Westward Ho - ho ho ho....

It’s a white Christmas out here in the wild west!!
As we have for the last three days, we awoke before dawn this morning to discover the landscape outside our bunkhouse window blanketed in white. Snowflakes swirling above the rail fence and the thick snow filling in last night’s footprints on the stoop told us to go back to bed.
Where was Santa? Like the elusive big cat we’d been hunting for the last three days in the White Cloud range, the fat old bearded fool was nowhere to be found this morning. His sleigh was likely delayed somewhere on the East Coast, or he was drunk somewhere and pissed off about the economy. But we didn’t care. We weren’t out here in Central Idaho for the toys.
And although it was perfect weather for Christmas, the nighttime snow storm was not so perfect for mountain lion hunting. And Ryno was determined to take down a big one with his bow.
According to Ryno’s good friend Mike Scott, a seasoned guide who’s hunted this range that surrounds the Salmon River for 30 years, tracking would be near impossible this morning. If the fresh fallen snow was covering over our footprints here, than it was doing the same damage to any tracks the fearsome predator we were seeking had made during his nighttime rounds higher up in the drainages. When the mountain lions hunt during the night, taking elk and mule deer, they leave tracks in the snowpack that indicate where they have roamed in the 15 to 20 square miles or so of rugged territory they call home.
Experienced guides like Mike can spot those tracks and set their dogs on them. Once the dogs get the scent, they can usually find the cat, chase it down and tree it. But if there are no tracks to be seen, then it is impossible to find a tommy. Today we’d have to wait out the storm back at the Scott’s ranch.
We’d had good tracking weather the last three days, after a late start to Idaho’s winter that came with a series of small storms that dropped snow in the week before we arrived. And although we hadn’t seen any lion tracks, we saw lots of game moving down low during the three days we spent driving up and down forest roads and hiking and climbing the steep drainages in between the mountains in single digit temps. Predator tracks were everywhere, including coyotes, bobcats and wolves.
But no lions yet.
The break would do us good. We’d flown ourselves into Salt Lake City and joined our ski buddy Mike Budj at Snowbird for some turns. The Bird was getting hammered with snow, and with more to come, I wasn’t too upset about trading in my boards for my backpack and snow hiking gear. Besides, a bit of avalanche control work might open some more terrain in time for our return.
We had plans to come back after the hunt and ski the Wasatch. My buddy extreme skiing icon Dean Cummings promised to take Ryno out to shred his steepest stash and give him some pointers on Back Country skills and protocal when we returned to civilization. And we have reservations for New Year’s Eve in my favorite town, Park City, where we’ll start off 2009 tearing up the deep pow.
But first we have to get a cat. Today we’ll rest and wait for the game to move. Hopefully, a lion will follow.
Stay tuned – I’m not lugging my camera around in my pack for nothing!

ELK MOUNTAIN OPENING

Elk is open!

I can't believe it's winter already. Last year at this time I was riding my mountain bike in shorts and wishing for snow. This year I haven't even put away my summer gear yet and already I've got more skiing days in than I can count on my fingers. Better yet, it's just barely the second week of December!

How are we so lucky?

According to Gregg Confer, Elk's General Manager and expert snowmaker, its because we've had really cold temperatures that Gregg and his crew were able to take advantage of and fire up the snowguns early.

And the crew at Elk has blasted the mountain for weeks now. Susquehanna is plush from top to bottom, as is upper Tunkhannock, also open. To see what else is open each day check the website at http://www.elkskier.com/

I've been on the snow several times this past week since Wednesday's opening and believe me, the conditions have been excellent for early season. The snow is thickly laid out and meticulously groomed.

Any rain events don't even effect the mountain the base is so good right now. And with temps in the 20s at night, Gregg hopes to have the entire mountain open for the holiday week. I am looking forward to seeing it.

As for the crew, they've been busy too. Cheryl and Rosemarie were taking season pass photos in the office and the guys at the guard house were hanging out and practicing traffic control maneuvers.

Of course I was tickled to see some old friends and got a few runs in with Klover on the first day. And what opening week would be complete without Bonk? We skied with him on Sunday.

Next week I'll shoot a segment with the Ski Patrol to air on January 4. Then after that, I'll offer up the Elk Mountain Ski report on our FOX 56 ten o'clock news every Thursday and Fridays.

