Category: travel

thursday list-o-mania: airports

author randomduck | timestamp 25/02/2010 | categories 0 Comments

A quick list of airports I’ve been to (in an airplane – departing, arriving or connecting):

United States

Canada

Europe & the UK

categories random, travel

categories

boxing day miscellaney: xmas and paranoia

author randomduck | timestamp 26/12/2009 | categories 1 Comment

Happy Boxing Day to one and all!

Christmas was a wonderful day. I’m in Connecticut, with sprite’s family as usual. We slept in, which isn’t too surprising, given that we arrived early on Christmas Eve day – 6:00 am, to be precise.

Yup, we drove through the night, taking shifts on mostly empty roads, listening to XPN’s “The Night Before”: a 24-hour marathon hosted by DJ Robert Drake. We listened to the first six hours of the broadcast, some of it over the air, most of it via the iPhone (worked like a charm on 3G connections).

After a few hours of shut-eye, I finished up my holiday shopping, which had been postponed by SNOWPOCALYPSE 2009!!!! Even though I’d been in a bit of a funk over what to get folks, it all came together in a combination of lack of sleep and time deadlines.

Anyhow, the holiday went well: presents were well received, dinner was tasty, and family visits were lovely and mellow. I’m stoked that my mom and sprite teamed up to get me The Beatles In Mono, the limited-edition box set of all the monoaural Beatles albums. sprite is stoked that she has lots of lovely new yarn to play with. And we’re both elated to have new cooking and food things to enjoy, DVDs to watch and books to read – and some precious time off from work.

—–

Hopefully, Sarah has made it to Rome on her re-routed trip to Egypt. She’s running about 12 hours behind her original schedule, which can’t be fun. Problems with baggage and aircraft in DC caused re-routing of her flights, as well as other hassles. Good luck, Sarah!

—–

And now I hear that, due to an attempted “pants bombing” of a Delta Air Lines flight yesterday, airport security and overall travel paranoia is back to an unreasonable high. We’re still seeing the after-effects of the failed shoe bombing attempt over five years ago, having to doff our shoes at TSA checkpoints here in the United States. Does this latest bombing attempt mean that we’ll see mandatory pants-dropping at security checks? Whatever the case, the dog-and-pony show that is the TSA security check will become even more comically absurd, still doing precious little to actually make things more secure, making travelers more grumpy, and not really removing the root causes of attacks.

And I’ve already heard that the TSA has imposed in-flight lockdowns of arriving aircraft. Air Canada is already advising passengers heading to the U.S. that, during the final hour of flight, passengers are to remain seated with carry-ons fully stowed and are not allowed to “have personal belongings or other items on their laps.”

Is this overreaction? Yes, it is. As David Bernstein (of The FredCast Cycling Podcast) reminds us, Ben Franklin put it best:

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

The TSA is instilling paranoia in order to try and control the situation. In doing so, they fail to achieve any level of security and only make themselves look absurd.

categories insecurity, random, travel

the time, what of the time?

author randomduck | timestamp 07/10/2009 | categories Comments Off

Okay, so I’ve been slacking off here.

It shows, doesn’t it?

Rest assured, I’ve been active. So what have I done since… August 13?!?! Okay, let’s start with August 1, why don’t we?

Riding:

  • On August 1, I rode the Mountain Mama Road Bike Challenge out of Monterey, VA. The drive down there the night before was eventful, as my trusty Subaru decided to blow almost every single oil gasket just outside of Staunton, VA. No fun, and possibly a show-stopper. But thanks to the help of friends, I was able to get a ride for me, my driving companion and our stuff to Monterey. The ride was spectacular, though I felt like ass for the first 80 miles of the ride, having expended a lot of energy the previous night getting the car to a mechanic, waiting for a ride, etc. From miles 80 to 100, though, I was strong, and did quite a bit of good, fast climbing over the final three summits. The car is fine now, after replacement of six gaskets.
  • I also organized a century on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. This was a great ride, loose and fun, and featured a sighting of a black bear sow and two of her roly-poly cubs.
  • My Tuesday night “Downtown Breakaway” club ride slowly ramped down throughout August, wrapping up on September 1 with an unfortunate ending: a crash in the paceline ended up with one rider breaking a hip, another his bike.
  • Rode the Civil War Century in early September. This is a must-do ride, given its location and organization, and a lot of people drive down to Thurmont, MD, for this annual tradition. The day was somewhat misty and damp, but it made for exceptional riding, and I got to hang out with many different friends along the route.
  • The PPTC Historic Back Road Century took place in late September, and while it is a ride that I’m not particularly fond of (the route is somewhat flat and boring), the company I rode with made up for that. I was in a great shape for this, though I left a lot in the tank when riding with my friends.

