Evangeline turns 2 on March 8...
Therefore, we CELEBRATE with a BASH !!!
ALWAYS, the BASH reflects the personality
of the STAR of the Story!

So, with Vangie, we will have....CARS!
NOT those lil bitty remote control cars...NAH!!!!
Vangie wants to be behind the WHEEL !!!

UH OH!!!!!!





Chapter 1

VA-ROOOOM, VA-ROOOOM !!!

Vangie fidgeted and danced from one paw to the other. She was so excited! She watched the as the ScotCorde settled gently to the ground and rolled to a stop within yards of where she stood, waiting. The door opened, the ladder was rolled up.... and still she waited.

As she'd instructed, the first ones OFF the ScotCorde were her sisters..... Raven, Gaira, and Chloe. Vangie waved excitedly, then ran to meet them. A great reunion was held right there at the bottom of the steps, four squealing lasses, hugging and spinning, and bouncing and laughing!

Vangie glanced up to the top of the steps, where Jake stood... right in the doorway, his paws spread wide to block the exit... to allow the sisters time to renew their bond. Vangie smiled, then nodded to the large collie. Jake rolled his eyes, then stepped out of the doorway, and with a flourish of his large paw, he released the partiers.

Vangie and the girls hopped back out of the way.... and watched as 77 excited friends roared off the ScotCorde, barreled down the steps, and quickly surrounded the birthday girls up near the front of the great jet!

Riley stood off to one side, calmly leaning against a luggage cart. He waved Jake over.

"Whatcha need, Riley?" Jake asked, relaxed and calm with the peaceful beginning of the adventure.

Riley smiled wickedly. "Thought you might want to know what's ABOUT to HAPPEN!"

Riley motioned to the far side of the Scotcorde, around behind the enormous hangar. Jake's mouth dropped..... his eyes widened.

Approaching the rear of the ScotCorde were...... dozens and DOZENS of..... DUNE BUGGIES!!!

Jake looked back at Riley. This wasn't good..... this wasn't good at ALL! DOZENS of dune buggies... INDIVIDUAL dune buggies.... going WHERE? HOW FAR? He glared at Riley.

"And WHEN, I'd like to know, were the GUARDIANS going to be informed of this?? HOW in blazes are we to watch MILLIONS of wandering dune buggies???????"

"SIX GUARDIANS!!! DIDJA KNOW?" Jake roared. "We only have SIX GUARDIANS this trip? And we're to watch all these TERRIERS who'll be on their OWN!?!?!?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND??????????????"

Jake was just warming UP to a fine conniption fit, his eyes blazing, his thick, lush ruff ruffling in the breeze as he shook his head for emphasis. Hans, Grace, Alice, Lady, and Bella immediately raced over, convinced that a crisis had already arisen.

Riley just smiled... and shifted his weight to the other paw, planting the other elbow on a nearby luggage cart rail. He'd seen too many BASHES with the Wild Child to fret over 'minor details'.

These things ALWAYS managed to work themselves out with amazing ease.... somehow, they always made it through.. someone always saw to that! VEG

Riley reached over and patted Jake on the shoulder. Jake turned to his Guardians, and with a broad wave of his paw, motioned to the approaching dune buggies! The Guardians' faces registered first shock, then dread. Jake was at a loss for a strategy..... this was bad!

Riley tapped Jake's shoulder again. "WHOA, slow down there, Jake. Relax. It's all well in paw.... follow me!"

Riley turned and began sauntering around the back of the hangar, the Guardians following close behind. As they reached the far corner of the hangar, Jake and the Guardians turned at a rumbling noise.

Parked about 30 yards ahead, sitting side by side...... were 10 shiny, new Harleys. Seated on a huge black Harley stood Captain Scotty, one foot bracing the bike, the other foot ready for action. He smiled at the Guardians, and revved the huge Hog.... creating that famously rich GROWL of the enormous motor.

Riley explained. "The BASH adventure will involve Vangie's favorite pastime..... CARS! They're about to begin a CROSS COUNTRY ROAD RALLY! YEP, we're turning 77 Terriers LOSE on the roads of America..... ON THEIR OWN! NOTHING but a roadmap and DESTINATION!"

The Guardians visibly paled. Jake started to object, strongly!

Riley patted his paw...... "RELAX! Look between the handlebars of each HOG. It's a computer screen. EACH Dune Buggy is equipped with a GPS, each with its own satellite signature, and its own tracking device. You can pull up EACH buggy on your HOG screen, and keep tabs on all of them....... from your HOG. Now, granted.... you're going to travel a LOT of MILES, checking up on each buggy as the needs arise...... but that's why we've had these 10 HOGS custom built.... they'll do 180MPH on the straight-aways! "

Jake's face broke into a wide grin... he LIKED the idea of speeding down the highways at unimaginable speeds, the wind in his ruff!! He decided he could learn to like this.... a lot!

Captain Scotty spoke over the low rumble of his motorcycle." I'll stay with the main body on this adventure. We're assuming that MOST of them SHOULD be able to follow the instructions and make it to each 'goal pennant' without any problem.

They'll all have the same instructions... there'll be 4-5 Terriers in each buggy, so there'll be some collaboration within the teams, I'm sure. I'll watch the main body, YOU Guardians can handle the stragglers and the wanderers!"

Jake nodded. This MIGHT be manageable, after all... MIGHT... BARELY!

Riley leaned out, peering back toward the ScotCorde.... "HURRY, get your motorcycles!! Vangie is about to assign buggies, give the instructions, and RELEASE THE TERRIERS upon the ROADWAYS of AMERICA!"

Frantically, the Guardians leaped on the nearest Harley, bringing the great motorcycles to life with rumbling growls. The Harleys sped around the hangar, toward the huge crowd of excited Terriers huddled around Vangie.

MAYHEM was about to be UNLEASHED!!!

                                                                      

(THANK GOODNESS for the ENDLESS line of credit allowed all BASH adventures!
THANK YOU, oh keepers of the Platinum Cards! VEG)













Chapter 2
AND......... they're OFFFFF!!!!

 

Vangie scrambled up onto the hood of a nearby fuel truck, and waved her party guests over. Eagerly, the BASH gang closed ranks, curious about their coming adventure.

Holding up a paw for quiet, Vangie began. "Okay, pals and buds.... this adventure is geared toward MY favorite pastime..... CARS! We are about to begin a CROSS COUNTRY ROAD RALLY!"

Eyes widened, faces broke into excited grins, cheers and bold whistles erupted from the BASH bunch.

Holding up her paw again, Vangie continued. "Okay, the Rally will consist of 4 stages..... 4 destinations. At EACH destination, you MUST locate the red Wild Child Gang PENNANT... "WCG", where you will get your Rally Badge stamped.... and receive the GPS coordinates for your NEXT destination."

Eyes widened even more at the ADVENTURE ahead. Scotties began glancing at each other, the swagger building, smug expressions began to spread through the crowd. The TERRIER determination was already rearing its head.

Vangie cleared her throat, drawing the crowd's attention back to the 'reading of the RULES'!

"If you'll turn and look behind the ScotCorde, you'll see a FLEET of dune buggies... waiting for you. EACH buggy is equipped with state-of-the-art GPS equipment, satelite telemetry, and communication capabilities. Your exact location will be constantly monitored by our Guardian Brigade."

The rumbling roar of the Harleys approaching drew the immediate attention of the Rally participants.



Gasps and ahhhhhhhhhh's were heard from the Rally crowd. The Guardians, beginning to ENJOY the power of these machines, raised their muzzles just a little higher, held their heads at a slightly more jaunty angle..... just the attitude needed for a Guardian on a HOG!    

Vangie whistled shrilly, her paw in her teeth. "Okay, the Guardians will be monitoring. BUT.... YOU must reach your destination. HOW? It's up to YOU!! There is a Map program in your buggy. USE IT!"

All eyes were riveted on Vangie as she quickly finished the instructions.

"You have all been assigned to Dune Buggy teams. The dune buggy's NUMBER is painted on the rear of each buggy. You'll FIRST need to check the itemized ROSTER posted on that empty oil drum over there... then locate your TEAM.

"ONCE you've gathered your team, then proceed to the rear of the ScotCorde, where Captain Scotty is waiting, with a peg board containing all the dune buggy keys. ONCE you have your buggy number, your team, and your dune buggy key, you may BEGIN the RALLY!"

