Last Updated Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 14, 2014 – 23 Hours at the mercy of others Yesterday started with a 4 AM alarm in Baltimore to make it down to Regan National in DC for our flight to Anchorage. It ended at 11 PM Anchorage time (3 AM Baltimore time) as we went to bed in our little cabin for the week, following an unexpected exchange of information with a veritable platoon of the finest law enforcement personnel the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has to offer, as they surrounded our little community in search of an escaped ne’er- do- well. Good times, good times. . . . . .
We got out of Baltmore in good time, and we got to the airport 2 hours in advance of flight time, just as the brochure said. The ladies dropped us off with the luggage and Bry, Hank & Teddy; they then proceed to drop the vehicles off in the long term lot. I really hope we see them again (the vehicles, not the girls, we have them back already.)
Check-in went well, and the dogs all got turned over to the Air Alaska staff in plenty of time to make the flight, so I thought we were home free. Not so much.
I had a bit of difficulty getting the primer pistols approved, mostly because I thought I’d have to go through the usual drill of demonstrating to the ground staff that they were unloaded, etc. But no, they just expected them to already be in locked cases and put in with the rest of our luggage. That would have been fairly easy to do, except that they also wanted the primers in a hard sided case, and that I didn’t have, since I was told earlier that they only had to be in original packaging. That resulted in me busily cramming 800 primers (we may have over-bought) in with the 4 guns in 3 little gun-X pistol cases, with the end result that they didn’t exactly close properly. So like any normal man would do, I got out the duct tape and did the best I could. I got them closed and the pad locks on, but it wasn’t pretty. It would get worse later.
With all the luggage on, we proceeded through the TSA security gauntlet. Vik and I were with the pre-screen group so we didn’t have to take off shoes, unload lap tops, etc. Tony and Marcie were not, so we were separated in the crowd. Now one would have thought that Vik and I would have breezed through security, and while Vik did, I had issues.
Remember where I said I was busy piling primers in little cases? Apparently that left some residue that the TSA machines found worthy of further discussion with me. Coupled with the fact that I had a large pair of pliers in my carry-on bags (hey, it wasn’t like they were needle nose and I wanted them to be able to break down the dog crates in Anchorage) I spend quite some time exchanging information with people with uniforms and guns. They really have no sense of humour, those people. But eventually I got released, sans pliers, and Vik and I made it on the plane, just as they were getting ready to close the doors.
All of us had front row, bulk head seats, so we didn’t have to do the walk of shame down the aisle and find no overhead baggage room, but we actually had plenty of overhead space up front, because Tony and Marcie were nowhere to be seen, although a very nice elderly woman was occupying one of their seats. I was going to start in with the flight crew on that one, but figured I’d had enough of women in uniform for the day and would let Tony deal with it, if he ever made it on the flight. I had checked and gotten the dog stubs from the ground crew so I knew the dogs were on board, and figured if worse came to worse there were enough flights that Tony and Marcie would be able to catch up to us in Seattle for the final leg. But luckily they made it on, and it only took a couple of minutes to convince the little old lady that she was back in steerage with the hoi polloi and not up front with us.
The flight to Seattle was uneventful, and while we could hear Teddy expressing his displeasure with his lot in life in the hold below, he settled down over West Virginia and was okay after that. Now, my biggest fear in this whole endeavor was that the flight was going to traumatize the dogs, particularly my two who are never in a crate once they're house broken. But nothing to be done about it, except see what came out of the crates in Seattle.
We had a 3 ½ hour layover in Seattle, for the express purpose of being able to get the dogs out of prison and let them walk around for a bit, and that worked out well. We got them from the AA staff in good shape, and while they were obviously glad to see us, they didn’t seem pissed so that was good. The ladies guarded our luggage and Tony and I took them out to the designated dog area for a break. Upon seeing what Seatac offered in that regard, we quickly determined that we were not going to let our boys walk around in that bacteria infested cesspool and found an area more to our liking. That particular area turned out to be watched over by some very zealous Cathay Pacific ground staff, but we were able to work it out. Mostly we worked it out with a c**p and run policy, but we accomplished our mission and nobody was seriously injured, and Tony and I were able to prove that we can outrun a fat guy with a lime green vest and hearing protectors if we make him run up stairs to stay with us.
We had a nice lunch in the airport, and once again it was demonstrated that any single guy that can’t attract women with a dog just isn’t trying. They were all over us, and our decision to flaunt the prohibition against un-crated animals worked well. One very nice lady from the Vintage Washington restaurant was particularly impressed with our boys, and kept going in the back and getting us all kinds of goodies. Lots of passersby too – I swear, I should rent Hank out by the hour for the summer season at the inner harbor when we get back.
