A new day for Bell County...

I feel we are making strides on a very important project for adventure tourism in Bell County. We are hoping to gain legal access to about 700 or more miles of ATV and horseback trails here in Bell County. If we are successful, we could have approximately 900 legal miles (including the off-road park) of multiuse trails in the county. To put that in perspective - that is almost double what the entire Hatfield McCoy system (6 counties in West Virginia) currently is…In one county. And that doesn't even include the miles and miles of hiking trails within the National and State parks here.

We’ve recently compiled somewhat of an informal committee to help execute this project, which basically entails gaining legal trail access for both horseback riders and ATV riders to two large parcels of land combining to total approximately 50,000 acres. The larger chunk is around Middlesboro and is around 35,000 acres and the other is near Right Fork and is about 15,000 or so.

Make no mistake, if this project is successful, it will make Bell County the premier destination in trail sports and outdoor recreation on the east coast and possibly the entire country. This is my opinion of course, but honestly if we are able to gain access to these lands…they contain such a wealth of potential in outdoor recreation that it would be almost impossible for it NOT to be able to be one of the top destinations for trail enthusiasts. You have views like the pictures below, coupled with hundreds of miles of world class trails. Add to that the fact that visitors will have a major hub of commerce in Middlesboro right outside of these trails where they will able access hotels, a mall, restaurants, etc…and it makes this project almost too good to be true from an adventure tourism perspective. All the necessary components are here to make this project a runaway success and in the process, it has the potential to positively impact our county in a way no other ever has. Again, that’s my opinion, but it’s one I feel extremely confident in (and I am usually pretty skeptical).

View of Middesboro and the Cumberland Gap and Tunnel


Little Clear Creek


Sunset over the mountains of Bell County


Today (January 13, 2010), local politicians and concerned citizens met with officials from Fish and Wildlife including one person high on the hierarchy chart, about two issues. One was the problem that the elk are causing in some parts of the county. The other issue was concerning having legal access to areas that Fish and Wildlife manages in the county by ATV or horseback, which is only logical when you consider 1) the size of these areas 2) the ruggedness of the terrain and 3) the overwhelming support of this concept from local citizens.

The good news? They listened.

They have now pledged their support in helping making the above project a reality for Bell County, something that had been hard to get in the past. But now it seems they understand more of the complexities concerning public hunting land access in our county and why a change has to be made, even if it is something that is usually contrary to what they as an organization try to promote. Our WMAs (Wildlife Management Areas) are extremely different from most others inside the state due to the aspects I mentioned above, and I believe now that we have Fish and Wildlife’s support in this matter, that we can make a real positive stride in helping convince the landowner that allowing these types of access can not only benefit the community – it will also help Fish and Wildlife and the landowner.

We have prepared a detailed package to the landowner describing the many various ways that the Fiscal Court; as well as local citizens and civic organizations, can help the landowner. From trash pick up, to helping report poachers, to helping report wildfires, to marking trails and access points, there is a lot we as a community can help with and must help with if we are to make this a success.

I for one am very hopeful that this project comes to fruition, because I honestly think it can do something for this county that has never been done before – put it on the map for something positive.

Keep in mind we have one hurdle left – the major one – convincing two major landowners that this can be a success. But if we can clear this hurdle, and I am hopeful we will, then I know from here that the project will be a success.

Stayed tuned…And wish us luck. And when we have a public meeting – come out and show your support for this. We will keep everyone informed.

Thanks for the support thus far and with everyone’s help, we can accomplish all this.

Hope you all are well.

Jon

Standing up for ATV riders

It’s pretty widely accepted that ATV riding is one of the most scrutinized kinds of outdoor recreation. In fact, I think it'd be safe to say it is the most scrutinized. I’ve seen people that usually take pride in not stereotyping others contradict their morals when talking about these heathen ATV riders. It seems that ATV riding is destined to be one of the most popular outdoor sports, and at the same time one of the most criticized.

Listen, I’m not saying by any means that some ATVers don’t ride irresponsibly. The key word is some, not all. The majority of riders I have come across ride in a safe and responsible manner, and it is these people who are getting the raw end of the deal. They are being punished because the general public and different government agencies looks at the small percentage of ‘outlaw’ riders and applies that image to everyone who enjoys riding their four-wheeler.

