The world as I know it has changed forever

This past Thursday I took a friend out for lunch. He wanted BBQ, and prefers Duke's BBQ to Carolina BBQ. I prefer Carolina BBQ because I think the BBQ is just a little bit better and the sauce is exponentially better at Carolina. However, I think that the majority of people prefer Duke's. Its funny because I always get the same answer to the question I pose to people who claim to like Duke's better than Carolina. They like Duke's better because of the sides. Well then, I like Shealy's better because of the sides, but that has nothing to do with BBQ. But BBQ is more important to me than to the average person.

Well the world has changed. 2 weeks ago, Duke's put ribs on their buffet. They charge an extra 50 cents to get ribs. I decided to try them on Thursday. Oh. My. The ribs were fantastic. They used the normal pork ribs and then separate them into individual pieces. They also separate the rib from the cartilage pieces on the top. It makes a nice manageable size. The meat has a dark red tint from the smoking process and has a very strong smoky taste. Some of the ribs were fresher (typical of a buffet) and the fresher ones were very tender, but firm enough to stay on the bone. The outside was crispy but easily edible. The sauce on the ribs was slightly sweet and cooked down to a thick covering. In my opinion, the ribs are ideal in just about every aspect.

Needless to say I like the ribs. I think that these ribs are some of the best ribs I have ever had. I now have to include Duke's as one of my favorite BBQ restaurants in town, maybe more so than Carolina BBQ. I went back for lunch on Friday and got more ribs.

Convert your old gas guzzler to an electric car!

One of my coworkers recently bought a brand new car. This is the same coworker that has driven his 80 something toyota corolla wagon for 20 years and put 300,000 miles on it. He has earned a new car. He still has the corolla and drives it occasionally. He has expressed interest in turning the car into a hybrid vehicle, but not in the way most hybrids work. He wants to leave the gas engine alone which is front wheel drive. He wants to add an electric engine to run the rear wheels and use battery power. He would only use the gas engine whenever the batteries were low on power. The gas engine wouldnt charge the batteries though, and charging would only be accomplished by plugging the car in. While I am no expert on electric vehicles, I think that this is not feasible for several reasons, all to do with weight. The 10 or more batteries, electric motor and other electrical system components would greatly increase the vehicle weight, causing a noticeable difference in gas mileage out of the gas engine. I think leaving the gas engine there would greatly decrease the performance of the electric engine too, leaving it almost useless except for very short trips. In addition, the vehicle isnt made to carry that much weight regularly and would have to be modified to be safe, especially with the brakes and suspension.


The alternative would be to replace the gas engine with an electric one. This is probably more popular than you would think, and thousands of people have done this. There are actually kits out there to convert specific cars to electric, as well as universal kits. I happen to own one of the vehicles that has a ready made kit with all the parts and pieces already figured out, including customized connections. This kit is for a Chevy S-10. I do not want to convert that vehicle to electric though. I do own a car that is nearing the end of its usable life though and think that it would be a perfect candidate for conversion. I normally drive it back and forth to work, 7 miles each way, and occasionally to eat lunch, usually fairly close to work. My driving pattern and how lightweight this car is makes it ideal. Maybe when my Mazda 323 stops working I can convert it to electric instead of junking it, giving it a whole new life. From my simple internet searches, the conversion kits and all the other parts currently would cost around $8,000 to $10,000. Now if I only had the time to do it...

Golden Ranch Bar-B-Q and Grill

There was a time when I travelled a lot for work. For approximately three years, I was assigned to a natural gas pipeline project that needed upgrades between Meridian, Mississippi and good old Augusta, Georgia. So for a week every month, I would drive to Meridian and work along the project all the way back to Augusta. Over the years, I got to spend a lot of time in Meridian, Selma, Tallassee, Montgomery, Auburn/Opelika, Columbus, Macon, and everywhere in between on U.S. Highway 80. Selma, Alabama, was not one of my favorites to stay, but they did have one restaurant that we didn’t mind eating at.

Golden Ranch does not offer chopped or pulled pork. They cut their meat into slices or cubes. The meat was very dark red from the smoke and had a great smoky flavor. I found the meat to be a little dry, but since it was sliced it had very little of the less desirable parts included. It really reminded me of ham, with more of a BBQ taste. It was pleasantly good.

The sauce left a lot to be desired. Maybe it was just me, but it has the appearance and taste of some institutional BBQ sauce, like something served in the school system. It was bright orange and a little sweet. There is really nothing that struck me about it as being anything but ordinary.
The sides also left a little to be desired, but were palatable.

I have eaten there quite a few times, but mainly because there are few other choices in Selma.

Roger’s Bar-B-Que

Last weekend we headed over to Florence, South Carolina and while we were there we went to Roger’s Bar-B-Que and Seafood Buffet. If you have read any of my posts, or even the title of this post, it’s not about the seafood. Since it was the whole family, we were looking for a place that the peanut could get some vegetables. I have been so Roger’s several times so I knew what to expect. I couldnt find a website for them though.

The experience begins on the road. There is a life size, or maybe larger than life size, pig on the Roger’s sign. Any great Bar-B-Que place must pay homage to the wonderful swine with pictures, posters, figurines, dolls, and/or a large statue. I have also noticed that the pigs are usually depicted as being happy. Kind of ironic, eating some pork in a place with pictures/figurines of happy pigs all around. I have even heard it say that the happier the pig on the sign, the better the Bar-B-Que. Needless to say, I can appreciate the sign.

