Monday, June 23, 2008
A cross-training weekend for me. The City Honors 9th Grade Bike Trip was an overnight to Niagara Falls, and although my City Honors student had other commitments EGA came along. The round trip was probably a bit in excess of 50 miles, longer on the first day than on the second. Over the Peace Bridge and along the Niagara River Parkway, out to the Whirlpool Park for a hike down the gorge. It was the first time I've stayed at a hostel-- I can see the appeal, and can imagine planning a longer trip. The Niagara Falls Hostel is said to have once been a brothel, and that added a touch of the illicit to the stay.We had a pleasant group, two other adults and eight kids. This may have been my most sustained exposure to 14 year old boys since I was one-- they are interesting, in a William Golding kind of way. We returned across Grand Island and along the Riverwalk, and although I'd have liked a few more miles, it was good to shower and have a beer.
The organizer of the trip runs a program called Teen Treks, which sounds pretty terrific. He's leading a group around Europe in a couple of weeks, and he has groups going cross-country, from New York to Montreal, and some other trips, all of which sound simultaneously exciting and wearying. He is the sort of person who gets along well with kids-- a quality I do not possess, but admire in others. His programs are exclusively for kids-- he says adults have expectations of luxury that are more difficult to manage. I don't know about luxury, but a glass of wine with dinner would be part of my program if I were ever able to get A and LCA on a bike.
