Saturday Night, November 8, 2003:  It was nice to arrive back at camp, after being on the bone-jarring trail for the last eight hours.  Jonathan, Paul and I wanted to watch Chef Andy open the pit, where he'd been cooking the beef for the evening's barbecue. and remove the beef that he'd been cooking for the last 14 or so hours. So we wandered over to the registration area and just sort of hung out, talking to people that we knew.

Left:  Breakfast chow line at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe.  Right:  Do you like smoked baked potatoes?  One of Chef Andy's helpers prepares them, smoked over mesquite coals.

Paul, being the ever-helpful sort, volunteered to help Chef Andy open the bbq pit.  So Paul and several other folks grabbed shovels and proceeded to dig, and dig, and dig; the metal plate that covered the pit was buried under a couple of feet of dirt!  After the pit was uncovered, Chef Andy removed the burlap-covered meat using a pole with a hook attached to it.  I counted total of 8 packages of meat being removed, which accounted for the 200 pounds of beef that Andy cooked for the event.  It takes a lot of meat to feed several hundred hungry four wheelers!  By the way, for Paul's effort, he was rewarded with a few free beers and all the strawberry shortcake that he could eat.

Photos:  Smoking chicken over mesquite coals which results in delicious chicken.

A couple of hours later, it was time for the traditional Saturday night barbecue dinner.  

As usual, Chef Andy did a fantastic job with the food.  The dinner consisted of slow-cooked, barbecued beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, a roll, potato salad, veggies and a gigantic salad bar. Such a fine feast in the desert!  When you attend Panamint Valley Days, don't pass up Chef Andy's food!

Left:  All things are almost ready for the Saturday night bbq dinner.  Right:  Chow line at bbq dinner.

After dinner, a large fire was built in the registration area.  At 1900, the traditional raffle, that takes place during most CA4WDC events, started.  Jonathan chose not to attend the raffle; he decided to leave and to flirt with lady luck in the Tahoe area.  So we said our farewells to him, Paul and I settled down to try our hand at the raffle. However, for the first time in this year's event, mother nature didn't cooperate, as it started to rain.  So after a few minutes of sitting in the cold rain, I told Paul that I was heading for camp and the dry confines of my truck.  Paul stayed at the raffle to guarantee our winnings, as nasty weather doesn't phase him.  Of course we didn't win anything, but the raffle money goes to a good cause and it is a fun thing to do.