Once inside you are shuffled to the register and then the buffet. Roger’s has a pretty large buffet with lots of interesting food. It has the typical items, rice, hash, mac-n-cheese, lima beans, green beans, corn on the cob, hushpuppies, fatback, slaw, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Que chicken, fried chicken and ribs. I am sure I left out at least 10 items on the buffet.

I would have to say that most of the sides are good, better than average, but not jaw dropping spectacular. Just good home-style cooking. One exception would be the hushpuppies, which were much better than average. The fried chicken is pretty good too.

The pork is chopped similar to most South Carolina Bar-B-Que establishments, bite size but not chopped fine. The sauce is vinegar based and added to the meat before serving. They don’t offer any additional sauce at the table or on the buffet, although the servers might have some in the back. The good news is that the vinegar sauce is not overpowering and actually works really well with the meat. The pork does look red but much of the smoky flavor would be masked by the vinegar sauce. I cant say whether or not they use wood to cook with. The important thing is that I cant say that they don’t. My conclusion is that this light smokiness is done on purpose and I think it works. The pork is tender and juicy too.

The ribs were somewhat different. They did have a tomato based sauce cooked onto the ribs. The meat had a dark red tint to it, but the smokiness was once again masked by the sauce. The sauce had a sweetness that I have only tasted in Chinese restaurants on their ribs. But it wasn’t overpowering, and I didn’t get tired of it. The meat on the ribs was a little tougher than the pulled pork, but it appeared that most of the fat had been cooked off, so I can take that trade.

I don’t get to Florence too often but eat at Roger’s frequently when I do. It isn’t my normal taste for Bar-B-Que but what they do works really well and I am usually satisfied with my meal. My only complaint is how tightly they pack the tables in the dining area. I wouldn’t want to eat there when they were really busy.

Old Clinton Bar-B-Q

The Old Clinton Bar-B-Q is a stop I would frequently make when I was working in Macon, GA. It is an old building full of history. I would have liked to have taken the time to get to know the place better but we always had to get back to work after eating. There website is http://www.oldclintonbbq.com/index.html. I always got the BBQ plate with BBQ pork, Brunswick Stew, potato salad, pickle, and bread.

The BBQ is chopped fine, typical of what I have found in Georgia (now that I have stereotyped it everyone is going to say that it isnt typical of what is in Georgia). The meat has red tint from the smoke, has a pretty good smoky flavor, and is fairly dry. You are given sliced bread to eat the meat with.

The sauce is thin and brown. Its mostly vinegar with some tomato sauce in it and spices. I also consider this type of sauce as typical for Georgia. I wouldnt say that the sauce is particularly special, but it has always been consistent. This is not my favorite type of sauce but it is good for this type of BBQ since the meat is fairly dry.

The potato salad is pretty standard for potato salad. But what is really good is the Brunswick Stew. I dont normally care for it but it is really good here. I could probably eat a whole bowl of it as a meal.

Gray GA is not a very big town. If I find myself in the area I would definitely go back to eat at Old Clinton Bar-B-Q.

Civic duty

I dont like the word duty. It means obligation and responsibility. You are not obligated to do something you volunteer for. This is a common term though probably coined by our "founding fathers." It means to vote in elections, sit in jury duty, pay your taxes, etc. But it really means much more. In our society we really should be civic minded. We really should volunteer more. I find that the attitude of most people is what can society do for me.

I volunteer with some of my time, sweat, blood, and money. Since the mid 90's I have volunteered my time and sweat with Adopt-A-Highway. Litter really irks me, so this may be a driving force behind my volunteering. The best thing would be to educate the idiots who litter, but that would not completely solve the problem. So, 4 times a year I get together with some coworkers and we pick up trash along our stretch of highway. More frequently, I pick up trash along the road in front of my house. I cant say that is civic duty though, I am trying to keep my yard looking nice.

Today I am giving blood. I donate platelets and the process takes about 2 hours. They take blood from one arm, run it through a machine to separate the platelets, and then return the blood to the other arm. One can donate platelets every 4 days. Right now, I am on a schedule to donate every 3 weeks. The local blood center tries to keep the schedule for this machine full. I was "chosen" for this procedure because I have the most common blood type, and they apparently have enough of that type. Platelets are most commonly given to cancer patients and other patients with blood disorders.

I really think that I could do more. What do you do?

A great purchase

I made a great purchase on October 13, 1995. I was in college and my car had just been totalled. I needed a new car immediately since I commuted to school. I chose a 1989 Mazda 323 hatchback. It had 51,800 miles on it and was in great shape. I paid 2000 dollars cash for it. A few months later we had an emergency and had to have money fast. The bank gave us 7 grand with it as collateral. We were fortunate. A year later we had the title back. Shortly after that I was making a late night grocery store run when it happened. This woman wrecked into me. She was busy looking in her purse for her lighter and did not even know I was in the parking lot. The only obvious damage was the turn signal on the front right side. It was busted. The not so obvious damage was the bent frame. The repair estimate was 2400 dollars. I have a turn signal in the bumper as well as the one that was broken. I didnt think the bent frame was that big of a deal so I pocketed the money. So at this point the car has cost me nothing but normal maintenance. Not very long after this the heater core needed to be replaced. It cost $150. In 1999, the transmission went. That was actually a tough one. I debated not replacing it and getting something else. I figured a used transmission was worth the risk. That cost $700 including labor. So, the car actually costs something more than maintenance now ($450). In 2000, I moved into the regular work force. In 2002, the odometer cable broke. Cost $50 big ones. Oddly enough, the heater core went bad again. $250 bigger ones. Thats a total of $750. Then, the train accident in 2005. This car was old and there was a layer of oxidation on the metal surfaces. The engine has a small oil leak and most of the engine compartment was coated in oil. The car was spared significant damage from the Chlorine. They gave me $500 to fix it. The only damage was the brakes. New pads were $50 bucks. To date, the car has cost me $300. I have 181,000 miles on it now and drive it to work almost every day. It has been dependable. It has been a great purchase.

