All My Bags Are Packed

Finally finished packing up the car for NADAC Championships next week. I leave on Tues. afternoon but I want to go to masters tomorrow and I'll be too tired to deal with it when I finally get home. I'm not really nervous about it, I'm only entered in Jumpers, Tunnelers and the Team event and I'm going for fun and practice. I volunteered for a couple days when they were in Denver a few years ago and they were pretty laid back. Few to none of the really top agility people compete in NADAC Champs. and there is only one ring compared to 5 at USDAA Nationals. Part of the reason is that the woman who runs the organization has, in the past, designed the courses for champs. then competed on them herself and won. I don't know if she still does this but the judges that create the courses still do compete on them at Champs. and it's really untoward. I don't care because I'm not there gunning for first place but I can see why those at the top find it highly unethical and refuse to participate. In any case the absence of the top handlers makes for a pretty relaxed atmosphere and I'm hoping this will be good experience for Cody & Lola. USDAA Nationals will be a whole 'nuther animal so it will be good to get experience at a Championship event that isn't so high strung.

Cody and I are on a team called 'Rotten to the Core' with 2 other rescue dogs, Golden Retriever Chili who was our partner at the team event at USDAA Regionals and a big black hairy gorgeous mutt called Thor. This part should be pretty fun if I can figure out how the different events work. Lo's not on a team, I wasn't sure I could trust her in the ring with 2 other dogs when I signed up. Now I think she'd be o.k. but the closing date is long past and it's probably just as well I don't stress her out with it. She'll have plenty of fun in Jumpers and Tunnelers.

One of the other reasons I signed up for this is that Gillette, WY is 60 miles or so from the Devil's Tower National Monument, something I've wanted to see since I was a little kid. And yes, it's the weird mountain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Dogs aren't allowed off leash in the park so I'll have to enjoy it from the car or if it's cool enough I'll leave the dogs in the car and have a short 20 minute hike. I think there's national forest that we can hike in in the surrounding areas.

I'm going to take my computer and try to provide updates. It seems I may have a lot of downtime and I'm probably going to take some stuff from work to work on. Gillette is supposed to be an armpit but we'll see. Ugh, I hate travelling so much but I usually have fun once I get where I'm going. It will be an adventure for sure.