The Suitcase of Courage

Off Topic:The Future is an Empty Room

Apologies for the off-topic post, but not much riding/racing to report lately.

However, I would be very interested in what you think about the following article.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/the-future-is-an-empty-room

And in a not-such-a-stretch attempt to bring it back on-topic, consider what sort of towns/cities you would most like to bike in/through.

(and try not to consider the irony of bringing up this topic on a blog)

68 Years Ago Today:A Sunday Group Ride

September 21, 1941 was a Sunday, an early autumn day in Southern New England, clear and mild.

World War Two had been raging in Europe for exactly two years.  The German army had advanced into the Soviet Union that summer and was riding high on the success of having already conquered most of Western Europe.  France had just been split into German-occupied and Vichy zones the previous month.

It wasn't learned until much later that at some point in the days leading up to September 21, 1941, there was an important meeting concerning Nazi Germany's capacity to develop nuclear weapons.  We thought the atomic age didn't start until four years later.

We didn't yet have to Remember Pearl Harbor.

On this particular Sunday, the Japanese were celebrating the 10 year anniversary of occupying China's northeast territory of Manchuria.  At some point during that same day, perhaps as some sign of heaven's outrage at such an audacious celebration, the sun was blacked out during a total eclipse visible in most of China - from just northeast of the Black Sea to the Pacific ocean.

Just three weeks earlier, the Japanese government assured President Roosevelt that it had "no imperialist designs on any foreign nation."

Britain had survived the Blitz, which ended that May - the same month Glenn Miller first recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo" which was featured in a hit movie starring Sonja Henie.  "Blue Champagne" by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra was the #1 song on September 21, but "Sun Valley Serenade" was released to theaters exactly a month earlier.  By then "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was already a top ten on the Hit Parade, well on its way to becoming the first gold record ever the following February.  It was the nation's #1 hit by December.

Bobby soxers fed the voracious appetite of juke boxes across the country and made Frank Sinatra the top male vocalist that year.

Families had probably gone to church that Sunday morning in Connecticut, though some navy yard workers may have slept in having worked so hard to launch the Gato Class submarine USS Greenling (SS-213) at the Electric Boat Co., Groton the previous day.  Many were marking the 3 year anniversary of the Great New England Hurricane that devastated the Connecticut coast and rendered Hollywood screen siren Katherine Hepburn temporarily homeless, having to rebuild her family's home in Old Saybrook.

But there was no sign of bad weather this September 21 and at least a few folks took advantage of the beautiful Sunday afternoon to do what many of the readers of this blog do on Sundays.

They went on a group ride.

There aren't many left that remember the "Hobby Trains" run by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (the "New Haven") during the late 1930s and early 1940s.  In an effort to boost ridership, the New Haven took advantage of the fact that their railroad connected the Great Metropolis of New York with New England.  There were camp trains in the summer and ski trains in the winter.  Photography specials in the spring and all year 'round.  But what better time for a Bike Train than Autumn and what better place than the Berkshire Hills?

Thanks to a recent discovery of raw film footage by the NHRHTA, we can go back to that Sunday 68 years ago today and enjoy the sights of a pre-war group ride.  You'll have to pedal your single-speed cruiser over a bunch of rollers before you get to the picnic.  Don't worry if you have to walk up some of the hills - and girls, be sure to mind your skirts that they don't get caught in the spokes.  There are no "rest stops" as we think of today - bits of orange and Powerbars - but an entire spread complete with potato salad, Boston baked beans, chicken and watermelon awaits us.

So give your Schwinn, Columbia or Raleigh to the porter to put in the baggage car, give the conductor your ticket, and enjoy the trip.  The train is about to arrive at the station . . .

Super 8 to YouTube?

Wow - over two weeks since my last post.  You'd think the wheels fell off of my cycling since the Tuesday Night Crits ended.  But you'd be wrong.  Sure, I haven't raced since Aug. 25, but I've been riding.  Lots (just check out "2009 Totals" on the left side of this page).  A few commutes into work, a couple of long rides with friends, and a killer Tuesday night road race ride/pursuit that's done a lot to fill the void left by the absence of the weekly races.

September is also the time for big group rides, centuries and such.  I just did Folks on Spokes yesterday, and I'll be doing the Ferry to Ferry Metric this coming weekend.  BION, I even plan to do some trail riding this fall for the first time since November 2004 (I got my road bike in '05, and that was the end of off-road riding).  With any luck, I'll have reports and pics of each of those events.  They won't be quite the same as my race posts, but the vibe will certainly be in keeping with this time of year which is absolutely perfect for riding.

