Home to the Highline Half

Sooooooo excited to have a long weekend! I plotted a 13-mile route from our house and the very long way to Broadway so we could finish with brunch at the Highline.

We started by heading down to Fred Meyer, along the Burke Gilman to Fremont, and then onto the Cheshiahud Loop around the lake. But rather than cross the bridge to come back past Gasworks Park, we went through whatever that neighborhood is.... yep, that's right, completely new territory!

I had mapped the run with, well, MapMyRun, and then loaded the route to my phone... but managed to mess it up somehow. (Apparently I changed "run" to "walk" which just meant it started tracking us, rather than telling us where we were along a route. Oops.)

We got a teensy bit lost at one point -- where I could see a trail on a map but wasn't sure where it really was -- but then saw a bunch of cyclists and knew we were in the right place. The trail went under 520 (who knew?!?) and brought us out by the University Bridge. We crossed the street and walked past the soon-to-be-former MOHAI and onto the Foster Island Trail. That trail was super muddy, and the lake looked really high. One of the little floating bridges was actually under the water level, so I splashed across while Wil went barefoot.

Then we made our way into the Arboretum -- and found ourselves on the absolutely gorgeous Azalea Way. Perfect time of year to go through there -- everything in riotous bloom. Um, no, I didn't take any pictures...

After we left the Arboretum we got to the tedious part of the route -- just a straight shot up Madison Street. Some interesting new shops and bars, and we discovered that the old Philly Cheesesteak place does have a veggie cheesesteak, which is kinda awesome...

We veered right when we hit Pike (or was it Pine?) and then headed to Broadway. A few more blocks, a flight of stairs, and we reached the Highline. A pint of Strongbow for me, a pint of Kilt Lifter for Wil, and some delicious vegan grub -- all well earned.

Next week: Rainier to Ruston Half Marathon!!!