"As a kid growing up in the mountains of North Carolina," Joe says, "My family was so poor that we had to go out in the woods to entertain ourselves because we couldn't afford to buy toys." This instilled in him a lifelong love of the outdoors. If there's anything Joe likes better than being in the outdoors, it is talking about being in the outdoors. Flyfishing is Joe's addiction, and he credits his friend, the late Todd Burleson, with helping him develop his skills and love for the sport. In 1998 Joe learned the craft of making Bamboo flyrods under the tutelage of R. L. King, a well-known artisan who has since retired from the craft. Joe is also an avid hunter. He has hunted small game, deer, and elk, and he has even been on a few "snipe" hunting trips. Joe inherited a definite gift of gab from his grandfather who spent most of his free time sitting around the old "pot bellied stove" spinning yarns at the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. (That is the subject of a book that Joe is working on, "Tales from the Pot Bellied Stove.") Putting his talkin' talent to good use, Joe got into the radio broadcasting business while still in high school. He continued to work in radio for several years - even while serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. Later while working in sales and marketing in the late Eighties, Joe started listening to talk radio stations, and he was was hooked (no pun intended)! So it was a logical progression for Joe to combine his love for the outdoors and his broadcasting background to create and host Blue Ridge Outdoors. Join Joe each week for outdoor adventures and advice plus a bit of old fashioned fun. Blue Ridge Outdoors airs Saturday mornings from 7 to 9 on SuperTalk WFHG. Joe also writes a quarterly "New Product Review" article for Power Fibers Online Magazine which is targeted to bamboo flyrod makers all over the world. His articles can be read at www.powerfibers.com. EMAIL JOE BYRD