And each week on The Great Outdoors show I'll take you skiing and riding at Elk, my home base. The folks at Country Ski and Sports will show us the latest and greatest in equipment and clothing and offer lots of good advice. It's going to be a great season with lots of the white stuff and the cold temperatures to keep it. That's according to the Farmers Almanac.

So stay tuned - and tune those skis!!!!!!

POWDERED TURKEY

Well I did it again.

I blew off my family for Thanksgiving turns. But let me tell you, it was well worth it. It was work convincing my buddy to forget about riding the mountain bike and also suffer the guilt of family neglect to get in the car and head north with me after lunchtime on Wednesday. He argued that it was going to rain. I argued that there had been a foot of snow at Killington the previous day and more coming, real and gunned.

I was right. Thank goodness for my brand new Hakkapeliitta snow tires from Jack Williams.

We arrived in Rutland, Vermont early evening to a mix of rain and sleet, but as I'd predicted, as soon as we climbed out of town and into Mendon the story changed. The landscape was transformed into a New England winterscape scene right out of Currier and Ives.

The Irish pub just below Killington's access road beckoned. We stopped in for some Guinness ales and chow, and to our delight, were joined by Killington's new President and General Manager Chris Nyberg. As we downed soup and burgers at the bar, we got the snow report right from its source.

Chris had just finished grooming and knew exactly where the snowguns were blowing and what would be the primo runs to hit when the Gondola started hauling folks up the mountain to Killington Peak at 8 AM on Turkey day. This had been the best opening week at Killington in 10 years, and they have so much terrain open your head will spin.

But it was no holiday for Chris. He planned to be up before dawn and out with his team on the hill working to take advantage of the cold early season temperatures and get even more of the monstrous ski area opened as soon as possible for the dedicated skiers and boarders like myself and my buddy. As we ate, a gentle dusting of snow coated the windshield of my Audi as it rested in the snow covered parking lot outside.

Killington is a magical place. And with Chris Nyberg at its helm, it's better than ever. He's amazingly hands on, a workaholic, and a really cool and progressive guy who is setting new standards in the ski industry. He and his team have been focused on creating and maintaining the most advanced terrain for dedicated and long time skiers and boarders first and foremost, while promoting responsible fiscal management and putting profits back into the mountain itself. He's done some amazing things at Killington since the new ownership put him in charge a year and a half ago.

We got to see it all firsthand. Thanksgiving Day we met up with Chris out on the hill and he wasn't talking turkey. He gave us an exhilirating tour of the mountain and pointed out all it's extensive recent improvements, including the construction site for a new high speed quad soon to open as well as new trails.

We made lots of turns with Chris and Tom Horrocks, who helped my buddy to capture it all on my camera. I finished off my day riding in the groomer with Chris as he churned and turned gigantic snow piles into plush corduroy for the kids and beginners at Ramshead.

My favorite black diamond runs already open and buffed with super soft snow- Superstar, Lower East Fall, Powerline, Royal Flush and Ovation. And Cascade opened this weekend as well. I have to tell you, my new Elan Mag Spice skis were perfect for every run - soft powder, groomers and even tearing through the bumps.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort's Grand Hotel wasn't bad either. The hot tub was even better. You'll get to see it over the next couple weeks on the show.

Next week, with the help of both Chris and Elk Mountain's Gregg Confer, we'll show you how snow is made and groomed. Then in the following week's show I'll take you on a tour of Killington with Chris and we'll show you why there is no reason to get on an airplane to get your Big Mountain fix if you don't mind a bit of a road trip about the same time length as a plane ride without the airline hassles and expenses.

On the subject of Big Mountains, I do have to say that I'm truly blessed to have Elk Mountain as my home base. It's got Pennsylvania's most challenging terrain without the drive. And Elk's got some great snow laid out from its own snowmaking endeavors these last couple weeks. Its crew is hoping to open as early as this coming week. Keep checking the website http://www.elkskier.com/ or read my blog for more info.

And if your'e not in shape yet, you'd better get yourself into the gym and hit the leg press!! This is going to be a great ski season.

White Birthday

It's here!!!!

Ski season launched itself with an incredible and unexpected blast of arctic air that created phenomenal opening day snow conditions at the Big Eastern mountains like nothing even the old timers can remember from years of past.