Travel:

  • My main travel was to Salt Lake City to visit my mom. It wasn’t the best of trips, to say the least, as there was a lot of work to do around her house – some of which was a surprise to sprite and me. And my mom is no fan of having her visiting family do housework while we’re in town, but we really had to do it. Needless to say, I’m now quite versed in cleaning, dismantling, moving, disposing of and installing refrigerators.
  • One bright spot on the Utah trip (perhaps the bright spot) was a lovely evening spent with our old friends, Bethy and Garrett. We drank beers, had some fun conversations and jammed out on guitar, mandolin and piano until late in the night. It brought back a lot of old memories and created lots of lovely new ones.

Anything else? Well, I’ve spent some quality time with our DC friends, though not as much as I’d like due to the craziness that is late summer and early fall in DC. But fall and winter look to be a lot of fun, once the transitional chaos inherent in the seasonal change settles down. I’ll be up in New England this weekend, which will be a bit more of a vacation than was the trip to Utah – can’t wait for that.

categories cycling, outdoors, random, travel

trip report: harpoon brewery-to-brewery ride (20 june 2009)

author randomduck | timestamp 29/06/2009 | categories 1 Comment

Activity: road cycling
Location: Boston, MA > Hinsdale, NH > Windsor, VT (Harpoon Brewery-To-Brewery Ride)
Distance: 148.0 miles (mostly rollers, some big, with one challenging climb from miles 91-94)
Duration: 7:41 (8:20 with stops)
Weather: partly sunny in the early hours, mostly cloudy for the remainder, 67-78 degrees
Climbing: 8,125′
Avg HR: 150 (max 188)
Type: aerobic

We ride north along Spofford Lake

This is the big ride of 2009 (at least according to my current schedule), and it comes far earlier than last year’s big ride out in California. This ride differed in two key respects:

1. It was a longer, point-to-point ride with less climbing; and
2. There was a lot of beer involved at the end.

This ride is sponsored by Harpoon Brewery and is a fundraiser for charities near and dear to them (they are highly involved in helping out in New England). The entry fee is steep, but with it you get a cool jersey, great support (including the Mavic neutral tech support cars and motorbikes), and an end-of-ride BBQ featuring a lot of Harpoon beer.

It’s a fine, fine ride.

The morning started off in Cambridge, where sprite and I were staying with our friends, Sam and Alexis. We had to get up early, as I had intended to start the ride at 7:45am and need to be at the brewery at Boston Harbor by 6:45, at the latest (according to the info packet I had). However, even on a sleepy Saturday morning, traffic doesn’t move slowly through downtown Boston due to poorly-timed traffic lights. On the way, we made a quick pit stop at a Dunkin Donuts in downtown (sprite made the fastest stop for coffee, OJ and a bagel I’ve ever seen) and made it to the brewery by…. 6:50.

Most riders had already embarked on the course, as the slowest riders were sent on their way at 5:45am. I was planning on riding with the 20mph group, but decided that maybe the 19mph group was a better fit, given my high level of fluster heading into the ride. It certainly caught sprite off-guard, as I left at 7:35, about 10 minutes earlier than originally planned. But she was sweet to drop me off at the ride start.

I ended up in a group of 20-or-so riders, most of whom either were members of the Team FuelBelt triathlon club or the Monsters In The Basement cycling club. I ended up slotting in with the Monsters, who were a group with a similar personality to my PPTC “wrecking crew” – it was a good and serendipitous teaming, as they invited me in to their group for the duration of the ride.