When I haven't been riding, I've either been working on my other big hobby or going through piles of stuff in an effort at Fall Cleaning.  One of those piles was a stack of Super8 videotapes from my camcorder.  I had no idea what was on most of those tapes and had fun rediscovering some cool footage.

My biggest find from that stack - a whole tape of my first year of races!  Yes, before Mrs. Suitcase became the blog's race photographer (long before the blog itself in fact), she shot video of my races.  No, I'm not that narcissistic.  Really.  Ok, I hope I'm not but whatever - it was great to be able to relive my first races.  Why does 3 years seem so LONG ago?

Anyway, all this is prelude to me asking a favor.  If any of you know a good (read: effective and inexpensive) way to convert videotape to digital, please let me know.  I have a Sony Handycam Hi8 videocassette recorder from 1998 and it has RCA audio/video jack outputs.  I'd like to save all this footage and maybe even post some of it on YouTube.  And not just my races.  There's a lot of other non-race footage we'd like to be able to share with friends/family that we can't right now.

So if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or send me an email.  And I hope to have some more-regular posts coming up soon.

Thanks!

The 40 Dollar Paperback

This post has nothing to do with bikes - except to the extent that, on a bike at least, you can't get a parking ticket.  And when was the last time riding your bike required you to go to court?  Let's just say that Watch Hill, RI is definitely best seen from the saddle.

June 10, 2009 was a Wednesday.  Since it was June 2009, it was cloudy and a little rainy.  But since it was the 10th, it was a wonderful for a Wednesday - it was our wedding anniversary.

A few years ago, I'd given Mrs. Suitcase a special ring under an arbor in the courtyard of a nice restaurant in Watch Hill, RI.  Unfortunately, the restaurant has been since converted to condominiums, but we decided to celebrate our anniversary by revisiting this neat little seaside town anyway.

Despite it being "summer" (so the calendar tells us), the weather and mid-week timing of our trip meant we had most of the town to ourselves.  Parking was not a problem and I got a nice spot along the street, one of the few cars there.

We visited the shops - including a great second-hand bookstore called the Book & Tackle - and had coffees and snacks while admiring the sailboats in the harbor.  We even decided to visit the lighthouse which, despite being here a dozen times or more, we'd never seen.

As we were walking to the lighthouse, past the car, I spotted a little notice? flyer? something under my windshield wiper.  What's this?  A PARKING TICKET??!!  Alas, yes, despite the fact that ours was now the only car on the street, I had failed to notice - nailed a good 15 feet high on a utility pole - a sign indicating "Parking for Watch Hill Residents Only."  Not being a Watch Hill resident, I would have to pay $75 for the opportunity to use a local's parking space - a commodity not really scarce this particular day.

Like any outraged citizen, I decided right then and there to tear the ticket up in little pieces and scatter them around the base of the lighthouse exercise my constitutional right to my day in court.  The fact that I'd be able to take the morning off work to do so cinched the deal.

For the next four weeks, I crafted an argument that would have made Clarence Darrow proud.  It wasn't a legal argument - since I didn't have a leg to stand on.  I was guilty as charged.  But I thought if I could appeal to the judge's better side, get in touch with his humanity, I might have a chance.  Mentioning its being our anniversary and my wife's being out-of-work would need to figure in there somewhere.  I'd have him apologizing to me for our inconvenience by the time I was through.

So this morning, I drove to the Municipal Court for Watch Hill, located in Westerly, RI.  With the passage of time, my arguments - which had seemed so persuasive - started to acquire a patina of desperation.  Would the judge really care a wit about the weather on that particular Wednesday?  Would he consider my mentioning my anniversary and my wife's employment status relevant facts in determining my guilt or innocence of the charge?  No matter - it was too late to mail in the 75 bucks.

The judge took the traffic violations first, mentioning that the parking ticket matters would be considered later.  This was actually good, since I learned that a statutorily mandated court fee of $35 would be assessed on each case, regardless of the final disposition.

When the traffic violations were done, the judge said he would be doing two trials next, but that - in consideration of everyone's time, including his own - he was willing to make an offer to the parking ticket defendants.

"For those of you with parking tickets of $75 or more, if you agree to pay $40 court costs, you may have your ticket dismissed.  Please be advised that I take parking ordinances very seriously and only rarely do I overturn such tickets.  Once I begin to entertain arguments on parking tickets, at the conclusion of these two trials, my offer will expire."

I think I was third in line.  I figured even if my less than stellar arguments won the day, I'd still have to pay 35 bucks - AND be out my time.  I know how long trials can take.

It wasn't even 10:30 and I'd expected to be in court until at least noon or later.  So I decided to explore downtown Westerly - a quaint, former milltown right on the state line.  It has this beautiful railroad station I've always wanted to explore.

