Day 2--Another 20 miles

Day two and we're off!

You know folks ... Atlanta is hilly ... not San Francisco hilly ... but l-o-n-g, let-me-tell-you-about-it hilly!  It seemed as if we were walking uphill all day long! But Atlanta has some really wonderful people to get a tired walker up those hills.  We all looked forward to seeing the 3-day Coffee Kids waiting with coffee and bread and just looking so adorable!

Day one had us walking through Stone Mountain and downtown Decatur.  Day two took us through Buckhead.  Boy howdy ... there are some beautiful homes in Buckhead!

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Here's a shot of the port-o-potties.  Some were more "fragrant" than others ... but when you gotta go ... well ... you know the rest!

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The kids were out in force all day!  They were almost always dressed in pink and they were adorable!  They "slapped  five" and cheered us every step of the way! (The little guy on the left doesn't look happy ... it's because his mama took him away from his job welcoming the walkers to pose for the picture!)

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We walked past pink plumbing trucks ... and pink fire trucks ... but I think I liked these fellows at the car wash best!

Boy Howdy ... Atlanta knows how to do PINK!

Lesley picked up this guy by the car wash.

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We arrived back at The Georgia World Congress Center after a long day of walking.

This was my 6th walk ... and I have to tell y'all ... there's nothing like camping indoors!  The shower trucks are still outside ... but indoor plumbing is AWESOME!  It's also comfortable to sleep indoors!

Here's Lesley in our 3-day accommodations!  The air mattresses worked just fine.

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The Girl Scouts took very good care of us.  They should earn a couple of badges for their work in the "dining tent."

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I think Night 2 was the dance party ... but I enjoyed wandering around, finding a place to charge batteries, and talking to people.  That's all part of the experience!

We were sore and tired, and our friend "Advil PM"  helped us get through the night.

After all the months of training, we were about to take our first steps on our last day.  

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And for you Sarge ... 

I thought this was a little girl.

It wasn't?

Atlanta 3-day: Day 1 (20 miles)

Ah ... Day 1 is always so exciting.

You get up before the sun is up (like 3:30 or something) and you dress in your finest 3-day gear and you wander downstairs (dragging your 35+ lb. duffle on wheels behind you) and suddenly you find yourself in a sea of pink and see the greatest get-ups you will find in one place! (someday I will wear a tu-tu and a tiara!)

You grab something to eat (usually included in the hotel bill ... this time NOT!) and then you wait for the bus to take you to Opening Ceremonies.

Opening Ceremonies this year were in the shadow of Stone Mountain.

It was chilly but we were excited ... and the warmth of the thousands of participants ... walkers and crew ... was enough for me!

One of the first things we do (after throwing our duffles on the truck to be transported to camp) is remember for whom we are walking.  As always ... I walk for Muriel, Cynthia, Phyllis, and Bee.  I have added Lisa to my list.  You might remember we lost Lisa 2 years ago to Leukemia.

Always emotional ... Opening Ceremonies is a time for us to honor the survivors.  This is the Survivors' Circle.  These are the heroes.

 You wipe your eyes ... and you're off!

We always start together ... then little groups walk together.

Sometimes we walk alone.

It's a time to reflect.

I met these three gals along the way ...

3 generations of walkers!

I love it!

The cheering stations in Atlanta were amazing.

I almost lost it when we came to the Stone Mountain cheering station.  To hear their cheers and read their signs made me walk just a little faster ... and helped me to forget that my feet were beginning to hurt ... just a little!

Although I was just fine with port-o-potties all day ...
it was very exciting to be camping indoors in Atlanta!  That meant flushing toilets!  What a thrill!  It also meant that we didn't have to drag our gear over grass ... we didn't have to find the heaters in the dining tent ... we could walk around in our pjs and feel warm!  Lesley and I found that Advil PM is a miracle ... and we quickly fell asleep in our pink tent ... ready to begin a new day and walk another 20 miles in the morning.
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Always on the lookout for something to bring home to my dear friend Sarge, I decided on the following:

get a load of them balloons ... 'eh Sarge!