The route isn’t overly complex, as it basically stays on five major roads: Massachusetts routes 225 and 119 and New Hampshire routes 63, 12 and 12A. Yes, there are many forks in the road and other, smaller roads used, but over 85 percent of the ride features the aforementioned five routes. The entire cue sheet fits in one column on a single side of standard letter paper – that’s how easy the course is, in terms of linear routing.

And the climbing on the ride is fairly mellow. There are many rollers of various size, and a gradual rise into New Hampshire the account for the ride until mile 90. At this point, in Hinsdale, NH, the ride turns north onto NH63 and a climb called “The Leviathan” by the ride organizers. It’s no slouch of a hill, averaging around 4 percent for its duration, with a few stretches of 7-8 percent before its “summit” at mile 94. After this, the rest of the ride is rolling, including a covered bridge crossing of the Connecticut River a mere four miles from the finish.

I must have prepared well for this ride (indeed, I told sprite the previous weekend that I was ready after riding a really strong-yet-controlled pace for two consecutive 65-mile rides): I ate well and hydrated myself just enough. The bike, my Jamis Eclipse, was in great shape, with new tires and a more aggressive riding position that mirrors the Pedal Force (my usual road bike). And I had a good amount of rest.

And it showed on ride day. I was always in good spirits with a lot of energy in the tank. My first rest stop, at mile 52, was a bit longer than I’d like, but it went well, with a lot of free Clif Shot Blocks available (I stuffed my jersey with the things – they’re tasty). At mile 56, we called the Mavic cycle to aid a cyclist whose loaner wheels (from Mavic) weren’t holding air. And the third stop at mile 89 was unplanned, but one of the Monsters met up with his family at this stop. Stopping near the bottom of a climb is usually tough, but we made this stop quick and got on our way.

The Leviathan was tough, but I set into a spin pace and did just fine with it. Our group would reconnect after big features like this, which was for the best and kept folks’ spirits high. The next official stop at mile 97 featured musette bags with goodies and water, but the way it was setup didn’t allow for a smooth, pro-style hand-up, so we stopped to use the loo and refill bottles.

Monsters near the top

At this point, we were rejoined by the FuelBelt triathetes, which was an interesting experience. First, we ended up with a monster-size paceline of 16 riders. And of that group, only the Monsters and a few of the tri-folk were taking pulls (mostly by choice on our part, as we scoped out the FuelBelt riders and found that most weren’t the best paceline riders). It could have been irksome, but two of the FuelBelt riders took great, strong, steady, long pulls for the group. And they happened to be the only two women in the group – and one of them had never been at the lead of a paceline before. It certainly didn’t show, and we averaged almost 24mph for the 26 mile stretch to the final fuel stop of the ride before Vermont.

At this point, a few of the Monsters were shelled from the crazy effort we’d just made, and we all welcomed the cold sodas and fruit and the salty pretzels at the rest stop. Never before had a Pepsi or Mountain Dew tasted so good! We refueled and stretched, and let the FuelBelt crew ride ahead, as our group wished to stay together. And I admit, I got jumpy as we neared Windsor, and jumped ahead of the group until the covered bridge crossing of the Connecticut River, where I stopped to take a picture of the sign over the bridge. Regrouping in downtown Windsor, we rode together for the remainder of the ride to the brewery.

After 148 miles, the journey was complete! And my legs were ready to ride another 30 miles, at least – as I said earlier, I was prepared!

But the lure of a hot shower, a massage, fresh barbeque and cold beer was too much to pass up. It was a fitting end to the ride, and sprite met me a short while after I finished to give me a ride back to her folks’ place in Connecticut.

It was an awesome day and a superb ride – one that I’d happily do again, though I’d want to bring a few more of my PPTC friends to share in the experience.

(Click on any of the pictures to see my full set from the ride. Click here to see a full album from Will Williams of the Monsters – you’ll see more pics of me riding there.)