 

Built in 1912 and beautifully restored, it would be worth a visit in its own right.  Under the circumstances, it provided some consolation for my trip.

 

Having been to Westerly a few times, I'd seen the outside of the station before, but never had the chance to see the inside.

 

And the final consolation.  The local library set up this cart of books in the station - "Read and Ride... Free for your enjoyment"  Ok, so I wasn't going to ride the train, but I DID ride/drive quite a ways.  So I looked over the offerings.  I'm sure they were mostly book sale rejects, but I did find a copy of Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" - a novel that takes place during the summer of 1928.  Since I'd just given the town $40, I figured I could take a free book from the town library - even if I wasn't traveling by train.

But I did get a sensation of train travel when I stopped on my way out of town at a local coffee shop.  I'd planned on stopping at a Dunkin Donuts I spotted on up by the interstate, but I promised I'd support the local, independent shop - provided I could find  . . .

parking.

Thankfully, there was a spot right near the front door - and no "No Parking" signs in sight anywhere.  I got my coffee and sat by the window.  The cafe is right next to the Pawcatuck River which forms the state line between Connecticut and Rhode Island.  As I sat there, watching through the window as the river flowed by, it felt like I was the one moving and the river was standing still.  Almost like being in a dining car on a train.

But my reverie was broken by the realization that while the Mrs. is currently between jobs, I am not and had to get to the office.  I approached my parked truck with some trepidation, but there was nothing on my windshield and I was able to get out of town $40 lighter, but a good book and a good cup of coffee richer.

Last Night's Ride, Random Thoughts & Books

After having to hit the trainer Wednesday night (after 2 blissful weeks being able to avoid it), I had to get outside again.  Yesterday afternoon in Hartford was sunny and near 70.  But when I got home to Saybrook, it was cold and foggy - one of the downsides of living near the ocean.  Not the weather I'd hoped for, but certainly not the weather that'd keep me indoors.

The shot above is familiar to long-time readers - it's the causeway across South Cove linking Fenwick Borough to Old Saybrook proper.  Going this direction, if there's any wind, it's usually a tailwind.  Except this time.  No matter - just get in the drops and keep pedaling.

But of course, stop for the view:

 

This is Fenwick, looking particularly moody and spooky, the ghosts of the grand old summer homes just starting to rouse themselves for the season.

My workout plan (such as it is) called for a tempo ride, so it was fun not to have to worry about my HR alert going off at the top of zone 2.  I could go as hard as I wanted - as long as I didn't let my effort drop.  So I was crusin'.  My 20 mile training loop is fairly flat, with some rollers, but I clicked it off in under an hour - despite the wind.

Checked my odometer after I got home.  Should have done it on the road.  I'm 3.16 miles short of breaking 1000 miles for the year.  I thought I was a little behind, but just confirmed that I'm hitting that milestone about the same time this year as last year.  After last night's hard ride, my legs are tired so I'll probably only do the rollers tonight, but even so I'll get my grand.

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In racing news, I've signed up to do the Pro1/2/3 race at Bethel on Sunday.  This is in addition to the Cat3/4.  And, yes, the P123 race right after the 3/4.  Best I've done at Bethel this season is 20th.  What am I thinking?

Well, I was reminded that the Ninigret races in Rhode Island I was planning on doing later this month don't offer a Cat3 race.  3s can only race Pro1/2/3 or Masters 35+ (basically the same thing, just older - read: even more experienced).

So might as well jump into the deep end of the pool Sunday and see how long I can stay in.  As with everything else racing-wise this season, it's about learning, not placing.  And if I get dropped, so be it.  I'll enjoy the motorpacing while it lasts.

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In non-bike news (didn't think that was possible, eh?), the Mrs. & I have been doing a lot of reading by the fire - one consolation of the long New England winters.  I'm in the middle of The Red Leather Diary and How to Read Literature Like a Professor - actually, so is the Mrs. since I'm reading those to her while she knits (wow, it really sounds like we're a couple of old people now.  And yes, we have cats curled up at our feet too, in case you were wondering).  For filler, during lunch breaks, etc., I'm (re)reading a lot of F. Scott Fitzgerald, but can only take his sadness in small doses.

But I recently finished two amazing books: The Mercy of Thin Air and The Dante Club.  Thin Air is probably one of the most beautiful & poignant novels I've read.  I'm a fan of the time-travel aspects of ghost stories - ghosts are basically people from the past visiting the present.  And the way the author interlaces the story of the Flapper who died too young with the modern young couple is amazing.  The author's theory of the afterlife is creative and well-reasoned, but requires you to buy-in if you're going to get the story.  Like most fiction I suppose.  It's mostly a story of how love transcends time, space & even death.  If you liked The Time Traveler's Wife, you'll really like The Mercy of Thin Air.