Hotels

During the past 6 years I have spent a lot of time on the road. Most of it has been for work. When I first started travelling, someone gave me the advice to always use the same hotel brand, airline, car rental, and even credit card. The airline was kind of forced on me, since there are only two that serve my local airport. The rental car was sort of forced on me too, since there is only one locally, Enterprise. I try to avoid them at all costs, even going to the airport to get Avis. The hotel is something that was more or less chosen though. There were some situations that I have to stay with what is available, but for the most part I stay at Comfort Suites (Choice Hotel Brand). When not available, it is Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, and Sleep Inn. Just about everywhere I have ever been has this chain (except Hawaii). Every Comfort Suites has been nice. The others, are not glamorous. Some, are kind of scary. However, I have managed to build a lot of points with them. This is why I chose them, they advertised that you get more free nights for the dollar. It took an average of ten paying nights to get one free night. With other hotel brands, it typically took 15 to 20 paying nights to get one free night, and they were typically more expensive. In retrospect, I definitely made the right choice. Shortly after joining Choice Hotels, they had a special. Stay twice and earn a free night. This means two separate stays. Most of my work travel required me to stay in one town one night and another town the next. I was earning a free night every time I hit the road.

They accumulated fast. I also got the Choice Hotel credit card. Points accumulated faster. I took several trips using my points. Free hotel nights are sweet. When I got married, I offered most of the out of town guests at least two nights in a hotel. My dad and mom got even more nights. All were free. We went places and we travelled. We went to the beach. The points still accumulated.

Then we planned the trip to Hawaii using our airline miles for free tickets. Unfortunately, there are no choice hotels in Hawaii. For the first time in 4 years I was forced to pay for a hotel room with my own money. I had chosen once or twice to stay at a motel at the beach, but mainly because someone else was sharing the tab and this motel was closer to the beach than the hotel that would have been free. It was my choice though.

Then, the baby came along and I stopped travelling for work. I do not regret that one bit. But, since then we have been steadily chipping away at the hotel points. Couple of nights here, a weekend in Vegas, and suddenly, the nights were numbered.

Then my dad had to have surgery. He lives in Houston. I packed the family and headed that way. We only had 4 free nights left. We were planning to be gone for 6 nights. We used the 4 nights free for the same hotel in Houston and planned to pay for the hotel wherever we were or needed to stop. I used my own money for 2 nights. It has definitely been a blessing having the free nights. I have used almost 100 free hotel stays. I guess the 180 bucks I spent on those two nights I paid was worth the 100 free nights I didnt.

Although most people would prefer a more luxurious hotel to a Comfort Inn, they have all been good to me.

Chicago, part 2.

We arrived in Chicago for the next phase of the trip. Cassie had never been to Chicago before so we had to do the usual. We started out at Alder Planetarium, which we breezed through and then made our way to the Shedd Aquarium.

Cassie was really interested in the architectural details of the Shedd Aquarium, like the octopus light and this door, as a few examples.

From there we went to the Field Museum. I think that we could have spent all day there, and still not seen everything.

Next, we made our way to the Sears Tower. How can you go to Chicago without going up the Sears Tower? I almost forgot to mention the serenade that we got while on Chicago public transit. American Idol tryouts were in Chicago that weekend. So, just about every bus near Soldier Field, including the ones we took to/from the Field Museum, Alder Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and the Sears Tower were full of wannabes and AI hopefuls. They all had to show off their skills on the public transit. I am not sure what was more annoying, all of the singing everywhere or the ridiculously full busses of people heading to/from Soldier Field. Anyhoo, we made it to the Sears Tower and the observatory. Here is the skyline and Lake Michigan looking northeast and southeast. We weren’t able to see across the lake into Michigan.

From there we went to the Art Institute of Chicago. Cassie was really excited about this because they had an exhibit of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Cassie is a big fan of art nouveau and seeing his work was fascinating. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow flash photography.

As if this day wasn’t full enough, we went to see a ComedySportz show. This is an improvisational comedy sketch show where two teams compete to show off their improv skills. I am easily amused so I really enjoyed the show. We ate dinner at a little steak house across the street from the ComedySportz Theater.

The next day we started out at the Navy Pier and enjoyed a ride on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. We also took a picture of the skyline from the Ferris Wheel.
I got a Chicago style hot dog at the Navy Pier. I wouldn’t eat them often, but they are really good for a change. There was an exhibition of stained glass windows at the Navy Pier so we looked at that too. Here is one of the pictures from that.
From there we hit the miracle mile. Cassie enjoyed window shopping but didn’t buy much. While we were on that side of town we went to the Hancock Observatory. We also walked down to the famed Water Tower.

For dinner we ate at the Grand Lux Café. This is a restaurant that is owned by the same people who own the Cheesecake Factory, and the Grand Lux Café has a menu that outshines the Cheesecake Factory’s. I try to go there when I am in Chicago.

The most important thing we did was go to Gino’s East for some Chicago style pizza. We rounded out our trip with a trip to the Millennium Park and Buckingham Fountain. The "bean" as we called it was pretty cool. It made an interesting view of the skyline.