It’s no big secret that more and more riding areas (some close to home, some not), are being shut down to ATV access. And for what reason? Well, there’s a few. There are a few backwards state laws pertaining to certain types of land that prohibit all ATV use. And of course there are national laws, too, for federal lands. I’m not taking a stab at any agency locally, but what I am saying is that to totally dismiss any notion of having ATV accessible trails on different kinds of public land is way too extreme. In the explanation below, I'm not trying to take shots, but rather paint a picture of the current situation.

You have folks that will tell you that ATVs drive off wildlife and cause major land erosion. These same folks will come out and publically slam all ATV riders by saying the people who are involved in our sport are litterbugs and outlaws. You’ll have the crowd that will say “ATVs are dangerous and should be outlawed”.

I say this to these people: show me.

Prove to me that ATV traffic permanently drives wildlife from an area, because on my property I’ve driven my four-wheeler by the same white-tail, turkey, and grouse for years and they're not going anyhwere. In fact they seem to really enjoy using the ATV trails on my land. Show me an example where ATV traffic was the major contributing factor in causing land erosion and damage and prove this to me beyond a shadow of a doubt. Look me in the eye and tell me that ATV riding and not rain is the reason that a trail looks like this and see if you can keep a straight face:


And explain to me how anyone can say that all ATV riders are litterbugs. Some are, sure. So are some hikers, so are some bikers, so are some horseback riders. Litterbugs come in all shapes and sizes. To pick out one certain group and lay the blame of litter solely on them is beyond unfair. Especially when ATV clubs like the Holler Crawlers put in hundreds of volunteer man hours to keep our mountains clean. Take a look at the picture below. This is our ATV club after cleaning a huge dump that was created by trucks, not ATVs. Ironic, because trucks are allowed on a lot of different state lands that ATVs are not. What’s the logic behind that again? Oh right, that vehicles that can cause massive amounts of piled up trash are permitted and the ATV rider who may throw a Snickers wrapper down shouldn’t be allowed to? Really, does that make sense to anyone? Sure doesn't to me.

And explain to me why if most ATV riders are outlaws, why clubs like the Holler Crawlers and Ridge Runners bother to raise money for causes like a Jingle Bell Ride to buy needy children toys for Christmas, and rides to raise money for March of Dimes, St Jude, and the American Cancer Society. That doesn't sound like a very outlawish thing to be involved with.

And tell me why some agencies like the Dept. of Forestry works closely with ATV groups on their lands…but other agencies completely shun them? Forestry officials will tell you that ATV trails do not create excessive amounts of damage, but rather are beneficial because they act as a firebreak and also a pathway for wildlife to travel on. And this is the truth. However, other agencies will tell you just about the polar opposite…Why?

And tell me, if ATVs are so dangerous they should be banned, then surely you are in favor of banning motorcycles…as well as driving at night, cigarettes, sky-diving, and fast food. All can be dangerous. If a person gets on a machine, he should respect that machine and accept the responsibility of riding it and the danger that comes along with it.

This kind of moronic typecasting is not morally acceptable in other facets of society, and yet our sport gets the short end of the stick when it comes to public support. It seems the only ones standing up for ATV riders are the riders themselves. The problem lies in the fact that people are on one side of the fence or the other; there is virtually no gray area.

For as popular as ATV riding is in Kentucky, we still are not in a position to be a real ATV friendly state. There are just one or two ATV legal roads in the state, meanwhile nearby states like West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, and Michigan all have state provisions allowing riders to access certain types of roadways. This has rewarded the responsible drivers and given them a real advantage in the vein of ATV tourism. It also gives law enforcement a more clear cut objective when it comes to ATVs on roadways. Meanwhile, Kentucky lags behind, as usual.

Look...They don’t give IQ tests before you purchase an ATV. If they did, we could keep stupid people from buying them. But until that day comes, it’s important for us riders to stick together. It’s important for us to fight to gain more legal access and keep different agencies and interest parties from shutting down our trails. It’s important for us to keep people informed on the truth about ATV riding and to help dissolve this negative image that surrounds our sport. If we don’t, we will continue to see our riding areas disappear.

Please help the sport and do your part. Voice your opinion, ride responsibly, and fight for your sport.

- Jon

August 09 Update

I hadn’t realized it had been so long since I’d wrote a blog entry concerning adventure tourism. I figured it would be a good idea to let everyone know what we’ve been up to this year thus far.

