Decisions, decisions.....

It was “one of those days, Alice” – (anybody younger than me would not remember watching the “Honeymooners” on very very old TV…………

Got more diesel for the generator and propane for the furnace at the one and only place to get it in Preeceville, the one and only gas station!  And we were good for the nite parked down at the race site –

Didn’t feel as cold this morning without wind and it was actually above freezing in the dog area before we opened the back door – the wind did kick up and it did snow a bit during both the 10 and the 6 dog races –

Had 6 of the 10 dogs with feet treated and harnessed tied up in the back of the trailer (got a little congested with 6 of them in the aisle!!) before we let them out into the cold to race – Randy asked the guy next to us when we would know to start because it is a mass start – he told us that when the flag in the center of the mass start area was changed, it would be 10 minutes and then when the flag was changed again it would be 5 minutes ------------well that’s not how it went------I saw Cook’s hooking up dogs and told Randy we better start – but we thought we had at least 10 more minutes – so we start hooking them up and I have trouble with the snaps opening because we left the lines outside on the sled overnite  - so as I am trying to thaw them with my breath, I look up and the Cooks are taking off!!!!! (Kevin, Ray and Rhonda) and I yell to Randy “they’re leaving” and (because he had read the passage in “jesus calling” this morning”) he said “don’t be upset, it’s OK” – so not only did he leave last but he had trouble with Isaac’s neck line coming off and then he backed out of his harness, stopped the team, put in 2 snow hooks and while he was trying to get Isaac back in harness, both snow hooks came loose, as the sled went by he jumped on it and dragged behind the sled till he worked himself back upright and then one of the hooks grabbed and jerked him stopped – by then he had lost one of his mittens (not something good to lose as cold as it is…) but a snowmobiler saw the mitt and ran up and grabbed it sped up to give it to Randy. So he finished last….12 out of 12 (but still in the money!!)

In the 6 dog he left in a timely fashion and was actually in 4^th for a while – until Jackson realized he was in a mass start again and Arrow, who had never been in a mass start, started freaking – so he ended up 19^th out of 21 teams.

Tonite we went to a musher’s banquet and had roast beef, ham and cabbage rolls with all the “fixin’s” – as we were getting to the legion hall, the Cook family was leaving and they told us that they had already closed up the kitchen and shut the doors…………..we owe them for that one!!  No doors closed and lots of food!!

We are back at the race site parking lot and ready to drop dogs again at 8:30 so we can get up at 7am again tomorrow – it’s pretty tight between the 10 dog at 10am and getting done almost at 11:30 and the 6 dog starting at 12n – have to have everything ready to go and keep to the schedule – no pressure………….

Today was about the same as yesterday – cold and windy – Randy looked good leaving in the 10 dog and was in about 4^th for half the race and the Snapper started dragging in lead and then he moved him back in the team and then moved him back in ;the team again and then Donna got tired and then Isaac really lost traction and started neck lining (we think he caught Blanche’s cold) – so he came in last again today even though we had no troubles starting the race – the 6 dog team did better but still came in last – we were just discussing our racing program and isn’t  pretty –

Apparently another 2 hours and they have the 2^nd musher’s dinner (sounds like it might be the same menu…) and the awards.  So we are parked near the legion hall waiting – pretty windy and brutal outside – will probably go back to Cook’s to feed and stay the nite.

After much thought, discussion and angst, Randy has decided to go back home – it doesn’t feel like the dogs have enough speed on them after racing them over the weekend(and not sure if we could get them in shape by driving 3 more thousand miles and then not knowing what the conditions will be when we get there) and we are both tired of the cold- it’s even colder today than it has been.  So we are going to go up to the Cook house and say goodbye and head back for Michigan.  We may stop and train up by Newberry in the UP at Jim Oschalager’s (sp??) and then who knows what!!!  Talk to you soon!!