State #6 - Seattle, WA

It seemed like it was on a whim that my husband and I decided to travel to Seattle. The plans came about when deciding what to do with our tax refund. Why not go on vacation? He had never traveled to the west coast and of course, I am always up for a race. Airline tickets were booked and I registered for the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon.


This was the first time in many years that we had traveled for more than two days without the kids. We made expert use of our sightseeing time. We wandered Pike Place Market, hiked up under the bridge to find the troll, climbed to the top of the Space Needle, relaxed on board a ferry tour, got caught up in the gay pride parade, sampled our way through a three hour food tour and even finally found the elusive gum wall.

One of the most spectacular parts of our visit to Seattle was to take a tour of Mt. Rainier National Park. We hiked gorgeous trails, played in the snow and captured many breathtaking views of the majestic mountain.

All too soon it was race day, June 23, 2012 After all of the splendor we had already seen, the views on the race course were a bit disappointing. It was a dreary, gray day and the skies could have opened up at any given moment. Thankfully, they waited until after the race was finished. Participants wound their way through the downtown waterfront area but were blocked in many areas due to construction (the Seattle Great Wheel was being installed). I had expected hills, but did not anticipate so much bridge, tunnel and freeway running. This didn't leave many places for spectators. I have always found Rock N Roll events to be well-managed, but I believe a better course was out there in "Emerald City". Although there was not much to look at there was great listening to be heard. True to form from a well-known music city, bands playing jazz, rock, grunge, hip hop and rap were an inspiration to the runners.