Quartet pedals cross-country for camp

 

By Stephen Guilfoyle
Getting from New England to Chester in 23 days may seem like a slow trip.  But the four young ladies pedaling their way across the United States to raise money for a summer camp program think they are making good time.The quartet average around 60 to 65 miles a day, though they managed to go 90 miles in one day, from Danville, N.C. to Charlotte.

They met some nice guys when they got to Chester who offered them a place to pitch their tents for the night, for free.

They’ve only had two “breaks” where they slowed down on the trip. One was when they went through New York City. The other was in State College, Penn. But the greetings they got in Chester — and the good food they got at the Cyclone Restaurant — convinced them to make Chester another place to stop a bit, leave late in the morning, and go slow.

They plan to bike across the United States, ending up in San Francisco.

They are headed southwest right now. They want to go through New Orleans, they say, hoping to avoid the worst of winter‘s cold weather.

They are raising money for the Merrowvista scholarship fund. Merrowvista is a summer camp and outdoor youth development program. The scholarship program helps kids attend who cannot afford the normal cost. It is in New Hamp-shire.

The four young ladies all either attended or worked at the camp at one time or another.

They have raised almost $5,000 so far, they say.

Sarah is 25.

JeanMarie is 22. She’s the “baby” of the group. Rica is 23.

Lauren, at 26, is the “grandmother” of the group, she says. They are all from New England, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. They have stopped by the Today Show to publicize their effort.

They have a blog, detailing their trip, at http://avoyageofdiscovery.wordpress.com.

People who would like to make a donation to the effort can do so online as well. That can be done at http://www.active.com/donate/ayftour, which is the American Youth Foundation.

All the money they raise along the way will go to the scholarships.

The young ladies say they are paying their own way.

They have done 1,000 mile bike trips during summer programs at the camp in the past. That prepared them for this, they say.

“It’s kind of an amazing story,” said Mary Petrou, owner of the Cyclone.

She bought their breakfast Thursday before they headed out on the road.

They said they want to avoid the interstates, and are angling toward Newberry before they head to New Orleans.