Part 3 of ???: Hood to Coast Relay Recap -- Bloggers Taking Over

Between Wednesday afternoon when I arrived, and late Thursday afternoon when the last of the bloggers arrived, we had a good ole time in Seattle.

I went a day early to hang out with some friends who live in Seattle. On Thursday morning, I met up with Susan and Lauren in their hotel -- actually, I met up with them after I showed up at the wrong hotel and knocked on a complete stranger's door -- where we not-so-promptly ate a late breakfast and met up with another Seattle blogger, Alma.

Alma was not running Hood to Coast this year, but she was kind enough to take us on a walking tour of downtown Seattle on her lunch break and tell us about her past experiences with the race.

Alma & me at Pike's Place Market.

Alma, Lauren, me, & Susan at the first Starbucks.

After an afternoon walking around in the blazing heat, Lauren, Susan, and I headed toward the hotel to meet our long-lost blogger friends and start decorating our vans.

I have read some of these women's blogs for a long time, it was sooooo cool getting to meet them in person -- some of them looked JUST like their blog pictures, and I felt totally star-struck seeing them in front of me.

Meeting Kerrie for the first time,
while Harmony, Tricia, and Jess await a nasty hug from me. :)

Nuun Platuun Van 2 had our slogan and our code names on the windows.

Harmony adding flare to her van.
I got my own window?!

What all the suckers behind us had to see.

After a pretty restless night's sleep in a nearby hotel (come on, we're a bunch of girls who stay up late talking!), we all tucked into our newly decorated rental vans and headed toward Oregon to run the biggest relay race in the world.

Some of Nuun Platuun Van 1, trying to look tough... others, not so much.
(left to right: Kerrie, Tricia, Caitlin, me, Alex [van driver], Lisa, & Margot)

Getting settled in for endless hours in this van.

Nuun Platuun Van 2 waiting for us at the first van exchange
(left to right: Jess, XLMIC, Kim, Susan, Tonia, & Harmony)

Our van's view of Mount Hood, the start of the biggest relay race in the world.

Nuun Platuun Van 1, with Mount Hood in the background.
Margot helping me apply warpaint during the roadtrip.

Up on Mount Hood & ready to start this race!