"It's the water - and a lot more."  That was the slogan for Olympia beer, and it suits this lovely state capital.  Waterfalls, the lake and Puget Sound provide the water, and the city is full of wonderful surprises. 

Our walk began on the steps of the state capitol.  The capitol has been undergoing repair since the recent earthquake.  I recall the several Christmas evening walks we did in years past that began inside under the rotunda.  This is a capitol that welcomes walkers.

Our walk proceeded out to the brewery area.  This used to be the Olympia brewery, but it was bought by the Miller Brewing Company.  I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of the new logo on this landmark.  Instead, I took photos of the scenic walk along Tumwater Creek and Tumwater Falls - simply gorgeous.

At the checkpoint we had authentic Tumwater artesian water, as well as Starbucks coffee.  In an ad blast from the past, Richard Farnsworth waxed eloquent about the Artesians who provided the water that made the beer so good, "Love everything about those Artesians, except their humor," as the unseen Artesians turned the sprinklers on him.  He went on to greater fame and we lost him last year.

We toured downtown Olympia and came to the farmer's market, suitably located at 9 kilometers, which meant any purchases only needed to be carried back about a mile.  Great!  Most of the walkers took a break to browse the stalls, buy lunch, and enjoy the free music.

The walk then progressed along the new marina area - I had never seen this before and it was delightful.  Finally along the lake and back to the capitol.

It was hard to say goodbye to those I saw - but we'll meet again on the trail.  I hugged convention committee volunteers for their great work in hosting the convention.  I was right-hand woman to the convention chairwoman Elaine Samus six years ago, I know what goes into it.  The convention volunteers cannot be thanked enough!