Day Two

Because tent walls are pretty thin, you wake up early on Saturday and Sunday. Voices could be heard somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30, so we started moving shortly after sunrise. We camped on Crown Point Shores at Mission Bay State Park. We were right along the water so it was chilly, but you can't beat the view.Camp is an endless sea of pink tents. Though some tents, like ours, have tarps to help keep the cold and condensation out. From what we heard from walkers without tarps, it really worked. I'm glad Jennifer thought to bring one!While some walkers choose to stay in a hotel during the 3-Day, most sacrifice the comforts of home and sleep in a tent for two nights. Here's our home away from home. The tents basically just have room for an air matress so you have to keep your gear outside. Our bags were resting on a tarp, everything inside the bags was in Ziploc bags, and our gear bags were wrapped in garbage bags. There's just a lot of dew.Jennifer's kids made us a sign for our tent, and we attempted to make some decorations on the ride to San Diego. We were too busy training to come up with elaborate tent decorations.

After a hot breakfast of eggs, bacon, and a biscuit, we were on our way. We walked past Sea World and then along the estuaries. We crossed the bridge below (everyone on that bridge is a 3-Day walker!) before heading into Point Loma.

Jennifer enjoyed the canine fans along the route. She said they were a big motivator for her.

Once we reached Point Loma, we headed for the hills again. This reminded me of the hills in San Francisco and we were glad to finally reach the top and explore the neighborhood.After a pit stop at an elementary school, we walked downhill through Sunset Cliffs. There were sailboats, surfers, and beautiful homes to see as we made our way back down to the beach. I don't think I'll ever be a fan of walking downhill. But look! I'm still smiling!We met a lot of people who have done several 3-Day walks in different cities. All of them said that the San Diego walk has the most community support. You get a lot of high fives from people standing along the sidelines. Girl Scout troops hand out candy and tissues. And then there are the people affectionately known as Walker Stalkers. These are individuals or groups that literally stalk the 3-Day walkers for the entire weekend. If we were dedicated to walking 60 miles in three days, then these guys were dedicated to making us feel good about what we were doing by making us laugh, giving us chocolate (Have you ever had a Take 5 candy bar? Find one and indulge now!), and cheering us on. Some groups even had themes like Barbies for Boobs and Hookers for Hooters. Jennifer and I may create our own team of Walker Stalkers for the Arizona 3-Day next year. Team Suck it Up Cupcake will pass out mini-cupcakes and frosting shots! We saw this guy at least once every day. We never took him up on his offer, though.The homes in Sunset Cliffs are beautiful and, I'm sure, very expensive. We passed this peaceful painting class along the beach. Here are some more Walker Stalkers. I was just so happy to see San Diego. I love the beach! Here we are at yet another San Diego beach. Here's Jennifer at the pit stop right before lunch. And by right before I mean probably 4 miles. She's just kidding. Day 2 was our power day and the day we had the most fun. Which is really strange because we thought Day 2 would be the worst because we'd already walked so far and we had to do the same thing the next day. Oh, Tigger. A lady dressed up her son as Tigger to rally the walkers. We saw him at lunch and had our picture taken with him. He was complaining that he was so hot in his suit. He was complaining to us! Although it was a bit cold and windy, we enjoyed our peaceful lunch spot. The Caesar wrap, chips, apple, and homemade cookies were a step up from Day 1's lunch. I was inspired during a stretch.After lunch we headed down to Mission Beach. We saw lots of surfers, beach volleyball games, and bikinis. It was like spring break in November. There were some reality stars cheering us on, too. I think these guys are from The Amazing Race.Here's a picture of the Mission Beach Boardwalk...
and some Mission Beach surfers. And I heard somebody say this was Elmo. Scary Elmo. One group showered all the walkers with Gerbera daisies at a cheering station. The flowers were beautiful! We had to walk the same last mile on Day 2. But this time we were in better spirits and actually enjoyed it! We finished at nearly the same time as the day before so we got to see the sunset again. You can almost see it in my sunglasses.Each night they make a big production when the last walker(s) arrive at camp. They get to raise the flag that flies over camp.

The last walkers arrived while we were eating dinner (chicken piccata, rice and vegetables). After dinner, we walked around Main Street for a bit. Jennifer charged her phone and I shopped in the 3-Day gear tent. Then we switched; I stayed with her phone so she could get some shopping done. Afterwards, we visited the Rememberence Tent. It's a place where you can write memories of loved ones in journals and pay your respects to former walkers who have lost their lives to breast cancer. They also have tents representing each of the fourteen 3-Day walks from 2009 and you can sign them. All the tents are glowing and it's a very somber and emotional experience. It really reminds you of why you're doing what you're doing.

The only thing left to do was shower and go to bed. And we were so ready to rest!