DAY TWO: SHENANDOAH NATIONAL FOREST

IMMUTABLE RULE #1.....No eating at chain restaurants or fast food places.

"He don't speak No English but he knows the routine" said Chris, a mountain of a man who was  the proprietor of Hillbilly BBQ, a side-of-the-road-attached-to-the-truck barbeque grill that most days sits along route 340 just outside of Front Royal, Virginia on the way to Skyline Drive. He was speaking of Makung, his helper and assistant. A middle aged Filipino who did indeed know the routine and when I had sat down and ordered a half a slab of baby back ribs and some baked beans, as Chris cut the ribs, Makung grabbed the styrofoam container that was going to be the temporary home to those ribs and baked beans. Immutable Rule #1 was going to keep me out of those fast food places and chain restaurants and tasting and trying local haunts and flavors as I proceeded on my trip. And a lunch of BBQ was just the ticket before my trip up Skyline Drive and my afternoon  hike up to Mary's Point.

Chris serves up over 100 meals a day, either baby back ribs or brisket from his custom made grill and rib steamer which he designed down to the hatchet handles that open the large drum oven. "He knows two words. Ribs.....and Brisket", and with a nod of his head to acknowledge Chris, Makung filled the container with baked beans as Chris slid in my half slab...........And the ribs? Delicious :)

I think that I am going to like Immutable Rule #1