Middle school students from across Santa Cruz County were treated to shorts-and-tee-shirt weather on the April 30, 2016, ride through the forest of Nisene Marks. Fifteen kids and four adults enjoyed riding the fire roads and single track, taking on challenges and learning new skills.
Check out the gallery.
Trips for Kids Santa Cruz is grateful for the continuing generosity and support from Bike Station Aptos with their recent sponsorship to provide four push bikes at wholesale prices. We will soon have four GT Mach One’s, two 12-inch and two 16-inch, for our bike rodeos at community events. Bike Station Aptos will also build the bikes.
For more information, please contact our ride coordinator at:
ride@tripsforkidssantacruz.org
See our calendar for other upcoming rides.
Wednesday, February 24
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Main Street Elementary School
3400 N Main St, Soquel
Supervisor John Leopold will host a community discussion about mobility through Soquel Village. Bicycle advocates are urged to come out and speak in favor of adding missing bike lanes on Soquel Drive and other safety improvements.
Friday, March 11
5:00 – 7:00 PM: Live music, bike and helmet decorating, light giveaway, and raffle
7:00 PM: Ride departs
Meet at Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History
705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
Pre-ride activities at the museum will include bike and helmet decorating, and live bluegrass music from Cayuga Station. Prizes will be awarded for the brightest bike, brightest rider, and most creative costume. The ride departs at 7:00 PM from the Museum of Art and History, and will follow a mostly car-free route along the river levee.
Free bike lights will be distributed to the first 30 riders, and lots of other great items will be raffled off! Huge thanks to Bell Sports, Epicenter Cycling, Light & Motion, Cycliq, Lumenus, and Proviz for donating lights and raffle prizes.
Riders under 18 must bring a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.
We have many open regular ride dates scheduled in our calendar on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Other dates are possible by request. If you have a group of kids that you would like to take mountain biking, request a ride through our website.
Have you heard? We now accept donations online. Use PayPal to make a donation, either recurring or one-time.
To spare us transaction fees, you can send a personal payment from your PayPal account to donate@tripsforkidssantacruz.org and select “I’m sending money to family or friends”. Read details.
As an all-volunteer run organization, all funds go directly to benefit kids in our programs.
We are now a member of AmazonSmile. When you shop and purchase eligible items through Amazon, selecting us as your preferred nonprofit charity organization, Trips for Kids Santa Cruz will receive 0.5% of the purchase price from the AmazonSmile Foundation. There’s no cost to you. Every little bit helps us lube the chains and cranks of our bicycle fleet.
Donating to Trips for Kids Santa Cruz changes lives through the mountain biking experience. As an all-volunteer organization, your donations go directly to benefit kids.
We accept bikes, tubes, tires, water bottles, first aid kits, and any other mountain bike related necessities. Please Contact Us to arrange a donation of in-kind items.
Of course, we accept monetary donations, as well! Checks made payable to “Trips for Kids Santa Cruz” may be sent to:
T4KSC
758 Rio Del Mar Blvd
Aptos, CA 95003
On November 21, we took nine girls and three leaders from Girl Scout Troop 10423 for a “bike and hike” in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. This was the second ride this year for this eager group of girls. More photos and story…
Trips for Kids Santa Cruz led riders and volunteers from San José ICO on the fire roads and single track trails in the Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos. The day started off cool, and a few showers started to fall after lunch, making for perfect trail conditions. More photos and story…
We have a openings for taking kids mountain biking.
For more information, please contact our ride coordinator at:
ride@tripsforkidssantacruz.org
See our calendar for other upcoming rides.
We have many open regular ride dates scheduled in our calendar on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Other dates are possible by request. If you have a group of kids that you would like to take mountain biking, request a ride through our website.
Have you heard? We now accept donations online. Use PayPal to make a donation, either recurring or one-time.
To spare us transaction fees, you can send a personal payment from your PayPal account to donate@tripsforkidssantacruz.org and select “I’m sending money to family or friends”. Read details.
As an all-volunteer run organization, all funds go directly to benefit kids in our programs.
We are now a member of AmazonSmile. When you shop and purchase eligible items through Amazon, selecting us as your preferred nonprofit charity organization, Trips for Kids Santa Cruz will receive 0.5% of the purchase price from the AmazonSmile Foundation. There’s no cost to you. Every little bit helps us lube the chains and cranks of our bicycle fleet.
Donating to Trips for Kids Santa Cruz changes lives through the mountain biking experience. As an all-volunteer organization, your donations go directly to benefit kids.
We accept bikes, tubes, tires, water bottles, first aid kits, and any other mountain bike related necessities. Please Contact Us to arrange a donation of in-kind items.
Of course, we accept monetary donations, as well! Checks made payable to “Trips for Kids Santa Cruz” may be sent to:
T4KSC
758 Rio Del Mar Blvd
Aptos, CA 95003
Read details of how to purchase entries for the drawing. All proceeds benefit our programs to take kids mountain biking.
