Jeff's Passenger Race

I convinced Jodi that we should go have some fun over at the ADMA race track last Wednesday, as the annual Passenger Race was happening. I haven't ever done a passenger race, so thought it would be a great thing to do with my best friend. Jodi & I haven't gotten to do a whole lot together this season, making this a perfect excuse to get together. A few of my guys picked up a bug from the Two Rivers 200, which meant that I really didn't want to take them down to the track just days before the ONAC....that wouldn't be very nice at all. So, I picked up Jodi and 10 of her dogs for the race. We pulled bib number 6 and our combined weight (with all that gear) allowed us to run up to 10 dogs. Good call on Jodi's part...I didn't think we'd be able to run more than 9. All that stinking gear is HEAVY!! So, we hooked up her team, I climbed in the sled and she unhooked the dogs. We didn't have any handlers at all and of course, her leaders tried to go out the "In" chute. Thank goodness that Barb Moore was there, as other folks kind of stood there, staring while Barb charged over, grabbed those leaders and pulled them to the start line. Thanks, Barb!! We took off and dang, but Jodi's dogs were flying! Lasher and Dru were beautiful up front, stretching out the whole team, moving fluidly. I couldn't watch much though, as little balls of ice were flying up from under the dogs' feet, smacking me in the face. Ouch! We ran fast around the track, no other team in sight. We stopped at the turnaround, threw our "bribes" to the turn-around judges (candy and a scented, plush Gingerbread girl) and Jodi practically tossed me out of the sled when the hook caught. I jumped on the runners, Jodi jumped into the basket and just as I reached down to pull the hook, Arleigh Reynold's team with his Quarterback passenger came around the turn. One of Arleigh's dogs ran right into my back, slamming me into the sled. I got up and off we went, following Arleigh. The trail was icy and Jodi's sled, with a lower handlebar than mine, was real squirrely (for me, anyway), sliding around the corners, threatening to tip at every turn. However, with Jodi's leaning and my crouching down, we managed all of the turns and curves just fine. All was well, until another team came up behind us, just before the 1 mile mark to the hall. The dogs passed fine...the sled; however, slammed into me, knocking me down. Jodi's dogs started pulling and for a moment, both teams were side by side. I was down on my knees, so I lunged forward, planting a knee on the brake until Jodi could plant the hook. I somehow managed to keep the sled upright and got it stopped. I do have a big ole' bruise for my troubles though. Talk about extreme mushing!! Sheesh!

We headed up the hill and lo and behold, there was Donna Thompson and Swanny, with his freighters. We caught them on the way in to the finish...and when I passed, there was my old man, Torus, leading Swanny's freighters, with Dutchess in swing. As I went by, I called to Torus "Come on, Torus! Let's go, Boy!" and to Dutchy "Hey Dutchess! Pick it up!" Those dogs just took off like a rocket, sticking to us for a stretch. It was really cool to see these guys pick it up for a valiant finish. I loved seeing Torus stretch out, with Dutchy just behind. Too Awesome! I really love both of those dogs and am extremely happy that Swanny is able to give them a job.

Jodi & I crossed the line with her team and got them to the truck. What a BLAST!!! We had so much fun out there....then, we heard that we'd come in 2nd!! Right on!!!! Wahoo! Jodi ran over and we hugged each other, laughing, not believing our ears. A 2nd place finish is WAY cool...especially with her dogs hauling my heavy bum around the course. And we found out that there was a tidy bit of money for the first few places. Bonus! What a way to end the day. :o) Jodi had to head to work, so I took all her fur kids home to their houses and dropped off her sled. This was so much fun, that we hope to do it again next season.

In other news, Rocket had his bottom fang extracted, along with the little tooth just behind it. Dr. O did a fantastic job, you wouldn't even know Rock-a-doodle had a problem. He's healing up very nicely. Thanks so much, Dr. O!! You are the BEST!!! The next gig is the Valley Funale, the last Saturday of March at Pleasant Valley Store. Manny will take the team and do the 10 dog, 25 mile class. It's always a fun way to end the race season. The kids will do the kiddy races...Conor will (maybe) run his first 1 dogger, while Devlyn will run in the 2 dog class again. An easter egg hunt, Hungry dog contest and a BBQ will round out the day, providing lots of fun for all. Come on out and join us!

-Were you a Rogue today?