We made it on the final flight without problems, and this time we were in time to actually see the boys go in the hold, and they were calm as cucumbers. Landed in Ancorage 20 minutes early, picked up the luggage and boys and rental suv’s and headed north to Palmer. I don’t much like the Equinox we got, but nothing to be done about it. The rear seats don’t fold down flat, nor to they come close to even with the back of the front seats, so it is altogether unsatisfactory for dogs. But we’ll make it work.
Teddy, Bry and Hank patiently waiting to board the final flight to Anchorage. Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Our cabin is nice, but it isn’t as secluded as we might have hoped, and the owner lives right next door which is odd. But a very nice man; he built the cabin himself and did an excellent job. He has a few draught horses and they seem to be paddocked all around us – you can look out almost any window any time and see some sort of equine specimen. This morning he has a gig taking a bride and groom to the church in his wagon, which apparently is a lucrative sideline for him.
Last night, by the time we got in we were all pretty beat, but Vik and I went to town for minimal provisions (some from the local liquour emporium as you might expect) and when we finally got back, the Carlos were near death and pretty much passed out (the younger generation - what are you going to do?) So we left them alone, unpacked a bit, and just before I was ready to crash, Vik decided we should take a walk with the puds to enjoy the (almost) midnight sun. Oh boy.
So we go up the road, and after about 50 yards I quietly mentioned to Vik that we should turn around. She insisted on keeping going, but after another 20 yards she finally saw all the police cars parked in the local cul de sac and tried to slink off back to me. But too late, we were spotted (Now, she complains that I didn’t warn her, but you can’t really yell out loud, “hey vik, it’s the man, come back” and not expect repercussions.) So we discussed life in general, our presence in Palmer, and our knowledge of a naked bleeding guy in the woods in particular, and were found to be fairly useless all around. We were then instructed to go back inside and lock the doors (I can’t tell you all the times I’ve heard that line back home in Baltimore – the only thing missing was the police helicopter hovering overhead with a searchlight and infra-red camera rolling.)
So thus ended our first day in Alaska – more to come.
Our landlord preparing for his side job. Photo courtesy Vicki Pepper
Monday, June 16, 2014 – Tony and Marcie almost die due to a questionable decision made under the influence of Monster Energy drink and Hank survives a trip to the vet.
We’ve mostly been trying to recover from the trip and get used to the constant low level light source emanating somewhere above the ubiquitous cloud cover so, for us, it’s been fairly quiet. We explored a couple of the training sites Kody provided for us, and did a couple of scenarios at the bowl by the Regional Medical Center outside Wasilla. As we were leaving we met a few AKC folks intent on using the same space and we enjoyed getting some more local info from them, and may have even gotten one of them to give NAHRA a try, or at least come out and watch on Saturday.
And speaking of AKC, major props to Kody & Zink for qualifying for their MH title by going 2 for 2 at the Fairbanks test over the weekend. Mike Vogel & Tazlina and Dick O & Sushi also went 2 for 2. I think Peter Probasco and Molly got at least one and maybe both as well so the NAHRA dogs acquitted themselves very well in their warm up.
The Monster Energy drink story: So it seems Tony and Marcie were off sightseeing Sunday afternoon, and Tony was beginning to flag a bit, so he downed one of the aforementioned adult beverages. Sadly, he was not adult enough to handle it. Their next interaction was with an outfitter who convinced a hopped up Tony to sign up for a combination helicopter ride and ice climbing foray on a local glacier. Clearly a mistake, which he regretted as soon as the drink started to break down, but by then it was too late, as a substantial deposit had been made and he was committed. Poor bastard.
Bright and early this morning off the duo went to their fate. Fearing he wouldn’t come back, Tony left me his cell phone and other personal possessions for me to return to next of kin. My biggest concern was trying to figure out how I was going to get his rental car back to the airport, but then I realized Vik could drive it down so I felt better about the possible aftermath of his egregious decision.
Vik and I couldn’t take just staying at the cabin, waiting for news, so we took a trip out to the test site (btw Kody, it looks like Fishhook Road is going to be closed off near the test site on Saturday, so we may need a detour) and continued on to Hatcher Pass and then a quick trip to Wasilla just cuz. Once we figured that enough time has passed such that our daring couple were either dead or back at the cabin, we drove back to assess the damage. Actually, they survived the ordeal in reasonable shape, although there were some significant PTS issues on Tony’s part.
