New material
September 13, 2003 - Although the problems between Attila and Spikey have not been solved yet, we
do continue with our preparations for our first full training season. With a little bit of luck the two
males can be in one team together (we start working on that issue next week), and in the worst case scenario
we train with two dogs at a time and wait for Chilaili to become old enough for 'the real stuff'...
For dog transportation we bought a nice Hapert trailer with doubles axes. It has roll-down shutters
in the front and rear and Guy made side doors and six dog cages in it. All around the cages have
aluminium bars, enabling the dogs to see each other.
At the adze (front) side a space of 30 centimeter is left for all the lines and harnesses and in the
back we have a large storage space, where we permantly keep our outdoor equipment. This way, whenever
we feel like going away for the weekend for mushing or AMCB activities, we only have to let the dogs
jump in and pack some clothes and a tooth brush and off we go.
On top we can transport the cart, which brings us to another issue: as off today we have two of those!
We bought the first one in the Netherlands last year. It is a second-hand rather
heavy training cart, meant for muscle development training. We recently had it sprayed completely red and Edmond is
re-assembling it at the moment.
Besides that we were looking for a lighter race cart for a while already. After long internet searches and
e-mailing around - as such a piece of equipment is EXPENSIVE - we finally ordered one at Vertigo's
in Colijnsplaat (The Netherlands). We seemed to be just in time: the guy said
ours would be the last he'd build...
Edmond just picked it up and it looks brand new for now, haha! It certainly isn't one of the lightest
carts around (about 40 kg.), but it runs very smoothly. Other than that it has hydraulic oil brakes,
high-end BMX wheels and a smart quick start system. Let the games begin....! :-)