The entire crowd turned.... to sprint to the ROSTER.... when Vangie stopped them, yet again.

"WHOAAAAAAAA...... you might need to know the FIRST DESTINATION!! This Rally will not begin HERE. It will begin ELSEWHERE..... where you'll receive your official RALLY BADGES and the FIRST destination!"

With a Flourish, Vangie announced, "THE BASH RALLY will begin at the GATEWAY ARCH in St. LOUIS!!!"

"Soooooooo, let this BASH RALLY BEGIN......... NOW!"

Vangie spread her paws wide, inviting the Rally participants to get a move on!!! Turning, she quickly grabbed her sisters, Raven, Gaira, and Chloe. With a smug grin on her face, Vangie pulled a shiny set of dune buggy keys from her pocket.

"Girls, I believe our ride awaits!!" Jingling the keys, the girls sprinted across the tarmac.... located Dune Buggy "A 1", and scrambled aboard.

Vangie glanced across the tarmac at the Rally teams. Chaos reigned. Scotties were running wildly, crowding around the Rally ROSTER, grabbing and snatching team members as they spotted them.... then the Rally teams began an assault on the parked buggies, all eager to be the FIRST to get their dune buggy started on this adventure.

Just for the fun of it, Vangie turned the key in her buggy, revved the engine loudly... and with a wave of her paw, she STREAKED down the tarmac and over the sand embankment at the far end of the runway, her sisters hanging on for dear life!

Other Dune Buggies sprang to life, following Vangie's team off the ScotCorde's runway. One by one, they all 'hit the road', waving to opposing teams, shouting dares and issuing challenges. Paws waved, beards were plastered against excited muzzles.

Nothing like a leisurely drive in the country with quiet, sedate Terriers!

The BASH ROAD RALLY of 2013 was ON!                                                                


A 1:
Vangie
Raven
Gaira
Chloe

B 2:
Tana
Scarlett
Marigold
Bijou

C 3:
Hunter
Hot Rod Rammbler
ECMick
Mason Bruce

D 4:
Truman Huckstep
Noots
Mac Delli Carpini
Sirius Mathisen
Whistle Smith

E 5:
Cher Bear
Ivy Grant
D'Arcy
Callie Huckstep

F 6:
Iain Getty
Hobbes Devine
Laddie Wall
Dewey Morgan

G 7:
Brindie
Phoebe Bruce
Mandy Huckstep
Maggie May Bailey

H 8:
Holly Grant
Megan Wilson
Harmony Devine
Clio van Dulken

J 9:
Monte
Mochreigh
Malleagh
Morley
Misti

K 10:
Striker Meadows
Cinder Morgan
Sunny Riches
Patrick Velez

L 11:
Carly Rose Beach
Mickey Bruce
Finn Bailey
William Murdoch Wilson - W.M.

M 12:
Montgomery Winnay
Lucille Sagadin
Jack Henderson
Teddy Belvin

N 13:
Jake Bradberry
Dewey Stacy
Sharkie Smith
Gromit Mancuso

O 14:
Macalester Wall
Holly Devine
Roxy Henderson
Campbell Beach

P 15:
Maddie
Minnie
Motley
Mitzi

Q 16:
The "DUKE" Wilson
Homer Devine
Jaimie Stacy
Wily Belvin

R 17:
Snowy Riches
Fergus Getty
Adelaide Wall
Alanagh Winnay

S 18:
Gyppsy Rose Kitty
Sammurai Ryu c@t



As the RALLY participants roared off..... they didn't notice Riley Rambunctious sauntering leisurely across the tarmac, Murphy Beach at his side. Together, the two distinguished Scotsman strolled around the corner of the hangar, to a waiting stretch limousine. Sliding into the long, plush vehicle, they quickly settled in.

Riley pressed the intercom button, and gave instructions. "Geeves, we need to be in St. Louis, at the GateWay Arch, as quickly as possible. Please see to it."

Feeling the limousine's engine roar to life, Riley settled back. He leaned over and opened the broad serving console in front of them. Handing a napkin to Murphy, he announced. "How do you feel about Crawfish au Gratin from Brennan's?"

The limousine sped off, determined to reach their destination with as little discomfort as possible. Inside, Riley and Murphy spread out a sumptious feast, happy at the notion of eating their way to St Louis.

















Chapter 3
Destination - Gateway Arch

 

Jake was NOT enjoying himself, not even a LITTLE bit!

The computer monitor, mounted to the frame of his motorcycle, was lit up like a Christmas tree. With his GPS locator activated, he was able to 'see' the location of each Dune Buggy, its individual GPS signature showing on the map with the buggy's ID number. Jake had ASSUMED that the Rally teams would have followed the PRACTICAL and MOST REASONABLE route to reach the Arch.

But, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...... Buggy blips were all OVER the map! ONE buggy's ID signature was blinking from OMAHA!! Another, was in Des Moines, but SEEMED to be moving back TOWARD St. Louis!!

Jake grabbed his cell. "Alice, did you find Team O-14 in Omaha?? Have you turned them around?"

The background noise from Alice's motorcycle roared in the phone. Alice screamed, "YEAH! FINALLY caught up with them! They were in the back of an 18-wheeler, catching a ride! The truck stopped for the night, and I managed to home in on their signal!"

"Seems that the truck had "ST LOUIS" on the side of the trailer, so they assumed it was HEADING that way. They didn't realize it was going the OTHER WAY. The driver said he'd been flagged down by the Buggy in Little Rock, and had agreed to give them a lift in his trailer. They didn't ASK where he was headed. They've been happily relaxing on their free ride, playing games on their phones."

"I've pulled 'em off the truck, turned ON their satellite telemetry, and activated their map program. They PROMISE me they won't be the last buggy into St Louis. I told them they'd better NOT be.... and that they'd best stay AHEAD of ME, as I'll be right behind them, burning up the asphalt!!!"

Jake groaned. He smiled as Alice finished with... "yeah, yeah... we're COMING!!"



Jake watched the blips on his map display. He frowned. Now, what was going on there? He pushed the image in closer. Team N-13 wasn't moving. Their blip was stationary.... right next to Team L-11. They seemed to be somewhere just north of Memphis, on I-55. As he watched, both blips suddenly STREAKED off, both heading north, straight up the interstate.

Another phone call.... Jake reached N-13. "WHAT IN BLAZES are you doing?"

He heard laughing and arrrooooo'ing from Jake B. and Sharkie. "HEY, JAKE! What's UP, dude?" Sharkie shouted. "YOU having as much fun as WE ARE?"

Gromit's voice was heard in the background. "FASTER, J.B.!!! They're coming up fast in the other lane! STEP ON IT!"

Jake looked back at his monitor. Those two teams were streaking north.... by his calculations, they HAD to be doing at least 120!!!

Jake shoved his phone right up to his mouth, he wanted to be sure they HEARD what he was about to say..... but..... several things happened at once! Rally team L-11 had apparently come up alongside N-13. Jake checked. The two blips seemed to have merged into one on the monitor.

Frantically, Jake shouted into the phone. "SLOW DOWN!!!!

He heard several voices at once... William Murdoch shouting "We can TAKE 'em. FLOOR IT, Carly Rose!! MOVE IT!" Mickey's voice came through next...."GIVE me those water balloons, J.B.! THIS will 'wet their whiskers'!!" The balloons must have reached their targets, as the next sounds Jake heard came from N-13...laughter... and "THANKS for the bath!!!"

THAT was followed by a shouted discussion of treats each buggy had, with the two teams trying to TRADE treats, racing down the interstate, side by side, at 120mph!!

ALL the while, Jake continued to shout.... "CUT THAT OUT! STOP IT, this INSTANT!"

THEN, he heard another sound.....sirens! UH OH!

He watched the monitor. The two blips seemed to separate and slow, then stop. He checked his Guardian locations. HANS! HANS was closest. He quickly speed dialed Hans.... and explained the situation.

"They WHATTTTTTT?" Hans asked, shocked.... well, maybe he WASN'T so shocked. He quickly told Jake he'd handle it, then wheeled his HOG around and sped back down the interstate, to intercept and BAIL OUT 8 Rally members who were now apparently under the scrutiny of law enforcement!

Jake relaxed. THAT problem was now being handled. Alice was bringing in the wayward team... he shook his head.... OMAHA?!?!

