Smoke And Bones BBQ Trip

Two months in eight minutes.

2010-12-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well good things sometimes have to come to an end. We are now back in Vancouver and are working at a feverish pace getting ready for the holiday season.

On our trip we travelled to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Haiti, and the states of Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida. I met up with old friends that I have not seen since last year and some that I hopefully will see again this spring. We saw NASCAR for our first time and ate soooo much barbecue from road side shacks to old iconic restaurants. We competed in a few competitions and won some money to subsidize our costs. I lectured aboard a cruise ship and we enjoyed small town USA. Diving with sharks in Atlanta and barracudas over the reefs in the Keys.

I wanted to put together a final montage of pictures and video that kind of generalized our trip. There really is no way to put two months into eight minutes. I think that there is one overtone to it though and that would be family. The most important thing in my life.

Turn up the music and enjoy.
You might want to let it download for a couple of minutes so it doesn't keep pausing while its loading.

Gators and daughters.

2010-12-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

My daughters enjoying the warm water in Miami.

After our stay in Key West we headed back to Miami for a few days before my wife and two of my daughters would fly back to Vancouver to get ready for the Christmas season. Once in Miami we searched out the Internet and talked to the locals about visiting the Florida Everglades. Since I was a child, I have always wanted to ride one of the air boats across the water and through the tall grass in search of alligators. It was time to actually make it happen.

Everglades Safari Park

Our boat captain.

Alligator swimming beside our boat.

The Everglades are wetlands comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins up near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which flows into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state.

Getting to the Everglades is really easy as the west side of the Miami suburbs border them, and it is just a one hour drive from South Beach. The highway to the everglades has a canal that runs parallel to it and as you drive along it and watch off to the shoulder, you start to see alligators sunning themselves on the grassy banks. The bank nearest the road has a barrier on the side to keep marauding gators from venturing on it.

Marauding man-eating gator!

After our ride through the park we got to watch one of the rangers put on a show with some alligators. I was impressed with his knowledge and handling of the animals. As we left the show and walked through the park you are in direct contact with wild alligators if they choose to come up on to the slopes. These are not park animals but wild ones. They warn you to be careful and take precautions when you leave. As we walked along, we came upon this guy, about 8 feet in length. He did not seem to be interested in us which made me a little brave. I started taking pictures and got a little closer and closer. I tried to bet my wife I could touch his tail and she just got angry with me and told me to not be stupid! This is as close as I got, though. There was a palm tree behind me and I was afraid if he turned to snap, I would run into the tree and get eaten. I kept it safe and made it within about two feet.

Eight foot wild alligator!

The Everglades themselves are more beautiful then I anticipated. It is far more then just tall grass and water!

My wife and two younger daughters flew back to Vancouver leaving us for with one more week in Miami. I met up with the guys at South Beach Divers and I went back to the Florida Keys to go diving with them at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. The marine park includes approximately 70 nautical square miles (240 km²) of Atlantic Ocean waters and was the first underwater park in the United States. The primary attractions of the park are the coral reefs (such as Molasses Reef) and their associated marine life. Diving in Key Largo was awesome and I got to see many species of corals and fish including Barracudas. It is a one and a half hour drive back to SoBe after sunset and I am tired from the day. Melissa and I choose to eat outside at Lincoln Road Mall that night. Lincoln Road Mall is a huge open air mall that is lined with designer stores and filled with outdoor restaurants all down the middle. It is filled every day and night with thousands of people. Definitely my favorite place to have dinner.
The next day I am up and off on a dive boat again. This time to dive a wreck in the ocean south of Miami in about 60 feet of water. Again visibility is great and I end up having two fantastic dives that day. The highlight obviously just being around the wreck.

Getting ready for a day of diving on the reefs.

Empty tanks and a sunset.

Authentic barbecue in South Beach

It would not be a barbecue blog without good old barbecue, so hear it is! "Bar-b-que Beach Miami". We ventured into and ate at this place not once, not twice, but three times! After spending time in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, who would have thought some of the best we would eat would be in South Florida's Miami Beach... Yes it was not only good, but authentic. The one wall inside is lined with a wood pile for the smoker in the back consisting of Pecan, Oak and Apple. The pork shoulder and ribs were really good and they had a good selection of sauces on the side. We ordered the "Little Piggy" option off the menu and it fed three people until we were fully stuffed. Chicken, pulled pork, ribs, brisket and sides. We managed to only eat about half the food on the platter so we asked for a couple of containers to go. As we walked back to our hotel we spotted a couple of homeless people and dropped off the food with them. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw they were getting barbecue! As we walked on, Melissa said to me "Dad, did you see the smile on his face when he saw it was barbecue!" I guess most of us love good old 'que..

Tops down.

2010-11-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

After our fantastic visit in South Carolina, we headed back to a little town in Georgia called Unadilla which is the home of Myron Mixon and the Jacks Old South crew. I spent all weekend barbecuing with Myron, before moving on to the south Florida. My wife and two younger daughters then flew in to meet Melissa and I in Miami. It has been almost a month and a half since I have seen them and it was a joyful reunion in one of my favourite places. After spending a few days in South Beach we packed the van up and proceeded to do the drive we have wanted to do for years, the Florida Keys.

The Florida Keys are a chain-like cluster of about 1700 islands of the bottom of Florida. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, which divides the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba.

The main chain of the Key islands can be traveled by car on the Overseas Highway, which is a 127-mile (204 km) section of U.S. 1, which runs from Key Largo at the top, to Key West at the bottom end.

We drove all the way to the fantastic island of Key West for a few days of fun and sun. Key West which is only 4 miles long and 2 miles wide and is also home to "Naval Air Station Key West". You can watch groups of F-18 fighter jets constantly patrolling the skies around the keys while you are visiting. Despite its small size it is famous for many things including its weather, the Mardi Gras like atmosphere of Duval Street, singer Jimmy Buffet and author Ernest Hemingway. Key West is also a port of call for many cruise ships which you can see, moored at Mallory Square during the day, to allow the passengers time to visit before embarking for their next port of call.
Jet skis, para sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving and cycling are all popular activities to opt for during the day. At night, hundreds of people, as well as vendors and street performers, gather at Mallory Square to watch the sunset. After that Duval Street is filled with people enjoying the vast array of restaurants, bars, clubs and late night shopping that Key West has to offer.

One afternoon while on the beach we watched a bi-plane fly overhead. As we watched, I told my wife that I had always wanted to fly in one of those and that one day I would. Two days later on Duval Street, I saw an ad for bi-plane flights; we were in the air 30 minutes later...

Next stop, the Florida Everglades.

An east coast jewel, Palmetto style.

2010-11-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

This is what South Carolina is famous for: Palmetto sunsets!

After the National BBQ Festival, Melissa and I needed to decide where we were going to go next. We had chosen either Savannah, Georgia or farther north to Charleston or Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. In the end we elected to drive to South Carolina. I figured we would visit Charleston for two days and then move on to Myrtle Beach for another two days before moving on. The drive from Waycross, Georgia is only about four hours long and we arrived late Sunday afternoon. When we drove in to downtown Charleston from the south, I did not expect to see what we did as we arrived. Wow, is it a beautiful city! As it turns out Charleston is one of the most popular places to visit on the east coast, and has the charm and character of San Francisco. The downtown core itself is like stepping back into time. Imagine London, England on the southeast coast of the United States, surrounded by Palm trees and in a climate like Bermuda. The official nickname for South Carolina is the Palmetto state.
I honestly had no idea when I arrived, that the first shots of the American Civil War started there and that many of the buildings from that era, are all still in place and in fact, privately owned and lived in! Amazing..
We found a hotel not far from downtown just across the Charleston Harbour in the suburb of Mt. Pleasant, which is home to some great attractions including the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. For you movie buffs, Mt. Pleasant is where the film the Notebook was filmed. Yes, all the women in my household cried when they watched it or read the book.

On Monday morning we headed back downtown to wander the old streets, as well visit a well known South Carolina barbecue restaurant called Jim & Nicks BBQ. Vegans be warned, I had to order the pitmasters plate which had every living animal from a farm, slow cooked, and beside my potatoes. Mmmm! We ended up spending all afternoon, just walking the streets and admiring the old architecture. Private homes, churches and buildings that are 200 years old or older just part of the normal way of living.

Tuesday we spent the afternoon touring the Patriots Point Museum. Patriots Point Museum includes the WWII USS Yorktown aircraft carrier, the USS Clamagore submarine as well as many aircraft from WWII and including present day fighter jets such as F-18's. Our visit was awesome and took us the whole afternoon to see it all. We were allowed to tour the inside of both the carrier from top to bottom, and in the case of the sub end to end. We finished the day off by driving out to the city of Isle of Palms where some of the really wealthy live on the Atlantic Coast. We enjoyed the sunset on the beach, and even got to watch some dolphins fishing on the schools of small fish right off the beach!

USS Yorktown

F-14 Tomcat on deck of the USS Yorktown.