For me, it was the best birthday weekend I've ever had. Believe me, most years, if I'm lucky, I'm making turns somewhere on November 22, and when the calendar dictates it, eating my turkey and birthday cake together at a ski resort buffet. I spend hours in early November studying 10 day weather reports and mountain websites, gathering my gear, old and new, and tossing and turning every night dreaming of powder and steep mogul and tree runs.

Saturday Hunter Mountain presented me with a special day like one right out of any January diary from year's past. By late morning I was charging down Hellgate following Maxi through a field of soft moguls already bumped up with the driest man made snow I've ever seen.

And the most incredible thing was that I had new boots and skis that unbelievably fit like they'd been molded to my body. Just 2 days earlier I was in Country Ski and Sport having Sean O'Shea measure my foot then stuff it into a heated new pair of Dalbello Krypton boots. No time to break them in, no time to try my new Elan skis, no time to get ready. And no problems. None. Just a minor binding adjustment to the new Elan Mag Spices by Maxi in the parking lot at lunch time. Now that's great technology. And so is the Gore Tex shell outfit from The North Face that I picked up for out West powder skiing, but after this weekend I realize it will work on any hill, Eastern, Western or European. The new Summit Series Citation is the state of the art in windproof, waterproof breathable and sealed clothing, and with a morning temperature of 6 degrees and 30 miles an hour winds at the summit, and the snow guns blowing on the best lines, you couldn't be out there long unless you covered up and kept the body heat in. I wore the outfit both days. A pair of Radiant goggles from Scott with low light lenses allowed me to get the endless deep powder stashes under the guns with perfect visibility. You'll see this stuff along with more of the latest in new gear if you tune into the next episode of The Great Outdoors.

As for the rest of the weekend - Sunday was truly EPIC. A bluebird day.

At one point late Sunday morning after laps under the guns in the steep powder on the Cliff and Eishenhower, I was forced to stop at the Ski Patrol shack on top and take a short break. They needed one more than me. I found a bunch of tired redcoats taking a much deserved sit down. They told me they had 40 percent of the mountain open already, normally were finished opening and preparing runs by 8:30 AM but had worked past noon the day before. The super cold temps that never got above the high teens at the summit kept the snow shooting out of the guns at incredible volume, carpeting the runs faster than they could keep up with undoing ropes and removing "Closed" signs. They said it was the best opening weekend they'd ever seen.

I skied lots of runs with Budji, who along with Mike Orlando, helped me have a great birthday party. Also joining me out on the hill were Elk skiers Linda and Ernie and Klover. On Sunday, I got a special treat. I got to ski with the Mountaintop guys who arrived late morning in John Ayre's magical mystery van. Joe Wychock mounted and tuned skis the whole drive up and we tore up the moguls and man made powder like you wouldn't believe. Doug Lange changed from teles to alpines and we chased each other through the bumps on Cliff, Minya Tonka and places I shouldn't talk about.

Stay tuned - Elk has been blowing snow all week as well, and I'm going up to spy with my camera tomorrow. Rumor has it that the chairs might start turning there by the end of the first week of December and I plan to be on the first one!

