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morning beach dash:
Archie
Rufus
Linda
Daisy
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(7)
Up the beach to Au Soleil Couchant and back: ~4k. This was a get-some-energy-out run for Rufus, the Heroic Trio (Hazel, Tori, Murci) and their pugilistic little friend (Daisy); Roni suggested recently that I should try to get Daisy out as much as possible for a while to get more energy out and calm her down... also it is a good situation to work on discipline. We more or less sprinted until we were past the HoJo; I had Rufus on the leash out of the gate but he came off right there and was good the rest of the way off the leash. Murci is now a more experienced runner and has also decided she is a water.dog: the surf was churning and high in places and she dove in with wild abandon to stay with her peeps. There were several breaks from hauling ass to jump into the surf and everyone really enjoyed it even though it was rough; Linda, the smallest, is really brave and funny in the water and is not discouraged by anything... she kept up with ease and we were really moving for long stretches. I put Hazel on the hook and Tori on the other end of the leash before we got to the HoJo heading south; Hazel is the one I trust least in this group and Tori just jacks the pace up too high if I let her. Configured thus it was no problem running the gauntlet past the soldiers; nobody was out when we went north but there were two people and that stray we got sterilized hanging out at the palapa coming home. The stray gave chase and barked at us and everyone was good; Murci wanted no part of it and was well ahead but didn't just bolt for home - she listened to me and stayed with us albeit in the vanguard, until she recognized our path on the beach, where she beat it for the gate. Nobody else paid the stray any attention; she looks good and I'm glad the surgery worked out. She also looks to have beaten the Ehrlichiosis so the soldiers must've given her her meds. Maybe she'll be healthy and happy for a while now that the bugs are dying down. Our dogs were stellar throughout and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Otto
Alice
Truman
Frankie
Archie
Rufus
Daisy
Tori
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos, even shorter version: ~6k. It was difficult getting this group settled down at the gate before we left; it took several minutes of work to get them calm enough to leave. Once on the road they were great albeit really energetic; even Alice was noticeably fired up and had no problem staying with everyone. We took the northern exit from the southern intersection this time; it goes between the serpentine to the west and the middle road/palapa road exit to the east. We had not been that way in many years; I think only Otto, Alice or Truman might've been there before. It is completely underwater for the last 100 meters to the north before it joins up with the middle road. There were a lot of old salt piles that had been left out in the rain for months and not much else. People obviously haven't been there in a while since there was no garbage laying around. We ran into the cows again just before the small grove (groveling? grovelet?) on the middle road before it gets to the jeep berm; they were grazing in the bushes. Tori, Rufus, Truman and Daisy all thought they were about the coolest thing ever and ran ahead to go bark at them; they got back quickly and were good about coming with me once I caught up. Alice was very brave; she is terrified of cows and gave them an extremely wide berth but didn't balk at going by them like she has in the past. I put Tori on the leash after the cows because she led the charge and needs to be reigned in. I left her on until we got home and didn't put Murci on at all for the first time in a while; she rewarded me by listening well when we were close to home and not charging into the road ahead of everyone else. I chose a short route today because Archie, Otto and Rufus were along and shouldn't go on long runs; it has been a few hours since the run as I write this and so far no limps, but everyone is a little tired and hasn't moved much.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Ginger
Blue
Posey
George
Gowron
Ernie
Lily
Steve McQueen
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. Same route as the others recently, taking the main land bridge out to the middle road north through the southern charcos and home via the alt. land bridge. Everyone was off the leash the whole way until the shrimpery at the end where I put Tori on to keep us together on the final trail home; we all crossed the road together and everyone stayed together well. PupG swam in every single puddle she could possibly jam her tiny, psychotic little frame into, no matter how muddy or disgusting (nothing's disgusting to a dog after all). Luckily for all of us there were plenty of deep charcos with mostly fresh water in them the whole way so she was reasonable clean by the time we got home. Ernie was frequently in the lead; amazingly he doesn't appear to have any kind of limp now hours afterwards, which is encouraging. I wanted to get more of the tribe out but it was impossible - they're all acting like idiots lately and I only seem to be able to get one or two out at a time... even that was difficult today but somehow I corralled Steve early enough to get him out; once on the road he was great and had a blast. The mist was still clinging to the charcos when we left and we could see clusters of bright pink flamingos in the charcos all around us obscured to varying degrees; the bugs were only noticeable in spots.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Eve
Rita
Osita
Chester
Reggie
Luna
Mo
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. We did the usual shortie middle-road route, heading out the main land bridge and coming home via the intersection, cut-over and alt. land bridge. Everyone was off the leash on the way out. I put Murci on in the shallows to the east of the alt. land bridge coming home to keep her honest; she drank from the water bottle for the first time today and was obviously THRILLED to be running with Reggie, whom she worships. Everyone was really perfect and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Godzilla
Tuesday
Molly
Jack
Daisy
Twiggy
Lex
Hazel
Tori
