Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Fractal Trails, daylight this time. This is really a spectacular piece of terrain, only about a square kilometer, but fascinating glacial stuff. All kinds of depressions and knolls, and unlike the town forest, the SW part of this place has a lot of boulders. This was almost entirely on trails, and it feels like it's twistier than the GPS track shows. I was eventually just thinking "make it stop!", and when I got to the road, I'd had enough. Parking would be a cinch for this place, but I have no idea what the ownerhip is, I suspect it's private. But the mountain bikers have been riding there for years.

C • Ownership 5

Another variant jog around town, In The Dark.

Last Friday they told my department to pack up and work from home until further notice. I requested, and was granted, permission to be the exception, and to continue working from the office, because I don't have internet service at home (I'm getting DSL installed on Friday, and I hope it's better than when I had it before). The most cars I saw in the parking lot at work today was about 30, but that included building security, some custodial staff, and apparently the full complemennt of food service workers, I counted at least six of them. Some of the other employees were just there to wrap a few things up, and I suspect the cafeteria will soon drop to one or two people, if they don't just shut it down. I'm going to pack a PB&J in case there's suddenly nothing else to eat for lunch. Based on what I'm hearing, the company will probably lock the doors on Friday (actually, they'll probably have one security person there to let people in just in case there's something essential that needs to be done).

In times like these, it's hard to convince yourself that it's worthwhile to be designing small aspects of fancy car stereos.

Groton Town Forest. Today, I kept finding myself on the verge of a deep depression. Not because of what's on the news, although that's bad enough. No, these were the sorts of deep depressions that make me very happy. I had made a ski-O map of this place years ago, but all I had for contours was the USGS, which was really not good. But Clint processed the lidar for me (thanks!!), and this was my first time checking it out. Spectacular negative terrain, of the sort that I don't think I've ever seen around here. Nearly about every closed loop is downhill on the inside, with the deepest holes being seven (2.5 m) contours down. The woods are scruffy light green in a lot of places, but nice open white in others. The contours on this new basemap are quite good, and the trails and water are... an incomplete, rough generalization. But that's okay, that's why the FSM gave us mylar and colored pencils. I think the parking situation is manageable, and this could make a nice little map.

C • I kinda see a resemblance t... 15

Farandnear Reservation. This is a Trustees property just 10 minutes from my house, but I'd never been there. Something of a beaver sanctuary, which according to the trail signs they're pretty excited about, and that means some of the trails are flooded out. The main entrance has bathrooms, parking for about a dozen cars, and a small arboretum specializing in conifers. Who knew? I ran with the map that they have on their website, and covered pretty much all of the trails, plus one that I guess has been deprecated. Not a lot interesting going on between the trails. The trailhead where I parked is almost across from one of the trailheads leading into the Robbs Hill area, so it's essentially contiguous to it. This is really close to Shirley Center, which really looks kind of like a ghost town. Historic District, yeah.

Made a trip to the supermarket tonight, where things were not as bad as I expected. No waiting in line at all, it was about like it always is at the time of day when I go. Certain sections were devastated: toilet paper(?), many produce items (but plenty of bananas), pasta, pasta sauce, bread, soup and other canned goods. No shortage of yogurt, frozen dinners (except pizza, which was wiped out), chips, milk. Eggs were available, cereal was low but not gone, liquor seemed to be a bit low as well. The only thing I was hoping to buy that was gone was the particular kind of iced tea that I like. And I got a different flavor of bread, and a different shape of meat than usual (but it's the same meat, really).

Down to the schools and back, In The Dim. And light rain. Not easy to drag myself out of bed for this.

Marble Hill. This place is near my office, but I'd never been here before. Ran with a trail map (with contours) from the town website, which was nicely color-coded to match the blazes. The woods here looked more scruffy and less interesting than the other places I've been running lately (not that I left the trail, mind you).

I went to the Banff Film Festival last night in Portsmouth, with Nancy and Jon Nash. I had a ticket for a concert tonight, but it's been postponed (by 11 months). Stephen is in a show that we're scheduled to see tomorrow night, which so far is still slated to happen. Looks like the DVOA meet in a little over a week has been axed, and I expect that will also be the case for some other things looming on my schedule. We got a memo at work today basically suggesting that we work from home, though the office will not be closed. I'm planning to continue to go in unless they do close the facility, because I don't work well from home, I'm not really set up to do so, and I don't think the office will present much of an infection risk since it will be nearly deserted.

Looking forward, hang gliding does not seem to present much of a risk of infection.

C • Conservatory will be closed... 3

A short out and back from Nancy's house, first thing in the morrning, because I wasn't going to have time later. A little chilly in just a T-shirt.