Thursday, December 29, 2005

12/23/2005 - Cheerier things

Blogtender, a cheerier post if you please.

Very well. As I pitch my tent tonight, on the road to St. Johnsville (NY Route 67), I sit myself down with a 35 pound boy on one knee and 3 books on the other. Tonight, for the first time in some time, I attempted to read, for my eldest, a book that has many words per page and very few pictures. We read, in this order,
  • The first chapter of "The Marvelous land of Oz"
  • The first chapter of "Freddy goes Camping"
  • The first chapter of "Mary Poppins"

My eldest sat enrapt as pumpkins came to life, pigs wrote poetry and ladies slid up banisters (I'm praying he doesn't try the last). This has to be the first time that story alone has held his attention so well. I foresee many blustery nights spent reading with him in the near future...

17,000 fatherly steps today. Cheers,

12/22/2005 - Johnstown, NY

The City of Johnstown, NY, about 300 feet above sea level, is home to around 8500 people. That's about 600 fewer than lived here in 1990. The median household income is around 75% of national average and the average house goes for about 60% of that of upstate New York.

Life here wasn't always so. On May 30th, 1889, Johnstown was a city of about 25,000. On May 31st, a 20 foot wall of water came down from the Conemaugh River and decimated the city. By all accounts, the city has grown back in its resilience and become a place of commerce once more.

About 1 year after a deadly tsunami decimated South East Asia, it seems appropriate to be walking (albeit virtually) through a site of such similar devestation. The tsunami came, as does every flood, with the image of a father, unable to cling to his son, amidst the water's fury.

This image became more horrible to me on Sepember 11th, 2004, as my eldest stopped breathing and turned blue in my arms. By the grace of God, and the doctor's at Children's Hospital, I still have my son. Not everyone I know has been so lucky.

On September 11th, 2005, my second son was born. I cannot yet imagine the cocktail of emotions that will visit me on his birthday.

On this anniversary, may the survivors be consoled among the mourners of Zion, or among from whomever they shall find consolation.

17,100 solemn steps today.

Monday, December 26, 2005

12/21/2005 - Filibustering ANWR

In the race between J.G. and Exxon, J.G. was just given a boost. As I reported a few days ago, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) had slipped some ANWR drilling into an otherwise Defense Spending Bill, but the votes weren't there and it was taken off the table.

I still have 3.5 years of walking before I arrive at ANWR, but I feel pretty comfortable that it will still be pristine when I get there.

And 6,300 miles to go before I sleep
And 6,300 miles to go before I sleep

16,000 frosty steps today. Cheers,

12/20/2005 - A day at the races

So, as I am here in Saratoga, I should probably talk about horses. It's not that I abhor gambling or fail to respect talented riders, I just feel like posting about the phenomenon in its components.

First, gambling. It's not true that every actuary has a yen to gamble, but I think that many are certainly intrigued by it. I tried it out once or twice, but I'm just too risk averse to get hooked. I can definitely sympathize with folks who get addicted. I too am often swept up in the dream of winning big, but happily not while I am gambling...

Horses? I have probably ridden more than twice, but that's all that I remember. I generally dislike the experience. For me, it mostly consists of the shock that I have not yet fallen off the horse. The one thing I do like about riding is having the opportunity to lean forward and pat the horses on the chest. About as close to concrete as you'll ever find a on a living thing...

On an impersonal note, congratulations to John R. Velazquez on his excellent performance at Saratoga in the last 2 months (24 victories in 82 races).

13,900 virtual gallups today. Cheers,

Sunday, December 25, 2005

12/19/2005 - Saratoga Springs, NY

Here I am, in lovely Saratoga Springs: "Health, History, Horses." I'm not really sure what "Health" is all about, and Horses, of course, the race track (a subject in which I have little interest). The History is what most intrigues me.

In September of 1777, General Burgoyne led British Troops against a typically unprofessional and disease depleted Continental Army. The one thing that the Americans had going for them was number. The Continental Army, led by Morgan, Learned and Poor (a typical PhD-pursuing Law Firm) held their ground for 3 weeks until Burgoyne realized he was isolated and decided to risk one final assault.