Wet Weekend in New York State

New York holds abundant water and wetlands that splatter its terrain with rivers, streams and gigantic lakes. For fishing and hunting enthusiasts that means lots of action year round. My buddy and I decided to add an extra day to our planned weekend waterfowl hunt with the Hunt Dr. and Bernie O near the Finger Lakes region and head north after work Thursday.
We loaded the truck with our Cabelas gear and Benelli shotguns and hit the road. After the world's best ribs at the Dinosaur in Syracuse and a quick stop at Fat Nancy's in Pulaski, we shacked up in a cabin at Fox Hollow Lodge just down the road. We awoke before dawn to a full moon and the promise of an unseasonably warm autumn day.
Our guide, Richard Thomas of Salmon River Guides www.salmonriverguide.com launched the drift boat upriver from town to begin our seven mile trip, casting out with spinning rods into the currents in the first spot. Just as the first light came up, my buddy hit his first fish with an artificial orange salmon egg and brought it right in. It wasn't big enough to keep, and the action slowed for most of the morning.
Then we started plug fishing. Three lines out and Richard backpaddling the boat to jig the Hotshots, treble hooked fluorescent lures that look like minnows swimming around, but aggravate the steelhead into biting them just out of aggression. They work wonders when the fish aren't hungry. It wasn't long before "we" took two more nice fish, well over 15 pounds total. I won't tell you who landed them, however, I will say I had to suck up and concede to the "King of the Hill" once again.
Then it was back to the Dinosaur on the way down to Auburn. We met up with Bernie O, TC Mazar and the Hunt Dr, who had organized the two day hunt for waterfowl on nearby Lake Owasko. After a gorgeous 60+ degree fishing day, Saturday's forecast was calling for all day rain and Sunday was worse, with huge wind gusts and a bitter cold front blowing in. The weather was the biggest challenge, so we opted to hunt in a blind just off the shore of the lake. The blind worked well, when we could entice birds to come close. We saw and called plenty of birds and took down a pile of mallards both days, but the geese just wouldn't come in either day.
We did see some action and caught it all on camera. If you're interested, tune in to The Great Outdoors this Sunday evening and I'll take you there. And stay tuned, after the duck hunt we'll visit deer butcherJeff Scabazzo in Susquehanna County and show you how to skin, cut up, and package the meat from fresh deer taken during the first days of New York's season this past weekend. Let me tell you, his deer kielbasi is as good as it gets, and maybe if we're lucky, he'll show us how to make some.

Upland Birds - Home Field Advantage

Dr. Stan, Bernie O and I set out Friday for our first pheasant hunt of the season. Warm and sunny, it was a bluebird day, no pun intended. From Harveys Lake, we drove west on 118 almost out to Hughesville, where Jim Nearhoff has his Mill Run Game Preserve. Along with stocking the field for us with pheasants and chukars, Jim was kind enough to provide us with his best "guide," Mattie, a German Shorthair Pointer who has more experience in her left front paw than most of the shooters I know.

With our Benelli shotguns, we took down nearly all of the stocked birds and had a stellar time. I hit the first cock bird that flew out of the cover and dropped him instantly. He was the biggest of the ten, and the shot was perfect. Both Dr. Stan and Bernie O, who was using his special Pattern Master choke, connected with everything they fired at, with the exception of a couple of elusive chukars that flew into the surrounding trees. We got those after hiking in and flushing them back out of the woods. Mattie pointed and retrieved all afternoon, and you'd never know she and Bernie O, who held the whistle, weren't a longtime couple.

On the way home we got to thinking and realized we didn't need to drive so far for the upland action we craved. The top field on my Noxen farm provides perfect cover and is not only completely private, but very big and surrounded by trees and my own land, thus extremely safe to shoot in every direction. But where to get the birds? We pondered the rest of the way back to civilization, but it all fell into place as we stopped for beer, and like one of the ringnecks we'd hit, the answer just seemed to fall into our laps in a passing conversation. There really is a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Unbelievably, in less than an hour, we were staring at flyways of every imaginable feathered creature you'd ever want to hunt. Sworn to secrecy, I can say no more.

The forecast was for rain in the morning, then clearing. So we made the arrangements to pick up our fowl early and meet at my farm in Beaumont after the skies cleared. Ryno called his dad Ron Andrews to come out and lend his expertise, along with Ron's good friend Francis Kenia, who you may remember from seeing him on the show with his Boykin Spaniel, Zach, in July. We did a segment on keeping a hunting dog fit in the off season and Zach ate it up for the camera.

Francis is one of the best dog handlers out there, as well as an expert shooter, and Zach is a beautiful little dog who loves his job. We were blessed to have them join us. Thankfully we got some extra birds, because most of those we lost simply flew away while being unloaded from the crates. Then Ron stepped in and showed us how to tuck the pheasant's head under the wing to disorient the bird, so it remains quiet as it's placed in the cover. He has lots of experience and hosts a youth pheasant hunt every fall near his home in Emporium to provide a fun and educational hunting experience for the local youngsters free of charge.

Needless to say, the day couldn't have been better. Francis worked his dog up and down that field until we got all the birds. You could swear the little spaniel had a huge smile on his furry cocoa-hued muzzle the whole time, he wagged his little tail so much as he picked up and followed scent, flushing birds one after the other and jingling his bell as he leapt in and out of the tall grasses. Ryno, Dr. Stan and I took down our limit and Ron offered good advice. We shot pheasants, quail and chukars.

