Pasta Caprese and an Easy Second Day of Biking along the New England Shore

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

Today we woke up at 7 a.m. from our first night. We started off our day with eggs and veggies and headed out of camp around 9:30. We biked to CVS to get cream to recover from our MANY bug bites. Then we continued for 16 miles before stopping for lunch in a park right next to the Connecticut River. We biked the rest of the way which was about 10 miles to our next campsite. After taking a nice, but shallow, dip in the ocean, we headed back to camp for pasta caprese.

Learn more about the Teen Treks New England Shore Trek.

Bienvenue a París!

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

Bienvenue a París! We spent a good portion of our day on the train from Ghent to Lille, and then jumped a second from Lille to Paris. We loved looking out the window at the green quiltwork of the French countryside (but we were also very tired and squeezed in a quick nap too!) After dinner, we found some typical French desserts to munch on before heading back to the hostel to catch some Z’s before a jam-packed day full of français tomorrow.

– Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers

Learn more about the Teen Treks Amsterdam – Paris Trek.

The Great Allegheny Trekkers Spent the Day Exploring Pittsburgh

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

We woke up this morning pumped and ready to spend a beautiful day exploring exquisite Pittsburgh! We hopped on the hotel shuttle bus to go to the Monongahela Incline, which would take us to the top of Mount Washington. When we arrived, we took advantage of the scenic overlook to take in the views of the Pittsburgh skyline and all of its many bridges. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel to grab our bikes and ride along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail to Bicycle Heaven, the world’s largest bike museum. We saw some awesome, old, and very peculiar bicycles, including an Oreo-themed BMX bicycle from the 1980s, as well as a very uncomfortable-looking wooden bicycle called “The Boneshaker” from the 1860s! Following the visit, we grabbed lunch at a supermarket and had a picnic by the riverside. We later explored the Strip District on foot before retiring to the hotel for an evening of swimming, delicious Indian food, and several rounds of the game salad bowl. We had a wonderful day wandering around Pittsburgh, but we’re quite excited to start on the Great Allegheny Passage tomorrow!

Learn more about the Teen Treks Great Allegheny Passage Trek.

New England Shore Trekkers Bike & Swim the Connecticut Coast

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

The day began with two long train rides then after lunch we biked for the first time! Once we found our campsite we ventured out to the beach where the water was cold but refreshing. Finally, ending with a bang, the days cooks made delicious quesadillas for dinner. It has been an all-around inspiring day creating prospects of hope for those of the future.

Learn more about the Teen Treks New England Shore Trek.

New York-Montreal Trekkers Have a Great Day Biking in the Hudson Valley

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

We got our first torrential downpour today! Toward the beginning of today’s ride a tiny band of rain bearing clouds really opened up on us for about 20 minutes. However, for the rest of the day the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The temperature hovered in the mid-70s and the sky was filled with breathtakingly massive white clouds that we watched roll by along with the equally breathtaking mountains on the other side of the Hudson. The first stop of the day was a farmers market in Rhinebeck followed by an air show in the afternoon with WWI era biplanes. From there we continued north through massive corn fields and stumbled upon an old farmhouse that had been transformed into a used book and music store. The house, garage, and multiple sheds were all filled with aisles and aisles of books, cds, vinyl, and postcards. About a dozen miles later we sat for an authentically family style dinner of some delicious inauthentic Chinese food. Finally we arrived at this evenings campsite which sits directly on the eastern bank of the Hudson. The fireflies are coming out and the waves are lapping on the shore. Sweet dreams.

Learn more about Teen Treks’ New York – Montreal Trek.

Gent Offers Majestic Castles, Churches, and History to the Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

Today the crew took a well deserved day just chilling in Gent. A good breaking of the fast in the morning was followed promptly by a walking tour of the charming city, where we took in the sights of the city’s important landmarks and history richer than the finest chocolates, some of which we tasted afterwards. After digesting the city’s history, it was time for a more filling meal of soup and sandwiches at a local café (please note the accented é, which denotes my astute grasp of European language). Our meal was followed by another tour, and we were taken back to the age of knights and chivalry within the castle of the counts. All that looking meant it was time for some good cooking and we decided on a specialty item of the region. As the saying goes, when in Belgium, eat waffles; a time tested adage we were more than happy to oblige. Licking our fingers (and massaging sore legs) we came back to the hostel for a quick siesta and hydration for the homies. Dinner was discussed and decided on yet another classic European cuisine: Lebanese food. Despite the exotic nature of the meal, good food is a universal language and our plates were cleaned with ease. Gelato was had (as per our preferred tradition) and we headed back to the hostel. But more merriment was left in store for us as we played salad bowl (a distant relation within the family tree of charades) deep into the night. Or at least until bedtime. We have an exciting train ride tomorrow and I must pack, so I will leave you with a parting word. And words must be brief. Wasted words is wasted breath. We must destroy, stamp out, and eliminate redundancy.

-Tally

Learn more about the Teen Treks Amsterdam – Paris Trek.

FIRST DAY: The Great Allegheny Passage Trek

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

The Great Allegheny Passage Trek is a 400+ mile off-road ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. along a rail-to-trail and an old canal towpath.  The group met today at the Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh and has an afternoon of sight-seeing and some bike repairs planned. The group played some name games to get to know one-another and then had a discussion on bike safety and rules of the road. They have very comfortable accommodations at Doubletree Hotel tonight and tomorrow night and then Tuesday they bike southeast on their 13 day outdoor adventure.

Learn more about the Teen Treks Great Allegheny Passage Trek.

FIRST DAY – New England Shore Trek

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

The New England Shore Trekkers began a 16 day, 300+ mile ride from Guilford, CT to Boston, MA.  Over the next 2+ weeks the group will cycle through Mystic, CT, Block Island, Newport, RI, Providence, RI, onto Cape Cod, Provincetown, and Boston.  They met early this morning at Bryant Park in Manhattan and took a MetroNorth train to Guilford.  After several games to get to know one-another and a talk about bike safety the group will bike 8+ miles to Hammonassett State Park where they will camp for the night.

Learn more about the Teen Treks New England Shore Trek.

Marco Polo at the Hawthorne Inn and Suites – NY-Montreal Trekkers

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

I loved swimming in the river in Cold Spring, NY, and all the hilly terrain was difficult – Allison

I liked getting fro yo and swimming in the pool. Having to go through all the stress the past two/ three days was hard – Alisa

Hey what’s going on guys,  welcome back to the blog. So basically today we were chilling and biked a cool 28 miles ye – Andre

Today was most relaxing and entertaining. I cannot wait until tomorrow! – Winston

(more…)

Amsterdam-Paris Trekkers Follow the Canals to Ghent

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2019

Today we were up and out early and headed for Ghent. The route was another beautiful one and we made it to Bruges’ rival city just in time for lunch. After lunch we walked around the city and did some window-shopping, and tried to take advantage of the air conditioned stores (90°F today!!) After checking into our hostel, we had a little time to cool off and rally before a yummy dinner of Turkish pizza, followed by ice cream for dessert. We really enjoyed the evening sightseeing, and are really excited for the tours and adventures we have planned for tomorrow.

Learn more about the Teen Treks Amsterdam – Paris Trek.