Me with the Monsters In The Basement crew

I really need to mention the debt of gratitude I owe the Monsters for their overall support of me. Their club support driver, Ian, provided me with water and soda along the way, treating me as a member of the team the whole day. It was really great, and made the whole day much more special. And to Peter, Will, Philip, Dan, Dave and Todd, a tip of the hat to y’all for being so nice to a stranger from the south. C’mon down to this area for a ride sometime: Mountains of Mistery, Mountain Mama, Civil War Century, you name it!

categories cycling, outdoors, travel, workout

trip report: mountains of misery (24 may 2009)

author randomduck | timestamp 29/05/2009 | categories 3 Comments

Activity: road cycling
Location: Newport, VA > New Castle, VA > Newport > Mountain Lake, VA (Mountains of Misery)
Distance: 102.7 (mostly rollers, some big, with two BIG climbs)
Duration: 5:57 (6:17 with stops)
Weather: overcast and mild, a little drizzle, 62-70 degrees
Climbing: 10,240′
Avg HR: 160 (max 191)
Type: aerobic

Year two of the Mountains Of Misery ride, and it went very, very well: 19 minutes faster than last year, without the leg cramp that plagued me in the final 10 miles.

The weather forecast leading into the ride became increasingly unfavorable as the week progressed: partly cloudy morphed into overcast, then into showers and thunderstorms. While Jonathan, Chris, Kelly, Mike, Mark and I were a bit worried, we also kept in mind that weather forecasting involves a lot of chaos theory, and is guaranteed to have a certain measure of inaccuracy.

Luckily, May 24 was one of those days.

Sure, there was some drizzle between miles 10 and 20, which was fine. Our starting wave (third out, four minutes after the first group had departed) settled into a good pace, driven by Jonathan, Chris and James, who would end up having the fastest overall time of the day by “not stopping, save for one quick water fill and two pee breaks.” Chris and I rode past the rest stops at miles 26 and 42, making our first stop at mile 56. This helped keep Chris on track for a sub-7-hour finish time, and me on track to beat my time from last year. The rest of our group rode ahead, which was fine, as I had spent the previous six miles playing catch-up after having to stop and tighten a loose crank arm.

The St. John’s Creek climb at mile 58 was good for me: I placed some distance between Chris and me, while Jonathan was dancing up the climb behind us. I quickly stopped to top off my water bottle at the top, having neglected to do so at the rest stop to save a tiny bit of weight (yup – silly, isn’t it?), and shoved off when Chris pulled in and Jonathan passed me. And just like last year, I quickly caught up with Jonathan on the downhill.

Jonathan and I rode together for the rest of the ride, and were happy to see Chris pull into the rest stop at mile 84 as we were pulling out: it was almost certain that he’d beat his goal! Jonathan and I kept rolling, passing the final pre-climb rest stop and heading toward the final, category 1 obstacle: Doe Creek Road.

This year, Jonathan and I started together on this climb, but he certainly had better form for the climb. I was pushing a higher gear than in 2008 (36/25, as opposed to 34/25), and my lower back was giving me fits. I had to stop to stretch it out a couple times during the climb (20-30 seconds per stop) when it locked up and made my pedal stroke more of a lop-sided lunge. But I still made it up the hill faster than last year, and when I crossed the line at 6 hours, 21 minutes and 15 seconds, I was happy: 19 minutes shaved off my 2008 time! Jonathan cheered me on through the finish, as I did for him last year, and we both hit the massage tables to get the lactic acid worked out of our legs.

As we were on the tables, we listened for Chris’ name to be called by the usually-attentive announcer. However, before we heard his name, along came Chris! He finished in 6:38 (6:34 with the four minute time correction), which totally eclipsed his previous best time of 7:08 – a target smashed, for sure!

Our other group mates fared well, too. Mark shaved almost an hour off his 2008 time. Kelly and Mike – my carpool mates who rode the 124-mile route – finished between 8:30 and 9:00 elapsed time (giving me enough time to fully partake of the free BBQ at the finish, as well as a shower at Mountain Lake Hotel, where Dirty Dancing was filmed).