Meanwhile, in St. Louis, excitement was the word of the day.



MOST of the teams HAD made it to St. Louis without incident..... well, if ya overlook NUMEROUS tatoos on tushies, 2 strange felines that seemed to miraculously appear on Gyppsy Rose and Zammy's Buggy S-18. No one knew the new felines, but with their rather LARGE size and dentition, no one was eager to tell them they COULDN'T play along!

As each Buggy reached the GateWay Arch, they pulled into line beside the other Rally teams. The Dune Buggies soon filled the entire area beneath the Arch. The Teams had begun taking excursions around the city, taking advantage of the time to EAT and EXPLORE.

THAT may explain the sudden appearance of the Security team from Grant's Farm. Apparently, Rally teams G-7, R-17, and H-8 had taken an excursion tour to Grant's Farm to see the Clydesdales..... and had decided to 'adopt' some as PETS!

Jake, Lady, and Bella were suddenly overrun with angry Clydesdales who'd been STUFFED into the backseats of the 3 dune buggies. The teams had skidded to a stop right under the Arch, and with the help of their friends from other Teams, they'd gotten the irritated equines OUT of the buggies just as the Grant's Farm Security detail raced up.

The Guardian Brigade, in the grand tradition of Judge Brimley, put on a superb display of Debate Skills, countering each accusation made by the Security detail.

"STOLE?" Bella asked, a look of outraged SHOCK on her face. "WHY, I NEVER! THESE innocent, wee lads and lasses are the PICTURE of proper decorum and obedience!"

Bella HEARD the undertones of snickers from Lady and Jake, but she held her form, maintained the 'innocently insulted' pose she'd assumed. Jake joined the debate.

"These Terriers were merely GOOD SAMARATANS... just LOOK at them!" He gestured towards the crowd surrounding the now-calm Clydesdales, who were thoroughly enjoying the floral landscaping around the Arch.

Twenty more minutes of world class debate strategy resulted in the LOAN of three Clydesdales to the RALLY of 2013, with the provisions that the Clydesdales will NOT have to walk, but will be given PASSENGER STATUS in the three Buggies.

Jake hid a smirk as he watched the satisfied Security detail leave.... and saw the glares of the three 'affected' teams. He watched.

Snowy stomped over to Team G-7 and thwacked Brindie on the shoulder. "NOW, how in BLAZES are we to WIN this RALLY NOW??? We each have a TON of HORSE sitting in each back seat!!! You don't think THAT'LL slow us DOWN, do ya???????"

Brindie smiled.... and shrugged. "Not a problem", she proclaimed.

Phoebe laughed. "WELL, look at it THIS WAY. We now have sufficient REAR wheel ballast to guarantee that we'll have TRACTION for any terrain we may encounter!"

Megan and Holly turned and stared at Phoebe, open mouthed. "WOW, the POSITIVE PHOEBE PRIZE!!! Never saw adding a TON of animal to a dune buggy being considered a GOOD THING!"

After a few seconds, the three teams collapsed in laughter, loud, 'can't catch your breath' guffaws!

And, with the usual Terrier Tenacity, the three teams headed off to 'BEND rollbars' to make room for some very BROAD tushies in the back seats of their Dune Buggies.

By late afternoon, Alice had arrived with the wayward team, who quickly began 'holding court', regaling their friends with tales of their adventure in the trailer of that 18-wheeler.

Hans had arrived with his Speed Demons, having gotten them out of jail... and with a promise of good behavior, he HOPED there'd be no 'record'.

Jake spent MUCH of the rest of the afternoon fending off COMPLAINTS! "THEY have a Clydesdale! Why CAN'T WE have one, too?"

He was STILL trying to solve THAT dilemma.....and KNEW that when they left for their next destination, he'd HAVE to post Guardians at the rear of the crowd, to guarantee that buggies weren't making a detour back to 'acquire a Clydesdale of their own'!

As the sun began to sink in the west, Vangie stepped up onto the hood of her Buggy and called everyone over.

"I know each of you have been to the WCG pennant, and have claimed your RALLY BADGES. FROM this point on, YOU are on your OWN. YOU MUST get your BADGES stamped at EACH pennant.... make SURE everyone in your TEAM gets this DONE!!!"

She watched the crowd as they all reached for the Badges that hung around their necks on the plaid lanyards. She smiled as she saw the play... Terriers whacking their neighbors with their Badges, each claiming they'd win this Rally, lots of challenges, lots of dares, lots of bragging and boasting... and a TON of Terrier Swagger.

Vangie LOVED it!

"Okay, gang! You've had time in St. Louis to enjoy the food, the scenery. It's now time to begin the RALLY! The Maintenance Crew has refueled each vehicle, has restocked the food baskets, and you're ready! We will begin this leg of our journey in an OVERNIGHT race... you SHOULD reach the PENNANT by tomorrow morning sometime."

Vangie paused.

"Your 1st BADGE stamp will be awarded at the VISITOR CENTER atop PIKE'S PEAK!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Once again, bedlam reigned. Teams scattered, quickly hopped into their waiting buggies.... and with tires squealing, and voices raised in loud ARRROOOOOO'S( and 3 nervous whinny's)..... the RALLY was ON!















Chapter 4
Somewhere between Thither... and YON!!

 

Our Road Rally of 2013 is whizzing right along! The Guardian Brigade is stretched to its limits, but the Guardians are in better spirits... simply due to the fact that ALL Dune Buggies are on the SAME highway, all heading the RIGHT direction.

Jake was even heard muttering under his breath, thanking the Scottie angels for THAT little miracle!

Updates on the Rally rankings right now.... all are west of Topeka....somewhere. All buggies are working at peak efficiency, even with the HUGE weight loads being carried by three of the buggies!

NON-Clydesdale buggy teams ALL have their 'muzzles out of joint', saying the 3 HORSED teams have an advantage. Hans and Bella spent HOURS last night trying to reason with the Terriers.... but, you know what it's like when a Scottie gets a notion into that stubborn head of theirs! LOL

The Clydesdale issue has NOT been resolved. Alice suggested putting all three Clydesdales in the c@t buggy with Gyppsy and Zammy. But, that giant Feline in the back seat of the c@t buggy creates an entirely unacceptable outcome if THAT plan were carried out.

The Rally has been very exciting. Communities have come out in force to watch the Terriers streak through their cities and towns. The Guardians believe that it's not so much wanting to WATCH....... as it is, making certain that the Rally teams keep on MOVING THROUGH and quickly EXIT their fair cities!!

It HAS become quite obvious that the Law Enforcement officials in each community are being notified by those police forces who have already DEALT with the Rally teams. The Guardians report that the Rally teams are becoming quite bold, standing up, waving their paws overhead, and throwing kisses as they roar through each town.

The Guardians, in the tradition of 'full disclosure' have forwarded just a couple of text conversations made while on the highway.


We can neither confirm or deny any breaking the speed limits along the Rally route... but, we CAN confirm that the Guardians are making MUCH better gas mileage on their HOGS, than are the Rally teams in their buggies!

The Guardians have decided that they will ENFORCE tonight's "NO DRIVING after DARK" rule.... this rule apparently created this morning by the Brigade, following last night's prolonged "hide 'n seek" game between the buggies... in some poor farmer's cow pasture!! SIGH...

Just in case you're curious... the two Reyner buggies teamed up to win the "cow pasture hide 'n seek' game.... winners apparently won their own steers! Ohhhhhhhh, BOY!

So, Rally parents. You SHOULD be receiving calls from your sweet, demure furkids this evening.

WE would just advise you...... take the "peachy keen, hunky dorry" line with a grain of salt!

Just sayin' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VEG
















Chapter 5
Calm before the Storm!

The PIKE'S PEAK RALLY was about to begin!!

The Rally buggies were all lined up, in the order of their finish last night. All 'extra critters' were firmly in place, although making lots of loud objections to the VERY cramped seating arrangements.

JUST as Vangie started to raise her paw, signaling the start of this leg of the Rally, her phone rang.

"YEAH, what?!?!" she grumbled, seeing Riley's image pop up on her ID screen. "We're about to START today's race? WHAT is it? Ya run outa bon bons in that limo?"

Vangie grinned at her sly humor.

"WATCH it, YOUNGSTER!" Riley rumbled, a chuckle in his deep voice. "NAH, Murph and I have a special job today. We're calling the race today..... for the "Worldwide Athletic Terrier Zone - Unleashed Paws" international broadcast!! LOOK!"

