Who Are We?

Here's the two minute drill...

Two friends; one crazy adventure: to raise money for the Search Dog Foundation, SDF (a non-profit that raises and trains search and rescue dogs). How to get attention for this cause? By biking from Maine to Key West in less than two months. Chance of success? Maybe. Crazy? Definitely. Awesome adventure? Undoubtedly.

Or if you're feeling courageous, the full lecture...

Team e2 is the brainchild of a graduating high school senior (Evan Smith) and a graduating master's student (Evan Patronik). Evan Smith and I met about 4 years ago through his older brother and have become close friends, mostly through our similar personalities and tastes of outdoor activities (such as swimming in the Atlantic during early February of last year). On a whim one night, we decided to undertake a "crazy adventure" during the summer of 2008: a bike trip logging nearly 3,000 miles from the tip of Maine to the bottom of the Florida Keys. On its own, this journey would be fulfilling enough for the both of us but we had hoped to gain something more. This led us to idea of using our trip to raise money for a more than worthy cause. We have involved ourselves in a fundraising effort with the "Search Dog Foundation" (SDF), a not-for-profit non-governmental organization based out of California. Their mission is to produce the most highly trained FEMA Advanced Certified Canine Disaster Search Teams in the country. These teams are trained to search for live victims of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The teams are provided at no cost to fire departments and other emergency service agencies throughout the country and are essential in the post-disaster rescue effort. We are spreading the word of our charity ride to individuals we meet on the ride (which is why you may be at this website) and with companies around the country. Feel free to donate to the cause using the link provided on this page, as well as check out our pictures and blog in order to follow us on this amazing and crazy adventure!!!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Day 1: Prologue

Today we woke up at 8:30 am, before the parents. We were sure to cause all kinds of ruckus to get them out of bed. There was breakfast of granola, etc and then we headed deep into the park in the van to get a view of things. After the ride, Dsmith, Esmith, Bsmith (I swear it's their names), and I rode around the park for a bit and returned to Jordan Pond Restaurant for a lunch of popovers and chowder (Esmith got a raspberry lemonade...with real raspberry bits, even). After lunch, we attempted to ride out of the park back to our campsite...unfortunately, we ended up climbing all of Sergent Mountain (1300 ft of it), I almost lost my chowder, and we kept getting rejected by private roads which did not allow bikes. No matter how hard we tried, we could not get out of this park, so we were contemplating heading onto the private roads so that they would escort us from the park. Finally, we got to camp after 32 miles of biking and headed out to the ocean for a little relaxation. It was an amazing view. Rocky bluffs dropped down into the chilly Atlantic where Esmith and I found a "cauldron" where we could wash off the dust from the day in the VERY cold water. We explored for a bit, got some pictures, then returned to the camp site for a dinner of pesto chicken and pasta. The adventure officially starts tomorrow and Bsmith is going to join us for the first few days, so that will be good to have some extra company. Our navigation skills today do not bode well for the trip...we will see if we improve! Bedtime was an unheard of 8:30 pm. I haven't been in bed this early since grade school...

Highlights: chowder and popovers, getting lost in Acadia National Park, the Maine coastline

Top speed for the day: 33.6 mph

Distance: 32 miles

Weather: Excellent, slight breeze, no rain, lots of sun...almost too much sun at times

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