We were enjoying Charleston so much we decided to stay put and continue our visit there. On Wednesday we visited the South Carolina Aquarium and really enjoyed it. The aquarium has a very cool way of showcasing the local habitats from the mountains all the way down to the swamps and ocean. They have put together a great setup and it is well worth the visit.

We followed up our visit at the aquarium with dinner at another famous barbecue restaurant, this one in Mt.Pleasant and called Melvins. Melvins BBQ was voted as having the best hamburger in America by the famous chef Emmeril. To top off our dinner we decided to take in the theatre and watch the latest Jackass film! Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O always make me laugh. The best part of this cinema was that it is a restaurant/bar. You pay for your tickets and when you sit down in the theatre to watch the film there is a table in front of you with a menu. Wait staff arrive and take your order for you which includes dinner and drinks. I had already had my fill of barbecue but I had to order a jug of soda just because I could.

Boone Plantation
On Thursday, Melissa made me take her to the Boone Plantation. It is still a working plantation and has a history that is absolutely fascinating. The Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens is an antebellum plantation located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The plantation includes a large Colonial plantation house, a number of slave cabins (which were occupied by sharecroppers well into the 20th century), several flower gardens, and the historic "Avenue of Oaks"; a nearly one mile drive up to the house with live oaks on either side, originally planted in 1743. Boone Hall plantation sits on Wampacheeoone Creek in Christ Church Parish about 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Charleston. The earliest known reference is 1681!

Melissa in the "Avenue of the Oaks".

Friday we had to leave and head back to Georgia as I will be spending the weekend barbecuing again. This time with Myron Mixon.

She became an adult in Georgia!

2010-11-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

When we ran out of time having fun in Atlanta it was time to move south to Waycross, Georgia. For the upcoming weekend would be competing in two more competitions, The "Best of the Best" Invitational and Open. The new location for the National Barbecue Festival is now on forty acres of land right in the town of Waycross and they managed to fill it wit a whole lot of teams, music, vendors and fun and games for the locals and visitors all weekend long. Hats off to Kell Phelps, the National BBQ News, The Exchange Club of Waycross and all the other organizers.

Once again I would be cooking on new equipment for a whole new twist again. This time I would use my new Weber Kettle that I just bought, to cook my chicken on but Kell, lent me their brand new barbecue trailer with a new Ole Hickory pit on it. I have never used an Ole Hickory and the first night was a learning experience. The pit is beautiful but I definitely relied far too much on charcoal and not enough on wood. I had lots of help from my daughter Melissa who learned how to prep chicken and ribs for competition as well as just how time consuming it can be. She worked hard and even turned 18 on our first night of prepping. That night I had to take her out to a local restaurant for a nice steak and chocolate cake when we were done. I cannot help but feel slightly guilty for having her turn 18 in a barbecue competition, but I can make it up to her later. There is lots for us to do, and I already promised her we would try to go skydiving in Miami.

Eighteen!

When it was time for the awards ceremony for the "Best of the Best" competition, guess what? Once again we won more money for placing in the top 5 for our chicken! Not to bad, awards and paydays for both Brisket and Chicken in the last week competing against the very best teams! Now we will leave Georgia as well as Alabama with another barbecue award under our belt.

Racing plastic pigs down a river.

From Georgia, we looked at our options of where to go next. Savannah GA, or Charleston SC, or Myrtle Beach SC. In the end we decided to head towards Charleston. On the way to South Carolina, we drove by something that you don't see up here in Canada. Have a look below!

A barbecue trailer dealership!

Sharks and Pandas!

2010-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

After leaving Alabama we made our way through Georgia to visit Atlanta. I had a few activities in mind to keep us busy for a few days before we had to start getting ready for "The Best of the Best" Invitational and the Open competitions at the National Barbecue Festival in Waycross, Georgia. Atlanta is a large city, so we booked ourselves in to a hotel across from Turner Field which is close to downtown and most of the major attractions that we were interested in visiting. Of course first on the list was the Georgia Aquarium. Last year I visited it by myself and went swimming with the Whale Sharks and rays and it was one of the coolest things I have ever done. This year I was going to do it again, but with Melissa. On Monday afternoon we drove down to visit the aquarium and to go swimming with the sharks. At 4:00pm we went for our swim briefing and then after that our equipment selection. At 5:00 pm when the aquarium closed we geared up with oxygen tanks, wetsuits, masks and fins and proceeded to enter the 6 million gallon Ocean Voyager tank filled with Whale sharks, Hammerheads, Tiger sharks as well as Manta Rays and over 4000 more fish! We swam and became part of their world for thirty minutes, having several close encounters with the big Whale sharks which will swim right into you as they circle the football field sized tank. Having twenty foot long sharks that swim into you from below is exhilarating to say the least! After our swim, hot shower and debriefing we were on our way home with memories never to forget.

Melissa would soon be swimming with this guy!

Exhilaration!

Tuesday afternoon was our day to visit CNN. I really wanted to do this tour, but Melissa did not share my enthusiasm, at least until we actually got to the studios in downtown Atlanta. CNN takes up a whole block and even has a high-rise building inside it. Yes there is a hotel in the middle of the courtyard inside the large complex that houses CNN and Headline News. Food, shopping and lots of security fill the vast area making up the main floor. We signed up for one of the tours which took us through eight floors of the network where we got to see the studios of CNN and HLN as well as the people and news rooms behind the scenes. This place is an IT guys nightmare.. The main news room has over five miles of cabling under the floor connecting hundreds of computers, monitors etc.! They would not let us take pictures inside the building and they have pretty stringent security policies in place but nonetheless it was a very interesting tour that even Melissa ended up enjoying.

Our next major stop was to be the Atlanta Zoo. The Atlanta Zoo is only one of four institutions in the North America that has Giant Pandas on loan to them from The Peoples Republic Of China. Our visit to see the Pandas was even more special because the female, Lun Lun, just gave birth to her third cub that morning! As much as I liked the Pandas I have to admit my favourite part was the Mountain Gorillas and the monkeys. It never ceases to amaze me at how similar we are. Watching the gorilla cleaning his fingernails was so human like it captivated me.

Mom and baby!

The father, Yang Yang.

On our way back from the zoo we drove by an old cemetery called the Oakland Cemetery. It was so old looking it caught my eye and actually made me turn the van around to take another look. As we got closer we saw some signs and read that Margaret Mitchell, the author of "Gone With The Wind" was buried there. I also realized that this cemetery had all kinds of old tombstones and crypts from around the time of the American Civil War which both of us found interesting. One thing to remember about this part of the country is just how much history is here. We walked around for about half an hour looking inside the grounds and it was absolutely fascinating. Nothing creepy or dark about it, just interesting to see the plots of families from a time long, long ago. The Confederate Memorial with all the small tombstones of the soldiers was just like the memorials you see in other Veteran cemetery's but just real old.

Next stop Waycross, Georgia for The Best Of The Best BBQ Competition!

Talladega Nights - Smoke and Bones gets a payday!

2010-11-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning we left Birmingham and made our way to the town of Talladega. By the time we got there it was lunchtime so naturally I sourced out the local roadside barbecue joint for some southern cooked food. After a plate of chopped pork, beans, slaw and Texas toast I was satiated enough to continue on. We drove past the turn off to the speedway and made our way to our motel in the small town of Jacksonville. Jacksonville, Oxford, and Anniston, all make up a small trio of nearby towns with the state University being in Jacksonville. Once settled into our new home for the weekend we decided to venture out and explore small town Alabama. The state University is very nice with lots of older restored buildings on campus, making it look like something right out of a movie or off of a postcard. My wife would call it "quaint".

Friday morning we headed back to Talladega to get set up for "Degaque", Alabama's $50,000 State Barbeque Championship. The teams that started rolling in were very impressive and it soon becomes clear what is happening this weekend.
-1. $50,000 is up for grabs and,
-2. the Team Of The Year points race for the Kansas City Barbecue Society is in the final stretch.
As I walk the rows of teams I see nothing but the best; Jacks Old South, Lotta Bull, Cool Smoke, Pellet Envy, Smokin Triggers, Smokin Guns, Bub-ba-q etc., etc., and the list goes on. I am unfortunately cooking out of a Rubbermaid container full of spices from Walmart, one used borrowed cooker (courtesy of Randy Biggler of Alabama), one new cooker that I bought online and had shipped to the home of John Swift (President of the Alabama Barbecue Society), and a new kettle that I bought at Home Depot that I have never even cooked with. As I walk the row of cookers and look at the setups and come to my little spot I cant help but think "what am I even doing here?"

As I struggled to get setup and start cooking it becomes very clear that this may become the most difficult and handicapped cook I will ever attempt. No matter what happens I realize that by tomorrow it will be over and nothing but memories will linger. After that and it is race time! As usual, I quickly make friends with both teams on either side of me. One is from Alabama and the other one from Virginia. We cook our briskets and our butts overnight on the new cooker that I ordered online. By the time we had turned our meats in and taken down our temporary shanty for the night it had become time for the awards to be handed out. Through all the obstacles to overcome and the calibre of teams we were up against I was shocked to hear our name get called for 3rd place in Brisket! I looked at Melissa and I said "are you kidding me! 3rd at Degaque!". Because of that call, we got to take home a nice slice of the $50,000 pie for our first comp in Alabama!