The helicopter ride was not bad, despite the 20-knot winds. But the glacier ice climb all but destroyed poor Tony’s lower body, not to mention his dignity.
It took quite a few tries to find a place to set the copter down on the glacier, including one attempt that took 5 minutes of delicate maneuvering before the pilot realized it just wasn’t going to happen and moved on (it seems that if you don’t get just the right spot, once you cut the engine the chopper can slide right down into a crevasse, never be seen again.) Buoyed by that experience, Tony was cool as a cucumber when the pilot finally set the flying machine down on a slit of ice only 3’-4’ wider than the landing gear. I’d have been huddled in a little ball of sweat on the floor of the copter if it were me, but Tony manned up and got ready to go down into the glacier.
Now, the only thing I know about glacier climbing is that I will never do it on a voluntary basis, let alone pay for the privilege, but Tony was committed, so he and Marcie hooked up and prepared to climb. I would have thought that climbing would have been initiated with movement in an upward direction, but in this case, since the copter landed on top of the glacier, it involved rappelling down into a small fissure, which, when the story was related to me, immediately brought to mind the poor guy in Arizona who had to cut off his own arm to get out of a not dissimilar predicament caused by unfortunate rapelling in the desert (admittedly without the snow and sub-zero temperatures endured by our plucky duo.)
So down they went, leaving the frigid afternoon sun behind. At some point in time, all involved realized that it was time to ascend back to the copter and safety. Sadly, it was at this point that gravity became not a friend, but a mortal enemy, over which our pair of flatlanders was fighting with every ounce of energy they could muster. Slowly but surely, one boot thrust and one ice axe swing into the ice at a time, they slowly made their way back to the surface. Now, one would have thought that there really wasn’t much actual danger involved, since they had a guy at the top holding onto the rope, ready to haul them up at the first cry of “Uncle”, but you would be wrong. The Sampson at the top weighed in at a robust 130# and this was his second week on the job. So our couple was pretty much on their own, and to top it off the pilot had earlier mentioned to them that this was his second week back too, as he recovered from his most recent heart attack. See, this is why you will never hear a story about me that involves helicopters or glaciers!
But eventually, exhausted, dehydrated and somewhat disoriented, the two made it back to the ledge and comparative safety. For only a small upcharge, their coronarily challenged pilot snapped this picture of the reunion at the top:
Having survived their ordeal, Tony and Marcie come to realize how precious life is, and how one shouldn't squander it with misguided attempts to capture the essence of life by risking losing it all to a misadjusted rotor angle by a drunken pilotPhoto courtesy of said drunken pilot
Hank’s trip to the vet was much more mundane, as he stuck his nose in where it didn't belong and came out with a small bleeder. Two bottles of drugs and a modest exchange of lucre and he’s his annoying self again. I kinda wish he was feeling a little less energetic because he is having the time of his life making friends with the draught horses across from the cabin, but I’m not entirely sure the horses feel the same way. Oh well, at least he’s a fairly small target.
The entire east coast contingent has checked in and we are going to meet at the hospital training grounds at 9 AM and do a little light training. Dick O has secured some extra birds for us, which will make things much easier so we thank him big time.
Tomorrow I’ll try to have some more pictures up, particularly several that deal with the diverse architectural styles out here in the beautiful Mat-Su Valley. Suffice it to say that it is clear that for many, many, many years the area has had no building codes whatsoever, and the local populace clearly has taken full advantage of the ability to completely ignore the most basic tenets of a civilized society. I doubt if many of you know what “Formstone” is, but for those of you that do, imagine a Formstone Quonset hut with a leaded glass door. Frightening, just frightening.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014 – Hank gets his first flyers and our little band discovers that the Turnagain Arm tidal bore is not in the same league as the Bay of Fundy (chalk one up for our northern neighbor.)
Tonight was the very successful opening banquet, held at the Wasilla Elk’s Lodge, which is a beautiful building located on the shores of a large, waterfowl filled lake. The dinner was first rate, with a great prime rib that I took two passes at. I’m too beat to do the narrative of the festivities justice tonight, and will try to have more tomorrow. But as a heads up to Frank, your donated goose hunt went to four hunters who, it is strongly felt, qualify for the free additional days hunting you offered for hunters from Alaska, since they are currently in Alaska and will be coming from here at some point to partake in your hunt. Good luck with them!