The Americans were then led by the unbelievable bravery of one Benedict Arnold, who not only won the day, but did so despite being injured in battle. As the referenced website put it,
"Had he died there, posterity would have known few names brighter than that of Benedict Arnold."
He did not, and the result was one of the most decisive victories for the burgeoning nation.

14,000 patriotic steps today. Cheers,

Saturday, December 24, 2005

12/18/2005 - Dehydrating in upstate NY

I learned an interesting lesson today. To save you some suspense, I managed 28,600 steps today. How? Starts off with my eldest's birthday party (lots of sheepdogging). Follow up with a 3 mile walk to fetch the groceries (no 20 lb bags of salt this time). Finally, I spent 1.5 hours walking the baby while my wife was out with Autumn.

When my wife came home (~10PM) I flopped into bed with the eldest and passed out. Somewhere around 2AM, I woke up with the room spinning and my head throbbing. I recognized the sensation instantly from a night after spending too much time in the sun with JIV in AZ. I was suffering from insufficient hydration.

I was amazed. 28,600 steps is nearly 13 miles, but I had done it slowly over a period of 16 hours. I had had 3 meals in the interim and surely I had drunk something. Apparantly not enough.

I sometimes find it difficult to think of my walking as exercise, but I think that I now have some modicum of evidence that I should. Lesson learned.

Will I try for 30,000 again some day? Probably. But next time I will remember to drink more.

28,600 parched steps today. Cheers,

Friday, December 23, 2005

12/17/2005 - Much ado about nothing

Today I ran into a gentleman of much the same temperment as myself. How can I tell? We were both parked at the wrong end of an empty parking lot. He confessed that this was all the exercise he got each day, so I showed him my pedometer and confessed much the same. I was too shy to mention the blog, but perhaps he took that for granted.

16,100 demur steps today. Cheers,

Thursday, December 22, 2005

12/16/2005 - Everything you need to know about NY State

As I amble on towards Saratoga Springs it occurs to me to talk about this, my second state. The Dutch first settled these parts in 1624 (as BJV would remind me) but yielded to the British after getting the Gouda kicked out of them in 1664.

During the revolutionary period, NY contributed such luminairies as Alexander Hamilton (the first Secretary of the Treasury) and John Jay (the First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the US).

New York has 148 accredited colleges, 1300 museums and 400 golf courses. It has many professional sports teams and the New York Jets. It has 527 miles of canals and 57 locks (although I had 3 when I lived in the Bronx, so I tend to doubt this last statistic).

Overall, a pretty fine state to be walking through.

12,100 empyrical steps today, cheers.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

12/15/2005 - Wiretapping in upstate NY

Many of the blogs I follow (Precision Blogging, Mike the Actuary) have been following this issue, so what the heck. One aspect of the story which hasn't gotten too much press from either the Right or the Left is as follows:

The current laws actually provide a fair amount of leeway into this issue. In extreme circumstances, the Government may seek a warrant up to 3 days after placing a wiretap (sample reference). Nobody is suggesting that the Bush administration even sought to do this. So much for the "needing agility" defense.

In other news, you may notice sudden upward blip in my steps per day, starting today. What happened? I bought a new pedometer. The $3 Sportsline model has served me well, but it was clearly missing hundreds of steps at a time. When I found myself pounding the floorboards at 11 am, just to get to 10,000 steps on 12/12, I realized that something was up. Subsequent research suggested it was time to make a change and I am now the proud possessor of a $20 Timex. For a little extra money, I could have bought a better pedometer with several additional features, but the Timex had something the other one lacked -- a flip cover.

I work at a Fortune 500 company and I generally try to avoid wearing things that out me for the geek I am (although that probably requires me to hide my business cards...). My Timex closes to look fairly innocuous and so far I have escaped scrutiny.

16,300, count 'em 16,300 closeted steps today. Cheers,

12/14/2005 - A quantitative day in Upstate New York

Here are some numbers that have been bouncing around in my head:

According to some website (now that's a credible source) a sedentary male, weighing 150 pounds needs to consume about 1,800 calories a day to maintain his weight. Another website suggests that 7,000 steps is a reasonable proxy for sedentary. Finally, at 150 pounds, 1,000 steps burns about 44 calories.

That would seem to mean that if I continue to average 14,000 steps a day (as I more or less am) I would need to consume about 2,100 calories a day to maintain my weight.