We received a grant from Yamaha totaling almost $31,000 for improvements to Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park. We purchased everything from chainsaws, weed eaters, and trail mowers to a club trailer, park signs, and items for campsite developments (grills, wood for shelters, etc…). We are in the process of utilizing these items. We hope to have a few campsites up by this upcoming spring and a lot of the trail signs are already on the park. We thank Yamaha for allowing us to develop our park with improvements such as these. Without their generosity this may not have been possible.

In some other exciting news, we just finished an event called the Harbell Ride Weekend. This event was originally supposed to be held as a park to park ride with the Ridge Runners, but we had to cancel that idea due to some land issues. The good news is that both counties off-road parks were visited by none other than Brian Fisher and crew, and were filmed for an upcoming episode of Fishers ATV World. This episode is tentatively schedule to go on air in October sometime, and we will keep everyone posted on the forum as soon as we have more info. We had a good event the day that Fishers came to our park, with an estimated 500 or so folks riding on the park that day. We had some great guided rides, and then met up that evening for a pig roast and some live music from Kentucky Rain and Asa Mills. Brian Fisher said he really enjoyed the event, and was nice enough to stay long into the night signing autographs and taking pictures with folks. I have to say it went down as one of our best events ever.




We have also had several other rides this year to help raise money for different charities. Earlier in the year, we had 3 rides and helped raise several thousand dollars for the March of Dimes Foundation, Relay for Life, and the children of Sean Pursifull. We are thrilled that our club has generated a good name in the community for helping raise some money for such great causes such as these.

Our schedule rolls on through the late summer and fall, with two rides left on the 2009 schedule. First up we have our now-annual weekend with our good friends in the Southern SXS Riders. This bunch came up last year and came in strong numbers, and our clubs quickly became good friends. They had such a good time that they decided to make Bell County an annual stop on their schedule, and we couldn’t be happier. They are a great group of folks who know how to have a good time on and off the trail, so we get along like peanut butter and jelly. This event will be September 18, 19, and 20 and will only be open to members of each club. If you are interested in joining either, you can contact both clubs during the event about membership. This is looking to be a great time and the Holler Crawlers are looking forward to it.

After the Southern SXS Rider Weekend, we have one more event on our schedule. This is a family oriented event that will take place the weekend before Halloween and will be called the Holler Crawler Haunted Forest Ride. This ride will take place on Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park (Mountain Drive) and will feature an easy ride through the woods, which will be decorated in Halloween attire. There may also be another ride that is more challenging that will go through a scarier, more haunted part of the mountain. Later that evening we will roast some marsh mellows and hot dogs by the campfire. Looking to be a great time and it will be a great ride to check out all the fall foliage in southeast Kentucky.

Also, before I wrap this blog up, I wanted to thank the Robbins family who live on Hances Creek. They have generously allowed visitors to Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park access to some trails that were on their property. These include some great trails like 18, 32, and 23. We as Holler Crawlers will help them watch after and upkeep the property in return for this favor.

Folks, that’s it for now. Thanks for checking in and make sure to keep up with all our latest by joining our forum. See ya’ll on the trail!

-Jon

Adventure Tourism Updates

Hey everyone…Jon here. I figured I would give everyone an update on all things adventure tourism here in Bell County.

First off, I just completed applying for a few grants through private companies. One grant was to purchase about $8,000 worth of gates for property owners with land adjacent to Mountain Drive. Many of these landowners have trails leading from their property into Mountain Drive. I felt that the number one concern of people that live near Mountain Drive was the possibility of park visitors trespassing onto their land. I would like to point out one thing: the people that we have guided that have come from outside our area have been more respectful of the laws, land, and people of this area than many of our locals are. However we know that since there are so many tracts of private land that adjoin Mountain Drive through trails, it would be in everyone’s best interest if this issue was addressed. This would not only help in deterring future trespassing instances but also improve any problems with trespassing that these landowners have now. If we receive this grant and are able to purchase these gates, we will need property owners who have trails from their land leading to Mountain Drive to contact me.

