USBCHA Finals - Watching the Youngsters

Because I don't have a nursery dog qualified this year, I sat back and watched the dogs today. Quite a few have competed in the open already, and watching makes me think I should get home and work on the young ones even more - these guys are so broke! Bill Reed from Tennessee has a great young dog pup, and I do mean pup - he is only 10 months old! Has whistles on him and a lot of grit. His mother Ann (who Bill is running as well)is in the nursery as well, as is the sire, Red (run by Juan Reyes). I have put my name down for a pup (don't worry Chris, won't be for a year or two since we have a lot of young pups already). Guess that means I will have to come down again - oh the trials and tribulations of this sport.
Went to the top of Scott's Bluff today (named for a fur trader who died in the bluffs after a trading deal went wrong with the Indians - think it had to do with a casino or something) - as soon as I can, I will put the picture on here - on top of it you can see straight across Nebraska to the east and to Wyoming to the west. There is a lot of history about the trek of the pioneers (along the Old Oregon Trail) - I recommend it highly.
The day will start tomorrow at 7 am with the nursery finals (top 10 go back), and then the open - Gin and I will be 10th running. I have noticed that the cattle are working better in the afternoon, so hopefully this will be the case for tomorrow as well.
One other note - for those who know Joann Zoerb, I have met her twin sister - her name is Lasoya - and (un)like Joann, is part Mexican and Indian. She flew down from California just to watch the dogs. This is her first year trialing, and she has qualified her nursery dog this year for the finals in Virginia this year. Also met Mari, who came from Alaska to buy a dog from Francis Raley - she runs sled dogs in Alaska, and is going to get back into running the border collies as well. I have asked them to come up to Alberta to trial - and I bet we will see them next year. Jimmy Walker is going to come up to Alberta this year and stay a couple of weeks and enter our trials as well as the Calgary Stampede - that is assuming he gets in. With only 60 dogs being allowed, I am sure the fax machine at the Stampede grounds will be smoking 8 am on Monday morning.