in the POD - on the road again!

 somewhere on the road

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Today's sky is reflecting the slate grey pavement in front of us,

white lines point out our direction.

Enclosed within this quiet world

we look to each other for the color of adventure.

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Yes. We are finally back in the POD! Our refuge, our escape. Looking forward to 4 weeks on the road visiting both new and familiar places. Planning to take our time, eat lots of BBQ along the way, unwind and unplug, and mix in just enough history to keep it interesting! Recharge.

We will be making our routine stop at Dietrich's Meats and Country Store in Pennsylvania to pick up a special treat - bone in pork loin - to cook on the spit for New Years Eve. And then .... our first (of many) stops for BBQ along our month long route. The plan is to sample all the regional varieties, compare, enjoy and wash it down with great local beer!

And thus, we begin. Dinner at Hempen Hill BBQ in Hagerstown, MD. A relatively large establishment - maybe 100 seats - located @ 2 miles off of Interstate 81. The place was very busy (on a tuesday eve after xmas!) and we sat at the almost full bar. Great selections of beers on tap, BBQ, and other pub style items. I had a Barley and Hops Winter Lager, a microbrewery out of Frederick, MD. Terrific! Great barley flavor with a modicum of hops - a rich and full bodied seasonal brew. Tim had the Flying Fish Baltic Porter, from a brewery in New Jersey. Very dark, creamy with a flavor of roasted malts and a hint of chocolate. Yum!

For dinner, Tim had the Tuesday night special - "burnt ends" of smoked brisket. He was quite the happy camper! Large chunks, crispy, smokey and flavorful!!

I had the 2 meat plate - smoked sausage and "pit" beef, which is smoked prime rib done rare, sliced thin, and then tossed into an au jus just before serving. Never had anything like that before in the BBQ world .... and it was really, really delicious.

Of course we shared it all and there were ample leftovers for us to take with us.... in case we can't find another BBQ stop between here and Florida! ;)

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FYI - The sun did eventually come out as we drove south ........ blue skies ahead!