The Lunch Loop and Then Some!!

It's snowing.... again! It has been coming down slowly but surely for the last couple of days. Tonight the temperature is dropping below zero. That hasn't happened in a couple of weeks. I guess winter's not over just yet. Bummer. I've become a big fan of the 30 degree days with the sun shining.

Today Rob and I took our 8 dog teams on an extended version of the Lunch Loop. It added about 8 or so extra miles to our regular 22. The dogs did great. Robs team of yearling puppies looked a little livelier than my team. But all the dogs really enjoyed the run and we all made it hope safe and healthy. I had a tiny, itty bit of trouble with a couple of the unfamiliar turns. Cleo, the leader I've been using the last few weeks, and who I have great faith in, has an affliction to making new left hand turns. That caused a few problems. The good news is that there were only two turns she wasn't interested in taking. I ripped my coat and scrapped my arm up a bit with the snow hook on one of the missed turns, but....It could of been worse:) I'm hoping we can work out the kinks in the next two weeks. I really want Cleo to lead my team for the Mush for a Cure. Cleo and Hercules. Who just so happen to be brother and sister.

I think my Mush for the Cure team is going to look like this (tentatively) Cleo and Herc, Indi and Olga or Kila, I'm undecided right now, Michelob and Budweiser, and Johnny and Ranger. The team could change just a bit. Olga and Kila are both kind of squirly, but I think they have character. I'm just not sure how much character one team needs. Jess, Julie's daughter is running the Mush for a Cure and might need one more dog. I think Ranger is on the list. Although I'm secretly hoping he gets to stay with me:) So we'll see in the next week or so, who the final team will be!!

Like I said, Rob's team did great. 6 of the 8 dogs that Rob runs are puppies. He's been running Moon (1 1/2 years old) in lead with Olive (9 years old) and she's awesome. Olive is a great teacher and Moon seems to be a quick learner. The rest of the puppies just have CRAZY energy and are flat out excited to run every chance they can get. Honey has been running with us the last few times too. She's doing fantastic as usual. We just started giving her raw butter and honey to try and stave off her seizures. Cross your fingers!! She such a bad ass dog. It would be awesome if the "alternative" remedies work! Maggie is another puppy that is really doing well too. She's got serious attitude. Rob says that after every run, when we let the dogs wander back to their houses, she "flexes up" on every dog she passes. Just showing everyone how tough she is I guess.

Robs team for Mush for a Cure will be most of the puppies he's been running. I'm pretty sure he'll run Moon in lead, but without Olive. Olive will run with Jess. Olive is the mom of one of Jess's dogs. So Moon and a leader to be named :), maybe Zena?? Bree and Caribou, Honey and Maggie, and Wally and Brown. He's excited to get them out there and see how they do.

The whole time we were running, it was snowing. By the time we got back to the dog yard, there was probably another inch of snow on the ground. We fed the dogs their dry food and headed back to the cabin for some serious veggin out. I'm such a sissy and felt kind of tired after our extended run. Like I've said before, I'm not a long distance musher. 30 miles might be my max! haha.

Tomorrow Mark will head to Gunflint Pines Resort with 20 dogs to prepare for this weekends rides. In the morning we'll hook 14 dogs to the snowmobile, and 6 dogs to a sled. Mark will take the snowmobile, and Rob the sled. I think I'll do a little house cleaning tomorrow. Woo hoo! Rob and I will hold the fort down until Saturday morning, and then we'll head over to help with the rides. It will be a busy weekend, but fun for sure. A quick stop at the Java Moose for a cinnamon brown sugar latte before heading up the trail will really top everything off:):)

I wanted to give a quick shout out to Mark, Lisa and Meridith!!! I got your comment on yesterdays blog, but I don't have your email address. My email is melincolo@hotmail.com if you can drop me a line that would be great. Rob and I would love to take your pledge!! We had a great time while you were out here. It's so fun to have visitors. We really look forward to seeing you at Mush For a Cure! Hope you all can make it. If you do come, we'd love to see some of those pics! Rob is planning on running Wally in his team, Meridith! Talk to you soon:)