This was probably the worst winter for snow I've ever seen. The sled was parked for all but about 3 weeks. That makes for some very lazy dogs. As soon as I finally gave up and put it away it was time to try out a new way to get injured.... scootering!
I have had Dawson out pulling a scooter before, but taking both dogs out at the same time was a little intimidating. I know they were pretty quick hauling the sled, but snow offers a little padding when you wipe out. The thought of all that concrete and asphalt had me pretty worried.
The first run was pretty wild. They were literally flying down the road. There is no resistance pulling the scooter compared to the sled so they took full advantage of that. Full out run for at least the first 2 miles. I have found out that when people told me to stock up on brake pads they weren't just joking. We eat up all 4 pads on each and every run. I ride the brakes pretty hard to keep the tension on and to get them working.
There was one night when we were out on our usual run and almost had a "trip to emerg" accident. We were on the sidewalk heading for a busy road. This was a downhill run and right at the bottom of the hill we have to go hard gee or head right out into traffic. The usual drill is ot call for the turn, nail the brakes, and go around the corner slowly and in control. Well as soon as I hit the brakes the back cable snapped right of at the handle. Nothing can get you heart racing like a loss of stopping power right when you need it the most.
We did manage to make the turn using the old tried and true Flinstone braking system. The rest of the run was uneventful and BOTH cables were replaced the next morning.
We're still having fun, running almost every night, but summers is coming fast. It's going to be back to boring old walks for a while until things cool off again.
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