Roasts, Races and Bases

So there I am, minding my own business and BAM! A lifeless cow comes swinging in my general direction. There's blood on the floor and a man is getting ready to cut off the steer's leg. Further down, there is another cow with a contraption hooked to it. This device pulls the skin off of the cow in one swift motion. The next cow is getting ready to have its head and insides removed, and the last of the group is getting ready to be pulled in two. The night before these four animals were being graded by myself and the other conference attendees. They were much alive. Welcome to the Beef Summit. That was three weeks ago to the day. Since the trip to Stillwater, I have gone to Asheville, Hendersonville, and Charlotte, North Carolina. I shopped, hiked, ate, drank, and cheered for the Red Sox. I even attended a NASCAR race while I was in the area.

The Bank of America 500 was amazing. We made it into the infield before the race for driver introductions then we watched the race from a suite, a suite with wait service. It was nice. (Said in the voice of Borat.)

Without further ado, here are some photos of the trip:

Meg and I at the Poplar Lodge.


Phil and I at the Poplar Lodge.


Me at the beginning of the hike down to the base of the DuPont National State Park Falls (some of them at least).


The falls from afar.


The base of the falls.


With Kasey Kahne at the Klub Picnic.


With Kasey in the infield of Lowes Motor Speedway.


The group with David Gilliland before the race.



No, there aren't any photos of the Summit for me to display. Sorry to disappoint, but the one photo I do have isn't very appealing. I wouldn't want to turn any of my readers into vegetarians. ;)

Until next time ... GO SOX!