Why?

I’m not sure.  I’m unsure of being sure.  Of this, I’m sure.  Yesterday while riding my bike because it’s what I did yesterday, and the day before; I started wondering, why?  Why me?  Why this or why that?

I’m not pondering why the sky is blue….which everyone knows is because Santa wants it that way….and I’m not pondering why I’m here, which I’ve always assumed has something to do with college football.  Rather, I’m wondering why I have so much fun in the face of so much…..crap.

Why do I set out to ride when sometimes I don’t really "feel it"?  In my laziness, I’ll put off riding only to begrudgingly haul myself outside in my gear, ride away only to return a few hours later with an ear to ear grin.

Why?  Why can I take something that causes occasional pain, financial hardship, injury and sometimes stress….and turn it into something beautiful?  Why is it so much fun?  Why?  As I pedaled along asking these pointed questions of myself, a large staghorn cholla ball passed un-noticed below my front wheel only to be picked up by my rear tire and flung at incredible speed into my left calf.

I’ve been hit by cholla untold times, always stinging from the encounter.  This time, it felt like a vice was clamped onto my muscle….and upon stopping, it became apparent why.  Aside from many smaller points of attachment onto my skin…one barb in particular, a very mature and robust barb was not only attached to my epidermis; but had pierced deep into my muscle just below the surface.  For the first time, I witnessed my skin dimpling from the force and depth of the barb now attached to me.

As I pulled and pulled, I struggled to remove this barb from my leg.  Quite a bit of force was required for me to remove this attachment from my leg.  After 5 minutes of struggling, I was able to twist it enough to open up a channel and remove the spine.  No doubt, the twisting turned the barbs within enough to tear open a bore-shaft within my calf….the blood running freely was proof of this.

Why?  Why when this happened, was I listening to Nirvana…..pedaling ever faster and faster, heart beating out of my chest?  Why when this happened, did Kurt Cobain start yelling, “Won’t you believe it, just my luck”?  Why did I just then notice that there were two wild horses, 100 yards from me who no doubt stood there eating shrubs while keeping an eye & ear tuned to my very vocal efforts to remove a bit of cactus from my body?

Why did I get right back on my bike after removing the barb and ride away, all smiles? 

Why?

Worthy of a reprint - shameless self promotion

OK......life has been very busy.....I have no time to blog about my radness...since the only rad thing I've done is work out a strategic capture plan for KPAC....and no one likes powerpoint....so I'll spare you the play-by-play and give you the synopsis:  I'm gonna get them money.  In lieu of any worthwhile activity to shoot or write about, I present to you the only rad thing going on which just arrived in the mail today.....

If you want more....and you should......considering we're on the verge of yet another great winter....then check out Backcountry Magazine at your local news stand or online.

Happy turns and well wishes for everyone finding your spaces between.....I'm off to go burn some skis for Ullr.

TUK FXS game day

Waking the next day, the briskie was rubbed with some coarse grained spices and then placed onto the smoker....26 hours later, it would be done.....

With an even mix of mesquite and hickory, the smoke begins to rise with the excitement of the day....the game is still a day away but the smell of the wood reminds me of my first OU game so very long ago....

Closing the lid on the meat....my only interaction with it other than to add wood to the smoke is seen through these two little guys....their remotes always within earshot to wake me in the middle of the night in case of temp spikes.....

As the meat slowly rose in temp....I prepped the other foods for the next day....here my TUK FXS coleslaw has taken shape.....

Fire roasting poblanos and Anaheims which are added into the polenta along with Gruyère cheese which is then formed into wedges and grilled fresh the next day....

With all the food prep done....I had nothing to do with the rest of the day before the game....but plot the internal temp profile of the briskie on it's march to completion.....

At 9 the next day.....The ribs went on.....here they're done with their first 2 hrs in the smoke and are now being wrapped in foil and juices for another 2 hrs.....the 2-2-1 method being employed....

With folks arriving and the game going well....halftime afforded me the opportunity to spread things out....

Prior to serving....I set aside the point on the brisket.....to be used as burnt ends later.  Happy with yet another successful gastronomic execution and a win this year by OU....the memories of friends who helped me celebrate over some of the best bark on a briskie ever will keep me fueled until next year....