Ok, after all that emotion, I needed something more visceral (if not eviscerating)...

The Dante Club is historical fiction about a real-life club of poets in post-Civil War Boston (Longfellow, Fields, Holmes, Lowell), engaged in a real-life project (the first American translation of Dante's Divine Comedy), who work together to solve a series of grusome murders performed according to punishments depicted in Dante's Inferno (that's the fictional part).

I lost way too much sleep this past week staying up to read it, it was that good.  If you like your murder mysteries with a heavy dose of literature and history, this is the perfect novel for you.

If you read - or have read - either of these books, I'd really like to know what you think about them.

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Happy Friday and good luck if you're racing this weekend!

Christmas Shopping:Sprinter or TimeTrialist?

When it comes to ____, remember - it's a marathon, not a sprint.

I first heard this little gem when studying for the state Bar exam, but you can fill in the blank with just about anything.  Of course, the point was to remember to gauge your effort over the whole time you have to prepare, and not expect to be able to cram weeks worth of effort into the final couple of days.  That worked ok for me in college, but that exam was a different thing entirely.

Yesterday, I passed along this bit of wisdom in the context of Christmas shopping and it got me to thinking how your bike racing proclivities may effect the way you approach the Christmas season.

So, are you a Sprinter or a Time Trialist?

The comparison's obvious, though of course it seemed like a profound insight when I first thought of it.  Do you figure out how much time you have to The Big Day, divide up that time among all the efforts you have to make (or gifts you have to buy), dose your effort over the time allotted and hit the finish line totally spent and maxed out (literally and figuratively in our little analogy) but having accomplished all you set out to do?

Or do you wait and spin in the draft of all the other shoppers, waiting for just the right opportunity (or sale) to attack and then put all your effort into the final days hoping you can hit the finish line and win without totally crashing?

I could beat the horse dead with the comparisons, but you get the idea.

So as we wind down the final 24 hours before Christmas, I hope no matter whether your HR is pegged at threshold or you're still waiting for The Gap to open (and have those great pants on sale) so you can sprint for the line, that you finish knowing you did all you could for the ones you love.  But I hope especially that you're able to enjoy your friends and family no matter what the outcome or what you gave or received.

What kind of shopper am I?  Well, depending on how things go - and what hole(s) I dig for myself - I guess I'd best be described as  . . .

you guessed it

a Climber.

Merry Christmas! ;^)

Motivationus Minimus

I only rode my bike once all last week.  After nice long rides on Labor Day and last Sunday (ride report to be posted soon), I just haven't been able - or, frankly, even motivated - to get out and ride.

Interestingly enough, I've been very motivated lately to work on the house (shudder).  Must be the change of seasons.  We got a cold snap last week and that got me all in a cozy mood.  Time to get the house ready for the holidays, get wood for the fireplace, etc.

Ugh.

I shouldn't be hitting that switch quite yet.  I have a century to ride with friend Larry this Sunday and, at (so-called-friend) Larry's suggestion, a crit to race the next day.

I thought the racing season ended, what, MONTHS ago.  At least it seems like it.  The East Hartford crits seem like they happened last year, not just last month.  The story of my last race there is still in the "Recent Posts" area of the site for pete's sake.

Weird.

And to add insult to injury, it was like 85 degrees and sunny out today.  The breeze this morning was actually warm.  And yet, I didn't feel like riding.  Maybe this is what burnout feels like.

But if so, it's "just about the bike" because not only have I been working on the house, but I've been getting some great reading done.  At least that's been (somewhat) bike related.  And, even more importantly, Mrs. Suitcase and I have been able to spend some really great time with friends lately.  More on that in a future post.

So I guess what ails me is just a symptom of the season, bike-wise anyway.  But if I don't lay off the Butterfingers and cookies every workday afternoon, they're gonna have to scrape me up off of Congress Street this Sunday. . .

A Few Quick Updates . . .

Boy, who turned off the lights?  It's getting NOTICEABLY darker earlier.  After-work rides will be pretty rare from here on out I'm sad to say.

But lots going on anyway, so just a quick post tonight.  I updated my "2008 Totals" (left side near top) and added 2 photo albums (left side, near bottom) - "Long Island Ride" (which I rode Labor Day)  and "Radsport Metric" (which I rode yesterday).  Travelogues on these two rides will (hopefully) be posted soon.

Less than two weeks to the Tri-State Century/Portsmouth Crit weekend!