Vangie raised her muzzle, scanning the sky overhead... and spotted a large corporate helicopter, bright plaid markings with a bold WATZ UP enblazoned on each side. The rotors cut through the air, creating a loud thumping... combined with the downdraft from the helicopter's blades, terrified the Clydesdales, the 2 Reyner steers, and a couple of Scottie youngsters who'd never before SEEN such a vehicle, but who will remain nameless.

Vangie began to wave OFF the copter, worried that the farm animals might destroy the buggies before the race even began. Riley and Murphy, however, took the waving to be gleeful greetings from below, and responded in kind, happily waving back to their adoring public on the ground..... while encouraging the pilot to drop even CLOSER to the ground.

As usual..... once again..... chaos erupted.

The Clydesdales panicked and bolted, creating a new doorway in the Cog Railway Visitor Center at the base of Pike's Peak. They then proceeded to annihilate four aisles of Pike's Peak snow globes, cedar salt shaker memorabilia, and 450 plush marmot toys. (We won't even BEGIN to discuss the 'bulls in the China Shop'!!)

Right on their heels, the Terriers charged through the debris, pushing and shoving, shouting and arrrooooo'ing. Visitors ran in terror, screaming warnings, terrified that they were to be trampled in the stampede.

The Guardian Brigade, once again, quickly squelched the problem, and reduced the crisis to a more reasonable situation. Bella, Alice, and Lady managed to catch the haltars of the Clydesdales and slowly turn them back toward the buggies, taking the LONG way, AROUND the building, instead of back the way they'd come.

Hans placed himself directly in the path of the Terriers who were barreling through the destruction at full speed. KA-WHACK! The mob of noisy Terriers came to a screeching halt... Bijou, Vangie, and Marigold skidding straight into the tall white Shepherd. Behind them.... UGH, OOMPH, OUCH, OOOO, dozens of Terriers ran straight into the wall of fur. Sirius Mathisen, Cinder Morgan, Roxy Henderson, Adelaide Wall, Patrick Velez, Jake Bradberry, Jaimie Stacy, Sharkie Smith, Mickey Bruce, Brindie Lawrence, Truman Huckstep, Raven Edwards, Ivy Grant, Megan Wilson, Hobbes Devine, Mac Delli Carpini, Finn Bailey, and Alanagh Winnay ended up in a pile at Hans' feet.

Hans rolled his eyes, took a step back, in an effort to rescue his TOES from more stomping paws... then, placing all four paws firmly on the ground, he braced his rear paws, slightly behind, and lowered his shoulders into the pile.

Meanwhile, back in the Visitor Center, Captain Scotty was working his magic.... using his magnetic charm and charisma to calm the crowd, allay the fears, and soothe the outraged manager of the Gift Shop, that now lay in shambles.

As Vangie trotted back through the building, she caught snippits of conversation.

"Of COURSE, we'll pay ALLL damages!"

"Yes, ma'am, we'll be GLAD to add a new wing to the Visitor Center..."

"Yes sir, we'll be happy to buy you a new toupee to replace the one the horse grabbed...."

"Stop those tears, little boy. How would you like a horsey of your VERY OWN?"

Vangie wanted to stop to hear how Captain Scotty was going to get the Terriers out of THIS mess..... but she had a certain brother that needed a piece of her MIND! She moved out through the Visitor Center grounds, out to the large parking lot, where she had a clear view of the helicopter overhead.

Whipping out her phone, she hit speed dial. "WHAT IN blazes are you two DOING?? GET THAT egg beater UP HIGHER!!! You started a stampede! And, we'll probably OWN this Visitor Center before THIS mess is cleaned up!!! GIT!!!"

Riley heard the irritation in Vangie's voice, and replied with his usual calm, dignified air. "SURE, be glad to.... whatever you want. We'll be READY to call the race.... whenever you all get your ACT together and finally START IT! SURE LOOKS like a lot of confusion down there!!! Okay, we'll be up here..... WAITING! BYE!"

Riley looked over at Murphy and shrugged. "Dunno what THAT was all about. She sure is TESTY!!! Guess it's pre-race nerves!"




















Chapter 6
Destination - Pike's Peak SUMMIT!

It had taken almost an hour of hard bargaining on Captain Scotty's part, to ease the tension, and assure the Visitor Center staff that all would be made right.

"Never fear," the Captain had reassured the manager. "We have benefactors with DEEP pockets," he bragged. "ALL of your demands are easily met."

With a calming smile, Captain Scotty wrote a couple of phone numbers down on the back of several ScotCorde business cards and handed them to each person in the angry group that surrounded him.

Captain Scotty eased out of the crowd, and seeing that the angry frowns had disappeared from their faces, he flashed one last parting charismatic smile. With a twinkle in his sky blue eyes, he turned away. He KNEW the Guardian Brigade would have their paws full getting the Rally teams reorganized.

Seeing that the Captain had resolved the latest catastrophe, Jake turned back to the parking lot. He took a head count, seeing that the Guardians had returned, along with the livestock, and the now-ragged looking group of Terriers, who were poking each other in the ribs, bragging over their latest escapade.

Hans, Alice, and Lady herded the Rally teams back into their buggies, did yet another 'head count', and began settling the teams down, getting them into 'race mode'.

Vangie stood up in her buggy, one paw raised high overhead. She kept her eyes on the Guardians at the front of the Dune Buggies... blocking access to the Pike's Peak road. She glanced at the other buggies. D'Arcy was revving her buggy, inching forward each time. Beside her, Hunter, in Buggy C3, matched her, inch for inch. Closer and closer, pushing the line. They were all ready to GO!

Vangie caught the slight movement of the Guardians, stepping back ever so slightly. She anticipated the start...

"GOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Vangie into the bullhorn hanging from the roll bar of her Dune Buggy!

The Guardians LEAPED aside, their reaction skills severely tested.

Tires screeched, gravel sprayed the parking lot, dinging cars and cracking windshields... a thick cloud engulfed the parking lot, blinding the spectators, filling the air with heavy, choking dust in the wake of the departing Dune Buggies.

Adding to the mayhem, Riley directed the copter pilot to fly low, to provide a better view of the Rally teams. Below, the spectators were inundated with yet more blinding dirt and debris.

Jake dusted himself off.... muttered to himself about patience NOT being listed as a typical Scottie trait... then sprinted for his HOG. The Guardian Brigade was once again hot on the trail of the Rally teams... this time to keep them ON the road and prevent them from going OVER the side of the mountain.

Overhead, the WATZ UP copter kept pace with the leaders. Riley was calling the race, while Murphy had binoculars focused on the Rally buggies, to identify each team for Riley.

"The frontrunners are packed in tight right now. The Sisters are still in the lead, can't tell who's driving, but they're trying to keep the other buggies from passing!!!"

"OHHH, look! W.M. and L11 right behind them, pushing hard! They're trying to PASS... right there on that narrow turn! Looks like Carly Rose, Finn, and Mickey are just barely hanging ON! OH MY!"

" Mac Delli Carpini is driving like a WILD-Scottie! He's weaving between buggies, squeezing in where there is no room!!! He's MAKING room for D-4! WOW, look at his driving! Truman looks like he has a DEATH grip on his seat.... and Whistle, Noots, and Sirius are literally hanging on by the skin of their teeth!!!! SCARY stuff there!! Just...WOW!"

"OH, LOOK at THIS! An unexpected challenge from B-2!!! Tana is driving this morning, and has, surprisingly, closed to within a few feet of the lead! What an exciting development from the 'slow and steady' team!"

"WAIT! WHAT?? Murphy reports, with his binocular 'up close' view, that Tana has a fierce grip on the steering wheel, but seems to be shouting angrily!"

".......She's WHAT???"

"We now have confirmation..... Tana's teammate, Marigold, is HOLDING the accelerator pedal down with her paw!!! Seems that Marigold has taken the 'speed' of Team B-2 into her own paws! Sure looks like Scarlett and Bijou are enjoying the high drama happening in their buggy! Both girls are seated in the backseat, their paws overhead, waving!!!  They're treating it like a rollercoaster ride!! DARING stuff, lasses!!!"

