Last thoughts on Tevis and the Gremlins

First the important things....

My rider number is 161 and my stall at the Fairgrounds is in Barn 4, stall 16 (on the end of barn 4 by barn 3).

If all goes well you won't see me at the stall until after 4a sometime on Sunday :).

It's predicted to be a balmy 100*F on ride day, an improvement from the 104* I saw posted when I plugged in after my Disneyland trip. Glad I got my heat training in!

Speaking of Disneyland.....I had a WONDERFUL 4 day vacation.  We flew in early and spent a day wondering around Long Beach and I didn't think of Tevis except a few times when we were standing in line for tickets for various things.  The second day we spent at the LA zoo and I spent even LESS time thinking about Tevis.  Maybe once or twice.  The third day, in Disneyland, I didn't think about Tevis at ALL.  It was wonderful.  Disneyland is the PERFECT thing to do the weekend before Tevis.  I walked all day for 3 days and so kept my feet and legs in shape for the race without doing something strenuous that might cause injury, I spent each night basking in the spa, and was completely occupied by traveling for the first time with "yelp", finding Matt and I the perfect place to eat three times a day. 

Day 4 we flew back home in the early afternoon.  I consented to plugging back in late in the afternoon and discovered 2 dismaying facts.

1.  It was going to be 104* on ride day
2. The horse boots that had been shipped to me for Tevis were the wrong size.  Or rather, they were the right size, but were missing a modification that I needed.

Number 1 is an unchangeable fact of life.  The sort of fact that makes me glad I live in the hot central valley and had spent the last 2 weeks heat conditioning myself and Farley.

Number 2 sort of freaked me out.  Like verge of tears, pacing through the house wringing my hands with my boyfriend frantically texting me "remember the mouse" and "reclaim the magic" and "....in the tikki tikki tikki tikki tikki room...." and giving up while I watched a movie until midnight until I could catch my breath again.

Of course, in the morning cooler (and more rested) mind prevailed and I realized that I *could* do the modifications myself with a little effort and reminded myself that the year I finished Tevis the gremlins hit me in FULL force before the ride, and the fact that the gremlins were satisfying themselves with equipment and weren't bothering me or the horse was to be commended.

Of course, that was BEFORE I got to the Auburn fairgrounds on Wednesday night and realized that they had double booked my stall and that the other person had already checked in.

Thank goodness I decided to go up on Wednesday and not leave the stall prep and check in 'til Thursday night or Friday morning like the original plan.......

The ladies in charge of stalls were quite happy I had showed up early as well, since there are a VERY limited number of stalls, and the fact that they scrambled and managed to find one that was not assigned was a bloody miracle. 

Whew. 

Now all that remains, besides the grocery shopping and food prep and horse packing (leave for Robie early in the morning) is to not to do something stupid.

Such as.....

Last week when I decided to do a ride instead of free lunge for the heat training session, I hopped in my aussie saddle in moccasins, jeans, and with stirrup leathers that were fully 3 holes too long.  If I pointed my toes prettily I could barely rest the balls of my feet on the stirrup.  So, my feet dangled and jangled inside of the heavy huge stirrups, and gave me a rub just above my ankle bone on the inside that also left what little tissue there is, and the bone underneath really really sore.  In fact, yesterday was the first day the area wasn't sensitive.  REALLY DUMB!!!!!  I'm sure I'm going to be rubbed and sore enough during Tevis I don't need to start off with something like that.

And the next day, when I was looking at Farley I noticed on her off side some hair rubbed off at the girth, at the level of the elbow.  Being hot and sweaty, using a synthetic fuzzy girth, on a 30 minute ride was enough to make her just a wee bit sensitive and give her little hairless spots.  STUPID. 

See you folks on the other side!  (and come by and say hi if you are at Tevis :)