The 3day Route!

They finally released the route for the 3day starting on Sept. 7th. It will be as follows:

This year our event will commence at the beautiful campus of Bellevue Community College. From the college you will head west through Bellevue onto the I-90 trail. Crossing over several of Lake Washington’s waterways, you will make your way across Mercer Island onto the I-90 Bridge. Once you cross the bridge into Seattle, you will head south along Lake Washington on the Lake Washington Loop trail. You will enjoy several beautiful pit stops at some of Seattle’s most scenic parks on the shores of Lake Washington. You will make your way through Renton, Tukwila and SeaTac and end the day in the city of Burien at our overnight campsite.

Day Two starts bright and early heading south from Burien, passing through SeaTac and into the lovely city of Des Moines. Enjoy scenic views of Puget Sound at our beautiful lunch stop right on the water. You'll head north from lunch into the quaint city of Normandy Park, passing through some wonderful neighborhoods with plenty of shade. From Normandy Park you will continue heading north, back into Burien for another fun night at camp!

Day Three starts with a short bus ride from camp to the beginning of the route and a scenic walk on Alki Beach right along Puget Sound. You will be happy to see very few hills on this day and with mileage at just 15 miles, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy all of the sites. We have several fun pit stops planned for you today as well! After lunch you will make your way across the ship canal under the West Seattle Bridge. You'll head north through the city on one of Seattle’s oldest streets, passing amazing landmarks such as Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market. The last few miles of your route take you through the heart of downtown as you make your way to Closing Ceremonies. We are very excited to announce that this year’s Closing Ceremonies will be at Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center. They are very excited to welcome back the Breast Cancer 3-Day for this year’s event.

If you would like to come and cheer us on, here are the cheering locations:

Day One - Friday, September 7

Mile Marker 9.5
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Stan Sayres Park
3808 Lake Washington Blvd S
Seattle, WA 98118
Map

Mile Marker 19.7
12:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Family Fun Center
7300 Fun Center Way
Tukwila, WA 98188
Map

Day Two - Saturday, September 8

Mile Marker 8.3
8:30 am - 1:15 pm
Highline Community College
2400 S. 240 St.
Des Moines, WA 98198
(Parking lot off of S 240th - click here for map )

Mile Marker 13.3
10:35 am - 4:00pm
Key Bank
22033 Marine View Dr S
Des Moines, WA 98198
Map

Day Three - Sunday, September 9

Mile Marker 4.7
7:40 am - 10:15 am
Alki Beach
1702 Alki Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
Map
(Walkers will be traveling for several miles along this beach path. You'll be able to cheer on walkers from any spot along this stretch of beach.)

For the most up-to-date supporter information, check out the Seattle Supporter Handbook webpage.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I woke up this morning to a birthday gift from the kitties. Cat puke on the rug. I left it for Chris to clean up when he wakes up since well it is my birthday. I also found a Mariner's jersey hanging on my closet door from Chris House because, as we all know, they are in a pennant race. Oh, and my parents called and sang me happy birthday. Now I feel a little sick to my stomach, but it is the thought that counts. Other than that it is work as usual.

W00t!

Black Mouth Salmon

During our Kayaking adventure on Saturday we took off across the passage to Devil's Head instead of fishing our normal spot at the mouth of Amsterdam Bay. No fish to be had at Devil's Head so we headed back to Amsterdam Bay (about 1 hour round trip of kayaking) and Chris proceeded to catch the following black mouth salmon. Measuring in at 24 inches. BBQ Salmon for dinner! I had a similar one on my line about 3 minutes after he caught this one. It spun me in circles in my kayak for about 2 minutes and then snapped my line. The one that got away....

Freshly caught!


Token Hobie Logo photo to send to them.


Chris's foot size 10.5 vs Salmon size 24 inches.


Eat me....


Token Courtney self portrait.


Chris on the long kayak to Devil's Head.


Devil's Head is the point in the distance. Took about 25 minutes to peddle there.

Training Update

So far I've logged over 600 miles and over 2,300,000 steps in my training. Less than 3 weeks until the Breast Cancer 3Day!

When Deer Attack!

On Saturday Chris was sure I was going to be the next person highlighted on the show "When Animals Attack". We took off on Friday for the Anderson Island cabin and on Saturday morning we headed out to do some fishing. About an hour into it we decided to head across the passage to Devil's Head to fish the kelp bed where we've always had luck before. I was freaking out a little bit - being in the open water and all the huge boats around us - but the scariest thing that happened was we startled a harbor seal and it splashed around us a bit. When we got to the other side we found the kelp bed and started fishing. It was really eerie to be so close to the water and look down and see the slimy kelp waving about. We weren't having much luck so I headed towards shore to try and fish a bit there. I managed to get my line tangled in a fallen down tree and was fighting to get it unhooked when all of a sudden Chris yelled "Courtney, behind you". I turned just in time to see a one antlered crazed looking deer running down the hillside, into the water, and swim towards me. Chris was yelling at me to peddle away but I was still all tangled in the tree so I started yelling and screaming (seemed like the right thing to do!!). I think I scared it with my screaming and it turned around, swam back to shore, and ran back up the hillside with the same crazed look on its face. That has to be one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had.