Every year Trips for Kids Santa Cruz has the opportunity to take the youth from the Get Out Get Fit summer camp hosted by the city of Watsonville on a mountain bike ride. Every year is a new adventure. Each year there are at least a few youth who have never been to the forest and now have the opportunity to ride a bike in the midst of the giant trees, flora, and fauna that live among us.
Trips for Kids Santa Cruz provides the opportunity for youth to experience riding a bike, but also to experience the power of nature and to challenge themselves to do more than they thought they could. At the end of the camp we ventured to the Forest of Nisene Marks and rode together, encouraged each other, and pushed ourselves to do more than we thought we could. It was an amazing day full of fun, laughter, and physical challenge.
We had an awesome ride with a group of ten people with Walnut Ave Womens Center. We rode in the Forest of Nisene Marks to the Epicenter Trail, crossing the creek on our bikes several times from the fire road. We even tried three miles of single track over roots and some technical maneuvering. It was a great day mountain biking!
Saturday, October 3, 2015, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Toro County Park (Quail Meadows day use area)
The event is free, but there is an $8 entrance fee if you drive in.
Trips for Kids Santa Cruz will be taking a group of kids to Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Sign up now!
The Monterey Off Road Cycling Association (MORCA) a chapter of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is hosting Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.
All participants must sign a waiver and helmets are required. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Activities include basic bike safety, a skills course, trail rides for all ages, prizes, and a barbeque.
This local event is part of a nationwide celebration known as Take-A-Kid-Mountain-Biking Day, supported by IMBA. The event purpose is to provide a means for kids and their families to enjoy local trails together. The Monterey County Parks Department will allow bikes on certain Toro Park trails that are usually closed so beginners can enjoy a safe ride. Local bike shops especially BobCat Bicycles have donated products along with contributions from FOX, Cypress Coast Subaru, Carmel Kitchens & Bath, Cleary Bikes, and others.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Ramsay Park
1301 Main Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
Directions
This family friendly and free event will be held at Ramsey Park, centrally located in Watsonville, California. Activity stations including soccer, zumba, martial arts, food demos, healthy snacks and biking will be set up throughout the park grounds for families to enjoy actively participating in. Families will be given a punch card that upon completion will be entered into the raffle including prizes from local businesses. Come out and enjoy a fun filled day of physical activity and healthy snack stations with us this year!
Sunday, October 11, 2015
East Cliff Drive
Santa Cruz, CA
Two miles of roadway from Lighthouse Field to Natural Bridges State Park will be transformed into a car-free Pop-up Park.
We have a openings for taking kids mountain biking.
For more information, please contact our ride coordinator at:
ride@tripsforkidssantacruz.org
See our calendar for other upcoming rides.
We have many open regular ride dates scheduled in our calendar on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Other dates are possible by request. If you have a group of kids that you would like to take mountain biking, request a ride through our website.
Have you heard? We now accept donations online. Use PayPal to make a donation, either recurring or one-time.
To spare us transaction fees, you can send a personal payment from your PayPal account to donate@tripsforkidssantacruz.org and select “I’m sending money to family or friends”. Read details.
As an all-volunteer run organization, all funds go directly to benefit kids in our programs.
We are now a member of AmazonSmile. When you shop and purchase eligible items through Amazon, selecting us as your preferred nonprofit charity organization, Trips for Kids Santa Cruz will receive 0.5% of the purchase price from the AmazonSmile Foundation. There’s no cost to you. Every little bit helps us lube the chains and cranks of our bicycle fleet.
Donating to Trips for Kids Santa Cruz changes lives through the mountain biking experience. As an all-volunteer organization, your donations go directly to benefit kids.
We accept bikes, tubes, tires, water bottles, first aid kits, and any other mountain bike related necessities. Please Contact Us to arrange a donation of in-kind items.
Of course, we accept monetary donations, as well! Checks made payable to “Trips for Kids Santa Cruz” may be sent to:
T4KSC
758 Rio Del Mar Blvd
Aptos, CA 95003
With the rain clouds parting to beautiful sunshine, kids from the Earn-A-Bike program mounted up to ride the fire road into the Forest of Nisene Marks. Along the way we tried out some of the skills development areas and side spurs.
Stopping for lunch at George’s Picnic Area, we spotted wild mushrooms springing up out of the ground, and looked for salamanders and crawfish around the creek. One kid really got into the search.
Steve Piercy from TFKSC was the ride leader, along with Tawn Kennedy who runs the Earn-A-Bike program.
Enjoy the video from our trip.
We have a special relationship with the Earn-A-Bike program in Watsonville. Our former president Roxanne Harrison wrote a grant to fund a similar program, but unfortunately it did not get funded. Realizing the importance of such a program, Tawn Kennedy was inspired to try again with some minor adjustments, and this time received funding.
Through the program, middle school students learn about bike mechanics, on- and off-road bike safety, and earn a bicycle and other accessories. To earn the bikes, students participate in community service-learning projects such as helping with school gardens, monitoring wetland water quality, and volunteering at local youth-oriented events.