The Hardhat Cafe (BBQ)

The Hardhat Cafe is a local restaurant that I pass all the time. It was a gas station/convenience store at one time, and still has the island for the pumps out front. The only advertisement that I have seen is "BBQ on Saturday". Well that is enough to get my attention. So I had to try it. Since then, I have been back several times, mainly because it is so close to my house. The restaurant offers a small buffet or one can order from the menu. The buffet (at least on Saturdays) has fried chicken, BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs, hushpuppies, corn, rice, tomatoes and okra, cabbage, green beans, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, slaw, potato salad, and banana pudding. I think they have a loaf of bread too. The fried chicken is good (how hard is that to mess up) and the sides have a good flavor without being oversalted or have too much grease added. The atmosphere is a little lacking, and the restaurant is decorated with industrial safety equipment, as the name implies. The workers are friendly though and the service has been good for me.

They have three BBQ sauces, a mustard based sauce, a spicy red sauce, and a normal red sauce. The mustard based sauce is sweet and rivals any mustard based sauce I have ever had. I really like it. The red sauce is pretty normal, fairly thick and sweet and tangy. The spicy red sauce is thinner and has a lot of pepper seeds in it. I am guessing it is vinegar based.

The BBQ pork is chopped to about an inch long. It does not have a very strong red color so I am guessing that it is cooked on a gas grill. It does not have a strong smoky flavor either. It is, however, very juicy and has good taste. It appears that most of the undesirable parts of the meat were removed before it was chopped so it is very appealing. In my opinion, it is some of the best non-smoked, cooked over a gas grill BBQ I have had.

The BBQ ribs are pre-cut before hitting the buffet. They use the full ribs, not the baby back ribs. The red sauce is basted on the ribs and is sticky and sweet from the cooking process. The meat is pretty tender and has little bit of a red color than the BBQ pork. I guess this is from spending more time on the grill, but could be due to the sauce being mopped on it. The ribs are excellent. Every one I have tried has fallen off the bone. They could use a better cut of rib or either cut the ribs better, but that is sweating about the small stuff.

I have eaten there last weekend and the weekend before, as well as a couple of other times. I plan to eat there again.

Should I feel bad for thinking this is funny?

Last year, my father-in-law and I went backpacking at the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, which contains the familiar Caesar's Head overlook. Since I met my wife, he and I have been backpacking several times a year. On this particular trip, he and I hiked to camping spot D5, which is down on Marshall's Creek. Upstream of us was Raven Cliff Falls, another really popular destination for day hikers. The trip down the mountain to the campsite was obviously easier than the trip out. We took the long way out which took us back up the mountain on the other side of the river and then to the swinging bridge over Raven Cliff Falls. We had taken this trip before but did it in reverse, where we came down the mountain from Raven Cliff Falls. We knew that this way would be tougher. One of the first obstacles was a wire "bridge" strung across the river. This consisted of one wire to step on and one wire to hold on to. That was exciting and fun with a full pack on (even though the "full" pack for us on this trip was less than 20 pounds since we were thru-hiking). After a full morning of hiking, we made it to the top of the falls. We decided to eat lunch here and found a secluded spot next to the river to sit and rest. We took our boots off and enjoyed the cool water too. We had finished eating and were resting before the rest of the 12 mile trip to the next campsite.

Thats when it happened. This guy and his family decided that where we were was the perfect spot for them to eat lunch too. Literally, with all of the space on the river, they park between me, my gear, my father-in-law, and his gear. He was a jerk too, was rude to his family and he overruled his wife's concerns about parking right in the middle of where we were. We thought it to be quite rude. We took a little consolation when he slipped on the rocks and took a really hard fall right on his butt. We promptly started packing our things. Then, the guy had the nerve to ask us about the trails. He didnt get the 2 dollar map? We told him that the hike ahead was long and strenuous. He decided that he would continue going forward and that his family would backtrack to the car and drive down the road to where the trail met the road. This idiot (if you allow me to call him that with the little knowledge I know of him) did not have any hiking gear and had drank half of his water already. Personally, I dont think he had enough water to take the backtracking route. We voiced our opinion about how difficult and long the trail was (since we had just come from that direction and had taken it in the other direction during a previous year. He insisted on going forward.

Fortunately, with his decision we had our leave and headed on down the trail. I guess I took a little solace in knowing that he was going the opposite direction and that his family would have no chance of catching up to us. We made our way to the next campsite just before dinner time and settled in for the night. We were very tired and had covered about 20 miles in a day and a half. We chose this spot (#18) since it was only 1 mile hike back to the truck (even if there was 800 feet elevation change to go up). The next morning we were ready to head home and got up earlier than normal and got out of dodge.

I dont want to spoil the ending, but, the road we were heading down crosses the trail that the idiot had left for. We were going to pass by the spot where his family was supposed to meet him. For a moment, my father-in-law and I joked that he would have not completed the hike by dark and that he would be coming out of the woods this morning. We both were anticipating the sign indicating that the trail crossing was ahead. We would not be dissappointed. What luck in timing. The idiot was hiking up the road back to Ceasar's Head only a few hundred feet from the trail. He had just made it to the road. He was wearing shorts and as I mentioned before, did not have any gear. He must have had a miserable night with no water, the mosquitoes attacking, and then the temperature dropping to 40-50 degrees. Fortunately for us, he wasnt far from the ranger station and we didnt feel the need to stop and help him. I would have enjoyed telling him "I told you so" though. But, we laughed really hard and discussed his misfortune all the way home. I am laughing now. Should I feel bad for thinking this is funny?