Most of today was taken up following Dick O and his circumspect GPS from one location to another, desperately seeking Bruce Moore’s acreage where we were afforded the opportunity to train in water that somewhat resembles the test water. At some point in time we stumbled across it, and had a nice triple and blind scenario followed by a trail. For the most part all the dogs did well and I think we’re all set for opening day tomorrow.
Our little training group from Wednesday. Front Row, L to R, Dave Mellender, Jim Hundemer and Dan Hove, Back Row Me, Sue Snow, Tony Carlo, Dick O and Phil HinesPhoto courtesy Marcie Carlo
I relieved Dave and Jim from shooting the flyer for the last half-dozen dogs or so, and was absolutely terrible. I couldn’t have hit the inside of a porta potty if I was sitting in it. Very embarrassing, but most everyone was relatively kind to me, and I finished with my dignity intact, but it was close. What was very nice was that Tony let me shoot a couple of his flyers for young Hank, and those were the first he’s ever had. Not that they were particularly difficult marks, but he did them both very well, including about a 75 yard swim for one of them that left me kvelling to beat the band.
Hank was raring for more after delivering his bird to Tony. Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Apropos of nothing, Vik and I found this little gem in the Palmer farm museum, which we toured on Tuesday.
Something you don’t see much from the Cooperative Extension Service back in Maryland.
Tuesday we all trained near Wasilla in the morning, and then headed down below Anchorage for the once a year mega-high tide at Beluga Point, complete with massive tidal bore and Belugas following after it looking for disoriented fish. It was scheduled for shortly before 5 PM, subsequently changed to just before 6 PM. We got there very early, and spent quite some time climbing the rock formations at the point, and trying very hard not to fall to our deaths. I must say, while we certainly didn’t remind anyone of dall sheep, we did pretty good considering our somewhat experienced body parts. I paid a steep price the next day, but we had great views and I’ll try to get some pictures up tomorrow, but Marcie still has them in her camera.
When 6 PM rolled around, and it looked like the tide was still going out of the bay, we finally called it another Comet Kohoutek and moved on to dinner.
We start the land series tomorrow at 9, and at dog 13 I expect I’ll be running around 10:30 – 11 so it will be a short day, and I’ll try to get caught up. We lost one dog due to coming into heat, and I feel so bad for her owner, Barbara Walmer. You work so hard to get your dog to this level, then spend all the money to get here, and have to sit around and watch everyone else run. I really hope she’s able to get back next year.
Thursday, June 19, 2014 – Early Land Results - everyone is back for the trail and upland tomorrow.
A very straight-forward triple and a blind, that became easier as the sun got up a little higher. The first few dogs had some issues, particularly on the right-hand go bird that fell with a difficult background, coupled with dappled shadows that really made marking difficult, but after the first half-dozen dogs the sun was a little more in evidence and the the fall was much easier to see. I'm hoping the judges are cutting those first few dogs a little slack, because it really was a more difficult test for those dogs.
I will try to get some pictures up later and a more detailed description of the test. All the east coast dogs did very well - Bry had great marks and a solid blind so I'm real happy with how we stand. I probably wasted a couple of whistles in the last few feet, but the blind was up against some heavy cover and I didn't want him overrunning it.
This shows the land series - sorry for the klugie stitch but I don't have my normal software available out here.
The test started with the handler blowing a call, with calls answering from all the stations just to get the dog a little more amped up. Then the left station threw a dead bird left to right which landed in moderate cover at the top of a rise. The route to the bird had a dozen goose shells about halfway. This mark was just under 80 yards.
The second mark was the flyer right up the middle at 74ish yards. The gunners did a great job, with only one no-bird when the bird fell a bit short and to the left of the desired location. If I were judging I don't think I would have called it a no-bird, so it wasn't a miss, just a bird falling in the wrong spot. The route to the bird involved going down into a little swale and then back up the hill to the bird. Many of them fell into a little depression which held the scent well, but otherwise made it more difficult to dig out the bird. The cover was fairly thick in the area of the fall so the dogs really had to work to dig out the bird. You never lost sight of your dog, so handling, if required, was not a problem.
The third bird was off to the far right, at about 60 yards, and came out of the trees right to left. The money bird for most dogs, as the shadows were not helpful, and more than one dog over ran the mark and spent some time enjoying the coolness of the woods to the rear. The mark was much easier if you ran after 10 AM, which fortunately I did. Most dogs picked that bird up first, although at least one took the flyer first (Bry, cuz that's what he does!) but I'm sure there were one or two others, since it was right in their faces.
