Making New Friends

Our 2nd Annual Glorieta Fly Fishing Adventure has been a huge success. Our conference saw a huge swell in attendance, basically doubling in size to something around 60. It's been great to hear how each man heard about the event. Some read articles, some word of mouth, and many guys came back from year one. From all over the USA they've come to hook a trout, and sink deep into the Word.

The conference is one in our line of Adventue Trips, and guys seem to really love them. We deal with issues men face each night when we do the bible study.

Today was my last day to slay the trout. Not much slaying but did catch a few. I thought I was going to have to whup a man today on the stream. He wasn't in our group. He was just a local who was fishing and had some pathetic stream etiquette. Came up and fished about 20 yards from me. Had he not left quickly, I'd have had to explain to him that there are miles of water here pal!

Thinking on it, I realized that most men just don't have good dads that can teach them how to be a man. I see it all the time. Not just in fishing. Things like the fact that many young men don't open the door for a lady. When they shake your hand, they mumble their name, and give a soft shake.

My dad taught me to shake a man's hand with a firm, yet not hard shake. Look him in the eye, and tell him your whole name.

Little things like that are what give a man what we call "class."

Honestly, class is something I see missing so badly in today's younger men; yet, you really can't fully blame them, because class is something that is taught. Not acquired.

So that's my beef on the man on today's stream. He needed come class. And I was about to school him!!!!

I'm so ready to go home and see my wife and son. Leave out tomorrow morning.

It's been fun, but I'm outta here!

Glorieta Adventure Begins

From Bulls To Brown Trout

Snowed Out

I'm sitting in a hotel in Chama, New Mexico. The "Branding Iron Inn" - how 'bout that??? Sounds all out cowboy don't it?

Why am I not in elk camp??? Because we got a ton of snow that forced us out of there - and dude - it's mid-September!! I cannot believe it. We didn't even get to hunt today.

Our guide, the great Patrick Archuletta, let us sleep in his RV last night. Praise Jesus ... because our sleeping bags and entire outfitter tent was soaked from all the heavy snow pack on the tent roof. We'd have risked hypothermia. Seriously. You can't sleep in wet sleeping bags in 18 degree weather with 50 mph winds, and expect to do well!

Patrick is a cool guy. Knows the Lord. He's a great elk guide. Hard core. He's a copper headed Mexican who can flat "whup a man" if he needs to!!! Even though we've discussed it all week, I don't think he could take me in a brawl, because he knows that when the chips are down, I'll cut a man. I will. I'll cut a man and sleep well when I get home. We've had a ton of fun together. And he's gone above and beyond what most guides would ever do for a hunter.

Get this ... no joke either ... we've walked a total of 60 miles the first 5 days of hunting. Now think it through: that's 60 miles in the high country of the New Mexico Rockies, Sangre De Christo Mountains, which stands for "blood of Christ." With packs, camera gear, bows, food, clothing on our backs. Hey man, that's gettin' it done!

And bro, I've not fallen over dead yet!! Hey, seriously, I've been working my hindquarters off to get in shape for this hunt, and it's worked. Even the other guides can't believe we've put in that much foot traffic.

Tomorrow I've got one more hunt left. Man, I really, really want to kill a bull. And I want my buddy David Moss to kill one, too. So I'll be cookin' up some different prayer signals tonight for sure.

This is a picture of a bull that Kevin Cordell, a Oklahoman planted in Texas, shot but didn't kill. Another fella took this brute 4 days later in the same canyon ... at least Kevin got to sling an arrow!

High Country Ups & Downs

Me & my grandfather, Josh "Dat" Cruise
around 1977 at our hunting cabin in
the Tennessee mountains.

Dat - you'll forever be in my heart with each
step I take in the chase. I miss you.

Dead Tired But Well Fed In New Mexico

We finally got into New Mexico around 7am. 18 solid hours without stopping baby!! Here's a picture of Amarillo when nobody's awake!

YEAH DAWG! There's a lot of things I'm not good at, but one thing is for sure ... I ain't afriad of no road trip! Hey, why stop along the way and rest??? You can rest when you get there.

And dude did we get there. I drove the first 11 hours or so. Then I handed over the control panel to D. Moss. Listen here son, when you employ the Moss School of Driving, you can make things happen. Let's just say that Moss and Jerry Reed (from Smokey and the Bandit) share the same DNA coding ... west bound and down, rollin' up and truckin', we gonna do what they say can't be done!

We ate at Thomasitas, in downtown Santa Fe. I've eaten there a bunch. It's a local haunt, and the cool thing is that the building goes back like 110 years, back to when the resturant was a train depot for the Santa Fe railway. Check it out if you're in Santa Fe. Get the Green Chile Enchilada.

I'll be posting when I can via our audio blogger ... that is ... when we can get cell reception!

David Moss In Red Bull Detox

Arkansas Through A Windshield

Carl Weatherford with his dawg
"Tracker." Carl is our Arkansas Field Rep.

On The Road Again

It's On Now

Today we journey out for our first whitetail hunt of the season. Kentucky opens crazy early on their bow season. I'm running the camera for our Kentucky Field Rep, Jason Brooks.

He's been seeing a hefty bluegrass 10 pointer, so we'll see if we can't stick him a Carbon Express/Muzzy combination and bring down some pain!

Be sure to blog in with us and tell us what you are seeing in your neck of the woods. It can be really helpful for good info on what the deer are doing.

Only 11 days until we leave to chase big New Mexico bulls.