Going Stealth

(Just poking fun here… beginning a few days ago)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27

It’s killin’ me to go dashing through the snow and not Facebook about it.  Actually, its killing me to go dashing through the snow at all in this cold COLD weather.  And its all because of Grabb’n Leather (Team 45).  He just chaps my hide and almost literally!  Did I mention how cold it is?





I’ve been sitting in 7th place in the Derby for the last month or so – maybe longer… really, who’s counting…..  I’m pretty sure I blogged that I would probably finish the Derby in 7th or 8th Place and I think I even mentioned that I was cool with either place – just glad to finish in the Top 10.  Cause really, its not like I’m that competitive or anything.  And really, there is only a week left and I have a 40 mile lead (40.29 miles to be exact) over the person in 8th Place and it is SUB ZERO cold outside…. 





So today as I was filling up my truck, I was skimming email on my iPhone and I see that Mr. 8th Place Tim Leatherman submitted like 25 miles in the last week.  Where the heck did that come from.  Is he jockeying for 7th Place.  Doesn’t he know we have a foot of snow on the ground?  My roads are icy!  I can’t ride in this crap.  WTH?  But while standing at the Casey’s gas pump I realized that moment that I wasn’t okay with 8th Place At.All!  So if I wanted to keep my placing, well, I guess I was going to have to ride my blasted horse in the Arctic!  Take that Ol’ Bustin’ Leather!





So I come home and gear up.  Quick math says four miles a day till the end of the year and I should be set.  I warmed a bag of rice in the microwave (to warm Windy’s bit) while I put on my winter layers and went and fetched my horse.





Well, evidently they don’t have the snow in northwestern Missouri like we do or Grabb’n Leather Dude wouldn’t be putting on THAT many miles.  I bet he doesn’t have to go through three foot of snow, up hill both ways, to get his miles.  And did I mention the wind was never at my back? 






And then, to add insult to injury, evidently they didn’t test the iPhone in Antarctica because at 2.8 miles, it froze up.  Went dead.  Kaput!  Since I was using the GPS on the iPhone and did not have my Garmin, that was it; I was done for the day.  So 1.2 shy that I’ll have to pick up another day. 


I can only guesstimate what I think Tim will ride this week and try to stay in front of him.  It is a race, you know.  But in all seriousness – if I end up in 8th Place (big sigh), I can live with it.  Tim’ s just giving me a helluva a race to the finish line!


UPDATE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28





Oh, sure.  Just when I think its safe to drive to town to get toilet paper, I see a new email come across my iPhone.  Yep, he’s been out riding again.  Logged another 6.55 miles in is “home land”.  I bet he doesn’t have 2 foot of snow on the ground!  There are only 11.69 miles separating us.  I need to do at least 6.55 today as I am sure he is out there trotting around his “home land” doing the same.  Might have to break this up and have two rides today.  John said I could just let him win and not worry about it.  Huh? 

There is no way I can NOT go to town today.  We have four bathrooms!  That lone roll of TP will not last that long! 





LATER THAT SAME DAY....

Well, John went to town for the toilet paper and I saddled up Windy and headed out.  The plan was to break it into two rides today; first on Windy and then on Fancy.  I was equipped with both the Garmin and my iPhone just in case.  I got 3.5 on Windy and 2.73 later on Fancy.   I kept checking the email to see if there were any miles posted by Mr. Team 45 and none came in.  Either he has gone stealth, too, or he isn’t riding.  The race continues. 


UPDATE DECEMBER 29

The sun was shining; there was no wind.  But the weatherbug only budged from –1 to 1 degree.  WTH?  But you know what?  Today I didn’t care if I was #7 or #8.   I started to fiddle around with doing laundry, spent way too much time on Facebook, helped my son clean out his closet and when I went to the dumpster with a load of garbage, I thought “Why again did I decide not to ride?”  By this time, the temp was up to 18 degrees but the sun was shining and it was halfway decent.  I happily quit my domestic obligations and went and fetched my best horse.  #45 has probably already unsaddled and having his 3rd cup of coffee!





After I rode off, I called Case and asked him to grab my camera and take some pictures from our porch.  The above picture is one of his.  He didn’t do too bad for never using that particular camera before.

I think Windy is back in work mode as we trudged through the new drifts in the alfalfa field.  We trotted along the fence and made a nice figure 8 by the point.  We ventured further out into the bean field again at a nice trot.  If I were not afraid of the footing, I would have let her go.  She was ready and felt good under me.  The wind found us about a half hour into our ride and while I was pretty comfortable for the most part, my face hurt.  We got a little over 6 miles.  If Leatherboy hasn't rode for 2 days, we have a 24 mile lead.  But I must assume he is strategizing like me and riding under cover.  The race continues.  Is it 2013 yet???


UPDATE, DECEMBER 31





Okay, Tim.  I am over it.  Had I not been out to defend my #7 placing, I would have opted out of riding yesterday and missed what turned out to be a great ride with my husband. 





We so seldom get to ride together and it was worth the snow and wind to go down into the woods which looked a little like a winter wonderland. 





So thank you for racing me to the finish line; that being 1,235.80 miles.  And if you are a mile ahead or a mile behind, it was great having you virtually by my side and albeit unbeknownst to you, pushing me a bit farther down the trail.


It’s been a great race.  Happy New Year!


(But maybe I won't publish this for a few more hours... he still has time to chase a few more miles.... :)

.