The other grant I applied for was for the amount of approximately $30,000. This grant, if we receive it, will be used to purchase many things to improve the park. This includes new trail signs, entrance signs, lumber and equipment to build rain shelters and outhouses, picnic tables and grills for campsites, and all sorts of equipment such as chain saws and weed eaters so that club members can maintain the property on Mountain Drive. This grant is very important to the future of the property and would definitely help refine our park. So we ask that people in Bell County who are adamant about Adventure Tourism to keep your fingers crossed…Hopefully we can receive both of these grants, as both are very important to our cause.

The biggest problem that we face concerning the future park at Mountain Drive (Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park) is the location for a trailhead facility. As many know, the park is split into two sections: the Colmar side and the Hances’ Ridge side. These sides are separated by Highway 1344 near the junction of Hwy 217. We had hopes of developing the trail head facility off the bridge to nowhere, and still have these hopes. However, the money that was going to be used to do this was voted down surprisingly in the last House session. The money was to be used to bring necessary utilities to the industrial park on Mountain Drive such as water, sewer, and electric, and subsequently would have brought those utilities to the Hance’s Ridge section of the park. The problem is that on the Hance’s Ridge side…we have perfect road access from highway 119, but none of the utilities mentioned above. The Colmar side however, has all the utilities such as water, sewer, and electric, but has limited access. The access from highways 188, 1344, and 516, and 988 are all very winding, narrow roads that could not facilitate a large influx of traffic that the bridge to nowhere on the Hance’s side could provide. It is possible to take flatblad trailers hauled by trucks up highway 188 and 1344, however these roads would not be suitable for large enclosed trailers or RVs. So that is my major dilemma in a nutshell. The money to improve the road past the bridge and to provide that side with the necessary utilities has since been put in the road budget, but it will not be available until the year 2012…quite a ways off. So the question is how do we develop a trail head in the mean time? One idea I had is to approach private land owners near Mountain Drive to discuss the possibility of them opening campgrounds. There are several areas that are near the major highways such as 25E and 119 that are in close enough proximity to Mountain Drive that a trailhead near one of these highways would be possible. I will be exploring that possibility in the coming weeks.

At the current time I am working on examining PVA data and comparing it to property line data that Vaughn and Melton has acquired through their mapping of the park property. This can be a very tedious process. One thing we are trying to make sure we don’t do is promote park trails that are actually on property other than what we have on the Asher tract. I am gathering all the trails that we currently have that are in questions and will contact the property owner concerning these trails once I have all the information I need. After we have all trail and property line issues taken care of we will begin editing the map, and hope to have some new trails developed by year’s end.

Another thing I will be working on in the near future will be the formation of a new committee, which will tentatively be called the Bell County Trails Society. My goal is to have this committee help oversee and make recommendations for all things concerning the acquisition and maintenance of new multi-purpose trails in Bell County. In short it will be a committee to help oversee the development of the multiple facets of adventure tourism in the county. I hope to get locals who are passionate about horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, and any other form of trail recreation to assist in the development of promoting trail sports of different varieties.

It is true that I am trying to obtain permission for more legal access to be used by ATVs and Side X Sides in Bell County. We have had some preliminary talks with several landowners who own large tracts here in Bell County and hope to have a large amount of ‘off-park’ riding by early 2009, in the neighborhood of 40,000+ acres. This will give people legal access to many of the lands that are illegally ridden in Bell County currently. This will also give our club the opportunity to showcase many different areas of the county outside of Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park (aka Mountain Drive). We also know that if our club has legal access to this land, we can improve the land for its landowner. We hope to work with Kentucky Fish and Game in acquiring and maintaining some of these new lands. We have done a lot of clean up on Mountain Drive as far as trash pick-up and trail maintenance, and will do the same on this new stretch of land if we are given access to it. We as a club are out to prove that we can help offset the negative impact done by ATVs and hopefully help change the mindsets of people who ride their ATVs without any regard for nature.

I am also about to start the process of connecting Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park to Black Mountain Park in Harlan County. We have discussed this for several months and have not been able to solidify a route yet due to working on other projects. Besides being busy for the past month or so working on grants, I have also been really involved in helping my friend Ben Barnett get Bell County’s Enhanced 911 system up and running. After talking with several folks who know the area pretty well, we have got a basic idea of how we think the route should go. We are trying to minimize traveling on black top as much as possible, and also trying to minimize having to pass by houses. However the only way we can do this is by gaining permission from more land owners in order to cross the blacktop in the most efficient way possible. As soon as we get a route to connect our two riding areas, it will be a major first step for the Kentucky Adventure Tourism Project. We hope to bring you updates on this soon.

