Our riders had to return home a littler earlier than expected, and have been back for about 2 weeks now.

They entered New Mexico without a problem, but when they went to go find a campground to spend the night, they were stopped by a camp host.  The host informed them that all forests in New Mexico were closed due to stage 3 drought and forest fires, and if Sasha and Jason were to get caught in the National or State Forests, they would each be fined $5,000.

The host was kind enough to drive Sasha and Jason to a campground just outside the National Forest, where Sasha and Jason reevaluated their plans.  They could continue on to Antelope Wells, NM; however, they would have to travel on 2 lane, winding highways with no shoulder.  Additionally, water was very scarce, and many of the springs and creeks that they would need to rely on for their water were dried up.

They decided that the safest decision would be to head back to Indiana.  Sasha’s friends drove down from Colorado Springs to pick them up, and then Sasha and Jason rented a car and drove home.

We are sad that they were not able to complete their journey, but are extremely  grateful that they are both back home safe and sound!

Thank you all for reading about their journey.  They truly appreciate all of the support they got from everyone.

Be sure to keep checking back here for updates about Pinnacle.  School starts in one week, and we are expecting a lot of new and exciting adventures for both our staff and students!

Our riders have left Wyoming and are making their way through the mountains of Colorado!  They successfully rode 125 miles through the Great Basin, which is a drainage basin that sits between two watersheds (one flows to the Pacific Ocean, and the other flows to the Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico).  Water in the basin flows inward, either evaporating or forming temporary lakes.  Because of this, there is no reliable water source, and Sasha and Jason have to carry all of their water for the 125 mile ride.  Luckily the A&M Reservoir, located half way through the basin, was full and they were able to replenish their water supply.

Sasha and Jason spent the 4th of July in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, watching the parade and fireworks that evening.  They spent most of their time in Steamboat stocking up on groceries, repairing their bikes, and cleaning their gear (it got really dusty in the Great Basin!).  Now they are back on the trail!

Remember to “like” us on Facebook -www.facebook.com/pinnacleschool!

Sasha and Jason are still doing well, and (they hope!) have seen the last of the snow for awhile.  After much rerouting to get around impassable trails, they made their way through Idaho and are now heading through Wyoming.

Sasha first rode the Continental Divide when he was 16.  He wanted to challenge himself again this summer, but also wanted his challenge to mean something more.  He decided to turn his ride into a charity ride, supporting Pinnacle School and dyslexia.  Sasha is incredibly passionate about the work he does at Pinnacle, and wants to raise money so Pinnacle can provide assistive technology to all of the students.

Assistive Adaptive technology can make learning more friendly to students with dyslexia, who learn better interactively.  It is our hope that each student will have their own personal technology device to use during their tenure at Pinnacle.  Please visit www.pinnacleschool.org and give today.

Here are three pictures from the trail.

Sasha and Jason stopped by Bannack, an old mining town in Montana.  It was founded in 1862 after a major gold discovery.  Bannack was a mining town until the last residents left in the 1970′s.  60 structures still remain in this ghost town including the school house, pictured below.

Bannack School

Sasha and Jason also saw a Grizzly bear and her cubs (going the other way, thanksfully!).

Grizzly Bear

 

I’ll close with a view of the Grand Tetons from Sasha and Jason’s campsite.

Grand Tetons

 

The Great Divide Mountain Bike trail links together low use roads used by the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and other public right of way roads.  Over 90% of the roads are unpaved or trails.  It starts in Montana and travels parallel to the Continental Divide for 2,490 miles through Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico with over 200,000 feet of elevation gain.

Riders pass through grasslands, river valleys, mountains, forests, and desert.  They can expect to see moose, grizzly, black bears, and even mountain lions.

Most of the towns the riders pass through will be small without a lot of amenities, which means that they have to carry food and water with them on the trail.  They will also pass through some scenic areas, including Grand Teton National Park, the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming, the Boreas Pass in Colorado, and the Gila Wilderness in new Mexico.  The highest point of the trail is the Indiana Pass in Colorado at 11,910 feet.

