October 5

Was also too warm to train on Wednesday so we ate breakfast and drove to the east side of Escanaba to Bark River where Greg Janders has made dog food for us (since we would not be at our house and able to pick up venison scraps and grind our own dogfood for the winter)  We got one ton of special made-for-racing-dogs food and put it right into the freezer that Jesse helped us put into the horse trailer so it is mobile.  It was about 2.5 hours over and on the way we stopped at an RV place in Escanaba to ask some questions about our failing refrigerator--- it has been getting warmer and warmer every day since we left home anoluster Alert!!!!  Why did I think it would be just a normal training day?????   The first team of 7 did not want to folllow me on the 4 wheeler ahead of them and then the leaders got in a fight and then Muggs got loose from the team and had to be caught - we ended up haveing me with a rope to the leaders in my hand for the first 1/4 mile so they would follow me and then I let go of the rope and they went fine after that.  Second team cluster:  as we were leaving the point dogs got in a fight and as I was turning around to see what was happening I turned the steering on the 4 wheeler and flew off into the soft  pine needle ground - Randy said I looked like a scarecrow flying through the air--no injuries, just like normal when I fall!  Got these leaders following us much better than the first two and while I was looking back to see how close Randy was following, I missed the ribbon in the tree where to turn.........when I got to a great big mud puddle that I had not seen before I knew I had missed the turn---  soosoooooooo we had to turn the 7 dogs around in trail in the big mud puddle and we just went straight back home =  probably the same distance as if I had made the turn.  

Spent the afternoon trying to trouble shoot the refrigerator computer and it looks like it's the computer board ($150) versus replacing the refrigerator ($2000)  so we will go to Escanaba again on  Saturday to get a replacement computer board ( it is supposed to rain Sat so we won't train anyhoo)

training another team or 2 tomorrow - hope it goes better than today - part of the reason it was quite different for the dogs to start out is that we are starting from right inside the kennel with all other dogs barking at them and being excited - so they will have to get used to it and it will be smooth as silk!!!!!!