Brisket:
1 Sweat's BBQ
2 Cool Smoke
3 Smoke and Bones BBQ
4 The Smoking Hills
5 Lotta Bull BBQ
6 Smokin' Guns BBQ
7 Swiggin' Pig
8 MONSTER-QUE
9 ZZ-QUE
10 Smokin' Triggers

Sunday morning we get up in anticipation of racing. Yes I am finally going to get to see my first NASCAR race in person. As we approach Talladega Super speedway it is buzzing with activity early. The highways all around have state troopers directing the large volume of traffic in to the grounds. There are literally thousands of R.V.'s that have been camping all weekend for miles around. I have been to Indy races in Vancouver but it does not match the spectacle that we are witnessing before us. After making our way through the individual teams merchandising trailers (I didn't make it out hands free, thanks to the Danica Patrick/Go Daddy.com trailer), we found our seats which were about eleven rows up in the main grand stand. The one thing about Talladega is the size of the track; it is known as the biggest and the fastest and believe me, it is big! I was mesmerized by it. The track is roughly 2.6 miles long and the cars were lapping it in just over one minute!

The race got underway and I can say that television does it no justice! 200mph and literally inches between them is unbelievable to watch. The sound and the smell was awesome! I have heard the Indy engines but 40 high powered V-8'S with open exhaust pipes is deafening. I loved every minute of it. I know that the Daytona 500 will be on my list of events to see in the future. Florida in February sounds good!

From here we are off to Atlanta for a few days. last year I swam with the sharks and rays at the Georgia Aquarium and I have every intent on sharing that experience with Melissa.

In the Heart of Dixie

2010-10-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

We made our way across the Florida panhandle and through southern Alabama to the historic northern city of Birmingham yesterday. What a beautiful city Birmingham is! The city is rich with history and the architecture in the historic downtown is fantastic. The old buildings have been kept up to date and it is like a drive through the past. Alabama is considered the Heart of Dixie as it is bordered on the east with Georgia, the north with Tennessee and the west with Mississippi. To the south is the Gulf of Mexico so the climate is subtropical which means nice and warm right now! The locals are getting ready for Halloween right now, so there are many homes adorned with personal graveyards, decorations etc., that reminds me of what we used to do back home every year at this time. Too bad it was always so wet...

Melissa and I drove around the city last night after a great southern dinner at a roadhouse restaurant. We checked out the famous landmarks including St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built in the late 1800's as well as the Vulcan. Yes the Vulcan. Birmingham, Alabama's colossal statue is the world's largest cast iron statue and considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States. It was designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local iron in 1904 and has overlooked the urban landscape of Alabama's largest city since the 1930s. Vulcan stands 56 feet tall, from toe to spear point, upon a 124-foot pedestal rising to a height of 180 feet and weighs 101,200 pounds. This makes it roughly 18 stories tall! The tower beside it is an elevator ride to the top of the pedestal where you can get out and walk around the base of the statue. Keep in mind, the statue is built on top of the highest point in Birmingham, so the view from the top overlooking the city and valley below, is stunning to say the least.

After spending over $400.00 in Walmart today on spices, supplies and kitchen tools for the weekend, we are getting ready to load into the Talladega Speedway tomorrow morning. I saw the list of teams coming in for this weekend and quickly noticed Pellet Envy, Smokin Triggers, Lotta Bull and Cool Smoke among others. Competition could not possibly be any tougher...
No matter how we do, I know that Sundays AMP 500 is going to be awesome. Even my 17 year old daughter is looking forward to it.

Smoke and Bones BBQ Trip 2010

2010-10-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

This years road trip got off to a late start. There was some last minute catering in the film industry that came in, as well as some roles in some popular prime time television series. If you are a fan of the hit series Supernatural you will see that one of our large pits had a guest spot at a barbecue shack in one of the latest episodes. Next on the television list was the appearance of my wife and I as well as one of our pits in the new hit series Hellcats. Yes, my youngest daughter was so excited to find out we would be on set with Ashley Tisdale from High School Musical!

Nonetheless we got off to our start a couple weeks late and opted to fly into Miami and buy all our equipment that we would need as well as rent a van for us to get around Florida, Georgia, Alabama and wherever else we should make it.

First however, my oldest daughter, Melissa and I boarded a beautiful cruise ship in Miami so that I could conduct some lectures on barbecue over the seven days we were aboard. The talks were great and it was nice to meet new people from other parts of the globe. Our trip through the Eastern Caribbean took us to the beautiful ports of Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and Haiti. The ribs and lobster grilling over barrels full of lump charcoal at beach side restaurants were just as awesome.

After the cruise we were back to stay in the Art Deco neighborhood of South Beach for a few days before leaving this morning for the Degaque competition at Talladega, Alabama taking place Halloween weekend at the AMP 500 NASCAR race. We have made it all the way across Florida today, to Tallahassee for the night. It is a balmy 80 degrees at 11:00 pm and we will be hitting Birmingham Alabama tomorrow afternoon. I have had some great help from some individuals down here who have let me mail order some equipment online and have it delivered to their homes here in the south. As well as some others bringing in some for me to borrow. Gotta love southern hospitality!

I did what?

2009-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Turn up the volume and sit back.

Wow what can I say! I drove from Vancouver BC to Miami Florida and back. I toured the Gulf Coast, visited NASA in Texas and saw the desert in New Mexico, and Arizona. I rode the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier and fed stingrays in Nashville. Flew my Paramotor in Miami, cooked in The Jack and then swam with sharks in Atlanta. I took a first in The Best of the Best in Douglas Georgia and was invited back to the invitational for next year. I competed in Kansas City and Illinois and then toured the world’s largest cave in Mammoth Cave National Park. I toured the Jack Daniels Distillery and then ate at Mary Bobos in Lynchburg. I went to blues clubs, rock concerts, and on some nights I went to movie theaters. $18.00 for a little hotdog, a pop and popcorn seems like a good deal right? By the way, I loved the movie “District 9”, if you haven’t seen it, go. The list goes on and on and what I have written about is only a very small part of what encompassed a two month trip.

You want to talk barbecue? I met some amazing people along the way including some living legends. Not only did I meet them, but I competed against them. I have eaten some of the best BBQ there is and from different regions as well. I have also dined on donuts as well as crab feasts and even eaten peanut butter sandwiches. When I had family and friends it was great, but they had to go home. After that, most of the time I ate alone but every now and again I would find someone else dining alone and strike up a conversation. The last person I met was a man named Gangi at Bubba Gumps on the Santa Monica pier. He was a trapeze artist for Cirque de Soleil which happened to be performing at the pier. A very friendly guy, but man do we live different lives. I am a BBQ man with a family and he is a circus guy from Mongolia. How different can that be? This is what the whole spirit about this trip represents though, meeting new people, seeing new things and experiencing life on a larger scale. Seems like a good idea to me…

I have shared this with you because I thought it would be fun and it has been. Some of you wrote comments under the stories and I read them, and in fact loved them. Now is your chance to tell me what you thought. Any questions on what I have seen? Ask away and I will answer.

The back.

The front.

A couple of you knew that these were going to be made, so here are the shirts! You can click on the picture for a larger picture. The only difference is the tour dates on the back will be more centered then what is pictured. T-shirts are $20.00 plus shipping. There will be black, white and another undetermined color so let mne know what you would like. You can send me a link by email from the Smoke and Bones website.

Houston we have a problem...

2009-11-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter

When I left Miami I headed to Panama City for the night. I arrived late and then started my drive through Alabama, Mississippi and then Louisiana. I stopped in New Orleans and drove through the French Quarter. Trust me on this, a Hummer with a large cargo trailer is not the vehicle to pull through the tiny winding streets of the French Quarter, especially with horse and buggies present. I needed to let my pulse resume to a normal rate after that escapade. The architecture is really fascinating and it is such a shame that Katrina rolled through. It has been four years since the hurricane and New Orleans is still rebuilding. It appears it will be a few more years before it fully recovers but hopefully it will recover with all its glory.

I decided that while in Texas I would stop in Houston to visit NASA at the Houston Space Center. I am a long time fan of everything to do with space and really looked forward to my visit. NASA did not disappoint. The one thing to remember if you visit the Space Center is that it is a working facility and not a theme park. On certain days if you get the right flight director in the right mood you will be allowed to come in and see Mission Control live. Today was our lucky day and this is exactly what happened. The most interesting fact about this part of my visit was just how much power the flight director has. It ranks right up there with presidential.

The one thing that comes to my mind instantly is the Saturn V rocket that you get to see in a hangar. This has to be the largest most impressive manmade object I have ever seen. Its size will blow you away. The Saturn V rocket, which is the largest rocket ever built by NASA, is a staggering at 363 feet tall! The rocket is a three stage rocket, which means it takes three different stages of fuel firing to get all the way to the Moon. It is displayed with each of the three stages separated and you can actually walk between two of the stages. By the time it reaches its third stage and goes into orbit around Earth, it is traveling at 17,500 miles per hour. It is then that the rocket can be aimed at the Moon and the third stage can fire again, beginning the three day trip to the Moon.

