Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

It’s been 1 week since our arrival home.  When we departed Rocky Mountain House on Sunday afternoon, we were thrilled to be going home.  Other years, we would have stayed an extra night to relax, celebrate and enjoy an evening with other crews that stayed back along with the committee members.  This year we checked out the forecast and saw that the rain was coming to most of Alberta.  And come down it did, starting in the early hours of Monday morning.

We unloaded the ponies at around 8:30 pm I do believe.  It was dry and so beautiful to see the green trees,colorful flowers and the sun set into the west.  The forecast was true, and we were so glad to be home and not packing and loading up in the mud and the rain as some of the other camps did.

Once all was put away, it didn’t take us long for our heads to hit the pillow.  You see, when you live life on the road, with 20 something horses to tend to, barn crews to feed along with others that stop by, you pretty much run on adrenaline because you just know you have to rise up everyday and tend to what has to get done.  We realized this the first year we were back on the road full-time in 1998.  We came home and had full intentions of watching a movie when we got into the house.  Not sure if we even got to the title, as we all fell asleep we were so exhausted.

While it poured rain for 2 days, we took the time to just relax and catch up on some sleep.  Everything was low-key.  There wasn’t much we could do outside with that kind of weather upon us.  I did take some to read up on all your great comments from my writing.  I want you know I have read them all and I thank you.  Kari sent me an interesting message, so I thought it would be good to share with you all.  It made me chuckle.

Whoa… I did not see this ending like this at all! I started following your blog just over a mth ago and it seems you have fed hundreds of famous breakfasts to hungry chuckwagon team peeps all season long. McWho cares how many trillion they served, there you are serving it up at your chuckwagon travelin’ trailer! In this day n age of huge gourmet kitchens that often only feed a family of 4, this seems worthy of a cooking segment on HGTV Tiny Houses so triple points for this n all the ambassador n community support you give in all you do!

But I digress on how I saw this end…I favor one of Wiki’s theory’s on the history of how chuckwagon races started and thought the season should finish accordingly:

“…cooks from two chuckwagons who had completed serving a barbecue at the 1919 Victory Stampede in Calgary then raced to the grandstand’s exit, inspiring the event”

In my alternate seasons ending, the announcer was still on the infield and this race was so quick he didn’t make it to the outfield in time so here is my recap from a birds eye view from Sask.  Super Skinner Sue was on barrel 1. No outriders were needed, her hook didn’t dare budge until her say so, and in her ever efficient way you know she already had her wife saver cook pans, fry pan and stove loaded herself. When the horn blew Sue made a clean start gaining  the rail to the Grandstand exit in an unheard of record time finish of 1.01 !

Well as I saw it Sue did not stop at the exit but hollered a “wagons ho” and raced on not stopping until she hit home!  There she graciously entered the Nugget winners circle and accepted her prize as World Champ winner of the 2016  WPCCA (World Pro Chuckwagon Cook Association) and was awarded a good night’s sleep in her own bed …home sweet home!

So glad to hear you will post from time to time in the off season so I don’t have to make up my own stories-yours are so much better!  I am reading the archives n have more questions!  But first relax, get caught up n get your wheels back under you after weaning off your summer too cute side kick Coy! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures in this blog! You, Rick n all the Team 23 are champions in my books!  Kari

Thank you Kari for this.  I love your imagination of writing!  Thank you also for your questions, and stay tuned as I will be writing one on the outriding boys and their duties. As I said before, us chuckwagon folk take what we do for granted.  We tend to forget that not everyone knows the in’s and outs on all the rules and regulations of our great Western and Heritage Sport.

When the rains had seized, it was time to get to work.  Little by little and load by load, I began unloading the Travelin Trailer.  The wheel barrows are used for more than manure you know.  My mini office, is now consuming my kitchen table.  The food was all taken out and put away. We picked up another extra passenger in Dawson Creek and I have been hunting him ever since.  When in Rocky, he startled me when I opened up the outside storage compartment.  That little fat mouse was eluding my traps ever since.  I figured I didn’t have enough traps so Rick picked up 6 more.  I was going to win and win I did!  Friday afternoon the little fat wonder was stuck to one of this little square  sticky pads.  I was going to dispose of him when I returned home from town.  He was gone when the time came to do the duty.  Rick said he did it,  but I knew better because he’s more scared of them little creatures than anyone I know.  Rick got our good friend and neighbor Doug to come to the rescue.  I’m just glad he’s gone and hope for no more, no more, no more!

Now in-between times, I’m very much taking time to enjoy these two little munchkins in our life.  They make me so very happy.  And I know one thing for sure………….my work will still be there when I get back to it!!!

From Home On the Ranch

P.S.  A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark.