The Big Dance

Carbondale, Colorado

2014

     So for months I watched the points on the USBCHA website with apprehension.  I nearly didn't even enter because I thought we were a little low.  However, traditionally when finals are in the West the cut off tends to be lower.  Watching started to be similar to NASCARs chase for the race.  Feist and I were definitely on the bubble.  I never dreamed we would actually get in.  We had not been in open for a year yet.  I had planned on taking minimal time off work at the end of the season to watch the big hats at Soldier Hollow and then fly out to Carbondale to watch the end of the National Finals.  I had on my list a bit of homework to log on how different handlers responded to certain situations.  I like to scout.

     Then, I received the call from Texas acknowledging that Feist and I were in.  Emotionally it was a great whirlwind of excitement and fear bundled into a grand lack of planning on my part.  I had to hustle coverage at work.  I had to pack dogs with me to SoHo and find practice fields along the way.  We coordinated driving, instead of flying, finding practice fields along the way.  I had to slam hours at work, in order to be able to leave and try to practice here and there along the way.  I had big hats traveling through on their way who wanted to borrow my practice field along the way.  Wow.  And on my way out the door to SoHo, my racing dogs knocked over the chair my nice camera was on breaking it into pieces, so my photos are minimal and from my iPhone.  I did take more, but they are in a friends camera in Canada.  Not sure any were taken of my actual run.

Cold Springs, Nevada

     We passed Cold Springs, Nevada early on our sojourn.  This is a beautiful and rugged area just prior to Austin along Hwy 50.  Very sentimental area for me.  This is the stretch of the Pony Express Trail that I carried the mail several times on my good horse Turk with several good friends who are now carrying the mail mochilla in heaven.  A good start to remind me again that it IS the journey and NOT the destination that is important.

 

     Southern Utah had some amazing vistas for sure.  Incredible rock formations with dazzling colors mixed with a lavish light show and a dash of rain to set the traveling stage. I had been this way before, but I think mostly in the dark.  It was fun to see and enjoy the ride.  We crawled into a small town called Loma just below a gorgeous crimson mesa to meet up with some of our good friends and we had a spectacular homemade heirloom tomato salad.  

     We had a nice morning practice in a beautiful field.  I had a touch up with my handling skills with input from Amanda.  Felt pretty comfortable that we were all on the same page.  With excitement and trepidation we hit the road to land in Carbondale at the beautiful Strang Ranch.

Strang Ranch

Practice Field

Mount Sobris in background
bordercollie pandemonium
in the foreground

Mich and Maude

      We ran the second day late morning.  Not a bad draw at all.  The first day, there was weather to contend with, including thunder in the back drop.  It was a good go for what it was.  Outrun- lift pretty good.  Fetch a bit wonky and around the post we met the same mean challenging ewe many much more experienced handlers/dogs ran into.  To do it again, as a handler, I would certainly make different decisions.  Tough lesson to learn on the grand stage.  But lesson learned, none the less.

      Well we did it.  We ran in the National Sheepdog Finals!  It is an honor to run with such talented dogs and talented elite handlers.  The magnanimity that was shown to our freshman team was truly heart warming.  I am awe inspired.

Bonneville Salt Flat

Ok.  Now back to the 

drawing board.

2015