After we finished, we went back to Dr. Stan's and cleaned all the birds. Dr. Stan fired up his smoker for the pheasants, and I bagged the chukar and quail breasts and took them home to brine for a few hours. The next morning they went into the slow cooker. If you're a cook and want to indulge in a five-star game bird dish, try this:

Game Bird Coq Au Vin with Tarragon Cream and Wild Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 pound wild mushrooms - dried and rehydrated papinkies are BEST
2-3 pounds breasts of chukars, quail and small pheasant, cleaned and brined
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1-2 cloves garlic, quartered
Several sprigs fresh tarragon, 1 tbsp.chopped fresh tarragon
1cup plus 1/2 cup chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
1/4 cup red wine

Method

With tweezers remove any shot, then clean and brine bird breasts. Saute onion slices and garlic in butter until just carmelized. Add mushrooms and saute another 2 minutes. Add red wine and reduce a bit, scraping pan. Stir in chopped tarragon. Put half of onion/mushroom mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Place 1-2 tarragon sprigs over onions and arrange breasts on top. Place remaining onion and mushrooms in wine over top. Pour 1 cup chicken broth over all. Add more tarragon sprigs and pepper, and place lid on cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours and low for 5-6 hours more. Then gently remove breasts, carefully debone and set aside. Make sauce. Strain liquid from cooker into a medium saucepan, placing solids back into cooker. Bring stock to boil over medium heat. Mix flour and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth until lumps dissolve. Add gently to stock until sauce thickens. Cook for 1-2 minutes, add heavy cream. Cook 1 more minute. Pour sauce back into slow cooker, add breast meat and mix gently into sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and/ or fresh bread.

Bon Appetite!

Suburban Waterfowling

Traveling fast and light.

That's the mantra of duck hunting guide Bernie O. Yesterday he dragged Dr. Stan and I to some of his favorite secret stashes along the Susquehanna River. We bushwacked our way down to the water's edge in lots of places in search of the feathered goods, never far from our vehicles, and always with the urban sounds of cars speeding along riverside roadways in the background. Let me tell you, Bernie O knows his stuff. It was a gorgeous day, and despite low water and warm fall temperatures, we saw lots of action jump shooting for mallards and wood ducks.

I fired my first shot at a bird with my brand new Bennelli USA Montefeltro 20 gauge, a semi-auto with a special short pull that fits my petite frame like a dream, and it felt great. No recoil whatsoever, but more on that if you watch the show in two weeks, and we'll let the firearms folks at Cabela's show you why this particular Benelli is a perfect fit for me. Dr. Stan was shooting his own intertia driven Super Black Eagle, a firearm that he submerged and nearly drowned with in pursuit of an elusive bird last year. Needless to say, you'd never know it judging from the looks of his still perfect synthetic camo shotgun, unless you heard the story, which I will leave him to tell.

The day before we were out in the dark with the Hunt Doctor and his dog, who took us to one of his favorite ponds to await the dawn arrival of a flock of hungry ducks. Unfortunately for us, at daybreak they launched off the water and flew in the wrong direction. Too bad. We were unable to shoot safely. Although I didn't get any birds down that morning, I was stoked to meet the Hunt Doctor and learn some really interesting waterfowling facts from him, and Bernie O, who is always a wealth of information. Here's one I can share with you.

It really is an amazing thing to see a flock of geese flying south - they are some of the most aerodynamic inventions ever, smooth and efficient with their bodies and wings as they coast high above in tight V formations. And they always fly in a V. But did you ever wonder why one side of the V is often longer than the other? With the help of the Hunt Doctor and Bernie O, I was able to figure it out yesterday and it is such a no-brainer. Watching them cruise overhead after we missed the ducks, I counted birds and saw that there were about six more geese on the longer leg of the V.

Wow, AMAZING!!!

The Salmon River

Last week I took a ride north to Pulaski, New York with some fly fishing buddies from Northeast PA to spend a few days catching monster salmon and steelhead as they make their annual fall journey upriver to spawn and die. My old friend Dr. Stan and I had a blast with Bernie O and his brother the Cabin Captain, and his crew, and I saw two of the best young local anglers in action hooking, fighting and hauling in some huge fish. These boys caught more fish than the adults, and I was blown away at their skill on and off the water.

