Camp Rilea Race

Mrs. Pirate and I spent the weekend in Astoria, one of the oldest towns on the Pacific and definately the oldest in the Pacific Northwest. What a great little town. Most of the buildings are brick fronts that resemble America in the 1800s. The town lays on a mound of hills that overlooks the mouth of the Columbia River. The geographic layout itself is beautiful and the what the history of fishermen, canneries, loggers and others that live off the land did to the location makes it easily one of the most beautiful places in America.

To make it easy on travelers there are more places to get a good bite to eat then you an shake a stick at. And antigue shops coming dot the main and back streets. The little city also has become the "Hollywood" of Oregon. Movies such as, "Goonies" and "Kindergarten Cop" were filemd there as was the "The Ring", "Closed Circuit" and many more. I have no doubt a movie based on a couple Stephen King stories has been shot there.

We had drove up the night before the Annual Camp Rilea Three Course Cross Country event. Every year for I don't know how many, the National Guard puts on a cross country race at Camp Rilea. The event has to be one of the best high school sporting events out there.

Over 2000 runners from 99 schools participated this year. The schools come from Canada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. The kids stay at the camp for a couple of days where there is a dance and a movie put on for them. They eat together and get to meet other young people from all over.

The race has three courses, Red, White and Blue. White is the easy course and is recommended for freshmen, novices and newcomers to the sport. Blue course is the moderate course and has some difficulty such as a leg along beach. Then the Red course is obviously the, "Death" course. The night before the race the kids draw a marble from a bucket which indicates the color of the course they will have to run.

Slick got off easier this year and drew a White marble. Lil Sis who is a freshman had the option of picking white as well. She wanted to try her luck and to her happiness drew the Red marble.

The morning of the race when Mrs. Pirate and I made it to the race we were met by two very happy kids. Slick elated to not have to run the death course and Lil Sis overwhelmingly happy she got to put herself through hell.

We couldn't asked for better weather or a better day.