Happy Halloween !!   My apologies - we lost any internet service sometime last night/ even tried getting on this morning with no luck.

We have had a great variety of weather here. It’s gone from the 30’s with snow to a high of 59 degrees and  light rain  this afternoon.  The one thing that has remained consistent has been the dominantion of the Europeans. Whatever class they compete in, they win.

Very, very impressed with the work ethic of the Polish dogs parked alongside us. There’s an adult women, three teenage girls , and five dogs in the van. They have competed in every class they could- the dogs have run multiple classes for three days running now. This afternoon the 5 dogs placed 2nd in the six dog class.  Two of the dogs are huge. I helped them to the line and they left yipping - and they know the hills ahead. Just amazing athletes !

Anyway, our dog Carl with Fred Derkson and his dog Odin are the top American team. They’re 7th - Johnn’s in 11th with Rusty & Billie. We’re quite pleased with Billie’s progress as a leader.

Going to eat -the 8 & 6 dog results weren’t up when we left. Complete results are being posted daily on www.sanguenaydryland.com

Everyone agreed the people here did a great job of clearing snow & making the trails safe & runnable. Actually the snow/dirt combination berm from the plowing made great trail definition for the dogs.

If the first day is any indication, the Europeans came to show us how dryland racing is done. In classes run today, they’re minutes ahead of the best the USA & Canada can offer. We’re lucky more didn’t fly over.

Partial results for the day :  Trail was dirt, soft in spots, very hilly with many turns through woods. Temps in the high 30’s, cloudy & overcast. High humidity.

1 Dog Scooter             3.1 miles     8 entries 

1. Lena Bolysen Hillstend   Norway  11:23.10

2. Dominik Crettenaud  Switzerland    11:29.76

3. Venke de Lange  Norway    11:42.75

4. Heather Adney Canada      12:17.50

5. Ron Jeffrey   Canada      14:03.12

4 Dog Gig    3.1 miles     10 entries/ 1 no-show

1. Igor Tracz  Poland        10:52.01

2. Jason Sperry   USA     12:23.89

3. Jessica Doherty  USA   12:23.92

4. Johnn Molburg   USA    12:28.86

5. Liz Bailey     USA            12:28.95

1 Dog Bike      5 miles     17 entries

1. Viktor Larsen   Norway     14:02.79

2. Linn Beate Hansen Norway   15:19.53

3. Marek Dlugoledi     Poland      15:40.33

4. Ed Clifford USA                     15:52.32

5. Hubert Kiljan   ? European    16:00.65

John and Fred Dirksen ( plus many other competitors) rode the trail today. Indeed, it was mostly plowed off - then a roller was used to smoothen out the sand. They both report the surface looks good for dogs’ feet - not frozen gravel, etc.

It’s a very hilly terrain and everyone agrees it’s a working dog trail. But so far, all opinions I’ve heard is that it looks safe - always the main concern. One rumour is that many competitors have dropped out and the classes are small. The schedule may be stretched out which will give us plenty of socializing & visiting time.

Johnn and Nancy just called from Canada.  They’re currently 60 miles from the race site and in 6″ of snow.  They’re wondering if anyone has a plow they’re bringing to the Dryland World Championships.

Sounds like it could be a fun race!

We did our final training run today in preperation for the Dryland World Championships in Sanguenay, Quebec next week. A tree was down on our railroad bed trail, so Johnn ran 5 dogs on the gig on our neighbor’s wheat fields.

Unfortunately, the shit-spreader was there before us, covering the trail on Thursday & Friday.  Needless to say,Johnn, the dogs and all equipment also got fertilized !  The lines & harnesses have been washed and are hanging outside to dry now. Coveralls, gloves, etc are in the washer.  I had planned on washing & cleaning everything before we left anyway.

We’re starting to pile up stuff to go - the dogs’ meds kit has been re-newed and re-packed. Johnn’s safety gear is in boxes , I’m starting to pile up clothes, etc for us.

As long as I can get wi-fi in Sanguenay, I’ll try to post daily here so anyone interested can see what’s happening.