Spokane, Part Two

 The Chapman family has been an ever present blessing in my life. In the early years, my mom's college roommate and her family hosted us at their Priest Lake, ID cabin for gobs of fun. Hours in the lake, lying in the sun, evenings of board games, giggling late at night over silly kid jokes in the sleeping loft, and always lots of singing, always. I think Daisy and Hugh even sang instructions on how to set the table.

Years later, Ted Chapman was a great big brother during my WSU/Nursing School/Whitworth years. He met his true love, Lynn, not long after I met mine and the four of us had some grand times with our little ones in tow.  Time flies and sometimes the unthinkable occurs. Lynn was tragically taken from her family almost a year ago.  She was a merry spark, an amazing mom, a billion other positive things and an avid runner. I am thinking of her often on this adventure of mine; grateful for each day and acutely aware of the brevity of our stay here.  Love you, Lynerd!

We enjoyed some wonderful time with Ted and his daughters; beautiful young women that reflect the grace and joy of their mom.  

The cornhole world championships were held during our stay.  Nice form, Ted! 

My dear friend Elizabeth is joining me on this walk across the state.  She and Mike and I had a beautiful four mile walk at Riverside State Park across the suspension bridge and around the Bowl and Pitcher loop. Ted was going to join us; however he is training for a marathon in honor of Lynn and needed to get in a longer run. He completed a 16 miler in the park on this day!  Another fun family fact, Uncle Mark proposed to Aunt Lynn on this bridge.

Amazing rock formations are the reason for the name of this popular area.

The walk was very hard for me as I am still recovering from my minor bike wreck and experiencing some increase in nerve pain in my left leg when I walk.  Thank you for the encouragement, Michael and Liz!

Three more way points in the area: Audobon Park is a favorite playground that I took our kids to when we would come to Spokane, especially Cole. I love you, sweet Cole, wherever you are.

Just down the street from the park is Flying Goat....AMAZING pizza!  It is a great neighborhood pub housed in an old fire station.  Mike and I meet members of the Chapman clan here often or en route to Chapman 3rd Friday Family night (at the Chapman house around the corner). It was only appropriate that we celebrate our walk with a great meal. We were hoping to stop by and see Hugh and Daisy but were not able to connect this time.

Miles completed: 97

Miles to go: 363

Hello Spokaloo!

Where did the last month go?! Fires, a new job, a minor bike wreck, but I made it to the next major hub of this adventure: Spokane, Washington!

Seven of my Nifty Fifty are here, special waypoints spread across most of the years of my life. 

1. Riverfront Park: My first date with Michael landed us on the suspension bridge overlooking the Spokane Falls. Unfortunately, we could not get to the suspension bridge on our walk because they are remodeling a section of it. Tons of other connections to the park including the carousel, the ice skating rink, and Whitworth graduation was held in the Performing Arts Center in the park. Rumor has it that Aunt Patty lost a flip flop from the gondola during the World's Fair!! 

2. The Flour Mill: Clinkerdagger restaurant is a favorite spot; great food, beautiful old building and stunning views of the falls. There is also a fabulous kitchen store here, The Kitchen Engine. Right across the street is the Arena, where I enjoyed watching semi-pro hockey when I was a student at WSU.

3. Whitworth University: My alma mater, class of 1994. My mom and dad met here and several other family members attended.

I spent a lot of time in the Johnson Science Building as a biology major.

My dad was a staff member at Seattle Pacific University, which was a 'sister school' and provided me the opportunity to receive a 90% tuition waiver. What a blessing!  I worked in the Registrar's Office as a student to help offset other expenses.

Thank you Mom, Dad and Jeanne, Unca John and Cindy, Hugh and Daisy, Michael and so many others for helping me to persevere and finish my degree. Miss you tons, Unca!

Miles completed: 90.5

Miles to go: 369.5