!!

We are sitting her in our truck in the dog parking lot on the island of Lil aux Coudres (which for you that don’t speak French, means “island of hazel nuts) and the wind is blowing so hard we are knowing the meaning of “rock and roll” – you can see hanging items swing back and forth 2 inches! And we are sitting in an area protected by a snowbank taller than our truck!!!!
This morning decided for sure to go to Lil aux coudres for the race- packed up and on the road at 10:30 after feeding and dropping dogs and took us until 3p to get to the ferry taking us to the island (the Bellerive entourage passed us twice cause grade in 2 kilometers!!!!!!! I tried not to, but I closed my eyes for about a minute!!!! Before they changed the road and rails a couple of years ago, a tour bus lost control coming down the hill and drove into the St. Laurence Seaway!!!! so it is safer now they go much faster than our “old girl” truck – as Randy like to call her)– but the most exciting part of the journey was the “getting here”!!! even though it has been 2 years since we were here, I was still very nervous going up and down the many hills it takes to get here!!!!! Disappointedly, I am not able to show you pictures of the trip and the scary hills cause I am not able to put my fingers on my camera (in other words, even though I am living on the road, I should be able to remember where the camera is and somehow in the last week it has found a “hidey hole” and I don’t know where that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!”).. Still the scariest is the downhill to the ferry coming to the island- 18% grade for 2 kilometers!! Got onto the island, fed the dogs supper and decided to see if our friend from 2 years ago, Francine Tremblay, was home – drove around to the other side of the island and the house was dark, so we decided to do something we have never done before….drive all the way around the island – 14 miles from end to end- and it was just sunset so you could still see that the tide was out in the river = leaving lots of little ice burgs stranded in the mud – and dark enough that I could see in the windows of many beautiful homes that sit on the shore of the island with a view the St. Laurence. The driver’s meeting is in the municipal building which they have all decorated for St. Valentine’s Day – at 8p so as I sign off for tonite, we will drop the dogs, get our race place/numbers and do a final drop for the dogs in the vicious wind and rock to sleep in the dog truck!! (perhaps with some ear plugs!!)
Everyone be safe and happy!!!
Randy and Cris
(Happy Valentine’s Day Aeja, Ocean, Oak, Caitlin and Baby Chavis and of course, all of you big kids!!!!! We love you all!!)


The rest is Sat and Sun combined - too darn busy to type!!

Sat morn did bring lots of snow blown into the trail - I went out 10th and had a good run (being pretty conservative not remembering the trail from 2 years ago- did have some pretty good sized hills - heavy on the drag going down) and ended up 11th place - which I was very happy with considering the competition level present! Randy had a good run with 16 dogs but his leader Molly had sore feet and didn't pull - will cut 3 dogs for tomorrow and ended up 7th!!! pretty good out of 16 very good competitors