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. Strange group but it worked out okay. I let Tuesday off the leash right as we were heading east into the southern charcos and she stayed off until just after the main intersection as we were going to the cut-over; she was perhaps a tiny bit paranoid at that point but she was fine about letting me put her back on the leash and was stellar the whole time she was off. We've had rain in the last week and the monte is still flooded everywhere but it is receding a little in spots; very slippery and dangerous if you only have two legs. We ran into the cows that have been loose in the monte for months now; they were camped out at the intersection just as you turn north from the southernmost charco and were not impressed with us at all. A couple of my charges ran over to bark but they all came to me quickly and we carried on. In spite of high spirits early they were all good and listened well. The bugs were not bad and it was a bit overcast so we kept a high pace and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Bette
Lucy*
Linda
Monkey
Baby*
(7)
Roni took this crew out for a walk down to the land bridge. Lucy decided it was too hot out of the gate and came right back; Baby (stray/new arrival with heartworm who we're trying to help) got spooked by someone on a moto but came back to Roni once it was gone and went with her the whole way and back. Miles seemed a step slow and should be watched. It was hot out but everyone had a nice time anyway.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Truman
Blue
Chester
Reggie
Rufus
Elewah
Hazel
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos, short version: ~7k. We left with nobody on the leash and that worked well; there were some high spirits but everyone kept it together and stayed with me. We went out across the land bridge, still flooded up to mid-calf at its shallowest. We took the middle road on the way back but went all the way north to the tortuga crossroads and took the blue bag trail home instead of the alt. land bridge. I had Murci on the leash by the time we turned off of the tortuga road and it turned out to be a good idea: we ran into salt workers just south of the wooden shack. She wasn't thrilled but she was better than last time about coming along on the leash and we all ran by them with no problems. She had good examples on this run, at least. It was strange and beautiful in the charcos today. The southernmost crossing was a bizarre quasi-yuletide scene where large wads of salt foam have been blown into the grass and trees. The resulting effect is like some kind of cotton candy snow. It was not hot today and a bit overcast so it almost looked like December up north... one of the few times I wished I had a camera.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Eve
Frijolita
Ernie
Stella
Lily
Molly
Bosha
Daisy
Tori
(9)
To the swimming hole and home via the monte: ~6k. Considering how wound they all were it wasn't terrible getting out of the gate, although it was too loud; Stella left on the leash and was good about holding up while I fiddled with the gate. We took the alt. land bridge to avoid flamingos that were feeding directly in our path if we had gone that way. I was thinking of heading south from the swimming hole but Stella wanted to go north and I was fine with that; she was off the leash at that point but I put her back on at the three-way intersection north when she wanted to insist on going to the beach. She had been pretty good off the leash until then but I couldn't have her pulling everyone the wrong way so she went back on and stayed that way until home. We took the overgrown path between the charcos south and the blue bag trail to the wooden shack at the end. Everyone was really good about come home together and in general stayed close to me.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Alice
Lucy
Ginger
Otto
George
Rita
Archie
Shirley
Bosha
(9)
Short swampy loop: ~4k. A shorty with the limpy / older / slower dogs. We went out across the alt. land bridge, hit the intersection, continued north to the tortuga road, took it almost to the ocean but then went south and came home via the wood shack. It was a slog through the charcos to the north but nobody minded. Shirley was on the leash the whole way. Everyone was really perfect and had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Gracie
Gowron
Rufus
Jack
Daisy
Petey
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos, short route: ~7k. We've been tired and for one reason or another we just haven't been able to get out for a couple of days so the dogs were a little wound up at the gate; Rufus, PupG, Hazel, Jack and Tori are all noisy on the best of days. I put a crate in the launch pad and stuck Tori in it while I was rounding up the rest of the team and that helped a bit - maybe one for Rufus next time as well. The group that went was also not the fairest but after a couple of days everyone forgets who's gone recently and the fact is that Tori, Murci and Hazel are young and have a lot of energy to burn. In spite of all the energy we left with nobody on the leash again and it worked well; they settled down quickly. We left a little late but there was nobody in the monte and we hauled ass most of the way. We went out the land bridge and came home via the alt. land bridge as usual; it's all still flooded, as is most of the monte, but some of the mud is beginning to dry out a little in places. There was still plenty of opportunity (and in fact necessity) for swimming and slogging and we did a lot of both. The conditions are slippery and dangerous in many places; this was not a run for newbies and I almost fell three times, only avoiding it because I know the monte so well... plus I was a little lucky. We took the middle road and skipped the swimming hole to keep the distance down a little. Everyone did really well the whole way. I put Murci on the hook as we were crossing the alt. land bridge on the way home and I put Hazel on the other end of the leash as we were nearing the shrimpery to keep her from dragging everyone ahead on the trail home. This all worked out well and everyone had a good time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Frijolita
Truman
Osita
Lily
Molly
Twiggy
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We did the usual medium route, using the bag end crossing to get to the swimming hole. Everyone was really up for it and kept a good pace; I watched Twigs for signs she was having trouble but she was having so much fun screwing around in the water it's hard to say... if she's grouchy later today then that might be why. Murci left off the leash and stayed that way until we crossed the alt. land bridge on the way home; she was good about letting me put her on the hook and had fun swimming and running. Osita got a little skittish as we were going west to east along the southernmost charco on this route; I don't really know why but I noticed and went back to her, reassuring her the whole way, got her on the leash and then she was fine and came along. I let her off the leash on the palapa road and she didn't do it again. She's a strange one.