This trail is very remote and not many people bike the entire trail each year.  Check back here for more updates from our riders, Sasha and Jason!

 

Sasha and Jason left Helena, MT on Saturday to head further south.  They passed the 300 mile mark late last week, which means they have 2200 miles to go!  The past week saw a lot of adventures, one of which I will share here.

Passing through the small town of Ovando, MT, our riders found a small diner where they stopped for some lunch.  There, they met a couple who called themselves the Indian and the Cowboy.  This couple took a liking to Sasha and Jason, and ended up flagging them down 3 times on their way from Ovando to Lincoln, MT, Sasha and Jason’s stop for the night.  The Indian and the Cowboy gave Sasha and Jason shrink wrapped home cooked meals, beef jerky from the nearby jerky factory, and donated a one night stay in a local hotel!  Sasha and Jason never got the Indian and Cowboy’s real names, but thank them profusely!

They are still struggling with lots of snow on the trail and rainy, gray weather, but hope that the trail and the sky will clear up soon.

Jason and Sasha are both doing well, but as you can probably imagine, very tired.  They took two days in Helena to rest their muscles and are back on the trail.  Check back later this week to learn more about the Continental Divide trail.

 

 

Last Wednesday, Pinnacle’s elementary and engineering teacher Sasha Land and his friend Jason Eshleman began a journey to Ride the Divide for Dyslexia.

Sasha and Jason at the beginning of their ride

Over the next 2 months they will bike the entire length of the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico – 2,500 miles.  This is a personal challenge for Sasha and Jason, and they are committed to raising money and awareness for Pinnacle School and dyslexia.  Sasha hopes to raise funds for assistive technology to help students at Pinnacle.

If you would like to support Sasha, Jason and Pinnacle School please visit our website at www.pinnacleschool.org, or check out the Ride the Divide Brochure. There are many ways you can help out – your can buy miles, sponsor sections of the trail, or sponsor the whole trail. Your donation will help Pinnacle secure new technology to help students with dyslexia learn.

Check back for quick updates from the trail.  If you would like longer updates emailed to you be sure to donate!

Congratulations to Jordan, Nathan, & Julia! Good luck in all your future endeavors! We are very proud of you all!

In case you missed the extra traffic, concerts, and students, it’s Little 500 week on campus! You might have heard that Pinnacle School has a Little 500 celebrity within it’s staff….but do you know who???

It’s Mr. Sasha Land! Mr. Land was on the winning Cutters teams in 2007 and 2008! The 4-man Cutters team also won the race in 2009 and 2010, so this year’s Cutters will be trying for their 5th straight title.

If you have a chance before the end of April, stop by the school and check out the bulletin board with pictures of Mr. Land, articles about the Cutters teams, and information about the Little 500 race. We are very proud of Mr. Land and his accomplishments!

On Monday, Pinnacle students and staff were treated to beautiful weather and a Lotus Blossoms performance by Dennis Stroughmatt Et L’Esprit Creole!

Dennis Stroughmatt Et L’Esprit Creole performed music and songs of the Creole French tradition that are still alive in Illinois and Missouri – “Upper Louisiana” – outside on our lawn. Dennis is fluent in Creole music and Cajun Creole French, so students even got a few lessons in language and culture during the performance.

In addition to Dennis on Creole fiddle, l’Esprit Creole is Rob Krumm on upright bass and Wade Bernard on guitar.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this performance possible! It was great having a few Pinnacle families join in the fun, and some people even got a concert in their cars while waiting for pick-up!

HBO Family is premiering a new documentary this Saturday entitled “I Can’t Do This But I CAN Do That: A Film for Families about Learning Differences.” For more information about the film including a synopsis and trailer, visit:

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/i-cant-do-this-but-i-can-do-that-a-film-for-families-about-learning-differences/synopsis.html#/documentaries/i-cant-do-this-but-i-can-do-that-a-film-for-families-about-learning-differences/index.html