Chicago, Part 1...working in Wisconsin

The next trip that my wife and I took was to Chicago. I had to go for work and the trip began in Milwaukee. We stayed at the Comfort Suites Airport because they had upgraded me to a suite other times I stayed there. Well, all of the suites were taken when we were ready to check in. But, the deskclerk asked if we wanted the presidential suite. Sure, why not. So, we took it. As we entered the room, there was a large king size bed in the first room and big screen TV. In that same room was a little kitchenette. A hallway, which was where the bathroom was, led to the "living room" which had a couch, loveseat, easychair and another TV. Beyond that was a doorway to the balcony that overlooked the indoor pool. I was kind of dissappointed since this was the same as all of the other suites that I had stayed in before, what made it "the presidential suite." As I went into the living room, I saw french doors where the wall should be. There was another room. This room was larger than the normal suite. Inside was another king size bed, big screen TV and a 4 person jacuzzi, not one of those bathtub things but a full size jacuzzi. Attached to this room was another bathroom. This bathroom was about the size of a normal hotel room. It had a two person walk in shower, a bathtub, a seperate room for the toilet, and a ten foot long countertop with two sinks. Seriously, two and a half hotel rooms at least. So, enough about the hotel room...

We spent two nights in Milwaukee. I had to work and drove to several work locations between Milwaukee and Green Bay. While I was at work, my wife took the bus downtown Milwaukee to check out the Milwaukee Public Museum and some other locations downtown. I think it was a great warmup for Chicago. That night we went to eat at MOCEANS, a trendy place that had opened shortly before our trip. While I dont remember what we ate, I do remember the desert. My wife loves creme brulee. I hate creme brulee. But, MOCEANS offered a regular creme brulee and a chocolate creme brulee. Perfect for sharing.

The next day I had to work in Cuba City, Wisconsin. That is way down on the southwest corner of Wisconsin. So, we took a road trip. My work only took two hours, so we went "downtown" Cuba City and checked out some antique stores and ate at a local diner, Nick's Cafe. Had to get cheese curds and they didnt dissappoint. Cuba City is known as the City of Presidents. Check them out online at http://www.cubacitywi.com/. We left Cuba City and drove back to Chicago, starting our 4 day weekend in the windy city.

Shealy's Bar-b-que

Last weekend the family and I went to Shealy's. We were planning on going with some friends during the week but I found out I was going to be out of town so we decided to go before I left. We normally avoid going on a Friday or Saturday night because it is usually a little easier on the less busy nights. When we got there the line was out the door and to the edge of the building. Fortunately, the line actually moves quickly. A lot of poeple in line talked to the baby too.

With the baby, we have to sit down before getting any food. What...wait even longer!?!?! So we sat in our usual room with the really good waitress. She usually keeps my tea between 3/4 and full, which is an amazing task.

The buffet included everything I really like. There was the usual green beans, lima beans, and cream style corn, and my favorite item that is not always on the buffet, the macaroni and cheese. I am not a normal to mac-n-cheese but Shealy's is different. Of course I got a little que and fried chicken. I usually get a gizzard to snack on while I am finding my seat.

As usual, the vegetables were seasoned well and tasted better than home-made. I gave the peanut some lima beans to try. She ate some, but since she had already had her dinner she wasnt much for eating. She played with them though.

I feel a need to describe the barbeque since I am so into eating it. Honestly, I dont think about the barbeque at Shealy's because it is not what I go there to eat. But, to be consistent with my other posts, here it is. The barbeque has a mustard based sauce that is added before it is served. The mustard yellow disguises the meat so that it is not obvious if it has that great smoke induced red color. The mustard sauce is also strong and one cant taste any smoke flavor. From the appearance of the building too, I would assume that they do not use a real wood oven/grill. But, the mustard based sauce is sweet and tangy, and has a great taste. So, the point is liking the sauce and going for the sauce. The meat is almost meaningless. Shealy's does chop their pork so there are some undesirable pieces of meat included. Overall, it is good for a change.

Shug’s Smokehouse Grill & Tavern

Well I am visiting my mom in good old Hartsville, South Carolina and I wanted to go to Shug’s. Check them out online at http://www.shugssmokehouse.com/. My mom doesn’t like this place because when they first opened they would give you roasted peanuts and you either piled the shells on the table or threw them on the floor. This did not rest well with my moms sensibilities. So, I don’t get to eat there often. But this time I had the evening free and could eat at all the restaurants that my mom doesn’t usually like to go to. Shug’s location was also very convenient to where I was at and where I was going.

I have read a couple of reviews of this restaurant and have wanted to give the ribs a try. Luckily for me they had a rib and pulled pork combo, so I was able to get it all. I also ordered the sautéed asparagus and a baked potato. Recently I have had some really exceptional grilled asparagus and thought that maybe these would be wonderful. I was wonderfully wrong. They weren’t bad though. The baked potato was actually really good and really hot.

I tried the pulled pork first. It had a really sweet, and slightly mustard taste. After eating a little more I was convinced that it also had a slight vinegar taste too. It did not have any apparent sauce on it but it was tasty enough without it. The drawback, for me at least, was the lack of a smoky taste. The meat did not have any of that smoke induced redness in it at all. By the time I finished the meat I was kind of tired of the taste and added some of the sauce from the ribs.

The ribs had a dry rub followed with a mopping of wet sauce that was cooked to a glaze. Sticky sticky sticky. The sauce was very sweet. I believe that part of the dry rub is brown sugar. It was very good way to start off the ribs. The meat was tender enough but was not falling off the bone. It too did not have a smoky taste nor was the meat infused with the smoky redness. By the time I got to the end of the rack though the sweetness had almost made me tired of eating the ribs.

