3rd Time's A Charm?

This will be my 3rd annual trip to Ironman Canada. This year, for a change, I decided to fly into Spokane then drive from there to Penticton.

It worked out great. The flight to Spokane was easy, and the airport there is pretty small and getting in and out was quick.

I shipped my bike to a local shop in Spokane, because I though it would be important that my bike went with me on my drive to Canada. Uh, yeah. What a nightmare it would have been if I had to wait around in Spokane for my bike to arrive on some later flight.













Here is a picture of my bike waiting for me to come get it outside of Two Wheel Transit. It is a really cute bike shop but my bike didn't want to get left behind. She heard there was a party in Penticton and she didn't want to be late.













This is the coffee shop in Spokane where we had lunch. It is just about as cute as the bike shop.












We drove past the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.
Did you know there is enough concrete in the Grand Coulee Dam to build a 60 foot wide highway four inches thick, from Los Angeles to New York City! ~ That is a 4 lane Highway 3,000 miles long!













Here is a picture at the US and Canada border. Not a very good picture, but I didn't want to stop and get out. It was raining, plus I don't think the border patrol would appreciate any horsing around at their border.













We drove past the Husky Station that marks the turn up to Richter Pass. My bike wanted to get out but I told her she had to wait until Sunday. See ya on Sunday, Richter, my old friend.

Finally, we made it to Penticton in the afternoon.

Driving into this city is a welcome site. I love this race and this place!













Here I am standing by "the peach" -- the most well know landmark in all of Penticton. Well, maybe not, but it ranks way up there. I registered and have my hands full of my race "stuff". The swim start is behind me. The water looks like glass. It really is a fine sheet of ice that is over the lake that makes it look that way! And look out there in the water -- a poor soul is stuck in there, frozen, and can't get out.

Just kidding. The water feels VERY COLD to me, below 60 degrees. But I can't find too many Canadians that will show me any sympathy. Obviously.. that dude is out there without a wetsuit!!