Turning your team at the Iditarod.

While reviewing my pics of the Iditarod, I think I saw a few patters of what make for accidents at right angle turns.

First of all, a nice wide turn just seems the best. 

Get a lead dog who doesn't follow your instructions synchronously with the other lead…..

and, despite your best effort to correct the imbalance….

the discombobulation might get the best of your ride.


On the other hand,

give your order to turn too early…...

and the dogs might just do that…..

making your inner track hit the pile ….

thereby, making you loose control...

and getting icy snow upon your face.

Even if you recoup your stance, you can be sure…

there'll be someone from the paper there to record your fall.

Energy at the Iditarod

Cindy Abbot just finished the Iditarod! 
She got to extinguish the light and got the Red Lantern Award as the last person to finish the 1000 miles from Fairbanks to Nome. 

We are excited, because we have been following the race closely this year.

It is the third time she tries to finish the race. In her 1st attempt, she had a fall by one of the earliest stops. But the pain seemed to improve somewhat, and she continued halfway through the race.  At last she had an x-ray, showing 2 pelvic fractures making her quit for fear of not being able to finish the race and properly care for her dogs.  

Last year she had to quit because of bad weather, which affected many others as well.

Anyway….the Red Lantern Award she received stands for "Perseverance, hard work, determination, and the will to not give up". We think she deserved it!

And to top it all off, she finished with 13 dogs, a commendable number and indicative of great care in the prevention of injuries to her "team mates". 


Here are a few pics we took at the start of the race this year. 

Can you imagine so much energy! 

From the front to the back,

everyone was ready to go!


Don't know who they looked at the finish. 
Hopefully another year we'll be there to see them come in at the finish line.

Garden of the Gods, in winter

We had a chance to drive by Colorado Springs this week,
a day or so after some snow.

We tried going up the road in our van, but had some slipping,
so decided not to take the road around the park
.......and sure wished we had one of these instead.

So, we took a short hike along the road.

Boy, what beautiful skies they have!


A hiker coming the other way told us that if we walked another quarter mile along the trail, 
we´d get to see a great view of Pike´s Peak.

But, alas, we had people to meet and a schedule to keep.
So, we just got to see a glimpse of the size of those giant red rocks along the entrance to the park.

Maybe we´ll have more time next time we pass by here after a snow. 

Texas ¨Law¨

Shot this picture in downtown San Antonio.

No, its not the ¨Law¨ protecting the Wells Fargo office. 

It´s the Border Patrol. 
They brought some of their horses to the parade through the middle of town.

I learned a little about these guys.
The horses are all wild Mustangs. 
They are used to patrol the border in soft, sandy soil. 
So they don´t need to shoe their horses.

But they put a special hoof oil to keep them moist. 

And from the look of this gal, she´s come to town, 

is all dressed p, and even had a pedicure......
and she is ready for the dance.


On a more serious note.....you might wonder why they´d use horses to patrol the border.

Well, take a look at some of the pics I took last spring.
I saw about a dozen riding this land, about 2 horses at a time.


It might be beautiful to see the sunset over such a great expanse.

But with so much land and thorny bushes along the way,

there is no way an ATV, with all it´s noise, will let you sneak up on those who don´t belong.

So better ride high upon your horse, get a a wide view of what is going on, and stealthly survey the land,

´cause that´s the only way you´re going to see what is really happening down below, along the Rio Grande.

It´s not just livestock we dress up here.

Sometimes we dress ourselves up and give a show.

First you have to practice

to make sure you got it perfect.

And make sure you´re all prettied up.

Then, finally, you are ready to ride 

no matter what you culture might be.

And then you get to show those tricks you´ve learned

that can be appreciated by cowboys from anywhere.

Preparations for the Parade

There is a lot of preparations for a cattle drive...specially if it has a parade with it.

There are little horses to exercise.

And big horses to get dressed up.

Did you notice the curled tails on the ones below?

Someone had to do that job.

And if you are in a club that represents the state, you have to make sure all is as perfect as can be.

But, as a benefit, there is always time to fraternize with former members of your club.

And then you wait.

And wait.

and wait, till, perhaps beyond what you can stand.

So, you socialize with any neighbors that are close by, to pass the time,

till it´s finally time to mount your steed.

And you get to do,

what you came here for.

Yes, we call this fun in TEXAS!

February is Livestock Month in San Antonio

Yes, many of the big cattle drives of the late 1800´s began form ranches just outside of San Antonio. 

So, February is the month we re-dedicate ourselves to those days. 
It´s almost an entire month of livestock shows and activities.

And, this was the week-end when it all began.......

when we herd the cattle through downtown streets.

Well, it´s not Pamplona. 
The folks are smart enough to stay outside the plastic fencing, and just shoot some pics. 

Though pretty big, you have to admit they are tamed enough to let the cowboys ride on top!

Once in a while, one might get to be a little free spirited.

And, yes, sometimes it seems I get a little close.

Enough for now.
Maybe tomorrow I will show some more pics of the parade or maybe even some of them getting ready for the big event.