Lottie Kendall's 3-Day Adventure
Dear Family and Friends,
Well, the 2001 Avon Breast Cancer 3-day walk to San Francisco has come and gone. An amazing experience for all involved, and in every way an extraordinarily successful fundraiser!
Susan and I walked every inch of every mile all 3 days.
She has done a great job of scanning in our photos, so if you'd like to see pictures, click on "links" and access her web page and then "photos".
We left the Santa Clara Convention Center around 7:30 am on Friday, after a moving Opening Ceremony and walked through Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and into Menlo Park, where we had lunch. Next, a CalTrain ride to San Carlos, then we headed up El Camino Real to Bay Meadows Race Track in San Mateo, where we spent the first night in a sea of blue tents.
On Day 2, we were up by 5:00am! By the time we broke camp and had breakfast the horses were galloping around the track, a beautiful sight! We walked through San Mateo and Burlingame before heading up Hillcrest Blvd in Millbrae (nicknamed Hope Hill this year instead of Hill Hill), up to Skyline Blvd. We walked through Millbrae and San Bruno before arriving at Skyline College, our home on Saturday night. The wind was ferocious during the night, but the fog was not an issue this year.
On Day 3, we walked through Pacifica and Daly City, through Fort Funston and into San Francisco via the Great Highway. We had lunch in Golden Gate Park, walked through the Presidio and on to a holding area in the Marina, where we waited for all walkers to arrive before walking en masse to Closing Ceremonies at the Marina Green.
I was incredibly touched by the people who supported us in various ways throughout the event. The volunteer crew cheerfully provided us with water, food and porta-potties at each costumed theme stop. (A beach party, the Tiki Lounge with male hula dancer and Carmen Miranda ladies, a wedding complete with Gatorade in champagne flutes, the Holiday Inn with one of Santa's Elves welcoming us from a balcony on a Presidio building, and much more.)
The safety crew joked and made us laugh, while reminding us to stretch and walk safely. The gear crew took care of our duffle bags and tents, and even helped carry things and set up tents for tired walkers. The food servers, clean up crew, medics, etc. were always cheerful while catering to our needs. The San Jose police team rode up and down our line on bicycles, holding traffic at some of the busier intersections while we crossed. Drivers patiently waited for us and gave us friendly honks, waves and thumbs-up to cheer us on our way. Neighbors waved from windows, offered us candies and popsicles, and held up "thank you" signs! Thousands of people driving by honked and cheered us. Friends met us at cheering stations and lunch breaks; even those we had never met felt like friends!
And together, we netted at least $5.5 million for the fight against breast cancer (final tally yet to come.)
I am home again and it feels good to be with my family and sleep in my ever-so-comfortable bed. But--I'd love to walk again next year and continue working to end this disease. Can we find a cure in five years? It's worth a try!!
Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for your support and caring.
Love,
Lottie
2001--Walker #1789
2002--????
Well, the 2001 Avon Breast Cancer 3-day walk to San Francisco has come and gone. An amazing experience for all involved, and in every way an extraordinarily successful fundraiser!
Susan and I walked every inch of every mile all 3 days.
She has done a great job of scanning in our photos, so if you'd like to see pictures, click on "links" and access her web page and then "photos".
We left the Santa Clara Convention Center around 7:30 am on Friday, after a moving Opening Ceremony and walked through Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and into Menlo Park, where we had lunch. Next, a CalTrain ride to San Carlos, then we headed up El Camino Real to Bay Meadows Race Track in San Mateo, where we spent the first night in a sea of blue tents.
On Day 2, we were up by 5:00am! By the time we broke camp and had breakfast the horses were galloping around the track, a beautiful sight! We walked through San Mateo and Burlingame before heading up Hillcrest Blvd in Millbrae (nicknamed Hope Hill this year instead of Hill Hill), up to Skyline Blvd. We walked through Millbrae and San Bruno before arriving at Skyline College, our home on Saturday night. The wind was ferocious during the night, but the fog was not an issue this year.
On Day 3, we walked through Pacifica and Daly City, through Fort Funston and into San Francisco via the Great Highway. We had lunch in Golden Gate Park, walked through the Presidio and on to a holding area in the Marina, where we waited for all walkers to arrive before walking en masse to Closing Ceremonies at the Marina Green.
I was incredibly touched by the people who supported us in various ways throughout the event. The volunteer crew cheerfully provided us with water, food and porta-potties at each costumed theme stop. (A beach party, the Tiki Lounge with male hula dancer and Carmen Miranda ladies, a wedding complete with Gatorade in champagne flutes, the Holiday Inn with one of Santa's Elves welcoming us from a balcony on a Presidio building, and much more.)
The safety crew joked and made us laugh, while reminding us to stretch and walk safely. The gear crew took care of our duffle bags and tents, and even helped carry things and set up tents for tired walkers. The food servers, clean up crew, medics, etc. were always cheerful while catering to our needs. The San Jose police team rode up and down our line on bicycles, holding traffic at some of the busier intersections while we crossed. Drivers patiently waited for us and gave us friendly honks, waves and thumbs-up to cheer us on our way. Neighbors waved from windows, offered us candies and popsicles, and held up "thank you" signs! Thousands of people driving by honked and cheered us. Friends met us at cheering stations and lunch breaks; even those we had never met felt like friends!
And together, we netted at least $5.5 million for the fight against breast cancer (final tally yet to come.)
I am home again and it feels good to be with my family and sleep in my ever-so-comfortable bed. But--I'd love to walk again next year and continue working to end this disease. Can we find a cure in five years? It's worth a try!!
Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for your support and caring.
Love,
Lottie
2001--Walker #1789
2002--????