The program takes place in the Bike Tech classroom, a professional bike shop environment on the Pajaro Valley High School campus. Teen mentors, many of whom are graduates of the Bike Tech program, support middle school students to refurbish donated bikes, learn basic repairs, bike safety, and participate in on-bike field trips in Watsonville and beyond. Earn-A-Bike is made possible through a grant from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and numerous community partners including Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program (ROP), Project Bike Trip, Trips for Kids Santa Cruz, and donations from local bike shops and individuals.
Over the last few years, cycling has grown tremendously in Watsonville, especially among youth, but local community leaders cite the need for more access to bicycles. “We launched the Earn-A-Bike Program because we want to get bikes to students in need, help young people gain leadership skills, and build a culture of safe cycling in Watsonville,” says Tawn Kennedy, director of Green Ways to School. “We want all our participants and mentors to realize that they are ‘roll’ models; to obey traffic laws, and spread the message that cyclists have both rights and responsibilities while on the road.”
The Earn-A-Bike program is still in need of bikes to go to local youth. To donate a bike or find out more information, contact Tawn Kennedy at (831) 428-5109 or GreenWays@PeoplePowerSC.org.
Green Ways to School, a project of People Power of Santa Cruz County, works to encourage local teens to use active transportation whenever possible through assemblies, presentations, group rides, and other events. For more information, visit the website GreenWays2School.org.
Video produced by volunteer Brian Damschen.
New beginnings: All of the hard work at the Launch Pad really paid off. Not only did the Pad work great, it made the kids feel great. They absolutely loved it. They were all over, getting their bikes, selecting their helmets and gloves, using the bathroom, checking out the photo board, and generally amazed at the set-up. I think they were truly humbled (and proud) that it was all for them. They couldn’t get over the fact that we all volunteer and most everything was donated….for them! That was pretty cool….and special.
Participants: We had 6 kids and 2 guardians from Tyler House on the ride. Alli, thank you so much for organizing that. They were a great group. There were a few bumps and bruises along the way, but no injuries that rose to the level of an injury report. You might want to follow up with Tyler house to get their feedback on the ride and thank them for coming. The guardians, Maria and Billy, were fantastic. I will post the trip log, kids consent forms, and photos in our drop box.
Ride volunteers: It turned out to be just Dawn and myself. Alli tweaked her back the night before, and couldn’t make it. Alli, I hope your back is getting better. Dawn, you were awesome (as usual) with the kids. Thank you…..You rock! Could you send me your photos…..and write a blog (“hella-fun”)?
Ride: We all road together as one group on the Nisene Aptos Creek fire road to the steel bridge. At that point, we broke into 2 groups Dawn led the girls further up the fire road, and I rode single track with the boys on the Terrace and Vienna trails. We all reconvened back at Epicenter for some riding on the pump and short tracks, and general hanging out and soaking up the vibe of all of the volunteers buffing on the short and pump tracks. Note to self and others: we really need to stash some energy bars in our packs for the kids. They wind up just eating their energy bars in the van on the way to the trailhead, and then their starving by noon or 1…
Shuttle Smith: Dave was once again the ‘man with the van’.
A real post about what we all learned is coming, but I want to post my favorite pics, too. So, here they are…
It was the ride after the wind storm. Debris so thick, it took talent to overcome the obstacles that buried the hard packed dirt of the fire road. I was in a foul mood. I was exhausted from a long work week and Steve-O had decided not to show up. When kids don’t show, I worry about what they’re up to, or why they are not there. That day I questioned why we even keep having these rides. After errant branches made a twisted three dimensional puzzle out of one participant’s rear derailleur, our group headed back out of Nisene Marks State Park, slightly defeated. Thankfully, though, It’s a Wonderful Life mountain bike community, and despite scraped knees, unfriendly terrain, and the missing regular, I had a great day because I was riding bikes with cool kids and cool adults.
The pump track John & I helped build back in July 2010 was a great back-up. Rox and John brought a BBQ and hotdogs. Shawn from Epicenter Cycling lent us a bike to replace the broken one, and was full of welcoming smiles as usual. BBQ, chips, pump track, and one super excited kid got me out of my doldrums.
This one kid, Tim, wanted to jump, catch air, and throw down challenges. I love it when the kids are so lively and engaged with the bikes. They energize me. Tim challenged me to try to take jumps, corner tighter and ride a plank. I performed with mediocrity, but it was so fun.
And that’s what’s important in the end, is to show up and try. We had kids dropped off from Peacock Acres and Jovenes Sanos, they showed up. John the ride leader showed up, Roxanne our newest board member showed up, and Kathy, a new volunteer, she showed up too. We rode through debris, cleaned wounds, adjusted seat posts, cooked hot dogs, and gave pep talks. And we played on a pump track. It turned out to be a great day, and that’s the lesson. Next time we’ll go drag Steve-O out of bed.