This is a picture of the liquid nitrogen tanks that NASA uses. In space, it can be really cold, so they need to somehow simulate those conditions on Earth while they are training the astronauts. Liquid Nitrogen is extremely cold and is stored at 320 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in liquid form. Equipment in space will face very cold conditions, so Johnson Space Center uses this liquid nitrogen to create harsh, cold environments in which they can test the equipment that will be sent into space. The temperatures in space can range from 200 to negative 200 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on whether they are in the sun or not. On the Moon, temperatures can drop to 370 degrees below zero.

My second night in Texas was spent in Austin. While I was in Austin I chose to visit a legendary restaurant and club called Stubbs. Stubbs has been around since 1968 when it was located in Lubbock Texas but opened in Austin in 1985. Stubbs the man himself has met HRH Elizabeth the Queen of England, Jimmy Carter, and David Letterman etc. all because of his legendary food. I can tell you this about his food. Outstanding chicken! Probably the best chicken I personally have ever ordered in a restaurant. The cool thing about Stubbs is that, even though it is split into a restaurant and a bar it also has an outdoor stage in a large courtyard that regularly draws big name acts to perform. This all happens in the middle of downtown Austin. Try that in Vancouver…

Next on the list for me to try is the famous Coopers Old Time Barbecue in Llano Texas. This happens to be George W. Bush’s favorite BBQ restaurant. Coopers is very cool and you have to watch the video to see what I mean. If you like meat you will love Coopers and it was a definite highlight of my trip. It is a place that I had read about, and viewed pictures of, but I never thought I would eat there. It is not the type of place that you take a trip to, but if you are in the area you will visit it, but usually it is for the locals to enjoy. I am so glad my path took me that way.

Miami paramotoring

2009-11-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Remember back at the beginning of my blog when I mentioned packing my paramotor in to my trailer? Well it is now time to pull it out and start having some fun with it. I started flying paragliders eleven years ago when I was given a tandem flight for my 30th birthday by my wife. I was hooked right away and started lessons one week after my tandem flight. Yes I got hurt once but I could not give up flying for anything. Once you get bitten by the bug I think it is there for good.

I like to do mountain flying without a motor. Just me, my glider and the thermals or wind currents to keep myself aloft for hours at a time. It really is amazing. I have shared thermals with bald eagles only metres away from me. The two of us circling in the rising air while retaining eye contact is something you have to experience to believe. When I can’t get to the mountains I use my paramotor. Basically it is a seat with an engine and propeller that takes the place of the wind and thermals.

I took this video footage when I was in Miami. I met up with a few people from South Florida and they filled me in with all that needed to be done to fly at North Beach in Miami Beach. I also had to call Ft. Lauderdale airport and get clearance from the tower to proceed. After that I was on my way. I said goodbye to my new friends and headed off for the afternoon. I flew north to Ft. Lauderdale and then back in about three hours. You can see just how awesome it is to fly like this.

My wife and children bought me a shirt and on the shirt it says Carpe diem. I think that is fitting. Seize the day..

The Best of the Best.

2009-11-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yours truly.

The next stop on our tour is Douglas, Georgia for the “Best of the Best” Invitational and the Open event at the National Barbecue Festival. The city of Douglas with a population of 15000 people is about 3 ½ hours south of Atlanta and a couple hours north of the Florida state line. Driving there is not done by interstate, but through secondary highways that meander through miles of pine tree forests. In between the groves of trees there are acres of land being farmed that are filled with blooming cotton. Did you know that scientists have studied the rings of Georgia pines and can tell every hurricane that has passed through in the last 100 years?

The cotton fields of Georgia.

Before I left Atlanta I arranged to pick up meat for the contest along the way in Macon Georgia . I always feel better when it is purchased and all packed away on ice. One less thing for me to worry about and it gives me piece of mind. The weather in southern Georgia for the weekend was beautiful. Hot, dry and a blue sky filled with white cumulous clouds. It also meant that I was going to go through a pile of ice keeping my ice chests cool. At Douglas they have a woman that comes around a few times a day in a golf cart with 20lb bags of ice. Nice and easy to look after your coolers.
This time I have no team mates as they have all gone home to work or school. I was going to have to do this contest on my own. I did know a couple of other teams, House of Q and Diva Q, so there were a couple of friends already there. One thing about BBQ competitions that I really like is the camaraderie between the teams. I always go home with a whole new set of friends.

In Georgia forget chicken kabobs. Florida is right next door.

The vending area.

The first night is the Best of the Best invitational competition. I prep my meat by myself and get it put back on ice in the coolers. By 9:00 pm I have my big cuts on the smokers. As morning comes I get my ribs on by 6:30 am and get ready to do the whole cook and turn in process. By the time I am done cooking, arranging and turning meat in for the day I am tired already. I start my clean up because I need to prep all the meat for the open competition the following day. As I chat back and forth with the other teams before heading to the award ceremony, I (as usual) wonder how I will do. When I get to the awards ceremony, I see the awards that they are handing out. They are solid brass bells that are nicely engraved. I do not know the significance of the bell but they sure are cool looking and I would really like one. As the awards were called out for ribs and I did not hear my name by the time it hit fifth place I figured I was done. Then it reached the last call which is first place and guess what? They called Smoke and Bones! First in ribs! Yahoo!!

First place ribs!

The next night and day are like a repeat except it is even more tiring. As we head off to the awards again I was happy with what I turned in. I worked really hard on cooking, presentation and details and was hoping for a call in something. As the awards came in I got a call in chicken. Awesome! Twice in one weekend and in two different categories! Next category is ribs. I did great yesterday so it must mean I will tank today. Nope! Called again! Yahoo! Next category pork shoulder. Guess what? Called again! Seriously... All three categories and I got to do the walk. One more round and that is for "over all". Yup, I got called again and placed fifth overall against some teams that I really look up to, and I did it cooking by myself. Not only did I do well, but my friends from House of Q, Diva Q, and the BBQ Effect each picked up an award as well!

I even wore my Jack-o-lantern shirt. It was Halloween afterall.

I wasn’t sure which way to go next as far as travel. Heat won out and I headed south. It is time to go play in the sun with my Paramotor. Next stop Miami.

Atlanta and the Gentle Giants

2009-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Atlanta skyline at night.

After dropping everyone at the airport in Nashville it was time to get ready for The Best of the Best in Douglas Georgia the following weekend. I made my way to Atlanta where I would spend a couple of days before moving on to Douglas Georgia where the contest is held every year. While in Atlanta there were a few things that I wanted to see. The Georgia Aquarium was top priority as well as visiting CNN headquarters and taking the tour there. I know Coca Cola’s head office is here and I thought it would be neat to see Coke World but that was going to be a maybe. I also needed to see the Peachtree Plaza in person. This goes back to my childhood when I was an avid reader of the Guinness Book of World Records. The Plaza was in there because it was the highest skyscraper that was all hotel in the Western Hemisphere. It as a very cylindrical shaped building that is very distinctive.

From wikipedia
On March 14, 2008, the Westin, along with other neighboring skyscrapers, sustained moderate damage when a tornado tore through downtown Atlanta, with over 500 windows broken. It was the first tornado to have hit the downtown area. As of March 2009[update], the Westin is the only building still to have not replaced its broken windows, instead still being covered with black-painted plywood on the outside, and drywall on the inside. This is because the ¼-inch (6mm) uninsulated glass is no longer made by PPG Industries, and even identical new windows would look mismatched because of weathering due to three decades of hot sunshine. Additionally, new building codes require insulated glass that can withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h) instead of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), necessitating heavier and more expensive glass. Replacement of all 5600 windows is expected to begin in June or July 2009 and continue from the top down until summer 2010 at a cost over 20 million dollars, which will be covered by insurance.[5][6] Until then, 81 of its 1068 rooms are unavailable, down from an initial 320.[7][8] The new windows will also be mirrored, but will feature a bronze tint.

By now you may have noticed I have a thing for architecture, high rises and skylines. My wife is amazed that when we are watching a television program that pans a skyline I can usually tell her which city it is. I collect pictures of city skylines and in fact just bought one on our trip while we were in St. Louis.

Westin Peachtree Plaza

I found a hotel in Atlanta about eight miles south of downtown which isn’t too bad for distance. I tried to stay closer but I can assure there is no place to park a truck and trailer anywhere near there. It is not like Canada where we make some room for RV’s near our tourist destinations. The world of Coca Cola, CNN and the Georgia Aquarium are all down town so you must make provisions for travelling. I did talk a man and woman to letting me stay in their company’s parking lot for a modest fee (bribery) which made it easy for me.
My goal was to be at the aquarium at 12:30 and spend about two hours before heading to CNN for the tour. After that I had picked out a Brazilian Barbecue House that I would eat dinner at.