Now for the other side of the equation. For breakfast, I have cereal and milk -- call it 400 calories. Lunch tends to be PB&J, call it another 500. Snack? Oh, let's just say 300 calories and leave it at that. Dinner? I guess it's conceivable that I consume as much as 900 calories at a typical dinner. Dinner is generally something tasty from my wife, so I don't really have the ability to guess at caloric intake.

That may explain why I haven't lost a pound yet. Poot.

11,100 disappointed steps today. Cheers,

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

12/13/2005 - ANWR and Defense

I'm going to have start by agreeing with Fellow Mike as I amble along Route 9. It would be awful nice if Congress was somehow restricted so that they could only submit bills which served one purpose. What brings me to this lament?

This.

It seems that we are a little closer to drilling in ANWR because of a measure attached to a Defense Spending bill. Defense Spending? Yup. You see, dependence on oil from unstable countries is a National Security risk. Drilling oil in the U.S. reduces that risk and thus improves security. Actually, I agree. But I will cynically note that spending the same money on windfarms or solar energy would probably have similar effects.

I still can't say that I am truly against drilling in ANWR. But I hate to see this kind of politics played. If you believe in your plan, put it to a vote.

To quote Kent Brockman: "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: democracy just doesn't work."

12,100 cynical steps today. Phbbbt,

Saturday, December 17, 2005

12/12/2005 - Troy, NY

Sing, O goddess, the soreness of J.G. son of Daniel, that brought countless posts upon his readers.

Trudging down from the mountains, I find myself back at 30 feet above sea level. Troy is the biggest city I have hit since I left Cambridge. It's a brisk 24 degrees.

So what does a virtual tourist do in Troy, NY? Take a virtual tour of course. On this tour, I saw such sights as the Emma Willard School (one of the first schools to teach young women math), the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (thought by some to have excellent accoustics) and the statue of Uncle Sam.

You read that correctly. Legend has it that Sam Wilson, butcher and vocal supporter of U.S. involvement in the War of 1812 was the inspiration for the character who is virtually synonymous with the U.S. character.

10,000 patriotic steps today. Cheers,

12/11/2005 - Welcome to the Empire State

New York, New York: It's a wonderful state.
The Yankees suck and the Red Sox are great!

Actually, despite having spent the last decade cultivating a distaste for the Evil Empire, there's a limit to the amount of spleen I can muster. An example: Last season, the Sox brought a rookie outfielder up from AAA, a guy by the name of Adam Stern. His debut wasn't heart stopping; heck he probably won't be back with the team next year. Still, he was OK. He happened to get his first hit against the Yankees, a liner into left-center field. Jeter called for the cut-off and tossed the ball softly into the Red Sox dugout, a momento for the rookie.

Jeter, Rivera, Williams, even A-Rod (who earned every Sox fan's ire by trying to cheat his way on to first in the 2004 ALCS). It's tough not to have respect for some of these guys.

23,000 steps today. Actually, a bit of a story about that. I reached this number with the help of a 90 minute walk to the supermarket. Among other things, I needed to pick up salt for the walk. I could have survived on 10 or even 5 pounds of salt, but overcome with a desire to experience hiking with a heavy pack, I opted to pick up 20 pounds of salt to take with me on the final mile and a half of my journey. Stupid.

23,000 stupid steps (and 2 advil) today. Cheers,

Friday, December 16, 2005

12/10/2005 - Hoosac Tunnel

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS VIRTUAL ACTIONS SO EXPLICITLY BONEHEADED THAT YOU MAY NOT WISH TO ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO READ IT.

When I was a boy, my parents read me the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. From those books, the image of going into the roots of a mountain sticks with me. In reality, I am sure that the roots of a mountain are mostly more mountain, but in the books they are places of water, goblins and evil so unfathomable that it can destroy powerful wizards.

Well, for all of those Tolkien fans out there, you will be pleased to know that there is a place in America where you can head straight into the roots of a mountain. That place is Hoosac Tunnel.

