Friday, June 5, 2009

Downtown San Rafael/ Civic Center/ China Camp 8.77 miles

I am thinking today we are so lucky to live where we do. I can't imagine training for this walk in say.... Clovis New Mexico... No, we are lucky to live in Marin. The scenery is varied and the weather is fantastic. Today Patti and I attacked the other side of the walk to China Camp a state park in San Rafael. The governor is talking about closing 2/3s of the State Parks due to our financial woes. (BTW don't get me started on WHY we are in this pickle....) So its a good time to squeeze in as many State Park walks as possible before they are locked up in a secret lockbox.


We rendezvoused at Glenn's office in the heart of San Rafael and headed north along Lincoln Blvd., then East on San Pedro Road. The route took us by one of the most unique buildings in the country, the Marin County Civic Center. This building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It has been used in several futurist movies including Gattaca. When you find something so picturesque it is time to stand in front and smile and so we did...



We continued on stopping at a 7 Eleven to refresh ourselves. This side of this peninsula is not usually considered as desirable an address as the other. But I have sold a couple of places over here with great views and value prices. There are some very high-end homes as well on the ridge. Its a hidden treasure in my book. If we ever moved within Marin I definitely would consider this under-rated part of San Rafael.
At the end of San Pedro Road you come to the part that Glenn referred to as the better part of China Camp. The bulk of the park is on this northern end. You can see vast expanses of golden grass punctuated with California Oaks, Buckeye trees and Laurels. Beyond lies the waters of San Pablo Bay. It isn't unusual to see huge ships in the distance going to a refinery or heading up the Delta. The road rises and falls and flattens out, making it just about perfect for our training. The weather today too was definitely made for walking. Slightly cool, with big clouds looking as if they were ready to burst with rain. They never did, and we walked on without getting too hot or too cold.


Can you see Patti's Shoes? and her hand on the top of the sign? She tried to jump up for a photo-op, but it didn't quite work out!

The old fashioned way of posing for a pic!

Looking quite disheveled I take my turn.

When we finally arrived at China Camp Village Patti pulled out her Sharkies. She tells me they have wax in them... You know what.... Wax is not nearly as sticky as these things. One shark could last the whole day stuck to that filling in the back of your mouth. But I hear these are good for replacing electrolytes you lose in walking.

This looks even worse than I imagined! This is my leg. The other day someone walking behind me said, "You have really developed calves!" Well, the other word for that is BIG. I can confirm... those legs have gotten pretty darn hard - and BIG!

Patti's shoes aren't even dirty!


Glenn came to pick us up and take us to lunch. We asked him to take our picture. It sure felt good to sit down, but the standing back up.... now that is something we need to work on.
In all we walked 8.7 miles on this walk. We are averaging around 3.2 miles per hour. We are learning to stretch and hydrate and grab a bite to keep ourselves going.
Another thing that will keep us going is your donation!
Every dollar we earn keeps our spirits high as we attempt this feat of the feet!
We appreciate it very much.
HOPING to hear from more of you asking for an invitation to WINE WARS
Go to the invite and read all about it... then let us know you would like to come.
IT WILL BE AWESOME!

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