The Georgia Aquarium

When I walked in to the aquarium I was taken back by the whole thing. It is new, up to date and spectacular. As some of you know I used to work at the Vancouver Aquarium as a LSO or Life Support Operator. That is in the engineering department and our role is to maintain everything it takes to make the Aquarium exist. The Beluga, dolphin, sea lion, and otter pools as well as all the aquariums, pumps, chemicals, heat, plumbing etc., you get the picture. However the Vancouver Aquarium is old and part of it was built in the fifties. It takes a lot of work just to keep up with maintenance.
I struck up a conversation with one of the employees giving a lecture about the Coral Reef tank and after a few minutes the fact that I was an LSO at the Vancouver Aquarium got some special attention from her. I was taken behind the scenes to meet the engineering staff and then given a tour of the aquariums set-up. Much like the aquarium back home but new, state of the art and HUGE! The Ocean Voyager exhibit is the largest aquarium in the world. It holds 6.3 million gallons and is the size of a football field. The first third of the tank is visible to the public while the back two thirds are behind the scenes. Consider this; the entire Wild Coast Dolphin exhibit in the Vancouver Aquarium holds one million gallons. The reason for the enormous size? The co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, donated 250 million dollars towards the building of the aquarium with just one stipulation; it has to house whale sharks. Yes the largest fish in the world. The Ocean Voyager exhibit is filled with four whale sharks, two Manta Rays, stingrays, a hammer head shark as well as other species of sharks, groupers, jacks etc. The glass holding back the water in the large movie screen size viewing area is two feet thick acrylic. It is the most breathtaking display of animals you will see anywhere.

One of four whale sharks.

Nandi one of the Manta Rays.

After my tour I was taken back upstairs where I was introduced to the Dive master for a program they offered. It was not scheduled for today but my enthusiasm allowed me an opportunity that I could have never imagined. At four pm I went for a classroom session inside the aquarium as well as another behind the scenes of a different area, the topside of Ocean Voyager. I was then given a wetsuit, mask, fins and regulator and tank. Together a group of five of us entered the Ocean Voyager aquarium just as the aquarium was closing at 5pm. We swam for at least thirty minutes with the whale sharks, Hammerhead shark, Tiger sharks, and Nurse Sharks, Manta rays, and Sting rays. The aquarium that I was in disbelief when I saw it for the first time a few hours ago was now my exhibit as well.

I was not afraid of the sharks at all and I was at peace as I watched them at arms length away. This was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. At one point one of the Whale sharks came from behind me and rose up until it brushed against my body for its entire length as it passed me! Near the end of our swim one of the animal husbandry staff had come in and started feeding by putting Krill in the pool. He was unaware that we were in the pool and it started a feeding response from the Manta rays. Nandi the big one came swooping up from in front and below me and passed underneath me by inches. She is fifteen feet in width from wing tip to wing tip. Huge!
After our swim we went back for debriefing of our swim and got to watch some video footage. My two hour trip that was supposed to be done by 2-3 pm lasted until 7pm, two hours after the aquarium closed. I did not make it to the CNN tour or to Coke world but I did something much more spectacular then that. I fell asleep that night thinking about “swimming with the Gentle Giants”.

On the beach.

2009-11-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

I am writing this as I sit on the sand in South Beach Miami. Time to take a few days to relax, get some sun and get caught up on the blog. There is a lot to share. I have pictures to upload, videos to make, and stories to tell. I did really well in Georgia. How about.... 1st place in ribs! How about.... finishing in the top ten in all categories! How about this.... I swam with sharks inside the worlds largest aquarium as well!
As I get everything processed it will be up shortly. So much to share.

The Jack

2009-10-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Wow what a time! The Jack is everything that it is made out to be and more. As I was preparing to leave for my trip I was told by a few people that the most important thing to do was to take it all in. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to become something you start to think about until you realize it is almost over… I feel very honoured and lucky to have been included in this year’s competition. Teams come from around the world to be here. In fact, one of the questions that I was frequently asked was how much money can you win? To be honest I don’t know the actual figure, but I do know it is not very much. That however is not that point of “The Jack”. The real prize is just being asked to attend. It is the most coveted barbecue competition on the planet and many teams have been trying for years just to make it in. I am serious when I say that as age sets in and I reflect back on just what it was that I did with my life, one of the memories that I will recall is that I went to “The Jack”. Bucket list again.

The Jack Daniels Barbecue competition is held in the little town of Lynchburg Tennessee, the same town that the distillery is located at. It has a population of 631 people except for the weekend of the competition at which time it swells to 25,000. There are warning signs alerting motorists on the highway coming in to Lynchburg about the congestion to be expected on this particular weekend. This means if you are competing you had better be fully stocked up when you arrive because you do not want to leave and fight your way through traffic back in to town.

There is another quirky fact about the tale of this town, their distillery and “The Jack” and that is the fact it is a dry county. That’s right, no liquor is to be sold or consumed in public. Personal consumption must be at home. Pretty weird for a town that is famous for a drink called the “Lynchburg Lemonade”. There is no lenience as the police are absolutely vigilant in their enforcement of the law as well. I saw one party goer have his keg of beer removed and taken away on the Thursday night that we arrived. I thought to myself, ouch, that had to hurt the pocket book.

I went from being alone to being surrounded by people rather quickly in Nashville. My wife arrived on Wednesday night and then my friend Rob Reinhardt flew in on Thursday to help compete. One day later my friend Shawn arrived to cheer us on and be a part of the event. I rented an RV and then we drove roughly 120 kilometres southeast to Lynchburg so we could set up camp on the competition grounds. We actually did not drive the farthest as that went to the tem from Fairbanks Alaska. Obviously teams that came from around the globe such as Australia, United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Switzerland etc. travelled by plane.

On the Friday afternoon there is a parade of all the teams through the streets of Lynchburg to the distillery. They have the band who led us through the streets playing as we board an armada of school buses that are waiting to take all the teams up Barbecue Hill. Barbecue Hill is where they built a centre for entertaining the teams and judges who are lucky enough to have the opportunity to be involved. The view from the top looking out over the “holler” as the sun was setting was spectacular. Fried chicken dinner, sweet tea, live band and for those that drink they allow two cocktails at this special party. They also slow cooked a lamb over coals on a spit outside. I wouldn’t want any food to be wasted so I made sure I had a second dinner to help alleviate any problems dealing with leftovers. That was some mighty fine lamb!

The night before the contest as my meat was smoking on the pits, I contemplated sleep. I was tired but had no ambition to give up the night. I was here and I was just taking in the moment. You don’t know when you will be back again. Unlike another contest that you know you can just sign up for next year, this one has no guarantee. Eventually I crawled in to bed at about 3 am. As I laid there, my mind wandered constantly. I imagined what it would be like to win, even just an award. I eventually succumbed to sleep somewhere I presume around 4 am. I was woken up at 5:30 am by rain and scrambled out of bed concerned about the effects of the rain on the cookers. I went out and checked on everything and at that point decided to get the ribs out and start warming them. The first half of the day was a flurry of activity. After cooking all night we had to prepare our turn in boxes for our entries. Our turn in times went as follows, chicken at 12:30, ribs at 1:00, pork at 1:30 and brisket at 2:00 pm. The tension started to build around 11:30 when one of the teams cranked up the volume on the stereo and Ozzy Osborne’s Crazy Train started things off. At that point you could feel it building and I was getting charged. Here we were at the Jack and it was time to go! Our food was awesome and it looked great. By the time the turn ins were done I turned to Rob and Cheryl and said “we have just competed in the Jack!

See how fast you can move when your motivated!

We didn’t win the Jack this year as far as trophies or money goes. That went to a team from Massachusetts. That however is of no consequence to us. Every team that is here is a winner; every one. The fact that we have been invited and competed at the Jack is something that very few people in all of the culinary arts can say. I just hope that my turn comes again. Until next time Lynchburg.

Next stop Douglas, Georgia for “The Best Of The Best” Invitational at the National Barbecue Festival.

Nashville

2009-10-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

Nashville skyline.

When we arrived in Nashville we had plenty of time to spare. After all the driving, touring and the competitions it was time for a rest. It can be a tiring process living on the road where nothing is the same from day to day. I think the entire stimulus has an effect on you. We immediately found a hotel and settled in before heading out for some dinner on our first night in town. Can you guess what kind of food we ate? You guessed it, barbecue. We ventured out to a long time favourite called Jacks Bar-B-Que on Music Row which is on lower Broadway in Nashville.

Music Row in the district.

We wandered in to the restaurant and had a good look around. The smell of burning Hickory, pictures of people involved in barbecue as well as neon beer signs on the wall, lots of happy people. Yup, looks like an old school barbecue joint. I ordered the brisket, beans and coleslaw while Jessica ordered the rib special. Good food, crappy seats. I think the booth was last reupholstered in the mid seventies. When I sat down, I sunk to a level familiar to a six year old and felt like asking for a booster seat. Yes sir, old school.

