The weekend after Labor Day, eight women from Lafayette County and various spouses and family members traveled to Santa Barbara, California to participate in the 2016 Avon 39. This is the second time we have walked in Santa Barbara, but other members of the Tig Ol’ Bitties have traveled to Chicago and Charlotte to participate in other walks to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research.
Justin and I left the airport early on Thursday morning to head to LA, where we picked up our rental car and decided to explore for a bit. After grabbing some In-N-Out for lunch, we traveled down the 1 to enjoy the beautiful coast as we headed to the beach house we would all be sharing for the next five days.
Thursday evening, we all went to dinner together, and seating 18 people is no easy task. We were at an awkward L-shaped table that didn’t allow those in the corner much of an opportunity to get up.
Friday morning we all met up for breakfast, spent the day lounging around, and then made the trip to Santa Barbara to check in for the event. We ate dinner of the Santa Barbara pier and took some time exploring before heading home to get to sleep relatively early.
On Saturday morning, the opening ceremony began at 6:30 a.m., with the walk to start at 7 a.m. On Saturday, the course is 26.2 miles, and three of our group completed the entire thing. The rest of us that chose to just do the half marathon each day. Our group located some pizza and beer for lunch at Rusty’s Pizza, which Kim described at “Rusty’s mid-evil Pizza” because of the décor. We spent the rest of the day cheering on those left in our team. The guys worked together to make us dinner, and we had delicious shrimp scampi with linguini and some spaghetti.
Sunday we woke up to do it all again. I don’t know how we would make it through without all of the significant other and familial support. Having a group there solely to cheer you on helps with moral immensely. We talked with so many people who were walking by themselves and/or didn’t have anyone there to support them. They made us dinner again Sunday night–smoked chicken, baked potatoes and zucchini. I had offered to take photos of all the Tigs and their significant others on the beach, but that will be in another post.
The next morning, most of the group woke up early to get to the airport for their flights. Justin and I went down to the beach for a bit before heading home, where I had the surprise of a lifetime, but more on that later. 🙂
Monday we wandered around the Ventura marina, attempted to see the Hollywood sign, and ended up spending most of the day in the car. Even though we mainly just went sight-seeing Griffith Park from the vehicle, it was still an incredible day.
Our trip was amazing, and I loved getting to explore California with Justin. As a Concordia, Missouri photographer, I always relish the chance to take photos in a new location. You’ll be able to see some beach photos in a post soon. 🙂
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September 17, 2016
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