"Life may not be about your bike, but it sure can help you get through it." - Hallman

2011 Tours

Completed in 1825, the 363-mile Erie Canal was considered a great engineering marvel of the 19th century. The Erie Canal, along with other New York Canals facilitated the movement of people as well as the spread of ideas and social reforms such as the abolition of slavery and the advocacy of women's rights. Today, the Erie Canalway Trail route follows both active and historic sections of the Erie Canal, the renowned inland waterway that opened the frontier of the fledgling United States to settlement and commerce, transforming the nation in the process.
Our tour begins and ends in the state capitol of New York, Albany.

We will spend 8-days traveling 180 miles of the Erie Canalway Trail, absorbing the history of the canal, cruising the pathway between small canal towns, riding the canal on a boat, seeing museums, exploring all that the canal has to offer, making new friends, and enjoying the easy riding of the trail. Most of the trail is crushed stone with some paved sections and a few 'on-road' sections. We will ride west to east from Port Byron, NY to Albany, NY.

The Erie Canal Exploration tour begins and ends on a Saturday in order to make transportation to and from the ride easier for parents. Riders must be between the ages of 11 and 14. Accommodations are indoors and will typically be in a church or school. No Camping.

Itinerary:

• Day 1 (Sat) begins with tour check-in and orientation in Albany, NY. Once assembled and our riders bid parents and family farewell, we board our transportation to Port Byron, NY where our cycling journey begins.
• Day 2 our exploration begins with a 30 mile ride to Syracuse, NY.
• Day 3 after a short shuttle through Syracuse we will enter the Old Erie Canal State Park and a 30 mile ride to Oneida, NY. A visit to the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum
• Day 4 on our longest day, 39 miles, we will ride through the city of Rome, NY visiting Fort Stanwix National Monument on our way to Frankfort, NY. We may also se the ORiskany Battlefield State Historic Park.
• Day 5 begins with a canal boat ride, and possibly a tour of a local museum,  and ends 35 miles (cycling) later in Fonda, NY. We will spend time in the quaint town of Herkimer, NY as well.
• Day 6 riding the 29  miles to Scotia, NY (outside Schenectady, NY) we will ride through "Rug City" Amsterdam, NY seeing several canal locks along with way.
• Day 7 will end in Cohoes, NY just 11 miles from our final destination of Albany, NY. Our ride today of 22 miles will include stops along more than 10 canal locks as well as the Cphoes Falls Overlook. A sidetrip to Peebles Island State Park and the Peebles Island & Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Visitor Center will complete the day.
• Day 8 (Sat) our final morning together takes us 11 miles down the Hudson River on a bike trail to Albany, NY and a stop by the state capitol building. After group pictures we complete the morning ride to our meeting place where our parents and families will be waiting with open arms. After a celebration of accomplishment, we will wave goodbye.

Come Join Us!

Please email hangin@biketernity.org with any questions.

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The Pennsylvania  Explorer  tour begins with a visit to Hershey Park Amusement Park and ends with a triumphant entry into the Providence, RI area some 400 miles and 11 days later. If needed, we will meet your teen at the Harrisburg, PA International  airport, and will provide transportation to the Providence, RI TF Green Airport or Providence AMTRAK Station on Wednesday, August 17. Riders must be between the ages of 13 and 17. Accommodations are primarily camping, but indoor accommodations at a church or school will be used as necessary. We provide the tents!


Itinerary:

• Day 1 (Sun) begins with tour check-in and orientation in Hershey, PA. After an orientation and equipment check, the remainder of the evening will be filled with fun and games.
• Day 2 (Mon) leaving Hershey, PA without visiting the amusement park just won't do. We will spend most of the day at Hershey Park, enjoying the rides and amusements, before returning to our hosts and a last evening in Hershey.
  
• Day 3 (Tue) Auburn, PA - riding over the Blue Mountains will the be goal of the day.
  
• Day 4 (Wed) Jim Thorpe, PA - home of the famous track and field star of the 1930's.
  
• Day 5 (Thu) Columbia, NJ - we end this day at the southern end of the Delaware Water Gap
  
• Day 6 (Fri) Port Jervis, NY - riding on the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap we end the day with a float on the Delaware River and our first non-camping day.
  
• Day 7 (Sat) Plattekill, NY - we cross the Hudson River today as we head toward home.
  
• Day 8 (Sun) Millerton, NY - Taconic State Park will be our destination after a moderate ride.
  
• Day 9 (Mon) Granby, CT - the town of the painted horses and one of the oldest Oak trees in the USA.
  
• Day 10 (Tue) Willamantic, CT - town of the 'frogs', out last day on the road will end with a dinner at a local restaurant
  
• Day 11 (Wed) Warwick, RI - ending our day near our departure airport of TF Green Airport.
  

Please email hangin@biketernity.org with any questions.

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The Southern Sampler  tour begins in Charleston, SC  as we meet and organize for the tour. Come early to explore Historic Charleston at your own pace. There will be some time for exploration before we depart on our journey to Historic St. Augustine, FL 7 days later. Along the way we will visit Savannah, GA,  and the Okefeenokee Wildlife Refuge in Southern GA. One-half the tour will be on the coast and the remainder inland. Riders must be adults, 18+. The Southern Sampler is a self-contained tour. You will need to carry your gear on your bicycle and we will be camping almost every evening. We will shuttle you and your bike  back to Charleston, SC at the end of the tour.



Itinerary:

• Day 1 (Sat) Charleston, SC
  
• Day 2 (Sun)
• Day 3 (Mon)
• Day 4 (Tue)
  
• Day 5 (Wed)
  
• Day 6 (Thu)
  
• Day 7 (Fri)
  
• Day 8 (Sat) St. Augustine, FL, shuttle to Charleston, SC
  

Please email hangin@biketernity.org with any questions.

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JettRide 2011 will build on the momentum of JettRide 2007 and JettRide 2010 by organizing more teens, who have a personal connection with the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, DMD,  community and continue this grass roots fundraising project across America. We are encouraging neighboring towns and communities along our route to participate. We will unite the families and communities affected by DMD nation wide. The ride begins on July 4, in Minneapolis, MN and ends 34 days later at Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Teens will ride 55+ miles each day, visit amusement parks in Wisconsin and Ohio, raft down a river in Pennsylvania, and meet families all along the way. Please visit the JettRide website, www.jettride.org, for more information.


Please email hangin@biketernity.org with any questions.