As a club, the Holler Crawlers are now incorporated. We are excited about the possibility of becoming a 501C3 in the future and have a very intelligent guy helping guide us in that direction. We have a few events coming up. The club will be doing a trash clean up day on Mountain Drive on Saturday, September 13th. There is a members-only cook/camp/ride weekend September 19-21 which will feature live bluegrass music, free food for members, and rides all weekend long. About 40 people from the Southern SXS Riders will be in that weekend and have already booked up the Holiday Inn Express. Hope to have several of the Ridge Runners down as well.

Anyway that’s about it for now I suppose. Anyone with any questions about the park, the Holler Crawlers, or adventure tourism in Bell County can contact me at hollercrawlers@hotmail.com or at my work email, jongrace@bcje.com. Also by phone at 606-302-1943.

Busy, busy, busy. - by Jon

Folks it's been hectic here at Holler Crawler central.

My good friend Preston told me a few months ago..."You're about to be a busy man..."

He wasn't lyin'.

In all honesty I can say that I am not really a fan of being busy most of the time. I am a much bigger fan of quiet evenings on the lake in the sacred absense of the hustle and bustle. But this club has changed me in a very positive way. It's given me more than a hobby...it's given me a new goal. To try to use adventure tourism to breathe new life in Bell County and southeast Kentucky.

My buddy Preston also told me...one thing I was gonna need is people with the same fire I have. And the people that I found...man...I cannot explain how good of a core group we have. From all ages, backgrounds...we have all kinds and we all get along so well and all want to see this club reach the pinnacle. People with different knowledge and different skill sets that are all vital to the success of this club. I have to say I lucked out. To have people dedicated...who not only talk the talk but walk the walk. They're great, I can't say thanks enough to them. Together we're making it happen.

Great news today folks...SB 196 has passed!
This is a GIANT step forward in the right direction for Bell County and the rest of Kentucky. This law pretty much allows land owners the right to enter into contracts with state government concerning the use of their land in connection to adventure tourism...whether it be trail sports like we are focused on...boating, rock climbing, etc. We had been working on different forms of this bill for several years and this year thanks to the hard work of Senator Brandon Smith and others, it made it through. Both Republicans and Democrats...coming together...because both believed a good idea was more important than partisan politics. That's a beatiful thing, ya'll. For more info on that bill check this out:



In other news our event schedule has added a new one to it's list...the 2008 Pineville Spring Fling...which is being put together by our friend Tim Cornett, director of Main Street Pineville. The event will feature a city wide yard sale, an auction I believe...different vendor booths including Hart's Cyle and MGD, and a Holler Crawler Booth. Our booth will contain info about the club, the park, safety information about riding, and some super sweet Holler Crawler Merch. Also during this event there will be an ATV show...so you can spiff your toy up, spit shine it, and there will be a parking area and we will have a route to get to the show area. So by all means come show off your ride and your mods!


And of course, coming up on Saturday, May 31st, we are doing our first large scale organized ride...simply called the Ride For Sean. This ride will be a donation ride for the children of the fallen Deputy Sheriff Sean Pursifull that so tragically lost his life a few months back. We are asking everyone to please help spread the word on this ride, as we are going to raise as much money as we can for this great cause.
For info on the ride go here: http://hollercrawlers.googlepages.com/rideforsean

Also folks, stay tuned for exciting news concerning some new legal land to ride in Bell County...We're hoping to add another 33,000 acres of some of the BEST riding you'll find anywhere to our ranks. As soon as we hear word, so will you!

Another announcement, thanks to our secretary Rob we have picked up Subway of Middlesboro as an official sponsor! Show your Holler Crawler membership card and you will get 50 cents off a 6 inch, and $1 off a footleg! Good going Rob! Nothing beats a footlong Subway roast beef/turkey samich after a hard days ride. So after playing in the mountains and mud all day, remember to eat fresh at the Middlesboro Subway!

About merch - we are hoping to have it in reaaaaal soon. On this initial next order we're only gonna have about 25 shirts or so left...so if you want a shirt, now is the time to let us know about it! We will also have some camo caps and two sizes of stickers. So make sure to get yourself some Holler Crawler merch and rep Bell County, as the kids say.