Weekend Work, Wackiness & Wonderfulness

As I alluded to in my last post, it was quite a weekend!

Friday was all about work.  Got in at 8am for session to start at 10am.  Promptly sat around for almost 12 hours waiting for the "majority party" to get its act together.  Didn't adjourn until 1am Saturday morning.  Got home a little after 2.  Planning to ride at 6.  THAT didn't happen.

Saturday we planned to help some good friends with their move and thankfully their moving truck was  a little late, so I was able to sleep in a little (thankfully) before heading up there.  We had great weather and I have a pickup truck so was able to haul the bike (and other) stuff.

We enjoyed spending time with them - and they graciously took us all out for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant.  I'm not usually one for Mexican, but the food was great (I recommend the small burrito combo - "small" in name only).

If our move last year was anything to compare to, I expect they're pretty overwhelmed with it all.  But we had a great time helping out - and were grateful when we got home that we didn't have all the unpacking to do that they do!  We're so psyched for them that they got such a great place - you can already imagine how it's going to be all set up.  Once they're all settled in, I think they'll find it hard to ever leave.

After a too-short night's sleep Saturday night, I'd planned on riding before church Sunday morning - but enjoyed another hour of sleep instead.  After church we were able to meet Mother Suitcase for lunch and then the Suitcase In Laws for the afternoon and dinner.  After that, it was on to our next adventure . . .

Cat Rescue Transport

We first heard about pet rescue transport from some friends who were actually in an Animal Planet documentary about it(!)  We'd been wanting to do it for some time and finally got the chance to on Sunday.  These particular pusses were pretty pug-nosed Persians from a place in Pennsylvania on their way to a place outside of Plymouth (MA).  Not particularly persnickety, these particular Persians appeared pooped.  They didn't say a peep the entire trip.

(whew!)

Basically, these transports are like an "Underground Railroad" for animals going from kill to no-kill shelters or from situations where they can't otherwise stay to folks that want them and can take care of them.  The trips are usually very long, but are broken down into segments.  We had the New Haven to New London leg and were able to bring the in laws down to see the "handoff."

They lost some time in traffic on the White Plains to New Haven leg, but we - ahem - got them back (almost) on time by New London.  We made the handoff to the folks taking the kitties on the final leg of the journey and said our goodbyes.

Despite a trip to Home Depot right afterwards, we discovered we still had a bit of time left of the weekend (since we hadn't quite packed it full just yet) and decided on a whim to get ice cream and go to one of our favorite haunts - making a rare nighttime visit.

Yes, the Book Barn in Niantic is open til 9pm - even on Sundays as it turns out.  We've been there a lot - especially since we moved to Saybrook - but had never been there at night.  Have you ever been to an old book store after dark?  It's a surreal, dream-like experience.  Especially since this particular bookstore is actually a collection of a bunch of different buildings, large and small, scattered around the property - some of them lit with just lanterns.  The many cats that roam about the place add to the mystery and intrigue.  The fact that it's owned by a cyclist is just icing on the cake.

Of course, you (or at least we) can never get out of there without finding a couple of treasures.  In addition to a book of "Cape Cod Stories," I got a book about the inner life of a long-distance bicycle rider and a collection of stories from bicycling's early days - all for 4 bucks each!

I love old book stores, but I certainly don't need any more books.  It's never about "need" though, is it?

After closing down the Book Barn (we were literally the last ones out), we decided to head on home - finally.  But the weekend would have one more curveball to toss our way.  We got onto the highway and were greeted with bumper-to-bumper traffic as folks made their way back from vacation to the city.  But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. . .

We got off the highway at the next exit and took a parallel backroad - one of my favorite bike routes providing a very practical benefit.  As we were driving along, I noticed some flashes in the sky.  At first I thought it might be lightening, but no.  It was the fireworks at Saybrook Point that go off right after the annual pops concert.  We'd enjoyed last year's edition, but couldn't make it this year with everything going on.  But - thanks to the detour - we got to drive to the end of a side road to the beach and watch the fireworks from across the bay.

A perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Weekly Miles . . .Weekend to come

From the "you can't do EVERYthing" department, it's been a crazy 60 hours (10a Friday - 10p Sunday) - which has kept my weekly miles down for the week.  Only one night of racing Tuesday and one quick beach loop ride Wednesday after work for a total of 57.39 miles for the whole week:

BUT - when I calculated the total for the year, I discovered that was enough to break 3000 miles!  See the left sidebar for "2008 Totals."

And - other than Friday night - the weekend was a great one!  We're really blessed to have such wonderful friends and family, and to be involved with a great cause.

Will tell you all about it in the next post, but now I have to get some sleep . . .