Vacation - Destination 3, Lost Coast

I love it in this part of Northern California. The weather was cranky with rain and cold right up to race day. We made a stop at Target so I could buy cold weather gear for the race.

We spent a few days with our friends at the Gingerbread Mansion Bed and Breakfast. It was great to meet up with Debbie and Ellen. Of course, by this point in the trip, Steve and I were ready to just lay back and enjoy. We didn't really "do" anything. One day, we visited agate beach and I collected a bunch of beautiful pieces of agate that had been smoothed by the sand and ocean. Weird things like that are always my favorite trip souvenirs.

Steve and I also took a long drive from the redwoods to the lost coast - long drive, short distance. The terrain is pretty rugged and the roads are twisty. It's the reason it's called the "lost" coast. It was too rugged to develop with highways and such. The funniest part was the cows that were grazing right along the shoreline. No wonder California has happy cows, they live on the beach. (Of course, they are probably complaining about the cost of living here too.)

Race Notes: Country Music Half Marathon and Avenue of the Giants.

Two races, eight days.

Country Music Half Marathon - The race was hot and hilly. Not steep hills, but constant rolling hills. The entire race was going up or down; there were no flats. My nutrition was a mess. Sometimes the heat gives me nausea and I can't eat, then I bonk. Other times, the heat makes me ravenous. That's what happened here. I was through my entire stash of Gu's and trail mix by mile 7. Thankfully, Nashvillians were giving nibbles along the course (including a yummy, ice cold beer at mile 9).

Overall, this was a very sloppy race for me. I never really got tired, but I wasn't putting in much effort. It was great to go slowly through my old neighborhoods. No regrets.

Avenue of the Giants - I planned to walk this entire course since I was doing it with TNT walk alumni including Steve. My absolute favorite race ever - the California redwoods are magnificent and you have a few hours to simply enjoy the peace and beauty of the forest. Dear Heavens, I want to do this race every year.

Also, the Avenue is surely the recipient of the most improved finishers medal. Last years was sort of lame - that part in the center is a sticker. This years is lovely - also, great tee shirts.

Avenue of the Giants Half Marathon

I did not want this "race" to end; I wanted to walk another few hours in the Redwoods. The course wasn't crowded with runners; there was a lot of time to simply enjoy the woods.



I hope to come back and do this race again.

Heaven Looks Like This

After a hectic early morning of travel, I arrived in Humboldt, California for tomorrow's half marathon. We're staying at the cutest B&B, the Gingerbread Mansion. It's lovely here and smack in middle of the beautiful California redwoods. The redwoods are every bit as awesome as you might have heard.

The area has a very small town feel which I love. Well, except for the fact that medical (and recreational) marijuana is Humboldt's big industry due to the extremely high THC content in the local crop. In other words, Humboldt weed is the good stuff.

Still it's a conservative small town. I knew what I was getting as soon as I landed at the local airport and bait shop. Okay, it's not the bait shop, but it's a pretty darn small airport. In the ladies room there is the following sign:




Please notice the wording - not just California law but Common decency demands that you wash your hands. When is the last time you saw a sign that appealed to your common decency. In a small town, that's where you get signs like that.

Anyway, it's lovely here. A small, Victorian town snuggled in the majestic forest of redwoods.