Hot Sauce of the Week

Uncle CC's Serrano-Uncle CC can do no wrong! According to him, people are consuming this stuff almost faster than he can make it and with good reason. A little heat, plenty of tang and a hint of smoke...this sauce is boss! If you live in Birmingham, you like hot sauce and you don't have a bottle of this in your kitchen then I got nothing for you. Killer sauce from a stand-up guy made locally. No excuses, click here, drop him a line and get yourself a bottle!  

Excellence

Perfect shot to sum up last weekend's activities, great time riding and camping with the crew. This is the season, pack your bike and get out and ride that damn thing and sleep somewhere strange.

(photo stolen from Ian at Americana Speed Shop)

Customer Appreciation Day

If you are out and about this weekend, stop by Heart of Dixie HD for their Customer Appreciation Day. Kustom Jeff will be there selling prints of his awesome photography. Trust me, I have no less than four of them hanging in my house. Great stuff for your garage, man cave, living room, etc. So GO! If you can't make it, you can see and buy his stuff online here. 

Job Hunting

If you know anybody hiring for a good M-F 8-5ish job in the Birmingham area, send it my way.

I have experience in management, claims processing, customer service, sales, etc. 

If you need my resume, e-mail me through the sticker link and I'll forward it to you.

Mark Your Calendar

Hot Sauce of the Week

Alabama Wild Fire Extra Extra Hot-if you are a fan of pepper and vinegar sauces but you want something hotter, you'll like this one. It nails that flavor combination but outside of that, it doesn't have much else to offer. Good sauce, not great. You could do much worse but a few more ingredients and it could do a lot more. 3 cal/tsp

Random

It is always a good feeling when you look through your phone photos and see a random shot from a day in the saddle. I'm planning on getting out again this morning and likely won't be back until supper time. Enjoy the good days while you can.

Keep Walking

Rain Delay

So the plan for last weekend was two nights of camping at Noccalula Falls with another family that also has two girls. The first night was great, the facility was awesome and super kid friendly. We pitched the tents, made a fire, cooked burgers and made smores. All in all, it was a pretty great first camping experience for our kids.

Unfortunately two approaching storm systems would have made for a full day of rain and in the interest of not keeping four kids inside a tent all day we broke camp and headed home. We did decide to keep the weekend with our friends going and instead spent Saturday at their house.

Some time ago my buddy Jason bought the KZ650 that had been sitting in my garage. Since we had a cooler full of cold beer and a non-running bike that needed attention, our plans were pretty clear. He had already taken the carbs apart and started cleaning them. We used our time reassembling and adjusting them. Once we got everything together again the bike fired up first kick. They needed more adjustment but I was able to take the bike down the road before the day was out. There is still work needed to get the beast road worthy. I'm sure I'll see another day in his garage before all is said and done.

Hot Sauce of the Week

Uncle CC's Teriyaki-ok, the extra picture on the right is with good reason. I opened this bottle Monday at lunch and took these photos Thursday after dinner. In case you can't tell, I really like this sauce. I don't know what or how many calories are in it. I do know you can count the ingredient list using less than all of your fingers. If I had one thing I would add it would be a little more of the teriyaki flavor. Another excellent offering from a local hot sauce start-up. Get yours here.

Dual Sportster

Video description on youtube says it all.

Cookout

Above is a before and after shot of my contribution to this past weekend's Inbreds cookout. I was too busy eating, drinking and laughing to shoot any other photos. I think it was a universal phenomenon. Our resident shutterbug Kustom Jeff had his rig with him but didn't shoot anything either. There is something that a southern Saturday afternoon, a back yard and the right group of friends can do to you. I hope everyone is able to enjoy times like these right now, here's to many more!  

Ramble

      Sometimes the call is too great, the pull too strong to resist. When you get a window you have to take it. You choose a path and follow it. You make a wrong turn and you double back. In the end, when you find your way home, sometimes the first mile seems like it was traveled on a different day. When the sights, smells and sounds grow so high in number, my brain tricks me into pushing them so far back that they seem so distant. 

      I discovered long ago that a catfish dinner can be just what you need after a long day. Brandon and I discovered The Ark on our way back from who knows where some time ago. It was one of those days where we rode until we ran out of daylight and then hopped on the slab to power home. I've passed it time and time again on my way out of town. For this ride, it was just an excuse to get out of the city.

      It is rare these days that I have a chance to just go. Don't get me wrong, I am always going somewhere. It is days where I can go nowhere that I rarely see anymore. Looking at a map, I made a few mental notes and calculations and had a loose plan in mind. In the end, loose was the best word for it as I ditched earlier ideas and took turns with better looking horizons. I chased water where it ran and turned again when the water became the shore.

      I looked for routes that ran close to the beaten path but not on it. I made mistakes and got burnt by the sun. I pushed my luck, gambled and won. The day was cold until the mid afternoon and I fell in love with the chill in the air and the goosebumps that resulted. I ran through traffic approaching the city again and could have kissed the first familiar face I saw.
     I would say that days like these are few and far between but it would be a lie. I am fortunate to have a lot of good days lately. They are all good in different ways filled with different things. The season has changed and this is the first of what will hopefully be many, cramming all that we can in before the cold returns and we'll dream of times like these. I'm going to fill my pocket while I can.

Hot Sauce of the Week

Alabama Sunshine XXX Black Label-this one combines one of my favorite flavor combinations: hot and sweet. The sweet comes in first and then the habanero. The ingredient list is interesting, I don't normally think about things like olive oil and turmeric in hot sauces but it works well here. I am glad this sauce is readily available around here, it's good and makes me want to try some other of their offerings.

Blur

Photo courtesy of Kustom Jeff

So the last couple weeks have been a blur. I am going to take a page from my other blog and let a few pictures do the talking. An in depth report is coming once I have a chance to get my thoughts together.

 

In other news, I am now on Instagram here. 

This Weekend

XL1200N

2 G's on Avenue G from dredman on Vimeo.

Maybe if I start using the model number, which sounds more like a dual sport, then my bike will act more like a dual sport? Wishful thinking but didn't stop Don and I from getting a little dirty last week. It was great to get out after the string of cold and snow we've had lately. I'm ready for warmer weather.

Why I Want a Dual Sport

After seeing this footage of my buddy Jrou111's recent trip, I really should say need instead of want. Seriously, this clip is awesome. Need, I need one.

Mark Your Calendar

Hot Sauce of the Week

Punk's Gourmet Pepper Sauce-the last of this go-round's Alabama offerings. In case you didn't know by now I am big on the sweet and hot connection. This one has it in spades. Right out of the gate this thick puree delivers a deep sweetness followed by a sharp heat sting that sneaks up on you and stays around. This is a pretty great sauce and versatile, I can see it right at home in a variety of situations. The ingredient list tells the tale. With offerings like onion, vinegar, tomato, brown sugar and garlic how could you go wrong? I'm proud to say this one is local and they donate towards breast cancer research, an issue very close to my heart. Go get some, it is great.
23 calories/2tbsp