4th of July in Columbus

Although I was disappointed that I wouldn't be on Coronado for the huge 4th of July shindig they put on every year (and that I'd be working instead!), I still ended up having fun for the 4th. By mid-afternoon, the shooting competitions that I needed to be at were completed and my testing was done. I got directions for the fitness running trail from some of the guys stationed there and did a few loops of the hilly trail through the woods. It felt so good to run in the humidity! I know, I know, everyone thinks my love of the heat & humidity is crazy. There's something to be said though for being hot and sweaty after a hard workout. Even though I ran a ton while I lived in Colorado, I never felt like I was really getting a good workout. It was probably the altitude and not the lack of perspiration though that made me feel that way. After cooling down a bit after our run, Nick (the Physical Therapist) and I headed downtown for what was billed as an "old fashioned 4th of July celebration." The festival itself was geared mostly towards kids, but the river walk right on the Chattahoochee is pretty cool. We departed from the river and the family entertainment and headed towards the main strip of restaurants and bars. With 95 degrees and 95% humidity, the margaritas we had were pretty refreshing!

After the sun went down, we made our way back over to the river and watched the fireworks show. The Chattahoochee River divides Georgia from Alabama as well as Eastern from Central Time zones. A bridge connects Columbus, GA to Phenix City, AL. As we watched the fireworks show, we tossed around the thought of how cool it would be for Phenix City and Columbus to have a dueling fireworks show over the river! The show was nice but too short! The night was still young so we met up with some of the coaches back on the main strip and hung out for the better part of the evening.

My disappointment over not having BBQ on the 4th of July was alleviated last night when a bunch of us went to one of the shooter's house for an evening of grilling. After a full day of competitions, we rallied across the river in Alabama (less stringent fireworks ordnances!) and shot off a few colorful explosives. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time as we set off various forms of firecrackers, fireworks and whistlers for well over an hour. Stereotypical redneck, but fun nonetheless! The gathering dispersed with just enough time for most of us to get a couple of hours sleep before our early flights this morning. I'm doing this post from the Atlanta airport as I await my flight to San Diego via Denver. Tomorrow morning I will fly out to Colorado Springs for a week of meetings and a weekend of riding with Suzanne & David. Hopefully I'll have something fun to post about from the Springs!