I would not recommend the ribs or bbq from Shug’s “Smokehouse”. I am not sure why smokehouse is in the name. Stick with the steak.

Mountains and Caves

The next trip that my wife and I took was for our first anniversary. We decided to take a driving tour that included stays in Hendersonville, Pigeon Forge, Chattanooga, and Scottsboro. Our trip began with the drive to Hendersonville. We avoided the interstate and took the trip through Greenwood, Ware Shoals, and Greenville. It was nice to not feel like we were on a deadline to get somewhere. We got to the Hotel in Hendersonville and checked in. The next day, we enjoyed the small downtown area of Hendersonville and went to an apple orchard. At the apple orchard, they had a maize maze. That’s what I like to call them. It was pretty interesting and pretty large. It was threatening rain so we were kind of in a hurry to get through. The pattern was a little predictable but with a few twists to keep it interesting. The apples were good too.

The next day we uprooted and drove towards Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We again took the scenic route that brought us to Sylva, NC. We stopped at Lulu’s Café on Main Street. I am not sure what else we ordered, but we planned to share a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup, the soup of the day. The waiter informed us that we would each want our own bowl of soup. We ignored the waiter’s advice and ended up regretting it. It was very good. We were fighting over the bowl of soup. Legendary. We walked around Sylva a little and found it to be a really interesting little town.

Next, we hit a roadblock. The road between Cherokee and Gatlinburg had been closed. This forced us to drive back to I-40 and take US Highway 321. We found very little traffic on 321, which was a nice break. Suddenly, just in front of the car, a bear strolls out of the woods. We pass just a few feet from him as he starts to cross the road. I stopped the car to get a better look at him. My wife, horrified that I had stopped, rolled up the windows in the car. Seriously? I did find a little humor in that. But the bear was not interested in us and was quickly getting away.

We spent the next couple of days in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We roamed around Gatlinburg and took the sky lift up the mountain to see the birds eye view of Gatlinburg. I guess I wasn’t ready for Gatlinburg to be so touristy, so we were a little let down. The next day we took a tour of the Old Mill. That was quite interesting. I was surprised at how much processing equipment went along with the big rock (a.k.a. millstone). We also toured Boyds Bear Country. Snooze.

Well it was time to pack up again and head to Chattanooga. We again took the scenic route and stopped at Tuckaleechee Caverns. I had been to the Cave of the Mounds in Wisconsin before but this was my wife’s first trip underground. It was a little corny but there was history of the cave and general information about cave formations. I guess my wife must have liked it because the next stop on the way to Chattanooga was the Lost Sea, another cavern. This one is a little different in that it does not have a natural entrance. Truly untouched. It also boasts the second largest known underground lake, and at the end of the tour there is a boat ride on the lake.

Back above ground we made our way to Chattanooga. We explored downtown a little but then decided to go to Ruby Falls and Rock City. How could you not visit Rock City with all of the barns around telling you to do so? We were not aware that Ruby Falls was a cave tour also. Seriously, it is named Ruby Falls and we had no idea. So we took the third cave tour in two days. But it was interesting too, and wasn’t too long. Rock City was pretty impressive too. I was awe struck.

We concluded the trip with a visit to my dad, who lived in Scottsboro, Alabama. We went to the Unclaimed Baggage store and wondered why this place had such fame. Our local Goodwill has similar stuff. Maybe it was picked over when we went. One other event happened while we were driving all over. We left just after a hurricane hit the south. What we didn’t know is that gas was going to become really scarce in a hurry. By the time we got to Scottsboro, most of Atlanta and the surrounding areas were out of gas. Luckily my dad loaned us a 7 gallon gas tank and with the full tank of gas leaving Scottsboro we had just enough gas to get home. It was kind of a scary thought of running out of gas and not being able to get anymore.

Three Pigs in a Boat BBQ

This weekend we headed over to a new BBQ place in Aiken. It is on Richland Avenue in front of Roses Department Store. It has only been open a few weeks, at least at this location. The first thing I noticed was the grill in the parking lot. It had propane tanks attached. I didnt see any evidence of wood stacked anywhere. I sort of panicked a little. I calmed the nerves and proceeded in. The dining area was really small, with four tables and a small bar. Unfortunately, a quick scan of the place revealed that they didnt have any child seats. I inquired with the wife if we should leave, but she said it was OK. One of the owners quickly apologized and said that he had been meaning to bring them in. So, he hoped in his truck and went home to get them. We sat at the table and the other owner asked what we wanted to drink . He was very welcoming and pleasant. It seemed to me that he has one of those personalities and faces that people always think that they know him from somewhere. He reminded me of my cousin. We ordered, BBQ for me, and fried chicken for the wife. We of course had to wait 15 minutes for the fried chicken to cook, which I will give them credit for cooking it fresh. They brought us pig-tails and rice and some hush-puppies while we waited. I guess my wife thought he was joking about the pig-tails until she discovered it in there. She liked the rice though. He called it a bog, so I knew immediately he wasnt from this part of the state. Chicken bog is what you get on the eastern side of the state. While waiting I examined the sauce. It was thin, vinegary, and dark brown. It looked like sauces I frequently get in Georgia.

Finally the BBQ came. I got the the purple slaw, which was red cabbage slaw. It was pretty good. My wife also got the slaw and liked it. She got macaroni and cheese as her second side. It was actually very good, rivaling any I have ever eaten in a restaurant. My second side was hash and rice. The rice was well cooked, but I couldnt quite place the hash. It did not have a strong "other parts" taste, but didnt quite taste like pork shoulder either. It was different from any I had ever had. It might not be what I was expecting for hash but it was good. I think my wife might have eaten it.