Freeway Fright 2007

No I'm not kidding, that is really what they were calling it. For those of you not in the Seattle area, Freeway Fright 2007 is the closing of multiple lanes on NB I5 for construction. Those of us who live in West Seattle were prepared for the worst. But thanks to scaring the bejezus out of everyone Freeway Fright 2007 has been pretty manageable so far. I've been riding the 6:20am bus into work and mostly riding the Elliott Bay Water Taxi home and other than increased numbers in the ridership of both vehicles the commute has been pretty light. I think there is a lesson to be learned here - get out of your car and take mass transit! Here is a note I posted on the West Seattle Blog today:
Something to take into consideration is not only the commute to downtown in the morning but the time you can save on your commute home in the afternoon by riding the reliable water taxi. I have found that while my bus in the morning gets me from my stop to downtown without hiccups it is the return trip that causes me the most grief. I can’t remember a time I’ve ridden the bus home after work and it has been on time - especially when there is an M’s game. I can remember so many times where a 21 express scheduled to stop at the stop I’m standing at 3 times during an hour doesn’t even show up until well into the next hour. For that reason alone I have been taking the water taxi about 3 times a week all summer long. I love the walk up the hill from the dock to my office (near Pacific Place). Great to get the blood pumping before settling into the work day. And one more note - the Argosy Crew is doing a great job of keeping the boats on time and keeping the commuters happy. I think we sometimes forget that this “carmagedon” is out of the norm for them as well.

Cross it off!

Last night we met PrettyBird and her friend for dinner at the Pike Pub & Brewery. She surprised me with an early birthday present. A 3lb bag of Haribo Gummies. Oh my gosh I can't wait to open it up this weekend. Thanks PrettyBird!!

On another note, if you remember I haven't had the best experiences at the Pike Pub & Brewery but we decided to give it another shot. This time Chris and I shared the BBQ Chicken Nachos and boy were they yummy. Some of the best nachos I've had. I guess it just depends on what you order there.......

Day Game!

Chris and I were given some tickets for a M's game today. First pitch is at 1:35pm. I am taking the afternoon off. I can't wait to sit in the sun (it is sunny and 80 here in Seattle today!) with a cold beer in my hand and enjoy some baseball. Because, as you know - especially if you talk to Chris, we are in a PENNAT RACE!

Go M's!

8 More Shopping Days

That's right! Only 8 more shopping days until my birthday. In case you need some ideas on what to get me, or to mock me by getting yourself, here are some of the items I currently wish to have:

1. A 5lb Bag of Haribo Gummy Bears. Haribo are the BEST Gummies out there.
2. The O.C. Season 4. Yes, I know it is supposed to suck, but what can I say I'm a sucker for teenage drama.
3. A headlamp. I don't have a link for the exact one that I want because I haven't done a ton of research but I need one for the 3 Day walk and for night fishing. Any suggestions?
4. WrightSock CoolMesh Double-Layer Tab and all that good stuff Socks. These socks are amazing and perfect for the 3 Day.
5. Adidas Country Track Top - Germany or Argentina- Size Large. Don't ask me why, but I saw this in the store and it is so awesome.
6. A few days off of work. If you're my boss and reading this......

That's about it....I also like shiny objects, mellow music, and enthralling books. Or just a yummy bottle of wine/beer/vodka.

36.5 Hottie Miles

Another back to back weekend of walking under my belt. We did 18.5 miles yesterday and 18 today.

Yesterday we started at Greenlake, headed into Ballard and through the locks, up to Discovery Park, through the park and along Magnolia BLVD. We ended up at a park that I don't remember the name of but the views of downtown and Alki were amazing. There we turned around and followed the same path back to Greenlake.

Today we started at Greenlake again and headed down through Wallingford to Gas Works. From there we took the Burke Gilman to the University Bridge and across into Portage Bay. We went along Fuhrman which turned into Boyer which ended us at the Japanese Gardens. From there we went up over Madison and down the hill into Leschi. We rested at the Leschi Starbucks and turned around to follow the same path back to Greenlake.

I'm tired but not nearly as sore as I'd be if I hadn't trained all these months. I have to say, if you are reading this and thinking to yourself "it's only walking" go out and walk 36 miles in a weekend and let me know how you feel.........

4 weeks until the Breast Cancer 3 Day!