Hoosac is a 26'x22' tunnel through the Appalacians that runs a good 4 miles before you come out the other side. The website speaks of it as a boon to commerce and feat of engineering, but from my virtual perspective, it is just way cool. Were I a real tourist, I am not certain that I could even find a passenger train that runs along the Fitchburg tracks, through the Hoosac. Happily, I am not. Therefore, I have chosen my route to go through the tunnel, spending the night at the middle, among the orcs, before heading out the other side.

Please tune in tomorrow to find out whether I survive my night among the trains, the orcs and the evils I cannot name.

14,000 suspenseful steps today. Cheers,

Thursday, December 15, 2005

12/9/2005 - Joe Manning

Before I took my virtual leave of North Adams, I asked Mr. Manning if I could publish one of his poems in my blog. He offered me the following:

Toll Taker 47

The only thing between us and the Bay Bridge
-- was Toll Taker 47.
That's what it said on his badge.

He peered in the window and said,
-- "You've got a beautiful wife."
And she said, "I'm not his wife,
-- not yet anyway."
And 47 pointed at me and said,
-- What are you waiting for?"
And I said, "My change,
-- so we can get across that bridge."

And 47 turned around
-- and pulled out a stack of bills and said,
Here's 300 bucks,
-- go get her a ring,
-- compliments of the State of California."

And I said,
-- "I can't take that money."
And she said, "Oh yes, you can,"
-- and reached across my lap and grabbed the cash.

And we felt like Bonnie and Clyde
-- in an old black jalopy,
as we left Toll Taker 47 in a cloud of dust
-- and disappeared over the bay.

By Joe Manning
Copyright 2005, Flatiron Press
www.sevensteeples.com

I leave Massachusetts a happy man, optimistic about what I shall find in the 180 or so cities that lie in front of me.

14,100 sunny steps. Cheers,

Sunday, December 11, 2005

12/8/2005 - North Adams, last stop in Massachusetts!

For reasons that I cannot entirely fathom, North Adams has a tremendous web presence. Therefore, it is with little difficulty that I tell you
  • that I am 800 feet above sea level,
  • that the town has existed for 127 years or
  • that there are close to 16,000 folks in town.

I could reel off the major employers in town, or the choice of majors for the 1400 students who attend the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

But I choose not to, so that I can get to what really fascinates me about this town, which is Joe Manning. Joe is a fellow from Connecticut, who having fallen in love with the town, moved near it. From what I can tell, he moved near it and not into it so as to protect his image of the town from those slings and arrows of civic ineptitude that cities cannot avoid. He is a jack of many trades which he has parleyed into a series of artistic endeavors, many 0f which aim to shower affection back on the town.

A wonderful find in a wonderful town.

14,000 poetic steps today. Cheers,

Saturday, December 10, 2005

12/7/2005 -- News and music on the Mohawk trail

The polarized climate in Washington D.C. continues to have odd effects on the polarized climate in ANWR. The AP reports that there are 2 dozen or so Republican assemblyfolks who will reliably vote against drilling in ANWR, and 2 dozen or so Democrats who cancel them out. Normally, that's pretty boring news.

However, the latest attempt to open up ANWR to oil drilling is an end run around the fillibuster. The way it works is this: if you propose a bill to open up the land to drilling, you need 60 votes in the senate because someone can fillibuster. But if you stick drilling into the budget, then you only need 50 votes, since you can't fillibuster a budget.

Clever, but the strategy got tripped in the house, due to the 2 dozen or so aforementioned Republicans. Apparantly they are sticking to their guns while the Democrats remain unanimous in oppostion.

Bottom line? I will probably make it to ANWR before Exxon.

A little closer to home, the wife urged my eldest to ask me about my "horns." I used to play clarinet decently and trumpet poorly. I brought 'em out and handed the trumpet off to the 4 year old. He can play a pretty mean blatt. I was delighted to learn that there is some memory left in my fingers. They still make all the same mistakes as they used to (e.g. resting an inch off the holes when not in use) but I was able to play some of the pieces I used play right reasonably.

12,000 swinging steps today. Cheers,

Friday, December 09, 2005

12/6/2005 - The Mohawk Trail

I find myself between Greenfield and North Adams, my last stop in Massachusetts. For the first time (but happily not the last) I find myself walking along something more interesting than a highway. The Mohawk Trail runs along the Hoosic River to North Adams and then goes on to the Deerfield and then the Connecticut rivers. I will take it to the Hoosic tunnel (more about that later) and then part ways.

