Tag...you lie like a dog on a rug. Go lay down.

Less chance of spider webs at this time of year.

I know I have been AWOL for some time. Between being unable to run (for months to come) and work I am afraid to admit that I have just been reading every few days and that has been it. SteveP I was planning to smoke a turkey after seeing an episode of Dinners, Drive Ins and Dives. Guy Fieri was just gaga over it. But my DW's running buddy said her DH had smoked them in the past with mixed results. He is an expert smoker. I am not kidding when I say he may make the best smoked chicken on the planet and is good enough to compete in Texas on the brisket circuit. All of this is to say that DW said no turkey smoking for me given that report. Sad how DW's never have any faith in their DH's.  Plan B is to do what I have done for years. I will brine the turkey and then rotisserie with some wood chips to give it some smoke flavor. Not a real smoked turkey but better than nothing.

Next up: What to make for dinner tomorrow and Wednesday. Chicken is out (duh!). Two days of fish my DW cannot take. Something heavy is out, meaning no steak or stew. What is left? Air sandwiches? Help!

Steve/Two-cat: Why brine turkeys?

Most fish are brine-soaked in holding tanks nowadays while they await unloading

and freezing but why add salt to a turkey that has so much added to it during cooking

and doesn't seem to need any more salt and, since the turkeys are probably frozen

within minutes, wouldn't seem to need any preservative between taking and freezing?

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3.7 mile up Mt. Si

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Compared to the old days a little southeast of erika-land when I could hike several local trails and up two coastal peaks from the front door and be up in the alpines in less than an hour overlooking coastal fjords, glaciers, etc. or drive to six-or-seven more within 10-15 minutes, no way am I going to fight Seattle traffic to do the same down here,especially in the absence of the scenic views up in the northland, . . . along with occasional deer, bear, goats, wolves (albeit only one time) and almost always porcupines, marmots, bald eagles galore, grouse, ptarmigan, etc.).

However, driving to the Saturday morning spinning class on a beautiful fall morn and again the same yesterday, anything sounded better than being inside while the sunny days were still staving off the winter rains so I drove another half hour up I-90 for the two two mile treks taking a little less than an hour (one way) up the local favorite Rattlesnake Ledges Trail (Sat) and the Cedar River Trail to Twin Falls (Sun).
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Topped off the Trifecta today with a three hour climb up the 3.7 mile trail to the boulder fields at 3,000' on nearby Mt. Si (that only took 1hr/20min when I was ran up in an ascent race in 1996). Unlike erika-land days where timberline gave way to the alpines by 2,000', it’s forested climbing with no views at all all the way down here, . . . and the view of I-90 from the top didn’t compare much either.  However, it was better than being inside so I might go back before the winter rains set in for real.  <<<(Ed note: especially since he missed picking up a windbreaker and down vest on the way down he stashed under a windfall on the way up as temps climbed up from 37 to the fifties).

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Monday: Mt. Si - 4,187' (3hr + 2hr)

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hiking Mount Si / seattletimes.com

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Sunday:  Twin Falls (1hr + 1hr)

Saturday:  Rattlesnake Ledges (1hr + 40min)

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real hiking.

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