Run Liz, run: Week 1 – Toto, we are not in NOLA anymore

Week 1 of my run across America for the Ulman Cancer Fund’s 4K for Cancer.

Pre 4K for Cancer Adventures!

Day 1 & 2: Arrival and Napa (click here for full blog entry)

I arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday, June 10 with my friend and teammate from New Orleans, Hannah Dougherty. We headed to Napa for tastings at Domaine Carneros and Peju.

These vineyards are much different than New Orleans breweries.

Then we dined at Brix (and had an unexpected New Orleans treat!).

Fried green tomatoes in Napa!

My friend from New Orleans (in typical NOLA fashion) was too inebriated to catch his flight, so he couldn’t make it to the wine tastings. He landed in San Francisco late that night and begged me to accompany him to wine country the next day; I willingly obliged.

Day 3: Napa + send off dinner (click here for full blog entry)

We arrived in wine country a little early for our first tasting reservation so we decided to visit Ram’s Gate in Sonoma.

We call the far left “NOLA- sized.”

We sat outside and enjoyed some wine and cheese at Frog’s Leap (my favorite so far) and got lost on the way back to San Francisco. Somehow (by fate, perhaps), my friend Aldo and I ended up at a Popeye’s for my last supper.

The Last Supper.

Our Run Across America: Days 1-5

Day 1 San Francisco, CA to Vacaville, CA: (click here for full blog entry)

Finally! I have talked about this run for the past seven months and couldn’t believe it had finally arrived.

My first run dedication across the Golden Gate Bridge.

I facetimed five New Orleans friends on the run across the Golden Gate Bridge so they could compare the Crescent City Connection to the Golden Gate.

We made it across the bridge!

Then off to Vacaville, CA where we asked Whole Foods for our first food donation (and succeeded) along the way.

Day 2: Vacaville, CA to Placerville, CA: (click here for full blog entry)

So many cows on the way to Placerville… I am used to seeing cats in New Orleans, certainly not cows.

More like COW-lifornia!

We walked around Vacaville, which was nice, but fairly boring compared to Bourbon Street. We slept at a local church again… my back is starting to hurt.

Day 3: Placerville, CA to Carson City, NV: (click here for full blog entry)

We started our day bound for Carson City, Nevada and got to see Lake Tahoe along the way.

Approaching Lake Tahoe.

The beautiful Lake Tahoe.

Climbing Cave Rock to see a sunset in Lake Tahoe.

The scenery was incredible and the sunset we caught was even better.

Sunset at Lake Tahoe

Day 4: Service Day, Carson City, NV: (click here for full blog entry)

Today was the one of the days for which I was most excited. We began with a brunch for patients at Carson Tahoe Cancer Center, where we got to give out our first chemotherapy care bags.

First Service Day

Carson Tahoe Cancer Center

This dry heat makes me miss the New Orleans humidity!

Nevada desert

Day 5: Carson City, NV to Fallon, NV: (click here for full blog entry)

We had a short run along Highway 50 (a.k.a. the “loneliest highway”). I’m not used to running down such flat roads, but still powered through. We arrived to Fallon early enough to go for a quick repel down the Sehoo Mountain.

A quick repel down Sehoo Mountain.

The Sierra Nevadas are about as steep as the New Orleans potholes are deep.

These dirt roads are almost as treacherous as the pothole-filled NOLA streets.

I look forward to our next week of travel through Area 51.

Run on,

Liz

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