Day 18 - February 18. Today we went to a barrel race in Tonopah at Liz and Wayne's. It was a small race with only 16 riders. All three mares ran and had clean runs, but did not slot in for any money.  We spent the rest of the day working on school and work.  

One thing I forgot in Minnesota was my good camera. The races we've been to have not had professional photographers. Fortunately, there was a gentleman at Liz and Wayne's that takes photographs as a hobby and posts them on Liz and Wayne's Facebook page. He got some great shots of the girls and mares and we were thankful for his talent and generosity!

Day 19 - February 19. We spent the entire day at the yard in Tonopah - it's our favorite place in Arizona! We each rode two sets of horses through the desert and "the wash", did a few laps around the "track", and finished up with some stations. I rode Breezy in the first set and she was an idiot - she totally lost her mind when I would not let her walk by Pippa. I always worry about a horse colicking or tying-up when they get so upset for such a long time, but I think I was on the verge of colicking from getting my insides shook around for that long!

I then ran a few errands with Sue and we all went to the famous Tin Top restaurant in Wintersburg (a town with about three buildings). The Tin Top is a biker/cowboy bar with excellent food - the best thing is you just come as you are (in our case, right off a horse's back)! When your friends love such a place, you know you are hanging out with the right crowd. We finished off the day with time at the fire pit and dessert before heading back to Buckeye.

Day 20 - February 20. We had planned to spend the weekend with one of my high school friends, Sheila, and her daughter, Grace. They are from Payson, AZ, and were coming down to Phoenix for a horse show (Arizona National Horse Show) at Horse Lovers Park. I know one of the larger horse facilities in Phoenix proper is Horseshoe Park in Queen Creek, so in my mind, I was going to Horseshoe Park. We woke up early to get there at 9 am so we could watch Sheila and Grace ride; the girls were only going to ride in barrels. We pulled into Horseshoe Park and I called Sheila to see where she was parked since it was a huge facility (multiple arenas) and there was a large horse show going on. Our conversation went like this:

Krishona: We are here! Where are you?
Sheila: In the parking lot, I have a red rug set out for us.

Krishona: I don't see you. What entrance did you pull into?

Sheila: There is only one entrance, do you see the team ropers?

Krishona: No, I don't see them. There is only one entrance for horse trailers?

Sheila: No, only one entrance for everyone. Do you see the black truck and trailer leaving?

Krishona: No. Are you by the big indoor with a green roof?

Sheila: There is no indoor, but there are some shade structures that have green canopies.

Krishona: No indoor? Are you at Horseshoe Park in Queen Creek?

Sheila: No, I'm at Horse Lovers Park off Tatum in Phoenix.

Krishona: OMG - I'm at the wrong place!  

So, we did a drive through Horseshoe Park (after a nice man had to help back me out of a tight spot with the trailer) and found out we were 53 minutes (of course closer to Buckeye) from Horse Lovers Park. We were also getting low on fuel, so I had to fill up at a regular gas station (vs. a truck stop) and squeeze through some narrow lanes of construction to get back to the interstate. We finally pulled into Horse Lovers Park at 11:15 am. Horse Lovers Park had 3 outdoor arena - our horse show, a team roping, and a cutting. Our arena was solid stucco and about waist high (I just thought that was interesting). We watched Sheila and Grace, and the girls ran barrels. The girls placed 1st through 3rd (Gin, Pippa, and Breezy) in barrels and now have ribbons as a keepsake. We grilled out and had to leave the facility due to the show being over and COVID (no grilling or gathering allowed - whoops)! 

Sheila and Grace decided to stay overnight at Buckeye and run in the barrel race (which included poles) on Sunday. Before heading back, we stopped at Estrella Mountain Regional Park and rode the trails. It was hilly (with a few switchbacks), a bit rocky, and windy! At the top of the hills, the wind almost blew you off the horse. I rode Breezy and she started out with her idiot behavior, but then settled down and walked nicely behind Pippa - my body was thankful and I was pleased with her improved behavior. We came back to Buckeye, took care of the horses, unhooked the trailer, and went to a hibachi restaurant for dinner. 

Minor problem - Somewhere in between leaving Horse Lovers Park and arriving at Estrella Park, the bathroom pocket door came off one of its hinges. This is a major problem as it's basically impossible to open and close, and my 15 minutes in the bathroom each day with the door shut is my only alone time! We worked on trying to fix it after dinner without luck (but, we were so tired). We even got a hanger from Sheila and worked on it the following day - again, without luck. Now I'm considering a stop at Camper World this week to see if they can fix it. And yes, I Googled the topic in hopes of finding a YouTube video, but again, no luck. We are so close to fixing it, but just can't get it!

Funny story - I parked in a further away parking lot at the hibachi restaurant. We knew it was first come, first serve, and we were hoping for a short wait time due to it being late. But, it was a 2-hour wait for the grill (where they cook it in front of you) or only a 20-minute wait for the restaurant; we were hungry, so restaurant it was. They encouraged you to wait outside and they would "yell" out the door when your table was ready. Apparently, the kids thought 60 degrees was cold and wanted to wait in the truck, but it was too far away to hear our name. Just as we were considering our options, a front-row corner parking spot opened up and after a few minutes of begging and pleading from the kids, I went and got the dually and wedged it in the spot, but not after having to park the back duals on the curb! 

         

Day 21 - February 21. The girls (and Sheila and Grace) ran in a "Progressive Barrel Race" today at Buckeye. A progressive race separates racers out into divisions based on times. For example, 16.5 to 17.4 would be division AAA, 17.4-18.4 would be AA, down to C (for this race). It's basically a 5D with one-second splits and a determined "fast time" (from what I could gather). After the progressive race, they had a "normal" 4D jackpot where you could carry-over your time to the jackpot. However, unlike most races in Minnesota, you could decide if you wanted to carry-over your time into the jackpot after your progressive run (and not at the time of registering).

Matalyn and Breezy only ran in the progressive race and had a great run! Montana and Pippa had a nice progressive run, but had an ugly second barrel so we decided to run again for the jackpot. Montana and Gin had a great run, so we decided to carry-over into the jackpot. We thought the fastest time was a 17.0, which would have put Montana towards the top of the 2D, so we thought our chances of a payout were good. But, during the jackpot, someone ran a 16.8 which would have put her at the bottom of the 2D with no money (0.5-second splits in the jackpot). When they were announcing the results, a 16.7 won which meant Montana won the 3D and also received a payout in the progressive race. It was their first payout in Arizona! Matalyn and Pippa also won money in the progressive race. After the race, we had to say good-bye to Sheila and Grace - it was so great spending the weekend with them! We fueled up, hooked up the trailer, and I finished the night with a Zoom call and work.

Oops moment - during the progressive race, we thought Montana was number 60-something. It turned out, she was number 50-something and was still in the trailer when they announced her name to run. Fortunately, they let her run at the end of the race. We were certainly thankful for the forgiveness and flexibility (phew!).