Veni, vidi...nah, can't be.

The Episodic bLog
Yeah, yea, I know. Everyone's been saying the same thing "I was worried about you." Worry not, faithful reader and friend, because I've been having a ball! I got the bikes all ready for spring, adding a few items to make my long hours in the saddle more comfortable, and then it was TIME TO RIDE! So, that's just what I've been doing. For the month of April, I have ridden over 1500 miles. This is just a warmup. The best is yet to come.

So, "The Daily bLog" has morphed into "The Episodic bLog." Visit when you can. I'll catch up when the mood strikes and there's interesting new stuff to share.

Today, I took Vulcan out for a big loop ride - 144 miles - from Pittsfield to Brattleboro, Vermont - via Route 2 and Shelburne Falls - over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire, back to Vermont and across Route 9 through the Green Mountains and back into Massachusetts. I took the picture above along Route 9 in Vermont at Hogback Mountain.

The Daily bLog
The 24th day. I drove to my 8am appointment at the apheresis unit at Albany Medical Center this morning, met by nurse Paula. As luck had it, my favorite hematologist, Dr. Taft, (who is also my personal doc) in the group was on duty. Dr. Taft has enough faith in my and my nurse's judgement to allow us to decide to go ahead with the pheresis before the blood tests come back from the lab. We merely procede with the vitals and hookup to the machine and away we go. Since I hadn't slept so well the night before, I dozed for about 2/3 of the time. In less than 2 hours, we were done! A record.

Midway through the procedure, Dr. Taft came to bedside and asked if I had been hiking: "hiking...no," I said, "Well, you will be, if not this summer, then next." I responded "is that a realistic possibility?" "Absolutely," he replied. "We'll use the apheresis to keep you flushed out and the prednisone will keep the antibodies down and do it's work."

Great news.

Tonight, I took the bags off my Beemer and went out for a spin to try out my new seating position. I put a lift kit in the bike to raise the front of the seat so I wouldn't slide forward while riding and it is a huge improvement in comfort. As I rode around the Berkshires at twilight, I decided to stop at Stockbridge Bowl in Stockbridge to have my picture taken. After the picture, I called my friend Gabriella, who lives just around the corner in Lenox, and asked her if I could come over. She said she was going to her office and to meet her there. Five minutes later, we were in downtown Lenox in her lovely carriage-house-turned-doctor's-office.

Gabriella was genuinely happy to see me, and I her. I truly respect her and husband George as fine and dedicated physicians and wonderful parents and friends. Gabriella ran a clinic for myasthenics in Hungary before coming to the US 18 years ago, so I get a wonderful and helpful perspective on my disease and its management. She really made me feel encouraged tonight with her wealth of knowledge. Her kids are doing great and will make wonderful lives for themselves, too.

See the day's events in my picture offering below.

At Stockbridge Bowl - Stockbridge, Mass.

Gabriella Kovi, M.D., at Her Office in Lenox, Mass.

Nurse Paula at the Apheresis Unit at Albany Medical Center

Almost done - Hancock, Massachusetts

The Daily bLog

A most glorious spring afternoon. Gravis under control, so a ride on Vulcan in order. Bike just about where I want it now. I have communications, stereo, cell communication, Givi trunk, hardbags, Mustang saddles for long-distance comfort, Memphis Shades windshield, lowers and highway pegs. All set for all-day rides, 2-up.

The Daily bLog

A perfect spring day, in pictures...

West Lawn, NYS Capitol - Albany, NY

On the Plaza - Albany, NY

Taking it Easy - Albany, NY

This Year's Foliage, Last Year's Apples - Albany, NY

Budding Artists - Albany, NY

Catholic Cathedral - Albany, NY

Vulcan with Givi topcase

The Daily bLog
Italian ingenuity meets Yankee ingenuity.

I've had a couple of motorcycling breakthroughs in the past couple of days that will make my time on the road more enjoyable. Last night I discovered how effective lowers can be at blocking buffeting wind and tonight, I put an adapter plate on Vulcan's tail rack so I could mount my Givi topcase on it. I use the Givi on my BMW and can now switch it from bike to bike in all of 15 seconds, allowing me to use Vulcan for long distance touring. Life is good. So were the 80 miles I rode today.

Vulcan with carboard lowers - Lee, Massachusetts

Capitol in Springtime - Albany, New York

The Daily bLog
Things you can do with cardboard and wire ties: tip #3,873,366,587.

