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...

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. | Site Menu | | Links | Awards | Email | Guestbook | Tell a Friend | Webmaster: BayouScotties Designs Needles and Pins 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 Needles and Pins