Jacks Bar-B-Que

If you are in Nashville also known as Music City USA I hope you like country music. I, other then a few Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift songs am not the biggest fan. However the second night we were here, one of my favourite bands Creed was performing at The Sommet Centre, which is where the Nashville Predators of the NHL play. We purchased tickets and really, really enjoyed the show. It was Creeds last date on their tour so they went all out, guns a blazing to finish it off. Nice.

I recognize this guy from somewhere..

We chose to visit the Nashville Aquarium which is not an aquarium like you and I are normally familiar with. This one is actually an indoor restaurant with a 200,000 gallon aquarium in the middle of the restaurant that is full of sharks, rays, tuna and other marine tropical fish. You actually sit at your table and look at the marvellous spectacle in front of you. Odd quirk to this set-up is that the menu is heavily made up of fish? I would think chicken, beef, pork etc., but no, I am eating fish tacos that in theory could be related to the fish in the tank. Hmmm. Anyways, what a great way to have dinner.

After our dinner we headed across the hall to the Sting Ray touch pool. Here you pay to get in and can buy cups full of shrimp to hand feed the full size rays, and there are lots of them. I will post movies of this hilarious adventure next post when I have more time.
We are not done with Nashville as there is more to see but we are getting ready for the Jack Daniels Competition which starts tomorrow. I will have lots to write and share in a few days. My wife flew in from Vancouver last night and my daughter flew home four days ago so we have a changing of the guard so to speak. I also have my friend Shawn Coulter from Vancouver Island, who I have known since I was fifteen arriving tomorrow. I also have a friend from Regina, Rob Reinhardt who has his own top competitive BBQ team, arriving today. Collectively we hope to do our best and make Canada proud.

Bucket List

2009-10-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Metropolis town center.

I have a couple of fun pictures left from Metropolis Illinois. Metropolis, also known as Super City is big on everything to do with Superman and super heroes and villians. It even has a fifteen foot tall bronze Superman statue in the middle of the town centre that has been perfectly painted to match Clark Kent’s secret identity. The town which has grasped the superhero theme and developed it wholeheartedly has photo opportunities all over the city. There is a museum and a very large store with absolutely everything, and anything to do with Superman, that you could imagine. Jessica and I spent quite awhile inside the store looking at all the paraphernalia for sale. Recent items like brand new DVD box sets of the television series Smallville, to old school lunchboxes, trading cards, and comics etc. Clothing, flags, you name it they have it. It is a collectors dream store.

Mammoth Cave National Park.

Our next big stop on the trip was one that we had been eagerly waiting for, Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave is the largest known cave in the world with 367 miles (587 km’s) already mapped! Besides the main cave, there are also adjacent ones that are currently not part of the Mammoth system yet. However, as exploration continues, the belief is that some of these will eventually be connected to Mammoth. Located northeast of Bowling Green Kentucky, the Mammoth region offers many different types of tours, and lodging choices, as well as many other tourist attractions for the whole family including the towns of Cave City and Park City. Mammoth Cave itself will blow your mind and this is definitely something that should be on your own "bucket list".
There are about fifteen tours that you can take part on while visiting the National Park. These range from a mild thirty minute stroll to a strenuous seven hour spelunking adventure that requires they measure your chest before allowing you to partake. If your chest is more than 42 inches wide, you will be denied the chance to participate because some of the passageways that you will be crawling through will not be large enough.
We opted for two different trips on two different days. Our first trip was through and adjacent cave called “The Great Onyx.” We chose this one because it was what they call a lantern tour. What that meant is rather then being lit up with spot lights like most of the cave tours, our group of 35 people had eight Coleman lanterns as our only light source the whole time we were in the cave. This gave us a very different perspective, and was the way that people originally toured the cave. In fact, people have been touring Mammoth Cave since the early 1900’s, travelling for long periods of time and spending large amounts of money to see this natural wonder.

This is from a wet section of the cave.

Our second trip took us on a 4 ½ hour, fairly strenuous hike through Mammoth Cave itself. All I can say is that the cave is absolutely amazing. I have been to Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota and have been lucky enough to tour the two big caves of that region, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave, both of which are fantastic, but this one sets the bar to a new level. The sheer size is incredible and our trip is just over four miles in total. After about the first hour (roughly one mile) of our hike we came upon a large opening inside the cave and to my disbelief it was a restaurant! I am not kidding. There were picnic benches, boxed lunches, hot soups, drinks and snacks all available, as well as washrooms. In the middle of the cave! One mile inside, 300 feet down and we are eating soup and sandwiches.
Mammoth Cave National Park attracts over 2,000,000 million visitors a year with over 500,000 of them taking part in cave tours.

Our menu.

Cave Restaurant

Next stop Nashville.

St.Louis Missouri

2009-10-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Lets go flying!

This is a little out of order as we were in St. Louis before Illinois, but I was preoccupied with getting ready for the competition. That said, St Louis was so much fun for us that I had to write about it. Known as “The Gateway to the West” it features one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States, the Gateway Arch. I have wanted to see the arch since I was a little boy playing hockey back in the prairies and was actively following all the NHL hockey teams. Whenever St. Louis was shown on television during a Blues game, the arch always captured my attention and since then I have always wanted to see it in real life. Life sometimes has a funny way of working out for you.

When I was planning this trip I had made this city a definite stop and quietly planned a few activities that we would do. I did not say anything about my ideas but waited until we got here and just proceeded to have fun. The Arch was first on the list as well as a trip on the Mississippi aboard a river boat. I also wanted to visit the old St. Louis Union Station as well as a helicopter ride around the Arch depending on availability.

Our ride awaits.

The Arch is huge, 670 feet high to be exact and it dominates the skyline in a very impressive way. When you approach it you do not realize just how big it actually is until you get beside it. It is downtown, right on the waterfront of the Mississippi River and right in front of the Old Courthouse.

The old court house.

It is as impressive at night as it is in the day because of the high intensity lighting used at night to light it.

One thing about the Arch is you can not even see the entrances which are at the bottom of each end as they slope down and out of view. When we entered underneath, we were immediately reminded of the post 9/11 era, as the security measures are extreme. This is one very recognizable landmark and is protected as such. The security measures are exactly like boarding an international flight from the airport and there are lots of armed guards on patrol.

We took the elevator to the top and that alone is something very cool in itself. The arch is curved but elevators go vertical right? Here, they have a train of about eight, five person pods, all attached together like a roller coaster. As the cars go up they start to tip on their sides, the cars stop and then rotate back to align vertically again and then continue up the arch some more, and then repeat the procedure all over again.

The door in to each pod.

This is your 5 person pod for the rotating ride up!

The view from the top is awesome but you have to lean forward and lean on to the wall to peer through the tiny windows. Way down below, the people of St. Louis go about their lives while the tourists marvel at the view from this unique piece of architecture. I loved every minute of my time at the Arch.

At the top.

Super City Blues and Ques, Illinois State Championship

2009-10-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Before we left Kansas I did a little more research in regards to cooking and in particular brisket and the pork butt categories. I have done okay in the past but they have never been my strongest in competition. I went over these two areas with different individuals and teams at the Royal and then once again with another person before we left. We made our way to St. Louis and enjoyed our stay there, but I could not stop thinking about what I had learned. I really did not feel like cooking a brisket and a pork shoulder in the parking lot of the hotel we were staying at, however I did entertain the thought. One night I went to the Kansas City Barbeque Society website and looked for upcoming events that might be near by. The 2009 Supercity Blues and Ques Illinois State Championship in Metropolis was scheduled for October 9th and 10th so I called to find out if I could still compete. I was told by their organizer, a nice woman by the name of Pris, that they would fit me in. Great! Now I could practice some of the things I had recently learned.

We drove to Metropolis and paid our entrance fees and then made our way to Paducha Kentucky across the Ohio River to rent a hotel.
When we registered I asked where a good place to buy some quality meat was and was directed to a market in West Paducha. I placed a call to see if they had what I was looking for and sure enough they did, so off we went to go shopping. When we got there I asked for two pork shoulders, two beef briskets, and four racks of ribs. The lady behind the counter looked at me, turned her ear to me and said "four what?" I said "four racks of ribs." She looked at me and said in a heavy southern accent, "I thought you said rocks", "you mean rarks?" I responded, with "yes, I need four rarks." Good to go.

We arrived at the competition on Friday about noon. When I pulled around the block to make my way up to our spot on the main street the first thing I saw was the” Lotta Bull BBQ” RV and BBQ pit parked in the first spot. Immediately I thought, “Competition is going to be very tough.” There were teams from Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. I was the only one with Weber’s, everything else were big pits, trailers and homemade converted oils tanks.

We met a lot of really nice people at this weekend and they really treat us well. It seems they are generally thrilled that a team would come so far and visit them. No shortage of new friends and memories from this trip. I was told that southern hospitality is really amazing and I am definitely finding it to be true. I was surprised that when Mike Davis from Lotta Bull and I were chatting, that he offered his help in lining up a pit for me to compete at the Jack in two weeks. He then also informed me that he had a stockpile of wood in Tennessee that I could have access to. Mike and his wife Debbie are very friendly and it is no wonder they have so many friends around the country.