The dog was in front of a blind, with the handler off to the side and behind the dog on a bucket, holding a handler's gun, sans barrel. Once you finished your marks you received the last bird behind the blind so the blind planter could put out your bird. The blind was marked by an orange ribbon which was about 5' behind where the bird was actually placed. A number of dogs, including Bry, had a couple of extra whistles in the last few feet trying to get on the bird, but for the most part the dogs handled the blind pretty well from what I could see.
And one last picture before I crash for the night. Marcie Carlo was nice enough to get tee shirts for the members of the ladies auxiliary, with logos front and back. I think they look real spiffy and bring a nice extra touch to our little training cabal.
Kathy Ofstedal, Ann Mellender, Vicki Pepper and Marcie Carlo show off the newest NAHRA fashions.Photo courtesy Tony Carlo
Friday, June 20, 2014 – Early Trail and Upland Results - we lost 3 on the trail, none on the upland.
Dogs carried to water tomorrow are:
2. Blade, Dan Hove
3. Wily, Harry Williams
4. Millie, Patrick Clark
5. Ruffy, Phil HInes
7. Smoke, Dave Mellender
8. Zink, Kody Bull
11. Mist, Jim Hundemer
12. Waylon, Matt Arndt
13. Bry, Me
14. Gee, Sue Snow
15. Betty, Mike Hemmer
16. Riot, Jennifer Richards
17. Teddy, Tony Carlo
18. Sushi, Dick Ofstedal
19. Rocky, Mike Moody
20. Bumper, Jim Tracy
21. Molly, Phil HInes
Friday, June 20, 2014, later – Quite a special trail
We lost three dogs, and almost every other dog had a few bad moments, or two, or three. It took Bry about an hour in handler time, and I'm sure he was about to get the hook if he didn't make the close on his last attempt.
The trail was the traditional "U", and it afforded the dogs an opportunity to become better acquainted with some of the garden spots they may have missed visiting yesterday when running the land series.
The first leg of the trail originated from a spot 20-30 yards behind the line we used yesterday for the land series. It ran straight towards the location of yesterday's right hand go bird, and then made a sharp left turn from that fall area, down and up the hill to the general location of yesterday's land blind. It then turned left again and ran straight to the general location of yesterday's flyer.
As a general rule, most of the dogs had some degree of difficulty. Many, including Bry, went to the right instead of left at the first turn, likely attracted by the scent from yesterday's gun station. Many dogs also got hung up near yesterday's blind location, and they would back track to the first turn, or disappear into the woods.
The first dog had difficulty from the start, and never picked up a bird. Other than Dave Mellender and Smoke, the next few dogs had similar problems, and started a plethora of side trails into the woods that plagued almost every following dog. Bry ran about 6th, and started off great, making the first turn and pushing up the hill to the blind turn. But he didn't take that last left, checked back, and generally toured an extensive area all around the actual trail. I think I put him back on 3 times, so if that 3rd try didn't work I'm sure we'd have been back on the group W bench with quite a few others. But he eventually made that last left and caught a favorable wind to make the close. The wind did shift a bit to help the dogs when they got up the hill to the blind, but it was very difficult for them to make it that far.
The trail was re-dragged several times, and feathers were placed at the start and both turns. 4 dogs that didn't get it on their first go around were called back at the end for a final try at it. Sadly, that ended badly for 3 of them, and in all cases I believe they just got hung up on all the conflicting scent on the first two legs and never made it up the hill to the final turn. All in all, this was one of those series that you just wanted to survive and move on. And then there were 17.
Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
The Upland
Was a very straight-forward scenario. Dog and handler entered from the corner of a huge field with cover averaging 18" high, and worked parallel to the road in front of the gallery, probably 60-80 yards. At the direction of the judges you turned left towards the center of the field and got your flush (chukar) about 40-50 yards later. You were accompanied by all three judges and two gunners. The gunners were pretty good, and while fly aways were not rare, they didn't miss many, especially considering the birds came out from an event sponsor zinger uplander, which really launches them.
We had a few mechanical issues, first one being that the judges didn't like the relatively low throw from the generic box that was first put out. Dog #7, Smoke, directed owner Dave Mellender to offer up his zinger uplander, which he did, coupled with dogtra electronics. And it worked great for the next dog or two, but then the receiver battery gave up the ghost, and we were non-functional. A second set of dogtra electronics were produced, but they had battery issues as well. Finally, Dog #8, Zink, had owner Kody Bull pull out his series sponsor Tri-Tronics electronics, and following a quick wiring adjustment we were back in business.
