Across America Rides With the Wind!

"For the last two days we have been riding through the Columbia River George.  We have been hopping between the Oregon and Washington sides whenever we hear of a nice back road or town.  This morning we cycled through the historic Columbia River highway.  Most people don't use it anymore since the faster highway 84 was build.  It makes a wonderful cycling route.  There are great views of the gorge and lookout points with historic information signs all along it.  We enjoyed cycling down the loops of the old highway after a long climb. As we went further east we ran in the vast wind farming operation.  There are thousands and thousands of them.  The gorge is windy and thankfully it blows west to east.  It's eerily silent as we cycle full speed because we ride with the wind.  Yesterday we ran into Multnomah waterfall almost by accident.  The falls are high and graceful.  The water is mostly mist by the time it gets to the ground.  We are in Rufus, OR now.  Tomorrow we have a long stretch to Hermiston, OR.  Everything seems to work more smoothly the more time goes on.  We go more miles.  The highpoint today I believe was the ice cream.  We found a truck stop with more flavors than I have ever seen." -- Jabcob, Trip Leader

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Good bye to the Pacific

Blogging is new to me but I am giving it my best shot to keep you updated on Kennedy's progress across America. We received a txt from her late Saturday night saying she was "alive and she loved us". Wasn't a lot of information but sure was relief to just hear something from her. The Teen Trek leader blogs every couple of days which gives us a little more information as to where the group is and where they are heading. She did use her debit card sometime yesterday in Kelso, WA. Kennedy is on her 3rd full day of riding and has almost raised $3,000 so far. Please help her to reach her goal of $10,000 by the end of her 55 day journey.To donate click here Pedaling for Pencils

Across America Trek says good bye to the Pacific Ocean as they turn east and never look back. Smiles are on all the faces of the teens as they peddle those first 50 miles of the 3500+ journey. Riding a little north to meet up with the Columbia River the group has set their sights on Clatskanie, OR

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Today we put our bicycles together and practiced riding. Everyone has really nice bicycles and gear. I can tell they are taking this Trek seriously. In the morning we cycled around Seaside, OR and talked about bike safety. Around 4pm we decided to go on our first real ride. Another town called Cannon Beach was 10 miles south. That town was our goal. Even though it was a short ride it was a good test of

our mettle because of the hills. Once in Cannon Beach we explored the town, got some fudge, and saw Haystack Mountain. (It's a big boulder in the water) Then it started to rain so we headed back. We are looking forward to dinner; chicken strips, salad, and spaghetti. Also tonight our group will be complete when David and Julia join us at 8 pm. Tomorrow we start for real. We will dip our bikes into the Pacific Ocean and head east through the Columbia River Gorge. Only some 3,500 miles to go. Everyone is in high spirits. -- submitted by Jacob Brown - Trip Leader

Welcome to Seaside

While my nose was buried in a book the man next to me said, "Welcome to Portland!" I was shocked to see that outside of the airplane window were these BIG mountains, that still had snow on them. The man wished me luck on my adventure and off we went. While at breakfast my parents and I were talking about my route. The man next to us joined in the conversation curious to know more. It was incredible how many people wanted to know about my journey and how quickly my adventure was spreading to the public. Pencils of Promise blew up Facebook and Twitter with encouraging posts. My friends and family continued to wish me luck. I assembled my bike and re-packed my panniers to make sure I had everything. My parents and I explored Seaside and Astoria for a bit. Then I had two great conversations. The first was an interview with Kaelyn from 303magazine.com. We had a nice chat about my trip and she is excited to write an article about it. Then I talked to Gene Gurkoff, the founder of Charity Miles. We talked about my trip and Charity Miles is going to sponsor 10 cents per every mile that I ride. (I encourage everyone to download Charity Miles, and work out for Pencils of Promise. They will sponsor 25 cents per mile if you are running or walking as well as 10 cents per mile that you bike. It is simple and it is for a great cause!) Now I am waiting for the rest of the Trekkers to join me in Seaside. From there we will go to Seaside International Hostel and then grab some dinner. We will assemble our bikes in the morning and go for a 30 mile practice ride. Saturday morning we will dip our tires in the Pacific and begin our trek to the east. This entire ride will be a mental struggle as we face different terrains, but luckily every time I feel like giving up I will have an image of a big smile. That smile will belong to a child somewhere who is seeing their classroom for the first time. That smile and my goal of building a classroom will be my motivation to get through the tough days. Please continue to donate at www.pedalingforpencils.stayclassy.org and continue to follow my blog which will be updated regularly by my wonderful mother and the letters I write to her detailing my experience.