But the best part was seeing my friend Mariette finish in less than eight hours! Mariette shouldn’t have been at this ride: in early March, she was rear-ended by a motorist while riding her bike in Scottsdale, Arizona. She suffered numerous broken bones (fibula broken in four places, broken pelvis, ribs, vertebrae and nose, lacerations a’plenty) and had only started riding on smooth roads a few weeks ago. Prior to Mountains Of Misery 2009, her longest ride had been 53 miles. Yet here she was, finishing a 102.7 mile ride with insane climbs in a time that is a great feat for most riders. She is an inspiration, and the total embodiment of a tough person – way to go, Mariette!

My goal heading into this ride was to shave 5 minutes from my finishing time, and I managed to do almost four times better. The next big goal is the Harpoon Brewery-To-Brewery ride, only 22 days from today. I think I’m ready, though there’s a lot more prep to do.

categories cycling, travel

monday musings: cycling goals and stuff i want to do

author randomduck | timestamp 16/03/2009 | categories Comments Off

I figure that today’s musings (actually on a Monday, no less) will be forward looking. I want to share some cycling goals for 2009, as well as some longer-term aspirations. A lot of the latter was brought on by Sarah and her impending adventures in Jordan (color me jealous).

The big cycling goals for 2009 are:

  • Beat my 2008 time at Mountains of Misery (pardon the rather unfortunate picture there – it seems that the organizers really like to feature pictures of this rider and her suffering expression). Last year’s total time was 6:36:26 – and I know I can do better than that.
  • Finish the Harpoon Brewery-to-Brewery Ride with energy left in the tank.
  • Enter a few races – preferably not crits, as I’m not a fan of demolition derby on a bike.
  • Beat my previous best at Mountain Mama (6:03:21) – quite doable.

Before I do any of that, I need to get my bike tuned up. While I know that Campagnolo Egropower shifters can be rebuilt – and I’m sure that I can do it – I’m a bit sheepish, and may end up having my LBS do the honors. I know that I need to replace my chain and derailleur hanger, both of which are jobs within my skillset. And I need to track down a new bottom bracket, in all likelihood (it’s probably best that I bite the bullet and go with the ceramic model, which is much more durable – the basic cartridge unit wears down quickly).

Now, on to the “stuff I want to do” part….

I love traveling.

I love flying and airports (which seems weird, but I’ve been a fan of both since I was a wee tot). I love the thrill of seeing new places and the wonder of things that are different. These things can be nearby or far away – though I prefer the latter.

So here’s a quick list of places I want to see and things I want to do in the not-too-distant future:

  • Ski the Haute Route.
  • Ride my bike in the Alps, Dolomites and Pyrenées – possibly in l’Etape du Tour, La Marmotte or the Grand Fondo Marco Pantani, though I’d happily ride a self-designed tour through any of these areas.
  • Visit my mom’s homeland along the Black Sea.
  • Go skiing in South America or New Zealand.
  • Hike and/or ski in the Canadian Rockies
  • Visit some National Parks in the west (e.g. Zion, Yosemite, Crater Lake).
  • Visit Norway and Sweden.
  • Hike from hut to hut in the Alps in the summertime.
  • Get together a group of friends for a trip somewhere.

It’s a bit of an unruly list, I know. And if you know the way I travel, I’m not one who sits still for long. I’m not like Rick Steves, who lays out tour itineraries that spend very little time in any one place, but I’m not one who simply sits back for more than an hour or two while on holiday. This can be problematic to folks who travel with me (e.g. I kinda, sorta missed out on the café culture in France, as I wanted to be on the move – a mistake I won’t repeat when next I’m there!), and I need to remind myself to slow down and soak things in.

But I love to travel.

I love to be on the move.

I love adventure.

And I know that the next year or two will be fairly barren in terms of new sights and destinations. It’s a bit frustrating to me, as I really like seeing new things and doing something that isn’t the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. But there are quite a few factors that force me to play my hand a bit more conservatively, and I’m going to roll with those punches. 2009 will be a much lighter travel year, for sure; I hope that 2010 has a bit more in store, but it’s too early to tell.