"Holly Devine is really pushing Team O14! They're crowding the leaders now! Looks like Mac, Roxy, and Campbell are cheering her on!!! They're all waving their paws, muzzles are pointed to the sky, KNOW what that means..... lots of ARRROOOOO's coming from Team O-14!!!! They're driving HARD!!!"

"OH, LOOK!" Riley exclaimed. "Hunter and C-3 are really crowding that outside line! They're passing..... it's now 3 buggies wide up that narrow road! WATCH IT!! OHHHHHHH, those outside wheels are LITERALLY scattering the gravel right at the rim edge of that drop-off!!!"

"ECMick, Hot Rod, and Mason must be navigating! They're all pointing, looking for openings ahead, spaces between buggies where they can FORCE their way through! Hunter is really JERKING that wheel from side to side, that buggy is doing some insane zig-zagging! But, it seems to be working! ECMick keeps patting Hunter on the back..... probably urging him to go FASTER! Brave lads in C-3!! And, driving DOES, INDEED, cure motion sickness, at least it does in Hunter's case!"

"UH OH!! What's happening down there with Team R-17?? Looks like Snowy is driving....but how.. how is he able to reach the pedals??"

"OH GRACIOUS, LOOK!"

"Adelaide has a..... what? An UMBRELLA? What's she doing wi....... OH MY! She's sitting 'shotgun', and is leaning way over, pushing the accelerator pedal down with the end of the umbrella!!! Snowy can't even see over the hood!!! Fergus is perched on top of the driver's seat, his paws wrapped around the headrest.... he's screaming directions down to Snowy, who's holding the very bottom of the steering wheel!!! That's REALLY throwing caution to the wind... we're STUNNED at their daring!"

"And.... LOOK! That also explains why Guardian Alice is weaving up through the Rally buggies on her HOG, trying to reach this team before they go over the side of the mountain!"

Just then, a Rally buggy veered right, to avoid hitting the buggy just ahead. This sent Alice even farther toward the edge. The motorcycle leaned way over, Alice's paw went down onto the road, to steady the cycle. The tires threw gravel out behind as they tried to regain traction in the loose dirt at the very edge of the road.

"OOPS! SORRY!!" screamed one Scottie, as the Rally buggy jerked back to the left, out of Alice's way, giving her enough room to recover her balance.

"OH, BROTHER! THAT was CLOSE!" Riley shouted into the headset he wore. He looked over at Murphy and the two breathed an audible sigh of relief at the very close call.

"And, we're back into the action now, with the Rally teams. Let's see, we have quite a crowd vying for room in the middle of the pack. Let's see who those bold racers are... Pilot, lower us down.... uhhhhhhh, on second thought, never mind! Murph, give us an up close look, will ya??"

Murphy put the binoculars to his eyes, then began scribbling notes on the pad that was strapped to his thigh. He glanced over at the Rally list to identify teams with buggy numbers.... and handed the hurriedly scribbled ID info to Riley.

"Okay, we have quite a logjam about half way up the mountain!!! Looks like Striker is weaving in and out, trying to break out of the pack. His K-10 crew, Cinder, Sunny, and Patrick apparently are all doing some very insistent 'backseat' driving... as there seems to be a running discussion between the members of the team."

"WAIT...... REALLY!?!?! They're passing out sandwiches?!?!?!?! They're EATING, on the narrow road up the MOUNTAIN?!!?! They aren't backseat driving.... they're taking sandwich orders!! WOW, that's BOLD!!!"

Riley glanced around at the foodless helicopter. He muttered to himself...... 'wonder if they'd save me a sandwich?'

"Ahhhhhhhh, Team H-8 has pulled alongside Striker's team. Clio seems to be at the wheel, but she's totally focused on the sandwich that Striker is waving overhead. He is apparently smiling and shouting SOMETHING across to Clio. Her teammates, Holly, Megan, and Harmony, are all shouting and pointing! OH, LOOK! There's a sharp turn just ahead! Clio is focused on Striker's sandwich. Megan just thwacked Clio on her paw, and pointed!"

"GOOOOD reflexes, Clio!" Riley bragged. "She just hit the 'passing gear' and her Rally buggy leaped ahead of Team 10, and JUST made it around that sharp curve!!! WHEW, that was close!"

"We'll have to keep an eye on these two teams, they seem to be more food driven than is good for them! MY KIND of Terriers!" Riley commented.

"LOOOOK!!! A three-wide battle!!! Buggies E-5, G-7, and Q-16... SIDE BY SIDE!! WOW, that's CRAZY!!! That road isn't WIDE enough for that! LOOK!"

"D'Arcy is on the inside track. WOW, that buggy E-5 is really raking along the inside cliff... UH OH, there goes the outside mirror! Boy, that Buggy is taking a beating! And, Cher Bear, Ivy, and Callie are all sitting well toward the center! Can definitely understand why they aren't hanging out of THAT buggy! CLOSE quarters, to be sure!"

"Just to their right is Team G-7...Brindie has it floored. Those two buggies are slammed up against each other, matching speed, pushing back and forth.. Can't believe it, Maggie May, Phoebe, and Mandy are poking and prodding, encouraging Brindie to even MORE speed!!! They apparently want even MORE excitement! WOW, that's some scary driving!"

"But, the scariest is..... Rally team Q-16! With D'Arcy scraping along the inner wall, and Brindie slammed up against them, literally... Duke has apparently tried to pass on the outside.... where there IS NO ROOM!! LOOK at the steely nerve of Team Q- 16!!!"

"Duke is holding the wheel with his left paw.. his RIGHT paw is literally draped over the roll bar overhead.. like he's out for a Sunday stroll!!! And, Homer, Jaimie, and Wily are just lounging!! THEY seem to be carrying on some kind of leisurely conversation!!!!!!!!!! You'd THINK they'd look to the right.... there IS NO curb lane over there......just a DROP-off!!! BIG DROP OFF!!!"

"THREE buggies wide!!! WHOA....... TOOO scary to even LOOK!!"

"WATCH! Look right behind!! Hans and Jake have managed to weave up through the crowded course.....and are now JUST behind the three teams. NO CLUE how they plan to break this log-jam!!!"

"UH OH, the Guardians need to be careful! Teams F-6, J-9, N-13, M-12, and P-15 are beginning to work up into the crowd... Sharkie's driving her team's buggy, with Gromit, Jake, and Dewey hanging on for dear life! Looks like Sharkie is trying some maneuvers she's learned with her XBox games! Daring stunts!"

"Dewey Morgan sees the crowd ahead, but apparently doesn't plan to slow down! He's really coming up close....Laddie, Hobbes, and Iain must not be worried! They seem to be pointing....looking for openings in the crowd ahead of them!"

"SURELY, Dewey doesn't plan to work up INTO that 3-wide logjam!! Much LESS, the two Guardians stuck just BEHIND!!"

"Lucille Sagadin is doing some spectacular driving there, locked in just behind that crowd! She has managed to keep Team M-12 out of MOST of the chaos, so far. Looks like her team, Montgomery, Jack, and Teddy have turned around and are WAVING at the buggies BEHIND them! They must think they can back UP those brash waves! Cool move, Team~!"

"OH my GOSH! LOOK...... at the back! The two Reyner buggies are roaring up.... now, remember, each buggy has a steer in the backseat! LOOK what's happening!"

Riley glanced at Murphy and pointed. The two Scotsmen exchanged glances. The two steers were standing in the backseats of the two buggies, their heads and huge HORNS hanging out to the side.... BUTTING each buggy they passed!! Other buggies were desperately trying to avoid the two Steer Buggies, just for self preservation!

At this point, Gyppsy Rise and Zammy's buggy raced up. Now, as you recall, THEY have a mysteriously LARGE feline in the backseat of THEIR vehicle. It seems that the LARGE feline took exception to the two steers, just at the instant the C@T buggy wedged itself in between the two steer vehicles.  So it was, that the Great Feline began swatting massive paws at each of the angry steers. Angry Giant feline..... angrier steers.

What ensued was classic BASH CHAOS!

RACING up the mountain -- 18 buggies, all jammed up together, all roaring FULL SPEED up a narrow road around a mountain!!! Three-wide, on a 2-wide road, wheels hanging OVER the edge of the mountain, literally spinning in mid-air, gravel being thrown out behind the buggies as they desperately searched for traction!

In the midst of the chaos, two brave Guardians on their Harleys tried to prevent catastrophe...... doom and destruction was inevitable!

"LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!" Riley suddenly shouted. He and Murph had actually been rendered speechless as the drama unfolded below.

JUST then, the road widened out onto a broad, open area..... the parking lot and Visitor Center atop Pike's Peak!!! The Rally buggies wheeled out onto the broad area, performed some wheelies, some tight spins, then as the Guardians frowns became more evident, settled into quietly parking their Rally buggies.

Immediately, the Rally teams leaped out of their vehicles, and quickly located the WCG pennant at the far end of the parking lot, overlooking Colorado Springs. Everyone scrambled over to get their Rally Badges stamped by the Park Ranger, then they all swarmed the Restaurant inside, where the Rally teams celebrated with hot chocolate, doughnuts, and lemonade.... as they shared stories of their daring race to the summit.

Only after a couple of complaints of 'altitude sickness' and queasiness, did Vangie call the Rally teams together back in the parking lot.

"WELL DONE, Rally Teams!!" Vangie bragged. She smiled as she saw the excitement shining in the faces of her Terrier friends, all of whom were LOVING the excitement and breathless adventure!

"Okay, Teams. We're heading back DOWN the way we just came......but ONE BEHIND THE OTHER, in the order we arrived. The Guardians will line us up, and we WILLLLLLL descend quietly and obediently!"

As she heard the groans, she smirked. "OHHHHHHHH, but wait! THE MINUTE ya leave the Pike's Peak Road, you'll be ON YOUR OWN! Your GPS has already been calibrated!!"

She saw the expectant looks, the eager anticipation on the faces of her pals.

"Ohhhhhhh, you'd like to know where?!?!"

"We're heading for the SAND DUNES of the SONORAN DESERT!"

"LAST ONE THERE is a PUHDUL!!!!"

And, with THAT statement.......... once AGAIN, chaos ensued.

Let me just mention...... yeah, the Guardian Brigade had a TERRIBLE time maintaining 'single file, quite, obedient descent'!!!

NOW......... on to the Sonoran Desert!!!!!!!!!!!
















Chapter 7
UH OH!

UHHHHHHHHHHHH...... we have a SLIGHT problem.....

Well, not actually a PROBLEM.....

It's more of a simple MIS-UNDERSTANDING!!!!!

It seems....... well, it seems that while the Rally buggies were at the rest stop at the Arizona state line.....

WELLLLLLLLLL, the Terriers started pulling brochures...... and..... well......

Vangie and Scarlett became intrigued with the 'Painted Desert'.....

WELLLLLLLLLLLLL....... one thing led to another....

And, welllll..... they sent Hunter's buggy and Brindie's buggy off to the Lowe's store in Flagstaff, where they bought out ALLLLL the paint in the store. They rented a van, and made a bee-line for the Painted Desert!!!

Vangie, Scarlett, and the Rally teams made a detour and MET the 'cans of paint' at the Painted Desert. By the time the Guardians realized what was happening, the Rally buggies had divided out the cans of paint.......and all the teams headed out...... TO PAINT THE DESERT!

The Guardians kept SCREAMING that it's not an OPEN ART PROJECT!! But, the Terriers had become rather 'closed-minded' about the whole thing......

WELLLLLLLLLLLL, one thing led to another......... the Park Rangers got involved........the Guardians were spread AWFULLY thin....

And, well........ right now, they've only managed to snatch up and corral 4 buggies..... 14 teams are still 'on the loose' in the Painted Desert.... with PAINT BRUSHES!

And.........uhhhhhhh........ the media has gotten hold of this story...

But, other than that...... everything's GREAT!

They're having a GRAND time!

.............. uh, yeah, uh huh........














Chapter 8
Destination - Sonoran Desert

Vangie, Raven, Gaira, and Chloe were having a BALL! Paint brushes in paw, they were painting a wide swath across the Painted Desert.

"Adding a little designer FLAIR!" Vangie gushed.

Around her, her Terrier friends were equally motivated....Scotties were slathering paint.... EVERYWHERE!

Vangie watched, the enthusiasm of the moment bringing a smile to her face. She smiled proudly as Adelaide raced by, dragging a long handled paint roller wedged into a large can of paint behind her, clattering along, throwing huge globs of paint far and wide.

Behind her galloped Alice, trying desperately to catch either the youngster or the sloshing paint can...either one would do!

Alice dodged and ducked, weaved and bobbed, trying to avoid the paint projectiles that were flying from the open paint bucket. She cringed and muttered under her breath as yet another large blob of paint landed on her once pristine thick, furry coat. Increasing her speed, she changed tactics.... veering wide right, she HOPED to intercept her from the FRONT... maybe!! POSSIBLY!

Elsewhere, the creative flow was in full bloom. Paint everywhere, on EVERYTHING... and not ONE furry body was left UNPAINTED! This, in itself, became the 'game of the day'..... find ANY canine with UNPAINTED fur........ and "FIX THE PROBLEM"!!!

There were soon 79 Terriers, racing around the Painted Desert, screaming, squealing, and Arroooo'ing..... the chasEES trying desperately to DODGE and avoid the dripping paint brushes.... while the chasERS  WAVED the dripping paint brushes around wildly, seeking out ANY fur available!

The Guardian Brigade stood on a dune overlooking the Paint Carnage...... and shook their heads..

"NOPE, not ME! No sir! NOT ME!" Hans declared, his sleek white fur literally shivering in dread at the mere THOUGHT!

Jake and Grace had just begun a very stimulating discussion, aimed at getting ALL the Guardians down into that MESS to round up the Terriers... when they heard it.

Sirens..... lots and lots of Sirens! Sand flew as the Police arrived... 5.....8.... 14 police cars!!! Behind them, 3 large 'paddy wagons' rolled to a stop. An angry looking Lieutenant stomped over to look down at the 'Creative Chaos'. He turned to the group of officers who'd gathered right behind him, and began issuing orders.

The Guardian Brigade immediately moved down from the dune, and placed themselves just in front of the filthy Terriers. Jake moved quickly to the top of the dune, to reason with the officials.

Down in the 'Desert Art Gallery', Vangie and her friends had noticed the new arrivals... and knew that things COULD get 'dicey' now. Some of the Scotties glanced over at Vangie, trying to get her 'take' on the new developments.

Vangie had never HAD to deal with the 'unpleasantness' of life... and she saw no reason for things to change NOW! She smiled confidently, and held up her paw...

"Wait......" she said. "Just wait....."

The Terriers stood still, thick globs of paint dripping from their fur, creating puddles of paint in the sand beneath their paws. They watched Jake's conversation with the Police Lieutenant. Jake kept waving his paw broadly, showing the desert..... the Lieutenant kept shaking his head "NO"!

Just as it appeared that the discussion was reaching 'anger' status, 'the' long, stretch limousine pulled up.

The officials all turned, limousines usually designated HIGHER officials! They watched a tall uniformed man step out, followed by two distinguished elder Scotsmen. They approached the law enforcement officials as if they owned the world.

The Terriers said not a word. Vangie smiled broadly, winking conspiratorially at her friends.  Her brother, Riley, once again had her back. He ALWAYS DID!!

She watched Captain Scotty, Riley, and Murphy saunter over to the Lieutenant. The Terriers eased closer, determined to HEAR what was about to be said.

Captain Scotty walked boldly up to the Lieutenant, and offered his hand. "GOOD afternoon, Lieutenant. I'm Captain Scotty, representing these Scotties and their friends. This is Sir Riley Rambunctious.... of the BAYOU Scotties, surely you've heard of them."

The Lieutenant was at a loss. His face registered confusion. "SIR"? This Scotsman is ROYALTY??? He glanced from the Captain to the distinguished Scotsman who stood quietly, his muzzle elevated just slightly, the slight tilt of his head showing his fine breeding.

The Lieutenant cleared his throat. "Hello..... yes. Are you responsible for these vandals?"

Sir Riley stepped forward. "Excuse me, Sir. These CREATIVE ARTISTS are a 'hot commodity' on the Internet! They are LOVED by MILLIONS! They are treated like Royalty, waited on Hand and Foot, and ALWAYS enter the room as if they OWN it! You're FORTUNATE to be in their company.... TRULY lucky that they are VISITING you this fine day!"

The Lieutenant and his officers stared down at the paint-covered Terriers and the filthy, paint covered desert. Stunned, they looked back at the distinguished Scotsman, whose expression never changed. It's fortunate that they didn't notice the smirk on Vangie's face, or hear the hidden giggles and snickers from the Terriers.