Since the weather turned nice a couple of weeks ago here in the northeast, most of us bike nuts have been out on our mounts, thinking up new rides and dreaming about the months of riding to come. For a rider as hardcore as I am (remember, I used to ride thousands of miles a year on bicycles - that will harden anyone), that means you'll do anything to make your ride more comfortable or convenient. Well, one dilemma I had was the wind buffeting I'd get on my Vulcan 1500 cruiser. Even with its windshield, the wind was so bad that even riding with a full face helmet was very unenjoyable at anything over 35 miles an hour. Enter Yankee ingenuity (even though I'm a city kid from Queens). I cut up a piece of cardboard and mounted it on the fork below the windshield with wire ties and voila. Buffeting GONE!!! I rode around the Berkshires with this contraption and I was as comfortable as on my BMW or GoldWing. I even took it on the turnpike at speeds exceeding...uh, 50 mph, and no noise, no buffeting and the bike tracked smoother.

Today is 17 days after my last plasma exchange and I continue to do well. While my chewing and speech are still severely affected, they are not as bad as they were and my distal muscles are strong - 50 pounds with either arm is not a problem, whereas at the worst of it last winter, 5 or 10 was the limit.

Brattleboro, Vermont

Sugar House, Route 100 - Southern Vermont

Evaporator Making Syrup - Vermont

The Daily bLog
Photography and maple milkshakes.

Oh, what a glorious day. With an opportunity to get out for an early spring ride on a glorious day, I pointed my BMW northeast to Brattleboro, Vermont, about 75 miles from home, to visit the Vermont Center for Photography. The day was cool, but with my heavy armored gear and Turtle Fleece neck gaitor, I remained comfortably warm behind the fairing of my bike. The BMW also has heat ducts and electric grips, so unless the weather is below zero, comfort isn't a problem.

The first stop in Brattleboro, the Vermont Center for Photography, was a great choice. The photography - nudes in nature - while not my genre, showed vision and talent and was well printed and displayed. Afterwards, I went to the local coffee house and had a biscotti and coffee for $1.93!

I took my time riding home through the hills and woods of southern Vermont as life showed signs of springing forth after a cold winter. Many of the lakes were still mostly frozen and there was still ice in the woods but the sweet smell of boiling maple syrup filled the air for miles. Vats were still filling with sap from the trees and the sugar houses were evaporating full tilt. Tomorrow is the last day of the season so I'm glad I stopped at one sugar house and bought some fresh maple syrup. For dessert, I had a maple milkshake.

Forget about MG. I had a successful 149 mile ride and a wonderful day, trying to put my mind on why we live.

Vulcan

The Daily bLog
Saturdays. I love 'em...whether it's a meeting of the executive committee or board of ADK ro just a regular weekend Saturday, they renew and refresh and reinvigorate the spirit. Today was a meetingless day for ADK and I just kicked back a bit, working some on my motorcycles. I took Vulcan out of the stable for his first sping in the new season. It made me think of all the great rides he and I took last year. This will be another fun year for both of us, I'm sure.

I did have the opportunity to go to a support group meeting for myasthenics in Latham at 11am this morning and it was a real downer. The were about 15 very uninterested people sitting around a room listening to a woman drone in a monotone for half an hour, reading research clips she downloaded from the internet. All stuff I had read before and was useless information. I got up and walked out in disgust and will never return again. I have decided not to have anything to do with other myasthenics ever again. This is my own battle and I will do it in my own way. Life and hours are too precious to waste by speding them with people who have no vitality or enthusiasm for living well and hard.

Pound on the Ground - Albany, New York

Lombardo's Restaurant, Lunch - Albany, New York

The Daily bLog
Luck. Sometimes we have it, sometimes we don't. I was lucky enough to have strength to walk the half-mile from my car to my office today, as I'd done for the twelve years before MG. Even luckier, I saw a coin on the ground as I crossed in front of the NYS capitol building. I picked it up, thinking it was a quarter or something, only to find it was a British pound coin. I can't say I've ever seen one before. I have seen the paper pound. That makes this a special find. And, I count it as luck.

Pegasus on the Mountain - Hancock, Massachusetts

The Daily bLog
We're all different, especially me. I read the forecast for the day and it looked good: forties with no precipitation. Great day for a first ride to work this season. I've come to love every one of the 37 miles between my house and Albany. From the back of a motorcycle, our everyday world is transformed into a new and inviting environment. On today's rides, I passed no more than two other motorcycles. I am different in this regard: others like it when it's nice out. BMW riders seen not to care much about temperature, only that there isn't (much) snow on the road. Well there wasn't snow on the road today...it was on the side of the road, however. Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, I was the lone rider able to be on the road today.

Out and About in Lanesborough, Massachusetts
Photo Op Courtesy of Pegasus the BMW
c 2006 Curt Miller

The Daily bLog
Outsmarting gremlins.