OK, about the BBQ. It appeared to be pulled, in larger pieces than most restaurants but still bite size. It was tender and juicy. It had a very weak smoky flavor. It did have the vinegar taste from the sauce but it wasnt overpowering. It had a strong ground pepper (black pepper) taste. I tasted just the sauce and it had the strong pepper flavor, which is much different from any vinegar based sauce that I have had before. I found it intriguing. I actually ate most of the meat without adding any extra sauce. It might not appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it.

My wife's fried chicken was also heavily seasoned with black pepper. I think my mom would like the fried chicken, cause that is how my great-grandmother made it. I liked it too. We did get a back of fried pork skins to go. They were seasoned with pepper too. They were good. I didnt get a chance to try the ribs. I am guessing that they would also have a strong pepper flavor. They brought a rack in from the grill and it looked really good.

I would return for more BBQ from Three Pigs in a Boat. It was reasonably priced and is conveniently located near my home. I am going to tell people about the restaurant, but I cant say that it is the best BBQ out there. It is good though.

The Big Mo

The Big Mo is our local drive in movie theater in Monetta, SC (http://www.thebigmo.com/). Its a really good deal, 5 dollars per person and you get two movies for that price. They have new release movies and have two theaters, so there is a pretty good choice on any given weekend. They broadcast the sound over the radio so there are no boxes to attach to your car. They are closed during the winter but are getting ready to reopen next month. Before my wife and I had the baby we would frequently go to Shealy's BBQ for dinner and then hit the Big Mo on the way home. We would drive the truck, pull in backwards, put the chairs in the bed of the truck, kick our shoes off and sit back and relax. It is great family fun. But we didnt get to go at all last year because of the baby. Maybe this year.

Brookwood Farms BBQ

I was travelling through the Charlotte, NC airport recently and actually had a little time to eat lunch this time. Other times I had to grab something in my rush to get to the gate. This meant I could try Brookwood Farms BBQ in the airport. I occasionally get the version that is sold at the grocery store and it is passable with a little doctoring. I figured the restaurant version must be better. It wasnt. I was pretty dissappointed. I actually think that the grocery store version is better. :(

The Nations Capitol

The next trip that my wife and I took was to Washington DC. I had to go for several days so my wife tagged along and we stayed for the weekend and for several days afterward I finished working. I didn’t have to work the day we arrived so we started out at the Air and Space Museum located at the airport. The things that particularly interested me on display were the Enola Gay, a Blackbird, a Corsair, aP-38 Lightning, and the space shuttle. The sculpture/water fountain outside was particularly interesting too.

Next we headed to the hotel and found out what DC traffic was really like. The next few days I spent working and my wife headed downtown. We were actually in Germantown but luckily for us there was a bus stop right outside of the hotel that went to the subway. So my wife was able to head to downtown DC while I was working. She was able to go to the Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, the Freer Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, American Art Museum, American Indian Museum, Art and Industries Building, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Mint. She also met a former coworker and saw the Capitol. The Folk Art Festival was going on at the National Mall too. I think that she had a great time even though I didn’t get to go with her (or is that why she had such a good time?!?!?)

One of the nights we met a college friend of mine that lives in DC. He suggested that we go to Grapeseed American Bistro and Wine Bar for dinner. It was a little on the expensive side but such a nice, cozy, little place. I think that their gimmick is that they design a dinner around a wine instead of picking a wine to go with a dinner. We really enjoyed dinner and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

By the weekend I was finally finished with work and ready to see the sights. I really wanted to see the Museum of American History so I dragged her back to that. Then we went to the National Postal Museum and the Museum of Natural History. The next day we met another college friend of mine and had lunch down at Union Station. We ate at Uno’s, which I wasn’t too pleased about since I travel to Chicago frequently and eat at Geno’s East and Giordono’s regularly. However, that Chicago style pizza in DC was just as good as any I had ever had in Chicago. After looking around Union Station we decided to take the Duck Tour. This took us to all of the highlights in DC and then took us to the airport for the water part of the tour. The planes were coming in for a landing just over where we were. After that we went to the International Spy Museum.

The next day we went to the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the reflecting pool, and the National Mall.

After 7 interesting days, we checked out of the hotel to spend the last night closer to the airport. We drove well out of our way to go to IKEA. IKEA is my wife’s favorite store. I don’t get it. But she doesn’t get Bass Pro Shop either. I have to admit that IKEA is pretty cool and might be worth the money if it were closer. There was also some big mall nearby that we went to. We spent the night at Chantilly, VA at a Comfort Suites. I got the free upgrade and got an enormous room. As you enter the room, the bathroom was to the left and was pretty normal. The closet was to the right and just beyond that was the mini fridge and microwave. Past the bathroom the room opened up and there was a full size, 2-person Jacuzzi. Then there was a full size couch, loveseat, chair, coffee table and a big screen TV. To the left was another room with a king size bed and full size closet. It was nearly two full hotel rooms. The Jacuzzi was nice end to the trip.

Speeding tickets

I hate to admit it but in my younger years I had a little bit of lead in my shoe when driving. But that experience has taught me several things. Recently, I had my cruise set and went a little too fast down a hill. Sure enough, there was a cop coming the other way. I got off with a warning after following my rules. So here is my advice when getting pulled over for speeding.

1. Pull over immediately. Dont act like you dont know who the cop is pulling over. It is better to get to the side of the road as soon as possible. I have even pulled over before the cop has had a chance to get behind me. It was a speed trap and I saw the cop crank up his car. So I pulled over. I was at a complete stop before he turned his blue lights on. I knew he caught me. He knew he caught me. I only got a warning. In another instance, a cop was coming at me and I saw he was slowing down to turn around. So, I pulled over. He hadnt even turned his blue lights on. I didnt get out of that ticket.

