ferry was only about twelve minutes. Not even a baker’s dozen. We got to Whidbey Island, where our group divided in order to conquer. James, Simon, Charlotte and Robyn went to the grocery store for dinner and breakfast, while the rest of us went to the campground. After some [incredibly hilly] biking on the beautiful Whidbey Island we got to the campground. We huddled around the camp stove as the bolognese burbled. Someone saw a shooting star. We slept. Tomorrow we are going to do double the mileage. It’s gonna be tops!! – Isaiah

Once upon a time in the highlands of New York there were 8 gremlins and 2 giants. All were very different from each other but they had one thing in common – an epic journey to the mystical lands of maple monsters. They rode their metal horses at the break of dawn, ready for a day of adventure. After many crests and troughs they arrived at a tavern to fill their gourds (get water). Then they ventured to a stable where they hoped to reshape their horses shoes but alas the stable was a mirage (the bike shop on google maps that was just someone’s house). Beyond this fallacy of a stable we needed to attend to a damaged wing of our Pegasus’s (a series of flat tires). Progressing forward, the gremlins and giants found themselves in a never-ending mountainous incline and deduced that the commonwealth of New York was too topographical. They then venture to a center of enlightenment to quench their thirst but were forced to drink from an aqueduct. Their travels contained a whimsical picnic lunch by the picturesque Hudson River. After a dip in the magical stream their map led them to a magical kingdom of Walmart. Refueling with iced dessert and attending to our steeds we reached the welcoming lands of the Best Western. Upon dismounting our herd the band swam in the fountain of youth (HOTEL POOL). Lighting a bonfire the group reflected on their travels, while eating large turkey legs (grilled chicken kebabs), looking forward to where tomorrow takes them. 

We awoke to our final Trekker Simon’s arrival, rounding out the group of 11 just in time for Continental victuals. As granola settled and sun crested, we set out to an REI of unfathomable proportions to tend achy bikes and browse carefully appointed displays of what suburbanites believe to be ideal outdoor living. Generally this involves a Yeti cooler, complicated sandals and down-filled vests in primary colors. *** Bikes and gear appointed, next up was lunch by the Space Needle, peppered with frisbee, safety drills, mini soccer  and a healthy host of “Contact” — a game of synergistic verbal divination while Charlotte stitched the clouds atop Seattle’s iconic saucer. *** A theme of exploration drives the group; to venture out, take in new sights, sounds and modes of existence. Together, they will experience new country and expand horizons without 5G fetters to blinker attention. How many people, of any age, take time away from the world of binary certainty to venture into the unknown? What do we regain when we leave behind ones and zeros for infinite possibility? Our 11 may have answers in the coming weeks. Or better yet, more questions, leading to more exploration. Non-linear progression. *** We rounded out our evening at “Asean Streat Food Hall”, finding purchase amidst the stalls for our individual tastes — banh mi, bulgogi, bok choy and boba and other foodstuffs that don’t start with ‘B’. After a little more evening exploration round Pike Place, we gathered to discuss our journey’s true beginning, to Whidbey Island. We’ll bike and ferry our way to this promised land, keeping an eye out for mammalian seafarers. Life is rarely black and white, but maybe Whidbey whales will be.

To whom it may concern, Today 10 valiant young bikers embarked from all over the country to meet up in the illustrious Tarrytown. As Chaitan put it, “it was (a) super lit crazy” day. On the first day on their epic journey North the team faced several challenges, namely, elevators and whistling. Huge milestones were covered – Sophia biked up her first hill and camped for the first time! Jane, Mason and Hadley cooked up an amazing dinner which can best be described as deconstructed nachos. Best dressed goes to Chase and his awesome parrot helmet. Not to mention, Henry’s electronic irrigation technique changed the game on dishes. Nate’s capacity to nap despite the scorching heat blew us all away. Tomorrow we look forward to an early morning to beat the heat and our lavish stay at the Best Western in Fishkill. Peace and Love,  NYC-Montreal Trekkers 

Nine sleepy, excited Trekkers and two Trip Leaders met at the Tarrytown Metro-North train station this morning to begin a 400 mile bike ride to Montreal, Canada. This morning they will gather in a circle to introduce themselves, play name games, discuss the up-coming adventure, and talk about bike safety. Once on their bikes its a short 15 mile ride on varied terrain to Croton Point Park where they will swim, cook dinner, and set up their tents on 2 peaceful campsites. Over the next 16 days the group will ride along the east side of the beautiful Hudson River, passing through Poughkeepsie, Albany, Lake George, Burlington, VT, and into Canada to Montreal. Stay tuned, right here to read about their daily adventures!

Cardboard effloresced in the airport vestibule as multi-tools glinted under fluorescent light. Trekkers trickled in one by one, two by two, each wrangling a Black Friday TV-sized box filled with specialized aluminum. The mission, at all costs, was to set up 10 bikes in Sea-Tac. Mission accomplished. Then came navigation into hostel territory, the Green Tortoise in Pike Place. Green like Starbucks. We would take the train, depositing us a hair’s breadth from the tortoise’s shell. But the train would stop short, like Frank Costanza, for maintenance, leaving us 2.5 miles out. With no other recourse, we biked. We made it. We charmed hostel managers into storing our bikes in their basement, and settled in just before a sorely needed homemade spaghetti dinner. Minutes ticked by. Seconds were had. Ragu vanished like a possum over a picket fence. Trekkers explored, showered, ice-creamed, acquired free hats and generally conked out around 10:30. The water pressure was lauded. It was a long day, but the group’s patience and resourcefulness bodes well for the coming weeks. A latte people would call this trip a tall order. For this batch, it’s a grande Americano ad-venti-ure.