January 26th 2014: Dogsledding in Goshen

Today, I had an appointment to go dogsledding in the D.A.R. State Forest in Goshen. I had tried to do this two weeks ago, but as things did not work out that time, I waited until after the next big snowfall to try it out again today.

While getting there, I passed by Brookfield,

Rice Pond, Rice Corner Road and Lake Road

West Brookfield

Brookhaven Lake

and Ware.

Snow Pond, 161 Pleasant Street

The instructor from Hilltown Wilderness Adventures was late again today, but thankfully she arrived this time, not like before, which was a good thing.

The dogs were raring to get out of their boxes on the truck,

and everyone could not resist petting the cute dogs while things were being set up to chain the dogs in place outside the truck

to ready them for putting on harnesses.

The next step was to take the sleds down off the top of the truck.

Once the sleds were on the ground,

It was time to put on the sled bags, used to carry supplies for longer trips.

The ropes attaching the sleds to the dogs were next, and we learned how to properly run them through the sled to prevent the sleds from going over them and fraying them.

There is also a snow hook that is used to stop the sled in emergencies, although it is only useful in heavy snow, which was not adequate enough today.

The instructor then showed us how to stand on the back of the sled, and use the drag pads to slow down the sled and the brakes for harder braking.

In order to attach the dogs to the sleds, we had to first tie up the sleds, which meant dragging them into the woods

to tie them to trees.

Next, it was back to the dogs to put on their harnesses, which was pretty similar to what I did doing dry land mushing with the same company over a year ago.

Finally, it was time to bring the dogs by their collars to the sleds and attach them to the sleds.

The dogs were so excited about sledding that they kept barking and trying to start running off, leaping into the air to try to get going.

Next. the instructors rode the 3 sleds to the starting line, while the rest of us walked there on foot.

Finally, it was time for us to have a go at it ourselves. I was chosen to be in the first wave, and put on the smallest sled by myself as I was the lightest, being pulled by 3 small dogs.

And off we went, with the release of the various ropes holding us back.

The ride was actually pretty smooth going, surprisingly. I had to help the dogs by using my leg to push the sled like I was on a skateboard while going uphill, and put down the drag pad to prevent them from going too fast when going downhill. Unfortunately, too much snow got piled onto the drag pad, causing the dogs to be unable to pull the sled much after a while. I was a little puzzled at first, then realized the problem and quickly remedied it, and the rest of the journey went without a hitch.

At the finish line, as the snow hooks would not work, all the participants chipped in to help stop the dogs and set the sleds up for the next round.

This was done until all the participants had gone, and then it was time to head back.

Back at the trucks, it was time to reward the dogs for their hard work, giving them mackerel water to drink

and chunks of meat to eat.

With that, my dogsledding experience ended. I have to say, it was definitely much better than the dry land version.

From here, I decided to head straight to lunch in the city of Springfield, as I was starving, although I did stop by Northampton

Cooley Dickinson Hospital

along the way.

For lunch, as it was pretty close to evening time by now, I decided to just get pizza at Frankie and Johnnie Pizzeria, getting a personal Meat Lovers Pizza

and a Steak and Cheese Grinder from the small takeout place.

Nothing impressive at all, as can be expected.

I spent the rest of the daylight hours exploring the city,

South Congregational Church

Christ Church Cathedral

Deacon Samuel Chapin,

Chestnut Street and State Street

St. Michael's Cathedral

United States District Court

Giant Sneaker,

East Columbus Avenue and Main Street

New England Funeral and Cremation Center

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

376 Maple Street

Old House, 313 Maple Street

Cannon, Pearl Street and Chestnut Street

Hispanic Baptist Church,

22 Salem Street

Two places I was able to explore further today was the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, which unfortunately was partly covered in snow,

and the Springfield City Library.

With that, I called it a day for sightseeing, and headed to Hana Saki, a Japanese restaurant located at a strip mall in town.

The decor was decent, but nothing too amazing. With $50 to spend, I got the Sunomono (Variety of Seafood in Vinegar Sauce) for appetizers,

the Spider Man Roll (fried soft shell crab, cucumber, lettuce and spicy tuna), the OMG Roll (shrimp, cucumber, lettuce, kani, wasabi, tobiko inside, tuna, salmon, white tuna, wasabi sauce with crunch on outside)

and the Creamy Seafood Udon (Udon Noodle topped with shrimp, scallops and mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce). 

The rolls were okay, but the rest of the dishes were horrendous. The sashimi wasn't very fresh, and the udon was bland, and wasn't even creamy in the first place. Definitely not worth the money, although I have a lot of leftovers now from both lunch and dinner.

With that, my day of dogsledding and exploring Springfield was at an end. A disappointing day for dining though.