Off To New Paltz

Well, it is early Friday morning, and early this afternoon we will hit the road for New Paltz and the Hudson Valley Ribfest. I really can't wait to get there. In fact, getting there, or to any BBQ contest is the worst part for me.

The reason? Towing the toy hauler/camper to get there.


I really do not enjoy towing at all, at least with my current tow vehicle. It is a 2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, and it has a strong V8 engine. The vehicle is rated to tow 7100 pounds, and the camper is 3,500 pounds empty. I add around a thousand pounds of gear to it, so I am still well below the rated weight, but the SUV still has to work really hard. I'm worried that one day the tranny will just drop right out of the bottom of the thing.

If it happens, I hope it is on the way home, not on the way there.

Once we arrive, having the camper is the greatest thing at a competition. Between the bed, toilet and shower, along with air conditioning, it brings a layer of comfort that I feel gives us an edge. It will also allow us to bring our baby Max this weekend.

After our strong showing at Harpoon, I feel pretty good going into this contest. There are a lot of great teams cooking this one, and a lot of teams, period, with at least 53 paid entries. We are doing both the grilling Saturday and BBQ contest Sunday. Last year at New Paltz, we did very well in the grilling contest, but tanked the BBQ contest. Hopefully this year we can have a successful two days.

In the meantime, we got Sheila a Blackberry last week. Maybe if I can figure out how the thing works I will post something from the contest.