Thankfully I was lucky enough to capture some of it with my camera, along with a few fish of my own. I even cooked a just-caught cojo dinner the evening I drove back, and it made for a really special culinary treat for myself and my guy. Maybe not as special as the smoked and pulled pork Dr. Stan contributed to the cabin's menu for the week, but definitely FRESH. Although we had some rainy weather in Pulaski, we managed to capture some great stuff on video and I can't wait to show it to you. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow and Friday I'm doing some duck hunting right here close to home. I have to get up at 5 am and wrap myself in camo layers since it's really getting winterlike now. But that's good for the ducks - I'll let you know if we have any luck and hopefully, I'll get to use my new Benelli USA Montefeltro shotgun that I've been practicing so dilligently with. I hope to have some nice photos to show you when you check back with me over the weekend.

Also, if you are a skier or boarder, check out Country Ski and Sport's HUGE tent sale going on from Thursday through Sunday, with equipment, clothing and all kinds of great deals. For more info, hours and directions visit http://www.countryskiandsports.com/

And finally, don't forget the Camp Kresge Adventure Triathlon Sunday morning- it looks like I'm going to bike, run and kayak solo since my runner secured tickets to the World Series. Don't be afraid to come out and compete in this fun event sponsored by Sicklers Bike and Sport Shops.

See you Sunday on the CW - when I'll take you into the gym for a pre-ski season strength training program.

Welcome!

I'm stoked to let you know that I've finally got it together and have a place to write news about the show, myself, my sponsors, and my co-host Bob Ide.

I've been extremely busy, and I can tell you that you are going to see some crazy stuff on the show in November. And after that ? Well, I am going to be forced to do the show at Elk Mountain this winter - do I sound like I would have to be forced? I am just kidding - I am in nirvana because if you know me, then you know that during most of the winter you will find me at some point during the day ripping turns down Tunkhannock hopefully dusted with fresh and bumped up to the max. I love skiing out West, but when I am home Elk is about as good as it gets for me. On a good powder day in PA I can close my eyes and imagine I am anywhere in the Rockies I want to be. Now I can bring my ski buddies and friends along, record some of those moments to share and show the world what an excellent place Elk really is. I can't wait for the snow, but more on that later. Thanks for making that possible Gregg.


That brings us to my friends -the one thing I've recently discovered is that situations occur where you really find out who your friends are. Sometimes it takes a while and you have to filter out the bad to make room for the good. But I'm happy to say I've made some great new friends and started hanging with some great old ones again, and you'll get to meet some of them on the show in the next months. Also, I am so grateful to the folks at Cabelas, Benelli USA and PrimaLoft for taking such great care of me. I am doing lots of fishing, hunting and just clay and target shooting right now waiting for ski season to start. In the next week or so I'll take you down to Hamburg to the big Cabela's store and show you the hottest gear for the season - warm and dry clothing, lots of camo, Benelli USA firearms and accessories.


Finally, I have to tell you that this weekend - Sunday October 26 - is the Camp Kresge Adventure Triathlon, and anyone is welcome to compete at this strictly fun charity event. Mark and Sue Farrell from Sicklers Bike and Sport are some of the most generous people I know. Can you believe they've been married for 30 years - and will celebrate that a week from today. Anyone who can make a commitment like that to each other and keep the faith for so long proves that there really are people out there in the world of the highest character. Their daughter in law Corinne has gone full out to put together an event to raise money for this wonderful non-profit organization that hosts camps for adults and children. Corrinne proves that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The plan is that our station's local sales manager, Bob Spager, will compete along with me on a team for FOX56 and The Great Outdoors. I'm riding the 7 mile bike leg and kayaking. Bob Ide was supposed to kayak but backed out probably because he didn't train enough. Bob Spager, who did train, will put his hoofs to the trail and run for our team. Thanks to BM, who has supported me in my own training efforts all summer, I'm going to ride my new 29er and hopefully get in a good start for us. I'll finish with the 2 mile kayak - and watch out, I podiumed in 2 races this summer on the Susquehanna under the guidance of Sean and Kevin O'Shea from Country Ski and Sport. It's supposed to be a fun race, and no worries, anyone can do it, but I can't help wanting to be in the front of the pack.


And BM, Shaeff, Mike, Chuck, Larry, Glen, Joe and whoever else I forgot to mention, thanks for a challenging and exhilirating mountain bike ride on some psycho terrain at Keystone last night. I love my new 29er!!!!!