I didn't have the best vantage point, but as far as I could tell the dogs did a good job, and we didn't have any breaks. I'd like to thank gunner Brad Bowman, who was nice enough to let me climb on top of his truck to take a picture or two of the upland field. With any luck, you'll be able to see those pictures later tonight.
And so you did.
Tomorrow we start water with dog #18, DickO's Sushi. That means Tony and Teddy will be beer dog. Bry and I will run late too. The weather has been perfect so far, but there's a 97% chance of rain tomorrow so we're gonna get wet, with 10 mph winds. The pond they are using is fairly small, and fairly busy with lots of hummocks and cover so it should be a pretty compact little test, which doesn't mean easy but should mean we're not getting four 100-yard swims.
A bunch of us went out to Turkey Red for dinner tonight, to celebrate Dick and Kathy Ofstedal's 44th anniversary. They hadn't really told many people, but one of them was me so I passed it on along and we had a very nice party in their honor. Because there is no easily sung song for an anniversary, we serenaded the patrons with our somewhat lame version of "Happy Birthday" which confused the honorees but made us all warm and tingly. Even poor Jim Tracy was able to make it, which was very noble of him considering the pain he is in from his shattered (broken just doesn't do it justice, what with all the pins and other disturbing wrappings) wrist. He has been handling Bumper well all week as well so he is doing a great job under very difficult conditions.
Our little dinner party, representing 5 states and two countries - you gotta love the invitational and the opportunity to connect with your once a year best buds Photo courtesy Jennie the waitress from South Korea
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 6 AM – Quite a special day in store for us.
47 degrees, sideways rain and wind gusting to 20 knots or so. I'm hoping that the wind is so bad because we are right between a couple of mountains and it's being funneled to us, because accuweather has much lower wind velocity than we are experiencing here in our little corner of paradise. Oh well, good times, good times. . . . .
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 4:25 PM – And the qualifiers are:
2. Blade, Dan Hove
3. Wily, Harry Williams
4. Millie, Patrick Clark
5. Ruffy, Phil HInes
7. Smoke, Dave Mellender
8. Zink, Kody Bull
12. Waylon, Matt Arndt
13. Bry, Me
14. Gee, Sue Snow
15. Betty, Mike Hemmer
17. Teddy, Tony Carlo
18. Sushi, Dick Ofstedal
19. Rocky, Mike Moody
A great water series, we lost 4 dogs, two with worrisome blinds, one full-on break on the honor and one mouth issue. More later, after the awards banquet.
Sunday, June 22, 2014, 7:00PM – Water series wrap-up
I wasn't able to do my usual pano view of the water test, but I think there are enough partial views to give you a good idea of the lay out.
Dog and handler walked down to the edge of a roughly triangular shaped pond, with the line about the middle of the long leg. You got a dead bird from the far right corner that splashed just in front of some low grass cover at about 75 yards. Immediately upon that bird hitting the water you got a short dump bird that was thrown from behind and to the right of the dog and it landed about 20-25 yards out in front of the dog, generally in open water just behind some grass hummocks. The second bird was right after the first bird, so the dog had to refocus very quickly. After a few seconds for that to sink in, a live flyer was shot from behind the dog down the shore to the left, and landed either short, in very heavy cover, or if you were lucky and the duck rode out a bit, it cleared the cover and landed in somewhat open water, at about 50 yards. Pick up the birds, and run your blind which was all the way across the pond, about 80 yards, through numerous hummocks and grass. It was possible to lose your dog for a time, but it would have been your fault, and the dog reappeared while you still had time to salvage things. You then had an honor with the honor dog located behind and to the left of the working dog, who remote sat in front of a holding blind with handler behind. The honor was a tough one, with the short breaking bird to the right, and then the flyer on the left. The flyer seemed to consume a box of ammo every 3 birds, so the gunners were apparently getting paid by the shell and not by the hour. Since the go bird was the flyer, the working dog was going to pass in front of the honor dog, but if all went well, the working dog was in the water right away and at least 10+ yards from the honor dog - it was a tough but eminently fair honor.
These are two pictures I stole from Patsy Hove (thanks Patsy!). While not an exact stitch they show most of the test pretty well, including the approximate fall of the flyer on the left, the short and long birds on the right and the blind on the far side of the pond.