Paperboys at the Harbor Steps - Seattle, WA 8/9/2007

Yesterday the Paperboys played at Harbor Steps as part of the Downtown Seattle. I took a short video. Check out Scarf Man and Crazy Lady dancing in front of the stage!

Paperboys at the Harbor Steps

Happy Birthday Percival & Christy

Yep, that's right, my friend Christy is lucky enough to share her birthday with Percival! August 10, 1977 Christy graced this world with her presence and 21 years later on August 10, 1998 Percival followed suit.

Happy Birthday Christy! Happy Birthday Percival!!!

5-Nil

Last night House and I went to see the Seattle Sounders VS Colorado Rapids in the Quarter Finals of the US Open Cup with Kevvy and Gary. The Sounders decisively trounced the Rapids 5-Nil! We had to stand in line for 30 minutes to get tickets. 30 MINUTES! FOR A SOUNDERS GAME! Such a great sight, to see the entire east side of Qwest Field filled with screaming Sounders fans. They will be taking on FC Dallas in the Semi-Finals on September 4th. Get your tickets now so you don't have to stand in line like we did!

Go Sounders!

Paradise

I spent last weekend at my parents cabin on Lake Chelan. I have such amazing memories from all of the summers I've spent there. Learning to water ski-knee board-wake board, dissecting chubs, raising tadpoles to frogs in our homemade frog condos, hiking the hills behind the cabin, sleeping in the boat, sneaking beer from Gene's cooler, bonfires on the beach, playing kick the can, finding what we were sure was Pet Sematary, and many many more. I shot a few pictures of the cabin right before I left on Sunday.......

View of the cabin from the parking area.



View of the cabin from the driveway - notice the sign to the lake, just in case you didn't know how to find it (go Dad!)



View of the lake from the deck. My favorite place for my morning coffee.

Noodle Arms

Sunday I went water skiing on the Columbia River with some friends of my parents. It was the first time I'd been drug around behind a boat in over 2 years (I think...maybe even longer). I was sitting there in the water with a slalom ski strapped to my foot and I yelled "hit it!". Then I panicked. How do you do this again?? Right then the boat took off and it felt like my arms were being pulled from their sockets and I let go of the rope. Oh yeah, that's what happens. The boat came around and my dad was laughing. "Forget how to do this" he said. I grabbed the rope again, got ready, yelled "hit it" and was up out of the water in seconds. It was a great feeling to be on a ski again, cutting across the wake, spray in my face. Sort of like riding a bike, you don't really every forget. Once I'd gone for a while I dropped off and my arms were shaking. They still hurt. As my dad would say - "Noodle Arms".

Biggest Ever!

I've been fishing off our dock at Lake Chelan since I was about 7 years old. I've always loved to fish and could sit out there for hours and hours fishing for chubs (squaw fish - pike minnows). I've caught my fair share. The biggest probably being about 12 - 14 inches long.

Saturday morning my dad and I were bored so we pulled our old fishing gear out of the basement and went down to the dock to fish a bit. We'd been there about 15 minutes and dad had already caught 3 small chubs using a meps lure. I'd caught nothing using my power bait on the end of a hook. We switched poles. 2 casts into it I got a strike. Not just a strike really, a gigantic tug. I yelled for my dad and started to reel it in. My pole was bent almost in half and I was sure that my line was going to snap. Dad reached over and tightened my drag - twice. I kept fighting it and eventually we saw it start to come to the surface. We both let out a gasp. We had NEVER seen a chub/squaw fish/pike minnow that big - it was probably 20 - 22 inches long, huge for a chub. I couldn't even lift it out of the water, I was scared the line would snap, so dad reached down and pulled it out by the gill and then stood there in awe. All of a sudden we heard people around us start cheering from their decks. Apparently people had heard us fighting it on the dock and started to watch us bring it in.

Now that is a fish story!

Weekend Away

I'm getting ready to head out of the office shortly and zoom over the mountains to Eastern Washington. I'll be spending the weekend with my feet dangling in the cool crisp waters of Lake Chelan and I can barely wait. Chris will stay here to work the craziness which is Seafair weekend. I prefer to get away from the crowds and enjoy a weekend dockside.

Mmmmm....summer weekends.

I've reached my goal, but....

Thank you thank you thank you to my supporters who helped me reach my goal of $2,200 for the Breast Cancer 3day! Although I've made my goal, there are a few people on my Warming Hut Hottie team who will be unable to walk in the event if they don't meet their goal. These people have been out there training since March and it would be a huge shame if they couldn't walk in the event. If you don't hit $2,200 you either pay the difference yourself to walk in the event or you don't walk. If you haven't yet donated to the Breast Cancer 3day, please consider donating to one of my team mates.

Melissa - Our Hottie Team Captain
Dennis - Our training walk route creator!
Stephanie - Our backup training walk leader
Arielle - A great lady!
Courtney - Yes there is another Courtney on the team.