SD – WV – OH – NH – CT – next up, Maryland. 6th consecutive weekend marathoning, running state 42 Saturday 🙂
Hotel stayed in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – GREAT location. Day’s first stop, the National Aquarium. HUGE building hugging the Chesapeake Bay – 5 levels of wonder. Black tip reef to Shark Alley, well done. Time constrained, unfortunately had to cut out early – still needed to fit in lunch & bib pick-up downtown.
Long jot down Pratt, opted to walk by Yankee great Babe Ruth’s Birthplace Museum before righting myself toward the city’s two premier sports stadiums, Camden Yards & Ravens M&T Bank Stadium.
Much of downtown Baltimore is uniquely designed in the region’s locally harvested red brick – including tomorrow’s mile 25 paver path to the Finish. Welcomed BIG at Camden Yards: “This Land is Birdland”. Tomorrow’s marathon wraps Orioles Stadium – finishing down pedestrian Eutaw Street, connecting Camden Yards to the city’s NFL home.
Snapped a pic of the marathon ‘Finish Line’ – classy, Baltimore.
WOW whatta day – whole lotta, whole lotta before a 26.2. To anyone who thinks of Baltimore only as the city jungle portrayed during last year’s riots – think again. Much to see & do!
Early start tomorrow a.m. [MARATHON DAY] then hitting the highway – dinner plans with Aunt & my Virginia-based cousins (2 hours away in Martinsburg WV). Livin’ life with no regrets – FAAANNTASTIC!
-
- Thursday nite flight — next stop, Baltimore
-
- 5 levels of wonder, highly recommended
-
- sand shark
-
- horseshoe crab (ranger presentation)
-
- sea anemone — specifically, a plumose anemone 🙂
-
- the mighty pint-sized sea horse
-
- jellies
-
- Yankees great, home in Baltimore?
-
- MLB’s Baltimore Orioles
-
- Eutaw Street — mile 25 red brick paver Finish
-
- ‘Charm City’ loves their Birds
-
- bib pick-up in NFL Ravens stadium
-
- Baltimore’s famous football son — Colt, not a Raven
-
- eye on the prize
Late Friday night flight to Vegas with Ash & Tom, where we met up with Stephen (in from New Hampshire). Luxor Hotel check-in, sleep, breakfast, van pickup at 8am. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…
Heck NO — who takes a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon & keeps that a secret? LOL>
The most spectacular Grand Canyon helicopter floor landing experience with an exclusive landing on the canyon floor and extended canyon viewing time! Embark on an unforgettable narrated flight from fabulous Las Vegas area, see majestic views of Lake Mead, the magnificent Hoover Dam, Grapevine Mesa, Grand Wash Cliffs, Fortification Hill and Extinct Volcanoes. View rugged southwest desert wilderness en route to America’s most spectacular natural wonder, the Grand Canyon.
Safety talk (check), belted in (check), headset on (check) & we’re up fast – hovering over the Nevadan desert. I LOVE geology & rock formations so the volcanic landscape in route to Hoover Dam was right up my alley. Hoover Dam, which holds back the waters of Lake Mead, is crazy massive. Seeing this man-made structure by air is pretty spectacular. Just the sheer size — WOW!
Soon the landscape opened & we dipped over the Rim of the Grand Canyon — used my WOW early. Double WOW!
Nothing like seeing this Wonder of the World via ‘copter, maneuvering around massive rock walls — dropping down, landing 4,000ft below on the floor of the Grand Canyon. Shot 100 near identical pics & a short video — couldn’t capture the experience.
Just an hour earlier we were in Vegas — now surrounded by cacti, red rock cliffs & the iconic Colorado River.
If you wanna create magic, treat family & friends to a heli trip – an experience you’ll never forget. SPECTACULAR!
Back in Vegas, took in a show (Olivia Newton John – ok I admitted it), casinos, roulette & some sports betting.
Ash & Tom treated with tickets Sunday morning to Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. Sharks, rays, lizards, snakes, piranha — well done, Vegas. Living B-I-G, crazy FULL 36 hours – friendly warning: Vegas can be hard on the wallet 🙂
Lunch, an hour down time, then BAM — marathoning down the Las Vegas Strip.
Grand Canyon Heli Adventure
-
- thumbs up, let’s roll
-
- volcanic landscape
-
- Hoover Dam
-
- first pass over the Rim – WOW!
-
- Canyon floor landing – 4,000ft below the Rim
-
- today’s WOW pic – Canyon, cacti & the iconic Colorado River
-
- goodbye Grand Canyon – whatta adventure!
Viva Las Vegas
-
- bib pickup chaos – HUGE race!
-
- our 3-night Vegas home
-
- Shark Reef Aquarium/Mandalay Bay
Spring Break in Breck
So what happens at home during marathon weekends?
I receive pics like this. Awesome, right?
Took ½ day from work Monday to spend time with family, here in Colorado enjoying Spring Break.
With flurries in the air, opted for an afternoon at the Denver Aquarium. Hadn’t been to an aquarium in probably 10 years, then BAM — 2 over the past 3 days. Gotta say the Georgia Aquarium trumps Denver’s fish tank hands down. Fave non-fish sightings? Penguins in Atlanta, a tiger in Denver. (Yep, tiger at an aquarium.)
Next, took the crew bowling at Fat Cats in Westminster. Whatta lotta fun! Maybe next time I’ll even break 100. LOL> Congrats Tom & James! (today’s winners)
Catch Phrase, dinner – BLINK, and it was 10pm. Ho, hum.
LOVE having family around. It’s pretty much the best 🙂
-
- bowling selfie – Collette, James, Maddie, Tom & Ashton
