"Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #06 for 2024...

"The Mugger" an 87th Precinct Mystery by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) published in 1956.

This is the 87th Precinct Book #2.

"High Points" along trails during January 2024... 

Just one, hard to believe...

• Drake Mountain, Granville, MA

Visit to my folks, and along the way I completed the Worthington to Windsor Snowmobile Trail Route.  Broke it up a bit, just avoided some paved road, and finished with 3.4-miles.

K2  joined me for a early foggy morning at Northwest Park.  The fog lifted, and we were close to fifty-degrees by the finish at 5.8-miles. 

Out to Bloomfield to Laurel Hill Open Space.

Completed 3-miles.

Damo Suzuki, lead singer with CAN on their albums Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyası (1972) and Future Days (1973) passed away today at age 74.  

I listen to CAN fairly regularly, they are an impressive collective of musicians and always interesting and forever causing me to replay segments or entire songs / albums.

Damo Suzuki played improvised music for much of his later life, visiting a city and performing with a local band willing to back him.  I had really considered traveling to Philadelphia to see Damo with Bardo Pond back on October 25th, 2007, but, I didn't make the journey (to my dismay).

Morning sort of "off" work despite being called early morning for an issue.

Left home by 7:15 a.m. to get back to Worthington, hoping to get closer to completing the route from Route 9 in Windsor to Liston's on Route 143 in Worthington.

I made it further than I thought possible today, only 2 or so miles from my last connection point south of Hume Road and Notchview Reservation.

11.4-miles of wonderful running on packed snowmobile trail.

Today's Route

So far in 2024...

Old News Department...  this day in 2020...

Nipmuck - Natchaug Marathon - February 8th, 2020
Ashford, Union,  & Eastford, CT

.

I met up with Andy Hillbilliage early to attempt a Nipmuck / Natchaug Marathon.  The Wuzzam was planning to meet up with us to ramble through the last 9 or 10-miles.

The route is fairly easy:

• Boston Hollow Road, Ashford, north on Nipmuck Trail to Bigelow Hollow (~8-miles).
• Return via the same route, opposite direction (~8-miles).
• South from Boston Hollow along the Nipmuck Trail to the turn onto the Natchaug Trail just prior to Ladies Room Rock, down to Moon Road (~4.5-miles).
• And then return along the same sections (~4.5-miles).

What isn't easy is the trail really rolls up and down.  A lot.  5760' of ascent and descent for the full gps measured 24.6-miles.  It was also somewhat cold (around 22-degrees at the start), but that didn't stop Hillbilliage from going with shorts and a short-sleeve top for the last 9+ miles (where it might have gotten to 32-degrees or so, outside the Hemlock forest).

We completed what we wanted, pretty much averaging 4.1 mph the entire day.  At 2-miles we were at 4.3 mph, at 8 the same, at 16 the same, at 20.5 we dropped to 4.2 mph, which we almost maintained to the end.  Very steady rolling.

Completed in 6:01:00, which I felt pretty good about.  It was really awesome of Wuzzam to meet up with us to help with the company, that I (we) really appreciated, as Andy and I were getting a bit tired by the last sections.  Great day, outstanding mileage builder!

This was my 58th completed marathon all-time.

"Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #05 for 2024...

"The Choirboys" by Joseph Wambaugh in 1975.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period January 1st through January 31st, 2024:

After listening to my sister's snowmobile ride from Windsor to Worthington yesterday, I got my mind back to working with my data from Windsor Snowmobile Trails and starting thinking about making that connection to Worthington.

Snowmobile season really helps as the correct paths are busy, with side-paths unbroken. Should be easy, right?

Well, it wasn't.  I parked at Liston's, which looked fantastic from the outside and I'll wait to get inside at another moment.  From there, I crossed the street (Route 143) and thought I was heading north toward Windsor (I was, temporarily).

I made a nice loop, and returned to the opposite side of the trailhead I began on, at Liston's parking lot,

At this point I had around 5 - 5.5 miles, and while much of the loop was great trail some was through open field.  While this works great in the winter, summer can provide some issues (un-mowed, gate closures, access not granted. etc).

I was thinking about calling it a day at the parking area until I saw the correct trail went off in a different direction.  I had some time, and I felt fresh enough.  I heading west and began climbing soon after.  Once leveled out, I figured I would look for a landmark to turn around at.  I kept going and soon was flying downhill.  I also could see on my gps that I might just have to cross Rt 143 again about a mile west of Liston's Parking lot.  My fate was sealed.

Came out at the 143 crossing, and being right around 7-miles, I took the road back to the car.  Completed my run at 7.9-miles, and still feeling pretty strong.

Travel to visit my folks, pretty great visit including my sister stopping in for a few hours as well. 

Mid-Morning run from St Andrews Church in Bloomfield up the ridge above T'Ville.

3.7-miles, with a bit of trail I hadn't explored prior.  Tying this network up nicely.

Short day at work, getting a new PC readied after the run.

Sad News today:

Brother Wayne Kramer, a member of the rock band MC5, passed away today at age 75.  

Kramer also co-created the US arm of Billy Bragg’s Jail Guitar Doors initiative, providing musical instruments for prison inmates.

