Tell your maw, tell your paw, went down to Arkansas

Spent several days backpacking around the Buffalo River, and learned the perils of doing like a dozen creek crossings in the middle of winter. Lets just say that it was not exactly tropical





Got out of AR while the gitting was good, and made it up to KC for some boss cross shenanigans in the the mud and snow. Platte may not be the fields of Flanders but it was pretty wild nonetheless. I managed a 2nd in the cat 4 which is my best finish ever in a non-ss race. Every person that I passed, I passed on foot. Todays race was all about being the fastest person OFF the bike. Once again props to Jeremy, Joe Bob, Hersey and everybody else that makes this event happen
I will post up the rest of the story when I finish my lecture and get a better/faster connection
xoxo
Stamper

For Sale wavesport ACE

Need to start liquidating gear that does not get much use any more.
Wavesport Ace 4.7 probably about 4 seasons of use out it. Has been paddled on almost every major southeastern river. very slicey and has a very loose hull.
$200
I can include the paddle, skirt, and helmet for extra $.
The children are not included
I also have throw bags, extra flotation, a shorty dry top, that can be included to totally outfit a smaller paddler

He's a killer

Brutus the German Short hair

We may have to keep him........he has got big floppy ears and a winning personality, what else could you want in a dog?

we suck again

uh.....uh......(hanging head).....uh.....I generally stay out of the political arena, mostly cuz I think all politicians suck. For me choosing between McCain vs Obama was like picking between putting my hand in a garbage disposal and getting a grundle tattoo. Mike was interviewed on NPR this evening and managed not to sound like a geriatric moron. Needless to say, I liked Mike.
ignore the write up and listen to the interview.
Yes, he is conservative, but he is calling for honest dialogue, not the foaming of the mouth diatribe that the rest of the GOP flunkies spew at every chance they get.

Teh satelittes have aligned for the first time in amny moons and for some reason I have been able to pirate wifi.....I am also in the process of chowing some pork and kimchee so if this is painfully short bear with me. I have scanned the larger sections of the pisgah ranger district so you can start getting an idea of how horrible it was last year. I am sure that Trails illustrated will send one of their GIS thugs to rough me up for posting their stuff up so I gotta give them the props. get you own here



Starting to get a shopping list together. Thinking I might get some winter boots, lights, and some new chamois to match the colors of Bad Goat Racing.....whatever thats gonna be

Here how the really horrible things played out

Nightmares and lights

Last night I almost got smoked riding home. I was zipping down a long hill in the rain and it was dark, and I have yet to secure my commuting lights to the bike. anyhow this little sedan turns left directly in front of me.
I immediately lock up both brakes and quickly surmise that unless drastic actions are taken forthwith, my demise may be immanent. So rather than broadside this car, I try to outrun it into the turn. I knew that I was carrying too much speed to actually make the turn so I tried to straighten the angle a little and ended up having to bunny hop a rather imposing curb and ride it out through some bodies front yard.

I was really gonna yell at the woman and then I realized that I did not have any lights on, so I was really the one who was at fault. I just kind of waved at her sheepishly and rode home very defensively.
Then I had a horrible nightmare about how marko and jesse lalonde and 2 other pale white BKB flunkies were chasing me down a hill on a bike yelling about how the BKB is for haters. It was really weird. I am pretty sure that it was the turkey sausage I put in my marinara sause that caused this abomination of REM. uuuughgg..shiver...shiver.
On the upside things are looking bright for The Most Horrible Thing Ever

the recipes

Since I have been threatened with bodily harm, here are the recipes I have promised to give to several different people after breaking bread at races. Good food only becomes great when it is shared with others.
Note: all of these recipes are adaptations of recipes that I have found over the years I have tried to list the actual source where I adapted my recipe from.

Boiled Chicken Salad: This recipe came from watching Brit Saylor make staff dinner at Roaring Gap. I always hated any type of “salad” growing up cuz it was mushy and had a sweet relish taste to it. This has lots texture to stand up to the flavor of the horseradish and lemon. Slap it on some whole wheat bread and you have the makings of a sandwich that will change your life.
2lbs Chicken Breast (I like the stuff that has not been boned, cuz its is a lot cheaper and you will be deboning it after it is cooked)
3 Stalks of Celery (chopped coarsely)
1 crisp apple, chopped finely (I like Pink lady, York, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples)
½ a Vidalia onion (chopped finely)
Toss the whole breasts into a pot of boiling water. Boil for at least 10 minutes or until the internal temp is at least 160 degrees. (Note: I actually like to make this at the same time that I am making chicken stock so sometimes I end up overcooking it as part of the stock, but it makes no difference) then take it out of the water and let it cool. After the chicken has cooled, debone it and coarsely chop it with a sharp knife into ½ - ¾ inch cubes. Combine with your other chopped veggies in a large bowl and toss lightly.
The Dressing: This is what can make or break your salad.
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Mayo (I prefer Dukes mayonnaise, a North Carolina product), however other brands will suffice NEVER USE SALAD DRESSING
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (more or less according to who is going to be joining you)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (pardon me, do you have any Grey poupon?)
The juice of at least ½ lemon
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.



Tortellini Asparagus salad: this is an adaptation of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.
2 packages (9 oz each) of frozen tortellini
1 lb of asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces, discarding the bottom pieces of the stalks that have a hard woody texture.
1 large yellow (or red) sweet bell pepper chopped coursely
Cook the tortellini according to directions, then drain and rinse. Combine with asparagus and chopped pepper in a large bowl.
In a screw top (or otherwise sealable) container combine the following ingredients
1 ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
¼ cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon sugar (honey would also make a good substitute)
Pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
Now take the aforementioned screw top container put the lid on and shake the crap out of it for about 30 seconds then pour it over the top of the pasta and veggies. Then refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Just before serving garnish with :
½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated (I prefer pecorino Romano though)
¼ cup chopped dry roasted almonds
Enjoy!

Its gonna be the best christmas ever....er...um...

Started shopping and what better place to get stocking stuffers than Paragon......who's on your list?

We are also gonna be meeting up with all the Caley clan outside of French Lick (insert joke here) and Paoli, IN for christmas. I have been scoping out some spots to ride and this looks to be very promising. Its not Pisgah, but it'll do.

genuflections

To all the race promoters out there.....you get nothing but crap from people for the job that you do, and no one see all the work that goes into a race. I respect you.
This past weekend I volunteered to help out with Boss Cross at Tiffany Springs Park. It was also my first ever experience with Jeremy, who strikes you as being more at home promoting punk rock shows than cycling events. He was frickin hilarious spinning vinyl on top of the "the dutchman", mocking peter every time he went by, spitting game at Hersheys' bonnie lass, and putting a dent in the Boulevard stockpiles all the while. Truly a gentleman of distinction.
I also learned that Hersey is really demented at least as far as designing CX courses go. We were standing there admiring his coup de etat, the uphill undulating washboard section. His observation was pretty much, a "ugh,I would not want to have to ride that" muttered through gritted teeth as we watched the masters grind away up the earthen cobbles.
It was a long day but it was good to get to meet some new folks and see the nationals course.
Joe Bob, Kathy, and the wee Fox met us at some pasta place a little later. The wee Fox was eyeballing my pumpkin ravioli (it was much better than it sounded) probably cuz the fillin looked like baby food.
I have got to say how beautiful western MO is in the fall. There are lots of hardwoods and colors as the trees change, not the monochrome brown that I have gotten used to in central KS. I miss home..........



Sigh......the land of the pine