4300 miles in six days. At the last minute, prior to leaving Wenatchee, my
new job (I am now a part-time bus driver for our local transit system. My
training -- which was begun December 12, just ended two weeks previous)
called and asked me to be available on 2/19. So I had to be home less than a
week after leaving. This is why I owe apologies and regrets to Steve W.,
John in Austin, Pete R. in Houston for passing by without getting together.
I am planning a trip back in the fall, and I promise to look you all up. I
appreciated your generous offers to get together, and regret not doing so. I
had also hoped to spend a bit of time with Danny Gaulden, but timing didn't
work out there. either.

I did get to see Bob and Big Jim. Bob, it was good to meet you and have
some conversation and share some 'Q. :-)

Best brisket of the trip:
Big Jim's in McIntosh FL, and Danny's Dairy Queen in Carlsbad NM.

I enjoyed the company and the incredible hospitality of Big Jim on my second
day of the trip. I wished Jim was closer to my home. I think he was worried
I was losing too much weight, 'cause that man laid my plate full, and kept
it that way. Mind you, I ain't complaining... not ONE little bit. Besides
the excellent ribs, sausage, and brisket, Jim does catfish that just melts
in your mouth.

As before, when we first met, Jim was generous in sharing recipes and info.
about running his joint, which will be of help. It was also great fun
interacting with some of Jim's customers, which were a steady stream the
whole time I was there. It is obvious that word of mouth should continue to
draw customers from a wide area. Our time visiting went much too quick.
Thanks for everything, Jim... you are special.

Darned Good Eats:
Black's, Kreutz, Chisholm, in Lockhart. Cooper's in Llano.

Worst Barbecue, ANY category:
Flying Pig Bar-B-Q (shhhiiiivvverrrr) in Winnemucca, NV. An appropriate
name: this will only be called 'Q when pigs fly.

Best Sausage:
Big Jim's

Best surprise:
Burr's Country Store BBQ, Exit 864 off of I-10 near Vidor, TX. This store
caught my eye and made me do a double-take just as I was passing by. I had
to turn off at the next exit and back-track on a frontage road to get a
better look. The building was a living incarnation of what I am going to be
building; the same size, using the same post-frame style of construction,
and even the same color-scheme along with the wood planking covering the
front of the building. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures and spent
quite a bit of time talking to the owner about his place. The food was worth
spending money on -- brisket and sausage -- but not at the same level as Big
Jim and Danny.

The car I bought in Ft. Lauderdale for Caleb ran extremely well, and made it
back in fine shape. Someone tried to jimmy the driver's lock during the
second night, 'cause in the morning I found the lock all loosened like
someone had tried to pry it. Other than that, the trip was uneventful with
long days of driving.

If all goes well, I should be breaking ground within the next four weeks.
This is definitely an exciting time. I hope to get some pictures of the
"before" onto ABF sometime in the next few days.
Best Regards,
Dave