I can keep dreaming, though, and that’s not a bad thing, at all.

categories cycling, skiing, travel

monday musings (tuesday edition)

author randomduck | timestamp 17/02/2009 | categories 1 Comment

Since we last met, I’ve been skiing in Colorado (great time – proper post coming soon, though the new header image is from this trip) and spent a weekend in Chicago, where sprite had her annual meeting (inconveniently planned to occur on her birthday). There are plenty of pics from both adventures over at my Flickr page, so have a look around.

Let’s muse, then:

  • So it seems that Chrysler – who already received $4 billion in loans from the TARP fund – needs an additional $5 billion to stay afloat. GM wants another $16.6 billion. Sorry, Detroit dinosaurs, but we need to cut you off. Y’see, I remember how things used to be in the land of business: those that could adapt to changing circumstances survived, while others failed – no bailout needed or expected. Note that you don’t see Studebakers, or Cords, or Nash Ramblers in the dealerships these days – there’s a reason for that, as their parent companies failed. And yes, many people lost their jobs as a result of these failures. But somehow, the United States survived, and the fittest of the automakers lived on to see another day.

    The issue, as I see it, is that the “Big Three” of Detroit failed to see the folly of their ways. When customers demanded fuel-efficient and reliable cars, the folks at Ford, GM and Chrysler kept on producing big, hefty, inefficient, unreliable cars that didn’t appeal to many buyers. Sure, there was a certain pride in “buying American” (a trait to which I don’t really subscribe in these modern days), but the buyers looked to the cars that looked forward: Honda and Toyota hybrids, well-engineered German models, and high bang-for-your-buck units from South Korea. All the while, Detroit over-expanded and watered down its offerings.

    Even now, the “Big Three” refuse to do a proper culling of their models and workforce to appeal to the modern economy. If they would simply specialize in their unique strengths (Ford = trucks, Chrysler = vans and the basics of the Jeep brand, GM = ummm, something), plus one “character car” (Ford = Mustang, GM = Corvette, Chrysler = Viper or some very-capable Jeep), then perhaps there would be reason to have optimism. And this wouldn’t require any federal funding to happen: it’s just a matter of cutting costs – and personnel – at all levels, top to bottom.

    Furthermore, the UAW is standing firm on post-war, sweatshop-based tactics toward job protection, moves that do not endear them to me or to the economic realities of today. Look at the most productive and motivated auto workers these days, and you’ll see that they work for Toyota, Honda, Nissan and BMW – most of which are not beholden to the UAW and its yesteryear-leaning tactics.

  • And this leads to my next point: unions need to look long and hard at how their European counterparts handle employment and worker protections. Note that the European labor unions do not rule the roost at the places where they are active. Membership is optional, and you’ll see both union-affiliated and non-union workers standing side-by-side at factories, all happy in their choices. Compare that to the United States, where unions like the UAW create all-or-nothing situations for potential employees.

    Unions have served a purpose throughout the history of the United States. They helped improve worker conditions and defend workers’ rights during times of sweatshop tactics and excessive child labor. They helped set proper safety standards, and helped negotiate living wages. Like the “Big Three,” however, most unions in the United States have failed to adapt to the new realities of the market, both locally and globally. They are paranoid and protectionist to a fault, and while there are some that still act as fair players in the grand scheme of business and societal welfare, there are others that fear any change.

  • And that brings me to the basic reality that the United States now faces: change. The voters called for it in the 2008 elections, and the current economic crisis demands it of all citizens, rich and poor. The America many have known is a relic of a decadent past, and we need to move forward to a leaner, more efficient, more inclusive and less divisive way of life. It means walking instead of driving to the store, it means less spending on frivolous items, it means setting up the basics that many societies take for granted as true civil rights – universal healthcare being paramount above all else, especially for those 18 and under. It means investing in the future: in post-oil energy, in mass transit and infrastructure improvements that will connect our neighborhoods without requiring low-occupancy cars to get from point to point.

    These are all changes to the old “chicken in every pot, two cars in every garage” post-war dream that continues to be bandied about by nostalgia buffs and social conservatives. It was a great dream, but it’s time to wake up to reality – and reality demands that we change our ways. It will involve sacrifice, no doubt. But these changes are simple to integrate into daily life: walk, bus, train or bike to places you would normally drive; use canvas, cloth or reusable composite bags for shopping needs; turn off lights, computers and appliances that aren’t in use; set thermostats lower in the winter and higher in the summer (dressing in layers is chic, after all); eat locally and in season whenever possible; hang dry your clothes. These are just a few things – little things – that most people can, and must, do in order to help enact real, tangible change.