2. Keep you hands visible. Keep the officer at ease. If you license and registration are easy to get to, then have them ready. But dont be rummaging in the glove box or purse as the officer arrives at your window.

3. When the cop asks, and they will, why you think that they pulled you over, tell them. If you know you were speeding and you got pulled over, then say so. The cop already knows. If you dont know, then say so. Too often the real answer would be "it depends on how long you have been following me." One time I got pulled over, I thought it was for running a stop sign. I got to the intersection and it was clear but a lot of traffic was coming. So, I didnt completely stop. Just afterward I saw an officer in my rear view mirror screeching through the intersection and stopping all four lanes of traffic and get behind me. He was not polite. He said "Do you know why I pulled you over, boy?" I was in college at the time, so "boy" was a little excessive. But with all that college learning I didnt know the answer to the question. I think that pissed him off more. He responded and said "I got you for speeding a couple of miles back, passing in a no passing zone, running the stop sign, and evading the police. I can take your @ss to jail now for evading, boy. But you are lucky. I am not completely sure it was a no passing zone, and you probably could not see my blue lights after you passed that car. But I got your @ss for speeding and running that stop sign." I was relieved that I was not getting charged for evading, even though in my hurry to get to the bank before it closed, I lost 6 points off my license.

4. Shut up. Greet the officer, answer the officers questions politely, and look at them. Simple statements will do. Dont volunteer extra information. Dont complain that the car is new and it didnt feel like you were speeding. Dont say that all the rest of the traffic was going just as fast or faster. Dont suggest that the cop would be doing his job better by doing something else. Dont say that the speed limit is too low where you were. Fortunately for me I dont have this problem.

5. Dont admit that you are in a hurry to get somewhere. This is the biggest mistake you can make. Having excuses of where you are going or where you need to be only means that you were purposely speeding. Dont fall into that trap. Also, dont say that you were keeping up with traffic. More than likely the cop pulled you over because you were speeding the most of all the traffic. When the cop asks why you were speeding, the best thing to say is that you were not paying enough attention and didnt realize you were going too fast. I fell into this trap (admitting I had somewhere to get to and I was late) early in my speeding ticket career.

6. Keep your seatbelt on. I cant get to my wallet with my seatbelt on. But, all you need is the officer to see you putting the seatbelt back on and think that you never had it on. It has never happened to me but just to be on the safe side keep it on.

7. Dont argue, even if you are right. If the officer doesnt accept your reason the first time then they arent the second time. It is best told to a judge. I was driving in Georgia, following a coworker. We had just turned onto a road and on the curve several miles up I could see a Georgia State Trooper coming towards us. The guy I was following didnt see him. When we hit 55 mph, I leveled off. The guy I was following sped up to 70 mph. Of course, the cop turned around. The problem is, he pulled both of us over. I wasnt sure why, but the cop said that I was going the same speed as the guy in front of me. I explained that I wasnt, that I saw him, and I was going 55. He proceded to lecture me on how he has been doing this for 15 years and that if the radar detector did not change the speed displayed when he passed both of us then we were going the same speed. He was not polite. I know I was going 55. But, I paid the ticket. I take solice in knowing that there have been many of times that I should have been caught and wasnt.

On a side note, go to court if you are worried about points. Usually, they reduce the fine and points and you dont have to say a word.

Following these rules wont prevent you from getting pulled over, but they might help you get a warning instead of a speeding ticket.

Miami and the Keys

The next trip that my wife and I went on was just three months after the wedding. I had to be in Florida for work so when that was over my wife flew down and met me in Miami. We stayed four nights in Florida City, Florida. We stayed there to have quick access to the Keys. Then we stayed four nights in Miami. The first day was a travel day and we just toured around Florida City. The next day we went to Key West. Lunch was at Bobalu's on the way in. One of my favorite lunch spots. Once in Key West, we toured the usual including the "aquarium" and the treasure museum. I let her decide since I had been to Key West often for work. Then we went to Mallory Square for the sunset festival. We met a coworker there and went to El Siboney's for dinner. Yummy. After hitting Duval Street we took the long drive back to Florida City.

The next day we slept late and toured the upper keys. We also scheduled a snorkeling trip for day three. Even though it was during winter the snorkeling was really nice. We had to use wetsuits though. The views were amazing. We went out on a catamaran and had a really nice time and got to sail back. We relaxed the rest of the day.

Day 5 was the change of hotels and we toured our way up the coast and spent some time in Coconut Grove. My wife found the Cheesecake Factory just after we finished lunch and was disappointed we didnt get to eat there. Then we checked in our hotel and got our bearings. We hit the Dolphin Mall and Texas de Brazil for dinner. Yummy.

Day 6 was a trip to the Everglades. We took a tour on an airboat and visited the "park" and alligator attractions. The alligator meat at the restaurant was horrible. I guess you can say we got caught in a tourist trap. But it was interesting.

Day 7 we got to drive up to Fort Lauderdale where we went to Butterfly World (definately my wife's idea). Then we went to Las Olas Boulevard to wind down the night. We found the Cheesecake Factory there for dinner.

Day 8 we toured South Beach and the Art Deco District. We ended up taking the duck tour which included South Beach and the island where all the celebrities have houses. It was a nice relaxing day. The next day we headed back to reality. Overall, it was really nice and warm in January compared to what the weather was like back at home!