Ducks in a Pond

A pelican using the updraft of wind created by a wave glides effortlessly above the ocean's glassy surface. Orange, pink and purple seep over the craggy green mountains as I peddle briskly into a fleeting sunrise. Warm colors and biting air, I ask myself for the umpteenth time, “How is California so beautiful? And WHY don’t my gloves have fingers?“

Our crew split in two. Some rode to the Carpentaria Family School for lessons in protecting your coast and alternative transportation, and others headed to Montecito. I ventured to the latter, to one of the most beautiful, well-put-together schools I have seen - Crane Country Day. The campus is polished, with pretty courtyards, careful landscaping, and big bowls of fruit scattered about for the kids. Welcomed with warm smiles, bagels, juice and coffee, we enjoyed breakfast and got ready for the morning. Kamron and I facilitated team-building games while Sara and Jacob helped students make an informative sign for the school’s compost facility. Three years ago the bike trip helped Crane build a three-bin compost system. The whole school is educated on proper waste disposal, and the 6^th graders are in charge of monitoring and maintaining the bins. We brought old retired neoprene wetsuits to cut up and use for the sign and helped formulate accurate information on composting. The students creatively constructed an educational sign highlighting the steps involved in composting. It’s always neat to help a school create something usable and long-lasting, and to return year after year to see it in effect and help it improve. Every morning, the entire school congregates in the theater for an assembly. Announcements are made, songs are sung and various teachers and guests speak. We were the “spotlight” for the morning, and Travis gave a short presentation and slide-show on our trip for the entire school. Thank you Crane Country Day for sharing your close, healthy learning community with us.

We reunited with the others in Carpentaria for the last school visit of the day and got an update of the Carp Family School visit. They too were given an incredible welcome, with a nice sign and homemade delights to make them feel special and appreciated. Working with their K-5^th graders, the instructors got a good sense of their tight, family-oriented community. We finished the day with the Canelino Elementary School. We had seven different protecting your coast activity stations and 75 excited students thinking, discussing, playing, and learning. One activity we do is called ‘Ducks in a Pond’, where we interactively discuss migratory bird habits and critically think about the problems and solutions of shrinking their habitat. I’m always amazed by how aware kids are of human’s destructive behavior and how knowledgeable they are of the solutions. If only it were as easy as it sounds to preserve open space and protect habitats.

We rode to Carpentaria State Park and pitched our tents by a pond with birds of all sorts bathing and fishing. My brother Travis and I jumped out in the ocean for a sunset surf. The view was dynamic, with the Channel Islands Anacapa and Santa Cruz clear and scenic, and ten or so oil derricks dotted in front of them. Gazing out at the twinkling rigs I couldn’t help but wonder- ‘are we just like ducks in a pond?’

Miles traveled today: 20

written by 1st time bike-tripper: Kyla Langen