  • And speaking of reusable bags, the Trash Free Anacostia movement is one I really support. It calls for a 5 cent fee for any plastic or paper grocery bag issued by a store, thus encouraging reuse of bags instead of introducing them into the ecosystem, where they often end up as waste – in DC’s case, that’s usually in the river ecosystem of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

    Frankly, I think a 5 cent fee is too low – it should be more like 35 to 50 cents per bag – and should be used in conjunction with a 5 to 10 cent credit for bringing your own bags to the store. This kind of system works well in Europe (where else?), and has really changed how people shop: they buy only what’s needed, and think about what they realistically can carry. Yet this isn’t necessarily a limitation; rather, it’s a call for personal creativity.

    And while people will grouse about this adversely affecting the poor: it’s a one-time charge to get a reusable bag (most retailers change between $1-2 for fairly large, durable bags), and in DC, it’s not difficult to come upon tote bags and duffels, as they’re handed out at myriad free events throughout the District.

    So I applaud Councilman Wells’ efforts on this, and am in support of this first step toward a new mindset in American commerce – one bag at a time.

categories government, outdoors, politics, random, travel, washington, dc

aftermath of a thanks…. giving

author randomduck | timestamp 01/12/2008 | categories Comments Off

The weekend came and went, and it was welcome.

Sure, we had to deal with traffic, but with provisions like these available along our northbound route, we were good to go. Fortunately, we have driven this northbound route from DC to Connecticut enough times to know where to abandon I-95 for alternate routes that are a bit less tedious.

And we made decent time, though we arrived in CT late enough that there were doubts that we’d wake up in time to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But were managed to regain enough coherence to get up and see the parade (including a rare live vocal performance [thank you, James Taylor, for not lip-syncing your part] and the fabulous Rick-rolling by the float for “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”) and enjoy coffee, tea and breakfast pastries.

The rest of Thanksgiving Day was enjoyable as well, and the various dishes all cooked up perfectly for our evening feast. Later in the evening we sat in front of the fire and watched Mrs. Santa Claus.

The next morning I made an early departure for Vermont, where two days of skiing awaited. The first day was at Stratton Mountain, and while the weather was somewhat blustery, the skiing was wonderful – especially for so early in the season. The snowmaking crew did a fantastic job covering the available terrain with a soft and thick layer of snow, and the crowds didn’t materialize until after 9:45 or so – and I’d been on the slopes since 8:15, so I got to let the speed legs loose for a while in the morning on smooth slopes. Even after the “Black Friday” shoppers arrived from points elsewhere, the crowds and liftlines never became too unruly, which makes me tip my hat to the Stratton management for opening up enough trails to spread out the crowds.

After a bit of shopping along the way (including a sighting of a ski boot mountain), I stopped for the night in West Dover, at the lovely Red Oak Inn. It’s a quiet, family-run place that, while a little worn around the edges, is very friendly and comfortable. I soaked my legs for a spell in the hot tub, then enjoyed dinner and a movie (Quantum Of Solace, which I liked quite a bit).

The next day, I skied at Mount Snow, only a couple of miles up the road from my lodging. Last year, I also skied at Snow over Thanksgiving weekend, and was impressed by their new management’s commitment to top-notch snowmaking. This year the snow gods have been a little more kind, and more terrain was open. That said, they didn’t quite have quite the variety that Stratton had open, which meant that crowding was a bit more of an issue. No matter, though, because the skiing was still most wonderful. I especially enjoy their new re-purposing of the Carinthia section of the mountain, where they’re now concentrating all of their terrain parks and half-pipes. The logic behind this is to try and reduce dangerous interactions between freestyle skiers and snowboarders and those who aren’t into the tricks (and are sometimes scared by the seemingly unpredictable nature of the tricksters). We’ll see how it works out, but it looks like a fabulous idea – there were certainly quite a few skiers and boarders taking advantage of the available jumps and rails.