Captain Scotty stood off to one side, and slightly behind 'Sir Riley', KNOWING that the 'Elder Whistle Bait' would neatly deal with this dilemma. He leaned against the limousine, and listened.

"However," Sir Riley continued, "if you do NOT appreciate this High Standard of Art, then... well, we have Benefactors who would absolutely ADORE the opportunity to purchase this "DESIGNER SAND", created especially by the Evangeline Birthday Society Guild. If YOU don't recognize ART and STYLE, why... THEY certainly do!"

Again, the Lieutenant turned back... to stare at the gummy, goopy, PUDDLES of paint-covered sand..... ACRES and ACRES of it!  There must be 15-20 TONS of filthy sand out there!!!

"Well, Sir Riley..... you must understand. The National Park Service is not in the market for 'ARTISTIC SAND'. As much as we appreciate the talent of your...... uhhhhhhhhh, artists?!?!?! We will be forced, under the circumstances, to pass on this Creative Art. You MAY, indeed, contact your benefactors. They are most assuredly welcome to this filth......errrrrrrr, 'Artistic Sand'!"

"I estimate that it'll take...... maybe 35 dump trucks to haul this mess........errrrrrrr, 'Creative Sand' out of here. BUT, since you have Artistic Benefactors who appreciate this.....we'll naturally overlook the laws that have been broken, and forgive the arrest warrants in our possession."

"Well, that's very noble of you, Lieutenant!" Sir Riley drawled smoothly. "I regret that you'll not have the privilege of enjoying this 'Artistic Sand' long term, but our Benefactors will be the REAL winners here. I KNOW..... they simply can't WAIT to hear this great news!"

Captain Scotty pushed away from the limousine, stepped over to the officer, and with Sir Riley, shook hands. As Riley turned back toward the limousine, he caught Vangie's eye down in the muck. With a quick flick of his paw, he signaled her.... "GET OUT of here, NOWWWW"..... that simple gesture said.

Vangie knew that look. This was NOT the moment to be stubborn. She glanced around at her friends, and with a quick nod of her head toward the Dune Buggies, she signaled the group to 'leave..... now'.

The Lieutenant and his officers watched as the Limousine pulled away, heading west.... followed closely by 18 Dune Buggies, filled with paint-covered Canines.

"Follow them, from a distance," he ordered. "We can't afford any more ARTWORK!"

The Rally Buggies continued on toward the great, open sand dunes of the desert southwest. They'd long since spotted the 'watchers' that were following them. Vangie smiled...... she was quite willing to 'play nice' for the rest of THIS day. She knew.. tomorrow she'd be in territory where she COULD 'let loose'!!!

Reaching the Dunes, Vangie wheeled her buggy to a stop atop a tall dune. Within seconds, the other Buggies had joined her atop the hill of sand.

"Okay, gang....... Look out there...... TEN miles of uninterrupted sand.... dunes, peaks and valleys, all for our Buggies!! We'll now play FOLLOW THE LEADER!!!!! BEST dune buggy tricks get to move to the front of the line! SO, be BOLD!"

Everyone raced back to their buggies..... and within moments, the quiet of the desert was shattered by the roar of 18 Dune Buggies speeding over the dunes, doing wheelies, FULL back-flips, figure 8's, and 360's in the soft sand.

The Guardians' motorcycles didn't fare as well in the soft sand, so the Guardians stationed themselves atop several dunes that provided a wide view of the area...... and hoped the Terriers maintained some control!!

The afternoon was filled with happy shouts, squeals of glee, boastful ARROOOOO's, and more than a few gasps of SHOCK from the wary Guardians.

We just won't DISCUSS that impromptu DEMOLITION DERBY that took place in a nice broad area that seemed to be PERFECT for just such an event. 

Nor will we mention the REPAIRS made to 8 buggies Mo's Desert Oasis Parts & Pizza.

As the sun began to sink beyond the far hills, Riley texted each Buggy..... giving GPS coordinates...... " YOUR WCG Pennant awaits.... your RALLY BADGES will be STAMPED... at the GIANT BONFIRE in the desert. SUPPERTIME!!"

Captain Scotty, Riley, and Murphy watched as the Buggies all turned, following the coordinates toward the bonfire...... FOOD!

As night fell on the desert, the Rally teams reassembled.... at a sumptuous dinner spread for them around an enormous bonfire.

Songs were sung, marshmallows were roasted, stories of the day's events were told...

And...... no one worried about the dried paint in their fur....

And...... no one cared that the paint had now been covered in a layer of thick sand

It simply wasn't a PROBLEM... not in THEIR world!!!

Finally, as the fire began to die... Vangie stood.

"OKAY, party pals!!! OUR LAST DESTINATION is ahead!! We're heading back down to the BAYOUS.... back to the SWAMPS... We're going to FINISH this RALLY with a MUD BUGGY RACE..... WAY back in the SWAMPS!!!"

LOUD ARROOOOOOOO's erupted!!! MUD!!!! THICK, OOZY MUD !!!!!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!



















Chapter 9
Destination - Thick muddy SWAMPS!!

The long drive back to the Bayous invigorated Vangie. She turned and glanced back at her sisters, all dozing contentedly. Vangie turned her attention back to the road. She lifted her muzzle and inhaled...deeply.

Yes, she's HOME... back in the Bayous. She inhaled again... the air was sweeter, the breezes softer... HOME!

Her paw pressed the accelerator down, she was hurrying now...... hurrying HOME... for one LAST race! She glanced into the rearview mirror...... behind her, 18 Dune Buggies roared along... all sparkling clean from the RALLY WIDE CLEANING provided for the buggies AND the RALLY teams..... compliments of the deep pockets of the Benefactors.

Vangie laughed. Well, they won't stay clean LONG, she thought! They'd best enjoy it!

The Rally teams pushed on, through the wee hours of the morning. Just as the sun began to pinken the eastern horizon, Vangie pulled into an old driveway of what once was a majestic plantation home.

She hopped out, and climbed up onto the hood, where she waited for the Rally teams to join her.

Once the crowd was assembled, Vangie explained.

"Our LAST leg of the 'Rally of 2013' will begin RIGHT HERE. JUST behind this abandoned plantation... lies the Atchafalaya River Basin... the nation's largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of America's most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous, and backwater lakes."

"Your route has been programmed into the GPS systems on each buggy. You'll begin here at Bayou Cocodrie.... then follow the programmed route until you reach the WCG Pennant down at Pointe Aux Chenes."

The Rally teams began to fidget, eager to head out into the dark swamps and unexplored bayous of the Atchafalaya.

"One last detail," Vangie cautioned. "REMEMBER, one MILLION acres of swamp! You could be out there for MONTHS! You'd BEST try to stay together.... be SURE to use your GPS.... and make sure that your locator beacon is activated, so the Guardians will have your coordinates."

 "AND, anything you take INTO the swamps, you WILL bring OUT! There will be NO debris from your visit... GOT IT?"

Seeing the fierce gleam in Vangie's eye, they readily agreed.

"ALL right then....... See ya down at Pointe Aux Chenes!! GEAUX!!!!!!!!"

The Rally teams sprinted to their buggies. Within seconds, squealing tires, and roaring engines were heard, heading back into the swamps of the Atchafalaya. Vangie and her sisters hung back. Raven was growing more and more irritated with each passing second, but Vangie told her to relax... "I know a shortcut", she replied.

The Guardian Brigade stood helplessly, staring at their useless motorcycles. Jake glanced at Vangie, who quietly nodded towards an old storage building right at the edge of the swamp. Smiling, he turned to his Brigade.

"Never fear," he reassured. "The HOGS are done, for now. YEAH, your Harley will be shipped to your homes.... compliments of the BENEFACTORS! But, for NOW, we have to STEP ON IT! Our AIRBOATS are moored over there behind that old shack. You'd best get a MOVE ON!! Your targets are getting well ahead!!"

The Guardians were greatly relieved to hear that they weren't going to be slogging through the swamps on motorcycles.......but would be riding ON TOP of the swamp..... all neat and clean!

Within minutes, the Guardian Brigade had the airboats speeding off through the swamps.... with a LOT of maneuvering. They'd not taken cypress knees into account when they discussed having an EASY time of it!

