Last race report!!

I can’t remember for sure where I left off communicating so I will do a brief update of the last week – as we speak we are sitting at the last race of the year in Quebec at St. Christine (like the name…….?? no resemblance!!!) 

We trained only one day on Wednesday but trained 2 teams – one ours and the other some dogs we are looking at from Claude – we went to Walmart once in Shawinigan and the rest of the week just continued to recover from being sick – it may well have been covid but we didn’t test so we don’t know………

We did also go out to the local restaurant with Bellerives and Hermel and had great conversation and good food!!  Randy got all his favorites- a cheeseburger, poutine and sugar pie!!!!  Not on the diet but we are planning to resume that when we get home!!

Oh and when we got home from eating out I felt a very very sharp back molar- at first I thought my filling had fallen out but it was the tooth that had broken off!!!  Time for a crown and $1000!!!

Plus we got out bill from our telephone provider and I thought we were paying more for international service but didn’t know HOW much!!!! This last month was $339!!!!

The race this weekend has been a mass start and a very snowy trail here with blowing and drifting (especially in the 4 mile field section) .  Randy and I were on our own yesterday since everybody starts at the same time so there are no “extra handlers” walking around to plead for help with!!!  We managed to get them all hooked up and Randy left on cue with the flag drop and was not the last to make it to the trail but I couldn’t really see what was going on so far away (everybody starts in a big semicircle _we chose to be all the way on the right side, then they drop a flag to say “go” and every team vies to reach the actual trail first!!! The start of the trail was maybe a /1/4 mile away and down a decline so hard for me to see) there were 13 entered in the 10 dog and the first day Randy came in 10^th – both Claude and Hermel had trouble in the drifted part of the trail yesterday so they opted not to come today.  We don’t have he results yet but are quite sure he moved up at least one place – he had a good run, it was just a hard trail for the dog but he was very proud of how they ran!!!  Especially the old leader, Yeti – he is one heck of a dog!!! 

 

Tomorrow morning is our traditional goodbye breakfast with the Bellerives – and then on to Michigan!!!  It’s been almost since my birthday in Septmeber since we have been home…………so really looking forward to the hot tub and mostly seeing all of our family and friends!!!!  I will write again to let you know we got home safely!!! 

If we get a knock on the door of the van it means that the big snowstorm traveling here from Texas is canceling the race this weekend!!

 That's what Claude told us today as we were having dinner at the local Charerete eatery!!  Big snow storm coming in the next 2 days and don't know how that will effect the race trail.............more updates coming!!!

oh well...........

 News flash (that was for you Scarlett!)!!!   It did indeed start freezing raining and they are canceling the race for today = so no second chance for us……………. We will start driving to Claude’s and see how the roads are and if they are bad we will just stop!!!!

Not as we had hoped.............

Big day today!!!!  Claude Bellerive’s race in St. Luc.  15 miles with 6 of our dogs and Claude loaning us 8 from Hermel’s (his handler) team!!!  We should be fast but the only problem we might have is that our best leader, Yeti, isn’t feeling well – so we are putting in Grace, another leader but not as fast as some as our other dogs, because if Yeti can’t do it he will have to switch Grace to run lead!

He left the chute and looked like everybody was running good – se we will se what place he is when he is finished – he went out 13^th out of 13 so the trail might be a bit chewed up by the time he is on it but it started out quite hard – the high for today is only 26 so it should have stayed good even after the first 12 unlimited teams and all the 6 dog teams this morning – tomorrow it’s supposed to snow for a few hours and then switch to freezing rain and then rain – so it’s a possibility it may only be a one day race!!

Well………….it didn’t work out so well – the worst problem was that our leader Yeti was sick and didn’t run as hard as he usually would and one of the dogs neck lines came unhooked during the race so Randy figures that when you stop and hook down that you lose a minute – so we are last with not too much time between us and the few teams ahead of us…………

Disappointing to say the least …………..we will see if there is another time to redeem ourselves tomorrow…………….