These two, of me (left) and Jim Tracy (right) give you a good idea of the line to the blind. Ribbons are hanging from a straight up tree and a leaning stump next to it forming a triangle. Through some cover, but good visibility unless you let the dog get behind the last patch of grass to the right of the line.
The day started rainy, but the wind was not as bad as I feared. It wasn't a pelting rain, but certainly enough to be annoying. There was clearly a bit of apprehension in the air. Handlers were called to the line a little after 9 AM, and Dick O did his rendition of the Pied Piper of St. Cloud by leading us down with his science box booming out "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. Most of the handlers not having a stick lodged somewhere joined in to one extent or another, and the mood brightened considerably.
Julie ran test dog and did a creditable job, most importantly not giving us any extra reasons to fear the set up any more than usual. So Dick, dog 18, went back to get Sushi and start us off.
They did a very nice series, as uneventful as you'd want, honored just fine, and Dick O was our first qualifier! He put up Sushi and then came back down the the gallery to bask in the glow and chill, the envy of all around him.
As more dogs ran, it appeared that the flyer was falling in the short heavy cover too often for the judges' liking (not to mention the handlers' views on the subject!) and there was a quick labor/management PQI conference and then the birds made it out a little farther thereafter.
We only had one no bird on the flyer that I remember, but it was a doozie. Harry and Wily were working dog, and I think Dan and Blade were honoring. The flyer seemed to escape virtually every piece of shot and dove into the heavy cover. The judges thought that it had been hit so they sent Wily. Unfortunately, the bird was quite the little swimmer, and as Wily swam directly to the area of the fall, the duck swam right out of the area of the fall. There was a bit of a chase, but Wily wasn't getting that bird so the judges called an end to the madness, gave Wily a (successful) re-run and eventually corralled the errant duck so the test could continue.
It was after that the the gunners seemed determined to empty every gun on every bird. Bad for the ducks of course, but quite an extra temptation for the working and honor dogs as well.
This picture of Sue Snow and Gee (honor dog) and Mike Hemmer and Betty shows the relationship between working and honor dog. Mike, by the way, deserves all the credit in the world for both running a great test with Betty, but putting together first class banquets for us. Having done it before, I know how hard it is to run a solid test when so much of your energy is taken up with all the uck and veigh of cobbling together a major test; he did great and I'm both impressed and grateful.
Bry and I had an interesting test. The flyer gunners, perhaps realizing I was close to last dog and they were running out of time to shoot up the case of ammo so they didn't have to lug it back to the trailer, absolutely outdid themselves in the steel curtain they threw around Boyd's potato farm. As God is my witness, several of them reloaded and continued shooting, even as my bird was sinking under the weight. So the judges called "dog" and I just sorta stood there in stunned silence. The flyer was obscured by a cloud of smoke that would have hidden the bulk of the Pacific fleet, and immediately given Bry emphysema (You may think I'm exaggerating, but as soon as I get the pix from Marcie I'm posting it and you'll believe me then!). So we picked up the middle dump bird first to give the smoke a chance to blow off. It did, he picked up the other marks clean, and we ran a safe blind and didn't try to play hero - lots of whistles and no arguments. The honor was fine and my guy's #4 was secure. The Goon would have been proud.
As promised!
I'll post more later in the week; lots of pictures left to put up but it's late, I'm going out on a boat in Prince William Sound with tony at the helm tomorrow morning, and need to get my rest so I'm prepared to swim to shore if things take an ugly turn.
Monday, June 30, 2014 – Final summary
First, a couple more pictures from the water series:
Jim Hundemer and Mist on the final water honor
Patrick Clarke and Millie negotiate their last water bird transfer.
Dave Mellender and Smoke likewise. I certainly didn’t see every dog run every series, but from what I did see, Smoke had the cleanest, including the only dog I saw that just absolutely nailed the trail.
Tony and Teddy on water, while Riot and Jennifer Richards honor.
A little on the opening banquet:
The opening banquet is like opening day in baseball – we’re all in first place with everything ahead of us. We’re all in a good mood, and the banquet that MSGDA put on, led by Mike Hemmer, did not disappoint. They had a very good prime rib and plenty of great auction items. I did not do well, but Tony and Marcie cleaned up, and Tony insured that the NAHRA quilt will be in good hands until next year in New York.
Test Chair Joel Summers offers a few opening remarks.
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This is Kinetic co-owner Dave Dourson with Dan and Patsy Hove prior to the start of the banquet. The Kinetic folks were a constant presence throughout the event, including standing in the rain with the rest of us watching the water series. They have made a major commitment to NAHRA, and the fact that they made the trip up to Alaska speaks volumes about that commitment.