Vangie sprinted back to her buggy... the motor roared to life.... and the Sisters raced off into the swamp, toward Pointe Aux Chenes.

The next TWELVE hours sped by for the RALLY teams... because the Terriers and their friends were having a MAGNIFICENTLY FILTHY time slogging through the thick muddy swamps.

EVERY buggy became mired in the muck at least twice. All the Rally teams pushed their stuck buggies out, watching the water moccasins slither by..... and listening to the roars of the bull gators deep in the cypress swamps.

The Guardian Brigade learned several valuable lessons over the course of the afternoon.
1. It is NOT wise to zoom right up behind a Dune 'MUD' Buggy in an airboat. Said airboat becomes the recipient of unimaginable amounts of flying SWAMP MUD.
2. Said Swamp mud stinks to high heaven.
3. See #1.

By late afternoon, the Rally RACE had 'morphed' into a rousingly FILTHY game of "FUR-ever MUDDY"!!! Interestingly enough, the Rally teams sauntered into Pointe aux Chene en masse. The buggies were, literally, unidentifiable... every buggy was weighed down with hundreds of pounds of drying, stinky swamp mud. The occupants of each Rally buggy more closely resembled the 'Creatures from the Black Lagoon'!!

The Guardian Brigade ATTEMPTED to take roll... but the Mud Monsters refused to identity themselves..... rather, giving names such as "Swamp Sweety", and "Stinky Sam", "Bull GatorSON", and on and on and on!

Threats of a Fire Hose brought Vangie to the front... The Terriers refused to be cleaned up AGAIN! The Guardians wanted IDENTIFICATION! Vangie solved the issue rather neatly.

"Okay...3 miles straight down this country road is "HOME"..... the ScotCorde hangar awaits."

Groans erupted... this party was done!

Vangie continued. "NOW, the Benefactors have GIVEN us these 18 Dune Buggies!!!"

Cheering erupted.... then, suddenly quieted, as each team had at least 4 members, some had 5! WHO would get the BUGGY?

Would it be JOINT CUSTODY? SHARING?

Grumbling broke out.... then grew progressively louder.

Vangie put her paws between her teeth..... and whistled, LOUDLY!

"GET a GRIP, Terriers!" Vangie ordered. "RELAX! Those same BENEFACTORS have joyously and happily purchased a DUNE BUGGY for EACH BASH participant! YOUR buggies await you just down the road at the ScotCorde flight line!!! Get THERE, and pick your COLOR!!"

She laughed as she watched the bedlam break out. Mud buggies raced down the dirt road, mud flying, dirt swirling up, sticking to the wet, gummy mess. Smiling, she leaped into her buggy and joined the fun!

Buggies for EVERYONE!

It had only taken 5 minutes to move the entire muddy mob down the road to the back entrance of the ScotCorde's famous home.

The Guardian Brigade stood ready and waiting... just in front of the massive parking lot of pristine, shiny Dune Buggies.

"WHOA, there, Mud Monsters!" Jake cautioned, taking a step BACK to avoid having any of that stinky mud splatter off onto HIM.

"PAWprints first, please!

Amazingly, the ID process went like clockwork. Interesting, isn't it, what happens with a "Dune Buggy carrot" being waved in front of your filthy face!

Within minutes, all BASH guests had been identified... and the crowd of Terriers was swarming the new buggies.

It had been unanimously agreed, the FIRST drivers of the Buggies would keep the original buggies. The OTHER members of each team, would select their OWN buggy from the 100+ shiny, new buggies.

Vangie waited until everyone was happily seated in a buggy, then she stepped up onto the cargo ramp of the ScotCorde.

"THANK YOU, dear friends, for helping to celebrate my 2nd Birthday! I thank you for your friendship, I thank you for your birthday wishes, and I MOST assuredly thank you for PLAYING with me on my BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE!!!"

Vangie stepped to one side of the ScotCorde's cargo ramp, and announced, "If you'll drive your Buggy up into the Cargo hold, Captain Scotty is ready to take everyone home."

She watched as the original buggies began rolling slowly toward the onramp, mud dripping from the chassis as they went.

BUT.................. back on the tarmac, no one moved!!

Vangie looked at the Guardians, and at Captain Scotty, who'd been supervising the loading of the buggies. Together, they approached the crowd of stubborn BASH guests.

"We're not GOING.... not YET!" ECMick announced boldly.

"NOPE, not YET!" Mickey B & Cinder M agreed, forcefully.

Mac Delli Carpini stepped up, took a belligerent stance, and with his muzzle jutted out, declared.... "We're SHINY!! We're NOT leaving until we look like...... THEM!"

As Mac pointed toward the filthy, unidentifiable buggies slowly rolling up into the ScotCorde's cargo bay, his fellow Terriers chimed in....

"YEAH, we're TOO CLEAN!"

"WANNA be as DIRTY as THEM!"

"WE WANT FILTH! WE WANT FILTH!"

The Guardian Brigade was stunned. They'd never HAD BASH guests REFUSE to go HOME!

They looked over at Captain Scotty, who was actually chuckling.

"Well, they're not actually refusing to go HOME!" the Captain said. "They just don't want to walk into their homes 'neat and tidy'!! I suggest we LET them! It's okay with ME! I'll just keep making TRIPS!!"

The Guardian Brigade stood, open-mouthed.

"Uhhh, Okay, then," Jake replied. "Let's do this. The Guardians and I will monitor the swamps, ohhhhh, maybe just the bayou around here... restrict their wandering. Would it be possible, Captain, for you to take a flight out of here every two hours? That way, we could GRADUALLY get them home, and still give them time to 'get filthy', if that's their wish..... could you do that??"

Captain Scotty smiled. "SURE!" he said, realizing he'd best get a THERMOS of that strong Creole coffee for THIS night's flying!

The Captain explained his flight schedule. "We'll make a flight out at 8PM, 10PM, MIDNIGHT, and 2AM tomorrow morning. Guardians, it's YOUR job to count heads, GET them ON one of those flights... I will have the ScotCorde BACK here in time to board the next group of buggies and passengers."

"Okay, then... Guardians, go get those buggies ..... and their owners..... DIRTY! ME? I'm off to make my first run of the night! Can't WAIT to hear the parents happiness over kids coming in all hours of the night, ALL NIGHT LONG!!! MUCH LESS, coming in UNIDENTIFIABLE!"

For the next several hours, Jake and the Guardians kept a steady relay.... buggies to the swamps.... slopping around in mud... getting back in time for the next flight out.

For the next several hours, Captain Scotty laughed and chuckled as each globby, filthy group of Buggies loaded onto the ScotCorde to go home.

For the next several hours, Vangie and HER buggy made EACH run to the swamps... sharing in the joy and fun of EACH group of her friends... then, waving farewell as each group took off, heading home.

And, for the next several hours, Riley sat in a folding chair, balancing it on its back two chair legs.... watching his Vangie close out her Birthday BASH... tough job, he knew, but he was up for it. He reached down for his iBone.....

"Hmmmm, what do I order THIS TIME? First ScotCorde take-off, I ordered Pizza.... last ScotCorde take-off, I ordered Jambalaya & bread pudding.... hmmm, what to order THIS TIME? Gotta keep up my STRENGTH!"

And........ so it goes. Evangeline is still out in the Swamps, sharing EVERY muddy moment with her friends.

Riley is waiting alongside the tarmac, with a steady stream of take-out deliveries....

And, SOMEONE just paid for yet ANOTHER total REMODEL of a very muddy ScotCorde!

Soooooo, until the next BASH call... we bid you farewell.....

Laissez le bon temps rouler!!


















THE END







This ORIGINAL story has been
created and written by Carol Johnson .
Original artwork is the exclusive property of artist, Karen Donnelly.
This is NOT to be reproduced in ANY way
without the EXPRESS written consent of the author !!!

©Copyright 2013 All rights reserved.






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Webmaster: BayouScotties Designs

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This ORIGINAL story has been
created and written by Carol Johnson .
Original artwork is the exclusive property of artist, Karen Donnelly.
This is NOT to be reproduced in ANY way
without the EXPRESS written consent of the author !!!

©Copyright 2013-2015 All rights reserved.






| Site Menu |
| Links | Awards | Email | Guestbook | Tell a Friend |


Webmaster: BayouScotties Designs

Hit Counter


Needles and Pins