Awards time came and I honestly thought I turned in the best brisket and pork that I ever have, but I still thought I am among some big contenders here. As the results came in we got second in brisket, and seventh in pork, right here in barbeque country. We finished fifth overall and feel pretty good about our spur of the moment decision to compete. We also got a special award of recognition presented to us from the city of Metropolis, signed by the mayor, for coming so far of to compete at this competition. We are bringing home more hardware and prize money! Thanks Illinois.

American Royal

2009-10-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

As we went through our cameras looking for pictures and videos we realized to our dismay that we really didn't have any! As a team of two cooking twice in two nights we were so preoccupied with everything related to competing that we did not take any pictures. The only footage we have is a small walk that we took on Friday afternoon before the crowds arrived for the big party, as well as a few minutes of the fire works on Saturday night. Keep in mind the party is on Friday and not Saturday as all the teams are cooking on Saturday night. What you get to see is a general idea of what a very, very small part of the grounds is like without the crowds. The American Royal BBQ happens on a space the size of the PNE and is packed with teams, people, parties, smoke and music. The saloons that you see are the parties that are put on by the teams. When we go to a typical competition we are assigned a 20x20 space to cook on. At the Royal you pay for the size you want, and then truck in all the necessary supplies needed to build your nightclub.

Here is a picture of a custom made smoker, and yes it works!

Trailers like this one loading in on the Wednesday were everywhere.

Next stop St. Louis, Missiouri.

Mardi Gras

2009-10-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

What a party! If you ever get a chance to get to Kansas City during the American Royal Barbecue competition you have to go. Let me paint a picture for you of what it was like this year for the 30th anniversary. For starters, put 500 BBQ teams with all of their equipment, their excitement and enthusiasm on the grounds around the main complex with big trailers, smokers, trucks and tents everywhere. Then there was a NASCAR event in town the same weekend as the competition to enhance the draw of people to Kansas City this year. This year the competition drew an expected 150,000 people down to the grounds just on Friday night alone. This created not only a wild atmosphere, but traffic jams all around the grounds for the police to deal with. Friday night was the official kick off, with all of the big parties happening, and I mean parties. It was like Mardi Gras. The American Royal even has a category for the best corporate and the best team parties of the evening. One of our neighbours beside us, a Kansas team put on a corporate party that was fantastic. Imagine this, motor homes, large tents, and a live band, full service staff including bartenders, and over a dozen full size kegs of beer, cases of wine and lots of food. They fired up their big BBQ Pit and cooked up a whole pile of food for their guests as well as they cooked gallons of spicy Jambalaya in a special large cauldron that is designed just for cooking Jambalaya for crowds. They had over four hundred guests with wristbands on that night, and yet, this was just one of multiple parties that were of the same size and scope all over the grounds. Both Friday and Saturday nights also had awesome fireworks displays the size we have on Canada Day after 11:00 pm.

Barbecue is big business down here and a lot of corporations sponsor a team. Sometimes companies will have employees who are the active team members out working Friday and Saturday as competitors. The Kansas City Hilton is a good example. Their head chef is the pit boss of "Munching Hogs at the Hilton". He works Monday through Thursday at the Hilton and then Friday and Saturday on the competition circuit; six days a week every week of the season. Corporate sponsors typically pay for the teams annual competition fees and associated costs which range between $10,000 dollars for fairly active local teams to $50,000 dollars for the full time circuit cruisers. Lotta Bull BBQ is a good example of a top rated full time competitor. The top winning teams can make up to $200,000 in winnings each year. There is a lot of money changing hands down here in the US over barbecue, literally millions of dollars just on competition alone.

Now on to us. Friday night we made our sauces with all fresh ingredients and spices and got our briskets and pork butts on the smokers for the Invitational on Saturday. Saturday morning came and we got up and fired up another smoker for our ribs at 6:00 am. We got our ribs on and then proceeded to start getting our turn in boxes ready. Under the KCBS rules there is only 30 minutes between turn in times so there is no time for a team of two to do that on the fly. My daughter Jessica, who quickly became an adopted child of some surrounding teams, did an amazing job and I am quite certain she might have been Grand Champ in the box category should there have been one.
As the turn in times came, we were happy with what we cooked and shared it with some of the teams beside us. I offered our chicken to them as it was our first category and the first comment I got back was “You guys from up north can cook some barbecue”. One of them, a long time BBQ judge said "that is some damn good chicken." Our next categories came and as we turned everything in we felt we had made some really good food but we knew we were coming to a different part of the world and regional tastes were going to be a factor. We were able to share our food and take notes with some of the local teams and we definitley took advantage of that opportunity. That could only happen in a place like this. I actually tasted the best pulled pork that I have ever had, and then was taught how to replicate it!

The Open with 500 teams, was the next day, which meant it was time to start getting ready. As I said before one of the golden rules in competition is to not change anything, however as I started poking around to find out what was up and what the judges tastes might be like and also thinking about everything I saw. Should I change something or not? That night as I got our meat ready to go on the smokers I decided to change some things with two of our categories, brisket and pork butt. I thought to myself, lets just see what happens. Saturday morning came and we started the whole routine over again. When we got the results we achieved our target for this year. If you had read the newspaper interview they did with me, I stated that my goal was to finish in the middle of the pack for my first time in Kansas City and that I figured that would be a realistic goal. I achieved that in the open in Kansas and I am comfortable with that, but only for this year though. With everything that I have been shown, taught or just plain been let in on, I have been made a much better cook then what I came down here as. The Big Leagues have got me, hook, line and sinker. After everything I have learned already, I will work even harder this winter on perfecting and creating the best world class barbecue for my customers and competition. I am coming back Kansas City...

Next stop, The Jack Daniels Invitational World Championship in Lynchburg Tennesse!

I am also working on lots of pictures and videos to come very soon. Keep coming back!

Arthur Bryants.

2009-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

I will just put up this little video I made today. Don't laugh as it is the first time I have used this camera and my first attempt at trying to figure out the software. It will get better. I promise.

Anyways that is besides the point as the most important thing today was getting my trailer on to the American Royal grounds and getting some supplies for the time that I will be there. The grounds are huge! I have never seen anything on the scale that this competition will be. I saw pictures on the Internet and thought it was big but I didn't know that those pictures only show one out of five or six lots. I met a nice local team who helped me find my way to the hardware store today. I also met Steve and Cheryl Holbrook from Kansas City face to face today. Steve, (who is team mates with Paul Kirk,) and I corresponded through email before I made my way out here. Bob Lyon introduced us last month, and both Steve and Cheryl drove out to meet us at the grounds. Super nice people they are and I will have more to share later. I will also have more about the grounds tomorrow when I get pictures. It is a sight to behold.

Today we went to Arthur Bryants for lunch and it was fantastic. This is about as good as it gets when it comes to barbecue. The Holy Grail of briskets! I had the most amazing brisket piled high on white wonder bread with barbecue sauce drizzled on top. Throw some pickles on the side and some baked beans and it will bring a tear to a grown mans eye. The people at Bryants were really nice to us. I told them that we were competing at the Royal and that we had driven a very long way to get here from Canada. I think they were impressed by our efforts as they took us behind the counter to see the big old brick pit. Actually we have been stopped a number of times in Kansas City because of our "North Vancouver BC" logos on the truck. People just can't believe we drove that far. Forget the stereotypes you here about, there are more people who know where BC is then you think. Well at least a dozen anyways.

The cool thing about Kansas City if your a barbecue lover is the smell. You drive around the city and fall victim to the sweet, smokey smell of burning Hickory everywhere. You know you had it last night but you just cant say no today.
Cheers,
Justin

So many deer!

2009-09-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Monday morning comes and we wake to continue our drive to Kansas City. I have allowed four days to make it easier on my back as that is definitely my weakest link. At least with multiple settings on the power seats I can continually move things around to ease the fatigue and pain that will ensue with a long drive. I must look absolutely ridiculous at times to some of the other motorists as they pass by. From lying almost on my back with my arms up like Frankenstein, to pushed right up against the steering wheel in a completely prone position, I definitely will add something to see on the highway.

We leave Salt Lake City and head across the bottom of Wyoming instead of going over the mountain ranges of Utah and Colorado. The drive inside Utah is very pretty and makes it one of my favourite states to drive through. Just think of the “Old West” with red rock, spires and arches which make it spectacular. They actually film lots of western movies here. As you make your way through Wyoming it eventually just turns into a grey, barren desert like setting which I think is good only for ranching and windmills. Oh yeah, and the millions of deer you see here. I am talking about more deer then you could imagine. You could honestly catch them with nets!