An interesting theme of my walk will be going through places whose name implies some older form inhabitance. From Kalamazoo to Sioux Falls to Wasila (AK) I will be trespassing on lands with whose pedigree I cannot hope to compete. Like every other American, I grew up with a dim understanding that the Native Americans preceeded us here. I once even learned, with horror, how massive that civilization had been before our germs brought it down. But for some reason, realizing that I am passing through towns with names like Chiwaukum and Wyola has helped bring it all home.

14,300 respectful steps today. Cheers,

Thursday, December 08, 2005

12/5/2005 - 200,000 down, 13,500,000 to go

A sense of accomplishment -- I finished plotting my route today. I go through 12 states, 2 provinces, 1 territory and 1 commonwealth; all in all, 184 city like things ranging from Detroit to One Hundred Mile House. All in all, over 6500 miles, almost 14,000,000 steps. And I have taken about 250,000 so far.

The walk from here to Seattle is actually looking quite pleasant with towns to pass through and things to see. From Vancouver, it gets tough. I had to plot out 3 different routes until I could find anything resembling a city-filled route from British Columbia to Alaska. There's just too much barren wasteland out there. And even then, I have nearly 1400 miles of fairly empty land to cover.

I guess if I have the attention span to keep this thing going for the first 4000 miles, I can figure out what to do from there...

13,100 contemplative steps. Cheers,

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

12/4/2005 - Waving to the readers!

As I walk along route 2 (really route 2) on my way to North Adams, I'd like to take this opportunity to wave to my readers, especially all of those who have commented!

While I must admit that blogging is the sort of thing that I would probably do in a vaccuum, I get such a lift out of each comment.

12,300 uplifted steps today. Cheers,

12/3/2005 - Out of Greenfield

So what are folks talking about in Greenfield? The Red Sox, of course. Is it just me, or has anyone noticed that the Sox now have 5 closers? Major league teams prefer to use just one closer -- a fearsome pitcher that can come in at the end of the game and shut down the opposing team's hitters. That's great, so long as that one pitcher stays healthy and effective.

2 years ago, the Sox had Foulke, and he did great as the Sox won it all. Last year, Foulke had some problems (some physical, some not so much) and the Sox turned the glove over to Timlin. They wasted no time re-signing him. So Foulke is [1] and Timlin is [2].

Next the Sox engaged in a strange trade of "distant prospects" for "once were stars." In that trade, the Sox picked up Mota [3]. Well, I guess he isn't really a closer, but his stats make him look like he could close.

On to minor leaguers. Last year the Sox drafted a player named Hansen [4]from St. Johns. He has never let up a run in the minor league, although he let up quite a few in his first stint in the majors last year. He needs to learn another pitch, but he could well be the closer 12 months from now.

Finally, just to be on the safe side, the Sox acquired AAA Reliever Van Buren [5] from the Cubs (where he got 25 saves and was named an All-Star). Now the question is -- which one of these closers is going to play Centerfield when the Sox fail to sign Damon?

12,400 steps today. Cheers,

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

12/2/2005 - Greenfield at last!

Here I am in Greenfield, almost 90 miles from my home in Cambridge. It seems like quite sometime since I have actually passed through a town, but that may be because I missed a few days of posting recently. As a virtual tourist, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Greenfield has one of the nicest websites that I have come across so far. Unfortunately, there is no link to the historical society of Greenfield, although I was able to find some history:

The town was founded in 1753. A number of canals and railroads brought business and traffic to the region, but the eventual opening of nearby I-91 seems to have diminished comerce in the city by bypassing it.

What I found most interesting about the city was its commitment to its name, in the form of an "energy park," a park committed to expounding the virtues of clean energy sources. I am sure that, had I actually been strolling through the town, I would have enjoyed the exhibits on solar energy, and alternate sources for powering autos.

11,600 steps today! Cheers,

Monday, December 05, 2005

12/1/2005 - Almost at Greenfield, the West Wing

A now, for the last of my influences. Years ago, I used to be hooked on the West Wing. Years ago, the writing on the show was better. Alternatively, years ago, I had no kids. Either way, I rarely have time to watch these days.

