Across America Trekkers turn to paper maps

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Today was a day of highs and lows, literally and metaphorically. Our day began with helpful advice from a friendly park ranger and fellow biker, who joined us for our group photo! She advised us of a much more direct route into town where we stopped for supplies and bike maintenance. Then began a difficult trek up “7 Mile Hill”, which set us back from our intended pace, but our lunch at the peak with a view of the badlands below made for a nice midday break. We learned from a citizen on the hill who refilled our water that we took the hard way and missed the scenic route. Lesson learned! Now we’re breaking out the paper maps and working together to plan routes rather than rely on Google. Though our mileage came out to just under 40, we capped the scorcher of a day by finding a wonderful campground on the Washington side of the Columbia River thanks to advice from a friendly local. It offered beautiful views and even ancient petroglyphs. Then we ate pasta and prepared for the
 morn. Until tomorrow!

Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers eat pie, visit museums and bike the city

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Today, we started our day by going to a place that sold this lovely apple pie. It was much lighter than American pie, but it was still better regardless. We biked around a lot today and got to see a lot of the city. Then, we passed the Annefrankhuis, but we weren’t able to get tickets. After that, we went to the NEMO Science Museum and even got to go to the top of the museum. One of our bikes needed fixing so we took it to a repair shop. We also went to a flea market, where we bought lunch and souvenirs. For dinner, we ate some pizzas, burgers, pasta at the hostel we’ve been staying at for a few days. Tomorrow, we’re going to leave Amsterdam, and spend 5 nights camping on our way to Bruges.

-Trekker Samuel 

Walking Tours and Museum Visits in Amsterdam

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

We woke up early and ate breakfast outside the hostel this morning in order to make it to the Rijks museum. We stayed there for around 2 hours, walking around and looking at their interesting collections of art and other objects. My favorite part was their Special Collection, where they had tons of different objects ranging from pottery to huge ship models. After the museum we stopped for a quick lunch. When we were done with lunch we went to a walking tour on the edge of the red light district, but don’t worry, we didn’t go in. We saw a lot of really nice buildings and boats and canals. It was very different to any city any of us had ever seen. After the tour, we stopped back at the hostel to regroup. We finally got on our bikes and navigated our way through the Amsterdam traffic and went to a fast food place called Febo that only exists in the Netherlands. The food was good and by the time we were done with dinner the weather had gotten much better. Then we came back to the hostel and had our first group meeting.

Trekker Erik

Across America climbs over 2,000 ft across 65-miles of scenic Oregon mountains

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Today was an eventful day to say the least. Starting with a 6am rise and shine, we were set and ready to go almost immediately after the delicious complementary breakfast offered by the hostel. However, just as we were set to take off, a series of bike mechanics issues delayed our official start to the day. However with great efficiency and determination, we were able to scale over 2000 ft of elevation and over 65 miles of scenic routes, eventually ending up on the Oregon Bicycle Trail which led us to Viento Campground. On the way, we experienced incredible views of Oregon’s mountainous regions and the Columbia River, as well as some magnificent waterfalls.

Exploring Dutch culture and history in bike-friendly Amsterdam

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers explore the bike-friendly, canal way streets of Amsterdam before their bike journey South towards Belgium begins. On the agenda is a public walking tour to get to know the city’s history, a visit to the Anne Frank House and Rijksmusuem to view Dutch art and history, as well as the Van Gogh Musuem. Of course, Amsterdam is famous for it’s biking culture, a city with more bikes than people. So the group will get enjoy the many pleasures of zooming through quaint Amsterdam villages amongst two-wheeled traffic! Stay tuned for more updates from Amsterdam to come.

Hot Day, Scenic Breaks, Pizza & Trivia as Across America Bikes to Portland

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Today was definitely our hottest day so far, with relentless sun and 78 degree heat. Despite that, we had a great day of riding, taking scenic breaks along the route. Halfway through our 50 mile journey, we also stopped at a fun hub with various attractions, including an industrial size scale (which we used to weigh our loaded bikes on). The hostel in Portland came with so much more than a bunch of bunk beds to our surprise and delight. While munching on Trader Joe’s flatbread pizzas, the group placed 2nd (to last) at the hostel trivia night! Ended the night with conversations around the dinner table, and finally eagerly hit the hay in preparation for an early start the next day.

First Day: Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers Ride Out of Schiphol Airport

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2020
Trekking Out of the Airport

Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers arrived at Schiphol Airport early this morning, assembled their bikes, and rode 8 miles into bustling Amsterdam. It’s the beginning of a 16 day adventure, biking through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. There are many sights, museums, and restaurants ahead and we will highlight each of their adventures in the blog entries ahead.

Across America group bikes into Washington State

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

We woke up this morning to dewy tents and a scrumptious day ahead of us. After biking a short bit, we took the ferry across the Columbia River into Washington State. We saw some stunning views of mountains and the river, while also having some mechanical problems and two flat tires. Along the way, we got some ice cream and went swimming. We got to camp earlier than usual, with the pleasant surprise of Dane’s dad bringing us a very nice and fancy dinner. We biked 50 miles, and had a beautiful, nice, and fun day.

Rear Wheels Dipped in the Pacific, Across America On their Way!

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2023

Today marked the beginning. We acknowledged this symbolically by dipping our rear wheels in the pPacific, as we saw it for the last time from Sunset Beach, OR.
We then began to head to our first campsite. As expected on a first day, we encountered many technical issues, which, although time consuming, were eventually resolved, and we completed our  sub-40 mile journey to the Gnat Creek Campgrounds by 7pm. After a few trials, a fire was born, thanks largely to dry brush and a resilient lighter. Chicken quesadillas were sufficient for dinner, and we boiled stream water for lack of other options. Then we went to sleep!

Across America Trek Meets in Portland for a 3800 Mile Adventure

Posted Teen TreksLeave a commentPosted in 2020

Blog Day 1: Today our group of ten trekkers all met for the first time! There were a few unexpected surprises along the way which led to some delays… but delays are nothing for a group of talented geniuses like the Across America crew. Visiting Powell’s Book Store in Portland was a highlight — four floors of books of all shapes and sizes. Putting bikes together was a good team effort, and we will put the finishing touches on them tomorrow before heading to Astoria. Stay tuned!