GRADE: A
afternoon swim:
Greta
Tori
(2)
This was an abortive attempt to get Greta out. It has been stormy and cold for a while now and it wasn't possible to get her out; it wasn't stormy today but the ocean is really stinky and cold, and it was shallow when we went out. Even if it hadn't been shallow it was just kind of a mess out there so we only did one lap, then kind of screwed around on the beach for a bit. Greta is stronger now and might be able to do a short walk, so we should try that because the gulf is not cooperating. Anyway, they were angels.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Lucy
Otto
Rita
George
Archie
Shirley
Rufus
Ernie
Maggie
(9)
Swampy southern loop: ~5k. I'm not totally sure about the distance on this one because there was a bit of dithering on my part. We went out by fording the land bridge and started south; I was thinking we'd cut across the charcos at the tar paper shack to get to the terreno federal trail and that would make a nice little loop to the intersection but the charcos there were much more flooded than I realized. I started off south again thinking we'd run around them but it was starting to get hot so I changed my mind; I decided to turn us around and head north on the main road, both to avoid xmul and underbrush (Maggie) and because this is a rare time when there is hardly any traffic. The intersection is flooded and there's nowhere to go so nobody goes that way right now. Everyone had a good time swimming everywhere and smelling all the cow poo strewn liberally on the road; there are also horse droppings so the monte is a fragrant paradise to a dog right now. We came home from the intersection via the cut-over, alt. land bridge and dirty road; the cut-over is pretty beaten down now since we've gone over it a lot lately but Maggie always insists on charging into the ice-plant or the weeds no matter how hard I try to keep her on the straight and narrow... I'm sure she has a lot of xmuls in her coat. She had a blast, at least, and kept up well, as did Lucy. This was a run of limpy, older, pudgy dogs so we kept the pace down and I gave everyone time to swim or catch up if they were behind. I had Shirley on the leash the whole time - she's just too crazed about hunting lizards to let her off; we're afraid she'll hurt her hips again and she's doing so well now. She didn't seem to mind and was really up for whatever we did. In general they were angelic and had a great time.
GRADE: A
morning run:
Posey
Eve
Godzilla
Reggie
Daisy
Amber
Hazel
Tori
Murci
(9)
Southern charcos: ~8k. We went the full monty this time: east across the land bridge fording, south and east into the monte, from one end of the palapa road to the other and home via the swimming hole and the alt. land bridge. We left with nobody on the leash; it was an extremely high-energy group yet somehow they all really stayed close to me. Posey pushed the pace a little too much at times and dove into the brush north of the palapa road at one point, obviously in pursuit of some marmot. Nobody followed her and I put her on the hook when she emerged to calm things down a bit; I let her off quickly and she kept closer thereafter. Everything is so flooded that I think they swim more on these runs in the monte than on the beach this time of year; their hijinx at the swimming hole were hilarious, since you can't see where it's shallow ("road") vs where it's deep ("hole") easily... they were all running around like lunatics and disappearing into deep holes suddenly, only to emerge with a huge splash and do it over again. I put Amber on the hook in the water just east of the alt land bridge on the way home, since I still don't completely trust her to not bolt for home when we get close. Murci got put on the other end of the leash just before the dirty road and they were good that way until we got home. Everyone else was really angelic; Daisy, Hazel, Tori and Murci are super-buddies and Amber also likes playing with all of them so they were especially cute together the whole way. It was overcast and cool again and everyone made the most of it.
GRADE: A