It was MC5's first record, "Kick Out the Jams" that grabbed me.  

My friend Germo loaned it to me somewhere around 1979, and I don't know if I had ever heard such a ferocious recording.  The twin guitars of Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith were wild.

The Record was recorded live, released in 1969, and it simply rocked.  

MC5

            Rob Tyner – vocals

            Wayne Kramer – guitar, vocals

            Fred "Sonic" Smith – guitar, vocals

            Michael Davis – bass

            Dennis Thompson – drums

Each song on this album has remained a favorite of mine since that first listen.

Side one

1. "Ramblin' Rose"                                                         4:15

2. "Kick Out the Jams"                                                      2:52

3. "Come Together"                                                          4:29

4. "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" 5:41

Side two

5. "Borderline"                                                                  2:45

6. "Motor City Is Burning"                                                 6:04

7. "I Want You Right Now"                                          5:31

8. "Starship"                                                                         8:15

Rocket Reducer #62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa

You know I got to keep it up 'cause I'm a natural man

I'm a born hell raiser and I don't give a damn

I'm the man for you, baby

Yes, I am for you, baby

Say I'm the man for you, baby

Yes, I am for you, baby

I'm the man for you

The second album, "Back in the USA", didn't exactly grab me the same way as the debut.

Side A

1. "Tutti Frutti"                                                                 1:30

2. "Tonight"                                                                 2:29

3. "Teenage Lust"                                                         2:36

4. "Let Me Try"                                                                 4:16

5. "Looking at You"                                                         3:03

Side B

1. "High School"                                                         2:42

2. "Call Me Animal"                                                         2:06

3. "The American Ruse"                                                 2:31

4. "Shakin' Street"                                                         2:21

5. "The Human Being Lawnmower"                          2:24

6. "Back in the U.S.A."                                                  2:26

Over the years, I realized the record is a great one, just much different than the first one.

This was a studio album, and it did lack the wildness of the live debut.  I also wasn't incredibly wowed by the two cover songs that bookended the record.  But, what was in-between is a great listen.

By the time the third record, "High Time" was released in 1971, it appeared over, the band was no more.  Meanwhile, I fed on these three records daily from 1979 - 1983.

High Time  is a perfect record.  Songs are fantastically memorable, playing is inspired, things stood out and made an impression on me.  I have always loved the lead-track, Sister Anne, especially the ending and fade out with a Salvation Army type outro.

The record just rocks.  From start to finish, it is perfection.  The vocals, guitars, drums and bass are playing as one unit, bringing each epic tune to its peak.  The songs are all well written, with none that are filler or half-effort to fill a side.  Wonderful album.

Side A

1. "Sister Anne"                                             7:23

2. "Baby Won't Ya"                                                     5:32

3. "Miss X"                                                     5:08

4. "Gotta Keep Movin'"                                             3:24

Side B

1. "Future/Now"                                                     6:21

2. "Poison"                                                     3:24

3. "Over and Over"                                             5:13

4. "Skunk (Sonicly Speaking)"                             5:31

From The Guardian website:

At the time of his death, Kramer was preparing to release a long-awaited third studio album from the band (MC5). Explaining why he was returning, Kramer said: “I think it was time to reignite that spirit of 1968, the spirit of my generation, when we were all young people. I think we’re at a very dangerous time in our history. And I think if we don’t all organise, come together, and step up, we could lose it all. Democracy could go away. The forces that we’re up against are not joking. This is not playtime. This is serious.”

A release was being planned for spring 2024.

Obituary from Discogs:

After the MC5, Kramer spent the latter half of the ‘70s in prison for what he described as his career in “illegitimate capitalism.” Upon release, he embarked on a solo career, teamed up with Johnny Thunders, and created custom woodwork and homes on the side. 

In the ‘90s, Kramer signed with Epitaph and released four solo records. 

In the ‘00s, Kramer, Billy Bragg, and Margaret Saadi Kramer founded Jail Guitar Doors. This non-profit, named after the b-side of the Clash’s 1978 single, donates musical instruments to people in prison and supports other prison-reform initiatives. 

“The only way I can militantly oppose [..] nihilism is through taking ethical action in my life,” Kramer said of his charitable work to Flood Magazine in 2018. “Go do something that moves in the direction of human happiness and away from the direction of human suffering.”

I still listen to those three MC5 records regularly.  I will dive into Wayne Kramer's solo work going forward.  We lost a good one on earth today.  RIP Brother Wayne Kramer.

And, from the home-front.....

End of day run in Wilcox Park, Bloomfield, CT.

Managed to run along a trail segment I haven't ever been on, so that was pretty neat.  I also connected more-or-less as I had hoped, for a total of 4.3-miles, so that was great.

Late afternoon exploratory run in Bloomfield for 3.6-miles.

The route allows me to connect Penwood / Wilcox to Farmington River Park and finally Northwest Park to the far-east.

And on this day in 1998, the 4th Annual Moby Dick Marathons were held over Greylock. I completed my 19th marathon in 6:19:40, with Johnny Bandit.  It was the second time I wore snowshoes for the 28-mile adventure.  It would be the last time I would snowshoe this distance!

Overlooking Ragged Mountain

Memorial Tower

WWI:  227