Recently, my wife and I found the time. It was the episode featuring the live debate between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. The big idea is that the candidates had agreed to throw convention to the side and debate each other directly; the kind of debate that really helped voters decide.

An interesting idea, although I must say that some rules can never be entirely discarded. For example, the debate has to end at some point. As long as there are rules, there will be some way to take advantage of them, but no matter. Among the topics they considered was ANWR. The Democratic candidate raised the usual reasons for opposing drilling, but the Republican response was not "we need the oil," rather it was "who here has actually been to ANWR?"

An interesting question, so off I go. 10,500 steps today. Cheers,

Saturday, December 03, 2005

11/30/2005 - A few words about 2a

Have you ever wondered about the history of a highway? Probably not and with good reason. If you have totally lost interest at this point, feel free to tune out. I promise to talk about something else tomorrow.

Having spent some considerable time, virtually communing with this great asphalt river, it occurred to me to find out a little more about it. So I tried.

I would have loved to tell you about the forward looking politicians who envisioned this road, or the hardworking contractors who made it happen. What I found was this sparse entry on the Wikipedia:

"Massachusetts Route 2A exists in several sections of Massachusetts, mainly as parts of former Route 2 that have been moved or upgraded. Route 2A exists as far west in the state as Buckland and as far east as Boston. The stretch through Shelburne Falls is especially scenic, passing near the Bridge of Flowers."

But searching through some other webpages, it became a little more clear why it is difficult to detail such a thing. 2a wasn't always used to speak of this road. Originally, 2a was a different highway which eventually morphed into pieces of 225 and 25. When route 2 was moved, 2a was the designation given to what it had left. So I guess the history of 2a is really the history of pieces of 2.

I suppose one can't blame me for falling in love with that which has virtually propelled me so far on my noble journey.

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."

-- J R R Tolkien

10,200 romantic steps today. Cheers,

11/29/2005 - Final (cheery) Athol Post

As promised, here is a cheery post about Athol Massachusetts, because there is plenty to be cheery about in Athol. For example, after Mahar tied up the Thanksgiving day football game with only 3:40 remaining, Athol High scored 3 times in the last 2 minutes to take the game 40-20.

Where did I read about this? In "The Republican," of course. You may have heard that Massachusetts' western region is more conservative than, say, the People's Republic of Cambridge. So I decided to fish around a little on The Republican's website in the hopes of finding some call to arms. Alas, I found them to be neutral on Gay Marriage, tough on Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and outraged that the military has been buying space in Iraqi Newspapers (oops, anachronism). No fun.

Unfortunately, waltzing my way through Athol in late November, I missed what is probably among the more fun events in these parts: The annual River Rat Race. This is a 10k canoe race from Athol to Orange (along the Miller's River). As my wife knows, I am very much a wannabe canoer, although if I really wanted to be, I would get my act together and go out on the Dirty Water one of these days...

10,200 steps today as I slowly mend. Cheers,

Friday, December 02, 2005

11/28/2005 - Still pondering Athol as I walk down 2A

With a population of just under 12,000, Athol is the largest city in the Northern Quabbin region. For them's as knows, the Quabbin Reservoir is a major source (possibly the only source) of Boston's water. As a consumer of the product, I've got no complaints. The baggage that this reservoir comes with are the erstwhile cities of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott, all of which now lie below the surface. In 1936, looking to support Boston's burgeoning population, the Commonwealth decided to divert the Ware River into the Quabbin to create a reservoir. The high elevation of the Quabbin (over 500 feet above sea-level) made the area a perfect place for a reservoir. With today's technology, they might have found a way to construct a reservoir without eliminating 4 towns...

So Massachusetts acquired the land. Unlike in more recent public takings, this one was undeniably what our forefathers had in mind, but that didn't necessarily sit well with the locals. Decades later, there are still folks who harbor a suspicious sentiment towards the government. I hear that, when the level in the Quabbin is low, you can still see occasional roof tops. As I am a virtual tourist, I will be spared that view.

From the Reservoir's website, I see that "Planners feel that the Quabbin will be sufficient to supply the metropolitan area at least until the foreseeable future." That's probably for the best as Cambridge (30 ft) is slightly more elevated than Boston (10 ft).

Only 10,000 steps today -- I had a cold. Cheers,