I called it an early day, as the crowds eventually became a bit too much for comfort, and stopped by two abandoned ski areas to take pictures: Haystack Mountain (pictures here and here) and Hogback (pictures here and here). I love seeing these old areas, as sad as it is to see them fall into disuse and disrepair. They’re a bit of skiing history that allows a glimpse at how things used to be.

One thing that was a tiny letdown was that I didn’t find a new pair of ski pants while up north. At the very least, I found three brands that fit me well, so I now can try and find the pants I want at a decent price.

I didn’t let this minor disappointment affect my stop in Brattleboro (one of my favorite towns in the country) for some shopping, walking and coffee drinking. I’m really in love with this town, and it’s tough for me not to peruse the housing market while up there (not to worry – it’s all outside my price range, and I love my DC friends too much to leave just yet). But eventually I had to return to Connecticut and to the family, so I left Vermont just after sunset on Saturday.

The rest of the trip was relaxing: a lazy Saturday night and Sunday morning, followed by a late drive back to DC.

categories random, skiing, travel

giving thanks and catching up

author randomduck | timestamp 26/11/2008 | categories Comments Off

When last we saw our hero, he was still enjoying France.

And I really, really enjoyed France!

Paris has a scale that’s very human, thanks in no small part to the self-imposed building height restrictions that affect almost all of the Parisian arrondisements. Like DC, the place is of a scale that’s not superhuman (save for churches and monuments), and it preserves the place in a former era: the skyline today largely resembles that of Hemingway’s Paris, which is really terrific.

Whoever came up with the idea of “French rudeness” was obviously an American or British lout, as the French people we encountered were exceedingly friendly and polite. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we exercised common courtesy: greeting shopkeepers as we entered and exited their shops, knowing a little bit of the local lingo, and being modest and contained. We witnessed a few other Americans there who clearly didn’t understand and entered into the L-O-U-D A-N-D S-L-O-W speech pattern, and they stuck out quite a bit. But when we dialed into the culture (took all of a second), it was all good.

France is a place where life is a lot slower than in the States. The café culture prevails and affects almost every facet of French lifestyle: soak in ones surroundings and drink up life as it happens. I admit that slowing down like this was tough, especially in areas that are so new (and yet so old) and fascinating, but when I did it was magical.

Provence showed this laid back lifestyle in a most grand display. Though we didn’t have time to explore the small, countryside towns that Peter Mayle idolized in A Year In Provence, our short stays in Aix-en-Provence and Avignon definitely left a positive impression on sprite and me. The old towns move slowly and embrace this easygoing pace, and it was easy to enjoy a drink, a meal, a walk or a basic sit-down in such tranquil settings (even with the fierce winds that come with the season).

You can see my photos from the trip here, and sprite’s photos are collected here. Give ‘em a look-see and leave a comment or two if you’re so inclined.

And now we’ve been back for a bit more than a week, and seem to have brought back some of the laid-back lifestyle with us. Perhaps that’s why The Burrow’s cleaning goes ever-so-slowly. ;)

Now it’s off to Connecticut and New England for Thanksgiving. It’s been one heck of a 2008, and the thanks are many. So to those who have contributed to the wonder of this year, a tip ‘o the hat, a toast of the glass, and most heart-felt thanks.

categories random, travel

france update: still having a great time

author randomduck | timestamp 14/11/2008 | categories Comments Off

Bonjour a Avignon!

Today is our penultimate day in France. We wake to a sunny (and still quite breezy) Avignon, which is going to see us do some power shopping this morning, then a quick visit to Pont d’Avignon (the famous ruined bridge). After that, we head back to Paris on the TGV, and fly back to the States on Saturday.

Provence has been a nice addition to the trip, though it would’ve been nice to have a few more days down here to see the more rural parts (i.e. the parts that Peter Mayle wrote about in his books), but that’s best done when time isn’t such a limitation. Of course, this means another trip is in the cards – can’t argue with that!

I’m still posting almost-daily updates on my Twitter feed, so read those is you want to stay current.

categories travel

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