NADAC Championships 2017 – set up

Tags

agility, fun, NADAC, NADAC Championships 2017, Tom, Zora

After relaxing in our room most of the morning, a fire alarm going off got everyone up and outside. While the alarm blaring wasn’t fun (afaik it was a false alarm. Don’t think the fire department even came), it was nice that everyone was outside at the same time as gave us a chance to find out what other dog people are staying here too. Also found out there is a serene pond behind our hotel.

We ran into a chunk of the Maryland/Virginia crew a few who I know but haven’t seen in nearly a decade. I couldn’t believe some of their dogs who I last remember as pups or young adults are now running in double digits classes! (For dogs over age 10). Where does time go!

They had a few jumps, hoops and a set of weaves out in the large field next to the hotel and invited us to join them. Which was very kind of them. So had a good few minutes of warm up with the corgi. Then hubby and I played with tom and zora in the field. Meaning they were content to nap the early part of the afternoon while my husband also napped and I read some of a book.

3pm arrived and time to get ready to go to set up at the competition site! After feeding the dogs an early dinner, we were off.

Our hotel is a scant 6miles for the trial site but with various traffic lights takes between 15-20min to drive. I’m really really glad we chose to stay in this hotel instead of the one where some other folks we know are in, over 20miles away. It was a good decision!

The drive takes us past a few shopping areas, then into the corn fields. It really feels like we are in the Midwest now!

Here we are! Eden Park Equestrian Center. Our home for the next week.

The arena is huge!! Tomorrow and Wednesday there will be 2 rings set up for the warm up pre-trial, then beginning Thursday the back half plus will become the massive 100×300′ championship ring along with a smaller ring closer to the front for other runs. There are spectating bleachers off to the left side and an area that will be filled with vendors by Thursday.

The crating area I think is nice. Large. Plenty of room in the aisle ways and each person’s reserved area is marked out making them easy to find. The floor is dirt but we knew that already of time and brought a tarp to put in our space. Today there were many empty spaces, by Thursday it will be full! Behind the general crating area barn where we are set up, there is a barn with individual horse stalls inside that people could pay a bit extra to rent for the week and set up in instead. I think the general crating area will suite us just fine though.

The arenas are bordered by, you guessed it corn fields. There are horse paddocks on the other side, out of view from the dogs.

During set up I ran into many more people I used to know and haven’t seen in years. It’s going to be a fun week catching up! I’m excited to see who I remember and what dogs they have now.

After we set up, a quick grocery store run for some water, and now back at the hotel. So glad I roasted a turkey to bring with us, turkey sandwiches for dinner. Yum! I also got word that all of our various friends traveling have arrived safely which was good to hear. The corgi has now assumed her usual evening spot. As has Tom, at my feet. All is right with us.

NADAC Championships 2017 – travel and arrival

Tags

accessability, agility, chronic pain, Disability, fibromyalgia, friends, fun, Guide Dog, my husband is awesome, NADAC, NADAC Championships 2017, sensory processing disorder, Tom, transportation, travel, Zora

Last night we arrived! We are here, in Ohio.

Our journey was rather uneventful, thankfully.

Not too early in the morning we finished packing the car. A good friend of mine offered to transport a couple of things for us as he has a much larger vehicle, for which I’m grateful. Meant packing our car was less of a precise puzzle.

What was a precise puzzle was the packing of the cooler. My husband said he would have been really amazed if he had any doubts I had already thought out and planned how to do it. Instead he was only amazed. I’m very good at packing. Lol. I spent the previous two days cooking and freezing in precise ways the food I am to eat this week. Strict dietary restrictions means eating out comes with risks, so for a trip like this were I don’t want to spend days sick recovering from something I ate and my body’s reaction to it, bringing food cooked and prepared in ways I know is safe for me to eat is a must. (The cheese sticks are for the dogs. I miss the convenience of cheese for sure)

Packing all set, one last busy break (toileting, “hurry up, go busy” is the dog’s verbal cue to toilet. Comes in handy often. Like every day often) and we were on the road.

My husband drove us safely through Massachusetts and into New York.

Where I was so excited that the highway paralleled the Erie Canal! It was awesome. There were even some boats in the locks we passed. Super cool! Husband wasn’t as impressed as I wished so I texted my family. They were as excited as I. And we all virtually sang the Erie Canal song. Low bridge, every body down, low bridge cuz we’re comin to a town….

Did you know that New York has renamed their rest areas as Text Stops? We found that a ridiculous comment on our current culture. Sad really. But so it is.

Our trip of course included more busy breaks. And as always I’m amazed and grateful that Tom finds great enjoyment in the challenge of finding the ladies rest room anywhere. Rest stops (ok, Text Stops I guess) he has of course never been in and yet he with a wagging tail and excited spring in his step “tom, find inside” and he smartly shows me the door. “Tom find the bathroom” and he weaves through the mess of people, tom pauses and I can feel him glancing around, “find the bathroom tommy, where is it? Find it buddy.” Suddenly hard turn to the left or right, and him striding forward clearly he knows where we are to go. Yup, here’s the bathroom. Good boy!

At 3:40p we arrived in Buffalo to visit and enjoy dinner at my friend Erica’s home. We all had a lovely visit with Erica and her partner Quinn. Great company, and the dogs enjoyed stretching their legs in their back yard. Erica cooked the most delicious dinner for us to enjoy. It was great to see her, as we talk on the phone often but due to the miles our in person visits are infrequent. And a nice couple hour break in our drive. Oh and I can’t forget to mention Erica’s cat, Hershey. Zora is his canine alter ego.

We got back on the road in time for the sunset.

A few hours later and more uneventful travel through the rest of New York, a corner of Pennsylvania and then Ohio! Where we checked into our hotel, and an exhausted and annoyed me found out despite my requests we are on the second floor in a hotel with no elevator and the only rooms on the first floor left were smoking room. in a choice between bad and worse for me I chose the stairs over the smoking room. Stairs at least tom can help me with. Smoking room would mean non stop migraine. But at least the room seems well sound proofed and the curtains keep the light out very well. the in room fridge is quiet, along with the furnace being as tolerable as they go. All rarities in hotel rooms. So a night of sleep was actually mostly had.

Today we get to have a low key rest and start recover day. The dogs have already been out and had their breakfast so now we are all relaxing. Later today we will head over to the Eden Park Equestrian Center where the event is being held to set up our area find out where we will essentially be living when we aren’t sleeping at the hotel for the next week. Woohoo! It’s really happening! NADAC Championships 2017 is here!!!