Another thing before I forget...This club is not just open to ATVs. We are making a conscious effort to change the name from 'Holler Crawlers ATV Club' to 'Holler Crawlers Off-Road Club'. We also have memebrs with dirt bikes and side x sides...and are also open to Jeeps/Trucks, rock crawlers...about anything you ride the trails with. Even looking at possibly opening the club up to mountain bikers and horseback riders...Right now we are looking for a person to help get people interested in the Jeep/Truck/Rock Crawler aspect of the club, as we don't have many current members who have such toys. So please if you are local and would like to help us get this division up and running, please give us a holler!

Anyway I think that's it for now. Stay tuned, Holler Crawler Nation! And help spread the word! Don't forget our next meeting is Tuesday, April 8th, 6:00PM, 3rd Floor Meeting Room of Old Pineville Courthouse. We'd love to have ya'll over!

Jon (BCO)

A Day I'll Never Forget - By Dianne - 03/05/08

You know, you see things like this on TV and read about them in the newspapers, but you don't expect to be an eye witness to an airplane crash! I'm still shaking. And it has been several hours now since it happened.
Jim, Pam, Terry, Grizz & myself were doing mostly trail riding and some clean up work down at WTOP (for those that don't know what that stands for it means, Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park).
Terry & Pam had just split off with us because they had to go home to get ready to attend a meeting of another ATV club, Mountain Trails. Grizz, Jim & myself were going to go by the water tower and make our way over to the other side to the Mud Bowl.
We saw this small airplane that was going really slow and low.... and I do mean LOW! It looked as if it was trying to land. I won't go in to details here but the next moment we saw it go down. We all knew it had crashed.
Jim and Grizz took off toward where they thought it had landed. I stopped for a second to call 911. I would say that the call came in no more than 30 seconds after the plane went down. Maybe that was what helped to save his life. I hope so.
There was one man in the plane. He was alive when I got there. I'm here to tell you I was scared to death. I couldn't bring myself to actually look to see him. I was afraid to look for what I might have seen.
In an attempt to make a long story short, I went down to the intersection of the road on 1344 to wait on the rescue people to get there and lead them to the crash site. I know one thing... Miss Kitty can run off and leave a fire truck sitting in my dust! I had to almost stop a time or two waiting on them to catch up. BUT then I guess driving what they were and hauling what they were that they can't keep up with something like an ATV.
By the time I got back up to the crash site, they had the gentleman out of the airplane. He was hurt, not sure how bad but at least he was alive. The fire truck/ems people called for an air rescue to come to the site. It took about 20 minutes for it to get there. The rescue squad had gotten there shortly after the fire trucks and attended to the mans injuries. They loaded him into the back of the ambulance and waited with him there till the air rescue arrived on site.
From what I was reading at the WYMT news site they took him to UT Knoxville Hospital. I wish that I had a way of knowing that he will be OK.
Before I go any further I have to mention that not only was it the three of us at the crash site, but Brandon & David were on the other side, near the Mud Bowl and came over too. All 4 of them pulled the man out of the plane. They arrived there while I was down waiting on the rescue squad. I'm still so shaky that I'm having a hard time remembering it all. Or should I say put everything in the order of events? Yeah that's it.
I'm going to try to call Knoxville tomorrow to see if I can get in touch with any of the mans family to make sure that he is OK. I pray that he will heal from his injuries and will be alright. It is so remote up there that if someone had not seen him go down I'm not sure how long it would have been before someone found him. And with him being in the shape that he was, I'm afraid to think of how he would have been if it had been a long time. I'm sure that he wouldn't be alive.
Well, that is what has happened in my part of the world on Thursday, March 13, 2008! Sure hope it does not happen again anytime soon!

Board Meeting Tonight - By Dianne

02-26-08

The Board of Directors and the Officers of the Holler Crawlers ATV Club meet tonight in Middlesboro to discuss possible names for the new ATV park and to try to make final plans for the Benefit ride in May.
Hubby was going to go with me tonight, but he is home sick so he can't go. And here I had plans on going early and eating some KFC! Looks like if he gets any it will be take home.
The temps are dropping fast... and the wind is really howling outside. The forecast is for snow to move in here. Hope I get down there and back without any trouble. I don't think I'll have any problems.... but with this crazy weather you never know!