On a glorious, if windy Saturday I hauled myself out to the Timonium Fairgrouds for the second annual Beer , Bourbon and BBQ festival.

Nice crowd, a mix of 20s- and 30s-somethings and a few gray-hairs like me.

I was drawn to a cooking demonstration by Greg Nivens, founder of the festival. Greg's basic idea was to put bacon in everything, even good bourbon.

For me, the highlight of the demonstration was watching Greg building the "bacon explosion" a pork studded treat created by two guys in Kansas City. Here is the recipe.

I was less fond of the bacon-infused bourbon. It left an odd greasy, feeling in my mouth. A waste of good bourbon, I felt.

While waiting for the bacon tasting session to begin I read an intriguing story in Draft Magazine by Tim Cigelske. He had lost his job, and since he had time on his hands, cycled halfway across the country -- including some very dry stretches of Nebraska -- drinking beer at his overnight rest stops.

My favorite anecdote was when he stayed with Baptists, who did not drink. The woman of the house threatened to throw him out if he got drunk. He did not.

On a warm spring Saturday, and feeling the bourbon,  a beer-cycling trip seemed like a great idea for this summer.

Anybody ever try one?

What precautions and preparations did you take?

Any other opinions of the bacon dishes, or the festival?