Although I must say, Dave did give me a little pause when this shot came out of the camera after the water series. I’m sure it’s completely innocent, of course, but as a serious journalist, it’s not my job to judge, only to report that he was very enthusiastic in assisting photog Marcie Carlo.
The Awards banquet:
The venue shifted from the Elks club to the American Legion but the quality of the event continued to be first rate. A seafood buffet including king crab legs, fried halibut and baked salmon was the main course and it was the best I’ve ever had.
A few grip and grin pictures – I didn’t get everyone so if I missed you I apologize. Judges Jim Sheridan, Laura Fletcher and John Fincher were gracious as always.
Dick O and Dan Hove, who ran Blade for Dick, Patrick Clarke and Dave Mellender
Kody Bull, erasing Spokane, Sue Snow & Mike Hemmer
Tony Carlo, Dick O for Sushi and Mike Moody
Kody and Dick celebrate with a chest bump.Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Each year, one lucky attendee is awarded the honorary John Gilbert hat – this year’s well deserved receipient was our own photographer extradinare, Marcie CarloPhoto courtesy Vicki Pepper
And the coveted bumper toss competition was won by Dan Hove, and Dave Mellender failed to successfully defend his title.Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
And speaking of commitment to the organization, a solid majority of our officers were able to attend, Including Mike Hemmer, Patsy Hove, Dan Hove, Kody Bull, Harry Williams and Sue Snow.
Our post-banquet group shot. Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
A few miscellaneous pictures:
Scaling the heights of Beluga Point to see the tidal bore that never came.Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Jim and Terry waiting to see the tidal bore that never came.Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Hank coming back from visiting his best buds, the draught horses.
Vik and the boys at Hatcher Pass.
A large group of sandhill cranes were a fairly consistent presence throughout the test.
I was a tad concerned about the water temperature before we put the boys in for the first time so Tony was nice enough to check it out for us. It was fine. Photo courtesy Marcie Carlo
Links to more pictures:
The semi-official photographer was Spring Wind and their site is http://springwindphotography.smugmug.com
You are also going to want to check out Carlos Canines, who seemed to generally have the best angle on most everything. Her site is http://carloscanines.smugmug.com/2014-NAHRA-INVITATIONAL/
Final thoughts, including how to get a free trip to (or from) Alaska:
I still have some more pictures to put up, but I’m down at the farm without decent internet, so I may not be able to post more in a reasonable time frame. I also need to get Mr. Hove upright and I'll do that when I have time as well - not as easy as one would think.
This was without a doubt in my top two Invitationals, and we are for sure coming back again in a few years, once we save up enough to travel in the style to which we have become accustomed. I always like events that are far from home, which makes the experience that much more special. It’s fun and a challenge running an Invitational anywhere, but if it takes place in a location that I’ve run weekend tests for years it just isn’t the same (although it’s way cheaper, and helps save money for the real road trips.) That’s why I hope some of the Alaska folks can make it to New York next year, cuz the Leatherstocking crew will put on a great test, I guarantee it.
And the free trip deal: Alaska Air will fly you anywhere in the US to or from Alaska (to the airports they serve, obviously) for 25,000 frequent flyer miles. For 50,000 points you can fly first class. Now there are restricitions and you’ll need to make reservations early to get a seat, but it can be done, and for not that many additional miles you can get unrestricted access to flights. And the pup will cost $200 round trip, which is way reasonable and they take good care of them.
Now that’s a lot of miles, but if you plan ahead now, you can get the Alaska Airlines VISA card, and you’ll get the 25k miles you need upon approval. Bang, you’re in. If you apply before August 30th, you’ll get an additional 2,500 points. And if you put down the name and employee ID number on the application you’ll get yet another 1,000 points. Check with me, and I can help you with that last bit of info. The bottom line is that for the cost of the annual fee (which I assume is in the neighborhood of $50) you can get the biggest expense of the trip practically free. Vik and I are doing it for sure, and coupled with the 7,500 miles we got from this trip we’re certainly going to be able to get the final 14,000 we need for first class by the time we’re ready to go back. For you Alaska guys that want to come down next year, I’m pretty sure the dates will be in early August. So if you get the card now, you’ll be able to make reservations as soon as AA opens up the flights for booking, which I think is 330 days in advance, or in that general time frame.
Hope you enjoyed my ramblings. ‘Til next year, and as always, thanks for the use of the hall.