Happy 4th!

Hi Everyone - I just finished running the Peachtree Road Race, an Atlanta tradition, and thought I would wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!. I have been up since 4:00 AM because I volunteer at the start of the race and then run it. So if I am incoherent, you know why.

I'll catch you all up on my latest adventures. Amy (my daughter) and I went out to San Francisco the 3rd weekend in May. I had always wanted to run in the Bay to Breakers Race (12K) and I decided this was the year to do it. It is an inconvenient time for me since I am still in school and I couldn't take much time off. So we just went for the weekend and had a fabulous time! The weather was beautiful - sunny and clear - does that sound like San Francisco? We did as much as humanly possible in 2 1/2 days - Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Cable car ride, Ferry to Sauslito, shopping, etc. The race was on Sunday morning and it was different from any race that I have ever run. They divide the race into 2 groups - runners and people in costume. Even a lot of the runners are in costume and some men run naked (this is a Bay to Breakers tradition). The whole race is like a giant party. I screamed when I saw the first naked man and everyone was laughing at me. I said "We don't do this in Atlanta!" Another runner yelled back, "This ain't Kansas, Dorothy!" Anyway, you get the picture. The race was a blast and I'm so glad I did it. Also, it was very nice to spend some time with Amy.

Then Ron and I took a week's vacation out to the Pacific Northwest which I had never been to before. We flew into Seattle and rented a car and went down the Oregon coast. We stayed at Cannon Beach which is beautiful. I am not used to being cold at the beach but it was quite chilly and our room had a fireplace in it. We went to an Oregon State Park - Silver Falls - which has 10 waterfalls. We got there very early in the morning, so we had the place to ourselves. I love to hike when there is no one else around. We then went to Portland and then drove along the Columbia River Gorge. The gorge was pretty but not spectalular as we had expected. We went on to Mt. Hood and stayed at the Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 by the WPA. It is a great place to stay because you are right at the foot of the mountain. I could look out our window at the Lodge and see snow on the ground! Actually, they have year round skiing at Timberline so the place was packed with skiiers and snowboarders. I had never been to a ski lodge before, so I really enjoyed watching all the skiing. I would really like to try skiing someday, but Ron is not at all interested. Anyone want to go skiing with me? I would have to take lessons. After Mr. Hood we went to Mr. Ranier and stayed at the National Park Inn. It is very rustic, no phone or TV. We did not get to hike much near the mountain because there was still so much snow. We did one "easy" hike and almost killed ourselves in the snow and ice. Apparently you have to go in August if you want to avoid all the snow. We did find several nice trails at lower altitudes that led to waterfalls. We finished the trip in Seattle. I really enjoyed Seattle - we had great weather - no rain! I visited the original Starbucks several times and drank coffee constantly.

Well, that's about it for me. I need to take a nap so I can stay awake for a 4th of July party tonight. What have you all been up to? Hope everyone is well. Take Care!

Lois