Just before Cheyenne we head south through Fort Collins to arrive in Denver. I am hungry and I feel like dinner so I proceed to type in my GPS” barbecue” under the food section. I choose Bennetts Pit Barbecue mainly because it says “pit”. The woman’s voice in the GPS (I affectionately call her “Biatch”) tells me how to navigate to get there, and we get through Denver and arrive at the restaurant fairly easily. The first thing I notice as a caterer is the ten vans parked in the parking lot for delivery. I think to myself, “This is a good start”. When we have decided on what to eat, Jessica orders the side ribs. Good girl! I told you she knows barbecue. I order the platter which has ¼ chicken, pulled pork, brisket, sausage, side ribs, and some really good beans. Three sauces are in squeeze bottles on the table and it is very good. We can’t eat it all despite our best efforts, so I pack it up in the clamshell container that is provided and take it home. Today during the drive, the leftovers are excellent.

Once we were inside Kansas, I saw the first of other competitors arriving for The Royal. These guys were from Texas and they have brought along a smokehouse! I am not kidding. You could stand inside this thing, and they must have used a crane to put it on the trailer. They even bring full size logs. Not split fire wood logs, but we are talking about some broken fallen trees.

We eventually arrive in Kansas City Missouri as it is getting dark. There are a lot of hills and trees everywhere and it is not anything like western Kansas which is flat farming country. From what I have seen so far it is a nice clean city, much like Vancouver or Seattle. Tomorrow I will know more when the lights come on. On the menu for tomorrow,I am anxiously awaiting either lunch or dinner at Arthur Bryants or Oklahoma Joes.

Time to hit the road.

2009-09-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday is the first day of our trip. My daughter and I are up and out of the house at a decent time and anxious to get on the road. Our trailer is now decorated with our logos and it looks really good. The trailer is full of our smokers, cooking equipment, canopies and my paraglider and paramotor.

We are excited and ready to take on the world. By the time we hit the border we slow right down to a long two hour crawl across the line. Patience is needed to keep the frustration in check but eventually we do get across and on our way. I stopped at my trailer in Birch Bay to get some tools should we have a problem on the highway and I grab a spare propeller in case I break one on the trip. As we travel through Washington the weather is hot and windy and by the time we reach inland Washington it is very dry. Around Ellensburg we start to see a lot of black smoke in the sky. Within minutes after that, a police siren alerts us to the cruiser approaching us from behind. Not much farther ahead as we pass through Yakima, there is a very large fire roaring right next to the highway in a lumber yard. The heat coming off of the fire is so intense I am sure you could have roasted a pork shoulder right on the side of the road. I was actually concerned about the new logos on the one side of the trailer melting.

We stop and spend our first night in Pendleton Oregon. Sunday we get a decent start and make our way from Oregon to Twin Falls Idaho where we have lunch and a walk along the Snake River Bridge. This bridge is well known in the B.A.S.E. jumping community as it is a frequently used platform. The canyon is like an oasis in a dry and barren part of the state. Lush with greenery at the bottom of the gorge it is a favourite place for photographers to stop and capture the imagery.

From here we travel along the interstate to Salt Lake City Utah. Once in Salt Lake we hit a Wal-Mart to pick up groceries before heading downtown to see the famous Mormon Tabernacle Temple. It is a beautiful building that reminds me of the architecture of Europe. I wasn’t sure if it was polite to take pictures or not but as we walk around it, there are other tourists taking photos and it seems to be fine. In fact the gates to the grounds were even opened up for tourists to walk through. It is a very beautiful place indeed.

Tomorrow we will make our way to Denver Colorado.

The Big Leagues.

2009-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

There is an amazing feeling when you win your first award in competition. Up until then, you watch the usual suspects up there receiving awards on a regular basis and wonder just what it is that they are doing to win. How many times I wished I could be a fly on the wall as they were prepping and cooking just to see what was being done. You taste your own food and you know it is really good, but it just doesn’t seem to bring home the glory, at least until the first time. Yaahoo! We did it! What a great feeling. Our first award! The smart ones go and write down everything that was done to achieve success. The more creative types like me, which lack the organizational skill of some people, just revel in the experience. We forget to write things down and are soon found at the next competition trying to recall just what it was that we did the last time. Eventually I figured it out and started to write down what we indeed had done to achieve success after competitions. A little more organization helps the cause as my memory just isn’t what it used to be. My wife and friends literally had to beat organizational skills into me, but once they took hold my life certainly became easier. That said I still like to “just wing it” away from work.

We have won awards in all four of the categories in barbecue competition. Pork shoulder, beef brisket, pork ribs and chicken. Each cut has its idiosyncrasies and has to be cooked and treated completely different from each other. Different sauces, rubs, cooking times, methods and wood for each cut, while having to submit each one to a set of certified judges in nine minute windows over a four hour period takes practice and attention to detail. As the competitions came and went we started to get a growing collection of awards from our efforts and were very proud of what we had accomplished. Early this year I decided to get a little more serious about barbecue competition. I decided that I would stay focused the whole night. I would tend to the fire more attentively, watch the temperature, mist the meat or just basically baby the food. The results were dramatic. Our awards for the last year tripled.

In August 2009 we won the Canadian National BBQ Championships in Whistler BC. In Whistler we also won the Cork and Pork contest having to pair our pulled pork with a Zinfandel from Ravens Wood. These are two big accomplishments for one contest and you can read more about that on our website at www.smokeandbones.ca . This contest of 39 teams from Canada and the United States is the big one for us and is what generated invitations from three big competitions in the US. The American Royal Barbecue Competition in Kansas City Missouri, The Jack Daniels World Championship in Lynchburg Tennessee and The Best of The Best in Douglas Georgia. Wow! This is the stuff I watched on The Food Network just a few years earlier. We are going to the big leagues!

I never imagined we would be in the place that we are right now, preparing for the barbecue trip of a lifetime. We will be documenting our travels and blogging all the way. We will post a ton of pictures and videos of our experiences, who we meet, what we do and what we see from Vancouver to Florida and back via the Gulf Coast. Bookmark us and spread the word because this is going to be quite the ride!

A competition team is formed.

2009-09-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

Over the first few years I spent hundreds of hours tending to my little water smoker and the various cuts of meats that adorned the grill. I bought a ton of cookbooks, tried new techniques, spices, rubs and sauces, and I started to make some really good barbecue. Eventually I had friends ask me to cook for their social engagements, their parties and their dances, and I really enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm and passion with this new love of mine. However as a bit of a perfectionist I am always trying to improve on whatever I do. This is not necessarily a good trait as you are seldom happy with your results and it can be exhausting in your quest for perfection. That said, I charged on full steam ahead. I took lessons in the US from Ray Lampe, also known as “Dr. BBQ”. I took a course with Paul Kirk “The Baron of BBQ” that Angie Qualle of ”Well Seasoned” in Langley hosted,and had beers and dinner with someone I would eventually call a friend, author “Rockin Ronnie” Shewchuck. It was Ron’s book that I first found intriguing because of the barbecue competition stories. I hung on to those stories and thought maybe one day I would be good enough to compete as well.

Eventually I would go on to have surgery on my back. It was not a complete success but it helped alleviate the pain. Not living in agony all the time tends to put a better perspective on life and you’re outlook changes. I was much more ambitious and it was Ron who convinced Smoke and Bones to enter their first competition back in the spring of 2007. By now I had already cooked for groups of three hundred people, but this competition was way more intimidating. I pulled out every trick that I had been taught and that I read over the past couple of years, but when the results came in it was humbling. We did very good for a first time team, but remember the perfectionism? Damn it! One thing I can say is that there were some teams that welcomed us in with open arms and I will never forget them for that. It was because of that, we came back to try again. Friendships were formed and a whole new passion had just begun. A passion that would lead to the reason I am writing this blog.

How it all began.

2009-09-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

In 2002 I was seriously hurt in a paragliding accident and deemed disabled. A broken back, wrist and torn TFC cartilage left a 35 year old automotive technician without a career or any hope. Suffering from chronic pain and no idea what to do, I tried to keep busy doing whatever I could within my pain tolerance. Married with three children, we had a busy household and I felt guilt at the predicament that my family was now in. I started looking for things that I could do to help out and I assumed the role of chief cook in our house. I found rewards in cooking for my family as they would eagerly consume the meals I prepared and then tell me how much they enjoyed my culinary skills. It certainly helped to bolster my battered ego.

As spring came I set out to buy a new barbecue. I looked around for about a month and then finally purchased a stainless one for just over $1000.00. A real beauty. I then proceeded to pour through recipe books and surf the cooking websites searching for recipes to cook on that new barbecue. I was after the next recipe that they would enjoy even more then the last one I prepared. I soon started watching the Food Network every night and eventually found out about "real barbecue". Southern barbecue. You know the kind of barbecue that brings the professionals out to competitions to cook for money. Big black smokers, the size of small gas plants on trailers, whole hogs and old seasoned men that knew how to cook meat in a way that was secretive like a cult. They would interview contestant's who would say things like "rub", "mop" and "green wood". Who knew what that meant? It sure sounded cool though.

Guess what? It was only a matter of time and I too, needed a real barbecue. I did my research and ended up buying my first water smoker, a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. Can you imagine my wife’s surprise when I showed up with this new cooking apparatus after just spending all that money on the gas grill. "What do you mean we need a barbecue?" she asked. I told her, "Dear that is a grill, this is a barbecue." It all began like that.