Nike Women's Half-Marathon weekend

Nike Women's Half-Marathon entry is by lottery, and we got in on our first try! I took Friday off and we drove up to San Francisco.



We ground to a dead stop on the Bay Bridge:



It took us 10 hours to get to our hotel. The next morning, we walked to packet pickup:



Which was right across the street from the hotel:



Messing around in the Expo photo booth after make-overs:



After the expo we headed to the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf:



Here's a nice view from the cable car with the Bay Bridge off in the distance:



We must stop at Ghiradelli Square for chocolate!



We walked around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Now it's back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep (and for Cheryl to finish her homework for Monday). The next morning, we had a short walk to our corral. The early morning streets of SF are rocking!



Here are some pics from the race. We ran right up to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. Our plan was to stop there to take pictures, but it was such a foggy morning that we don't even know when we passed the Bridge.





And the results... Cheryl got plantar fasciitis in her foot last Wednesday. It was hurting her a lot, so we took it nice and easy in the race. We finished our SLOWEST half-marathon ever.



We saw Shawn Johnson (the gold medal gymnast) in Union Plaza on Saturday, and we also ran the last mile with her in the race on Sunday... we beat her. Cheryl LOVED that, since they were both in the same age group!

The results were not that great, but we had a FUN weekend! And best of all, I got to share it with my girlie!

Washington day 8

It's my last full day in Washington, so it's time to cross the sound and move closer to Seattle:



We are getting to be experts at the Ferry system now. It's the fastest way from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. Jena still isn't sure she likes the ferry:













Welcome to Seattle!



We drove all around the Seattle area looking for a campground for the night. One state park, the campground was closed. One state park was completely closed. Another two parks didn't have camping. After spending a day driving around, we finally settled in a trailer park in Tacoma:



Jena doesn't seem to mind the trailer park:



Time for our last dinner:



One last image for my Washington friend... This one is for you Beth!



It was a great trip, but it's over now... time to head home.
Thanks for joining me on my vacation recap! Have a great week all!

Washington day 7

Well, all good things come to an end, and it's our time to leave Olympic National Park...





.. and head back towards Seattle and end up at Fey Bainbridge State Park on Bainbridge Island.



Our campground was on the Puget Sound...



... with a partial view of Seattle.



Our vacation is winding down to a close... only one more night before I have to go home...

Washington day 6

Not too much went on today... we got our first day of rain.



We found a nice campsite at Queets in the south-west corner of the Olympic National Park.



Nothing like cooking in the rain...



We took a walk around the campground, but pretty much stayed close to the trailer.





It's not supposed to rain tomorrow, YAHOO!

Now fast forward to present day... Look who came to visit! Death to all squeaky toys!

Washington day 5

After the rain forest, we headed to the beach. We heard about the beautiful beaches along Kalaloch... and they were beautiful!



Another good thing about Kalaloch is that there are a lot of sticks!



A bad thing is that it was cold and windy. So, we headed back inland to Queets Valley, and found a great camp site... along another river.



No swimming for the Jena-girl. The river was too deep, fast, and it is starting to get colder. Here is a view of the river from the camp site:



And here is a view of the campsite from the river:



So, instead of swimming, we went hiking... the Olympic National Park really is BEAUTIFUL!



One more note about our campsite... it came with neighbors...



Yes... it's a flying squirrel! The squirrels are so funny. They love to tease the dogs, and Jena loves squirrels!
Tomorrow we get our first day of rain.

Washington day 4

Today we headed to my favorite spot on the trip, Hoh Rain Forest. We found another nice camp spot along a river:







And you know what that means... more swimming...



... and more sticks....



There was a purpose to all that swimming and stick fetching... We planned to go for an hour hike along one of the most popular trails in Hoh Rain Forest... the Hall of Moss, but no dogs are allowed on the trail. We tired Jena out and let her take a nap in the trailer while we went on our hike. It was really beautiful! Just like how I pictured the Olympic Peninsula would look like"





By the time we got back, it was time to cook dinner...



Have a little wine...



And relax by the fire...



Oops... Jena wants dinner...



Now it's time to relax... ahhh....