Hyannis Marathon / Half - Part One

Many eagles could be seen along the Mississippi, south of St. Paul, from our Amtrak coach.

The shiny Amtrak cars, the roar of the electric engines that pulled the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, unloading at Union Station always delights.

We boarded the Lakeshore Limited, destination Boston. Snow had blown in, piled up between the cars on their trip across Ohio and Indiana, making our trek slippery as we made our way to the dining car.

This is a civilized way to travel, said Don, as we followed the Mohawk River across New York State to Albany. He had been behind the wheel of the car for all those trips to run New England marathons.

From my Boston hotel bed, I soaked in the early morning sun, which would be so absent for the next three days on Cape Cod.

Celebrate !

Plant a garden, eat salad and meat, be active, live clean, stay married to the same person: You never know what might happen!

Christmas cards

Thank you for the Christmas cards!

We are working on a letter, especially celebrating Don's finishing the marathons in 50 states... since multiple myeloma diagnosis.

Will probably get it into the mail in a couple of weeks, since we are a bit busy with Christmas right now.

Wishing you a blessed holiday time.

Honolulu Marathon: Don's 50th State since diagnosis

Loved the trees in Hawaii.

Fireworks at the 5 am start of the marathon, 25,000 runners, NO time limit, all runners were supported to the end.

Trees in Christmas lights, along the race course, here at the Hawaiian palace.

Water stops were beyond amazing. Not only was water cold, but it had ICE in it.
See that great sponge on my head? More and more sponges were available as we got nearer the finish, filled with ice water.

Don running for a local TV station interview, of which he had two, and he was also interviewed by CNN. That interview may air when the public tires of the coverage of the Connecticut carnage. Sigh.

There is big sky in Hawaii.

The ocean... check out that Pacific Ocean. Three weddings took place on that beach while Don was being interviewed.

WE RAN HERE! right along Waikiki Beach.

Great to see surf boards walking by and hundreds of folks out just being active.

And OH! the flowers!

Loving that Pacific Beach

December 7, and the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Survivors rode in antique cars, owned by car club members. One survivor tenaciously walked the whole parade route. Most of these fellows are close to 90 now.

Banners commemorated the ships lost on December 7, 1941.

Regular Friday night fireworks over the Pacific

What a winner; Sweet Pea kept me going the whole marathon race course.

We two have run 15 marathons and enough half marathons to make 48 states. What a great country this is!

Amtrak: Fort Madison to Albuquerque

The wonderful train trip, from Fort Madison, Iowa, to the Albuquerque Marathon and Half!
You can click on any picture to enlarge. Three of us were taking pictures, so we have not attempted to arrange them here in any particular order.
The train arrives in Fort Madison, on an historic bridge over the Mississippi, and crosses the Missouri at Kansas City. Some scenery below is in the mountains of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
Autumn color in mid-October was good.