Myasthenia gravis is clever and is cruel. Wrestling gravis to the ground is about using street smarts and intellect. It is not about holistic medicine, meditation or macrobiotics...not by themselves, anyway. But, I have come to appreciate the use of alternative theories to boost my immunue system and my spirit in the challenge against this disease. My prednisone and CellCept (the wonder drug for transplant patients and for off-label use for suppressing MG antibodies) have come into their own during the past couple of weeks and have reduced the level of antibodies in my bloodstream. How do I know? Well, it's been 11 days since my last plasma exchange and I grow stronger by the day. I've had seven phereses since January and never gone past seven or eight days before my symptoms grew worse and I needed another round. Not so this time. Thank God for medical miracles...and motorcycles.

Chairs at Capitol Steps - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

Snow on the Taconic Ridge - Hancock, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

The Daily bLog
Extremes. My best and most trusted friend in the world (along with Peter Bryenton), economist Tom Hatcher, always says about averages something like "yea, you can have your head in the oven and your feet in the freezer and what's your average temperature?" Don't, dear reader, believe in the concept of averages. It's like settling for mediocrity. Challenge yourself to appreciate extremes - and savoring difference - and your life will be richer for it.

Today's pictures celebrate extremes. It's April 4th - spring - but that doesn't prevent nature from sharing some aspects of a couple of seasons on the same day. The day dawned mild and wet. The end, however, brought snow to the mountaintops, as can be seen in the lower photo, taken at 7:50 tonight.

Life with MG is about extremes, too. Some days are very good, others are very bad. But, just like an economy on the upswing where the chart looks like a saw blade pointing upward: the small teeth being the secular, day-to-day trend, poised against the general upward slope of growth. In the end, the economy gets better and expands...and so do I. The bad days help me savor the good days.

The Price of Gas - Pittsfield, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

The Daily bLog
Wowee, with the price of gas where it is, I'm thankful God invented motorcycles! I purchased a new suit of armor today - leftovers from last year - to give me the extra marging of safety needed on a bike. Expect to get a lot of use out of it, too. I rode 14,500 miles on the bike in 2005 and expect to do much the same this year, now that the MG symptoms appear to have quieted down. Again, thank God!

Where the day began...
...Heart Lake
...Algonquin Mountain
Lake Placid, New York

Where it ended...
...Red Lion Inn - from in front of Alice's Restaurant
Stockbridge, Massachusetts

The Daily bLog
Another stupendous day - start to finish.

Didn't sleep much last night. Hard single mattresses with slippery covers and I don't work well together. That is life in one of the bunks at the ADK Loj in Lake Placid. Instead of pining away the interminable hours of sleeplessness, I popped open my laptop and was on the internet. In the twenty years I've been going to the Loj, this is a BIG first for ADK. I propped myself up in my berth on three pillows and read about Garry Winogrand, a famous NYC street photographer. This is the best of all worlds!

I drove home from Lake Placid, making some of my usual stops along the way. Lower Cascade Lake and Chapel Pond are old favorites for pictures and the Mountaineer in Keene is a favorite for hiking gear. Since I have two lifetimes worth of the latter, I simply peruse the merchandise rather than buy it.

Upon my return home in Pittsfield, I decided to take a few rolls of developed film over to Wal-Mart for scanning and printing. While waiting for the pictures, I went over to Starbucks for some coffee and met a woman named Peggy who was riding her K650 BMW. She was outfitted in typical BMW rider apparel which is much different (and FAR more effective in a crash) than much of the leather stuff so many motorcyclists prefer. BMW riders are a breed apart from the rest and safety, weather protection and comfort are most important for the long hours they spend in the saddle. We chatted for about ten minutes and, unable to contain myself, jumped on my bike the minute I got home!

The BMW roared to life after sleeping for the winter. I got suited up and off I went. By the time I got back home, I had logged 35 miles, travelling all over South County (Berkshire). I did it. MG didn't stop me and it didn't even get in the way in the slightest. Never felt so good as I did when I dismounted tonight. I had almost forgotten how smooth, powerful and nimble my beautiful Beemer is and how wonderful it makes me feel.

Downtown Lake Placid - Lake Placid, New York

The Daily bLog
My day's activities as reported almost live from Heart Lake (Lake Placid, NY) in words and pictures.

It's always a treat to wake up deep in the wilderness of the high peaks of the Adirondacks. It's an even greater treat when you wake up in the wilderness lodge - owned by the club for which you serve as president - in the middle of your own square mile, in the middle of the high peaks. Even better when that lodge fronts on a pristine 60 acre lake that reflects the summits of those high peaks on its mirror-like surface. Life here at Heart Lake is sweet.

The activities of the day included a wonderful interactive session on leadership and change, designed to give members of the executive committee provoking ideas to consider for the future. The afternoon session included a session on internet communications, presented by our IT deparment head, Chris.

A trip to the north country wouldn't be complete without a visit to town. EMS, my other candy store, had a sale going so I bought some new Nalgene bottles that fit in the cup holders of my car and a pair of waterproof leather clogs. I've come to love this new class of footware for its shear simplicity and ease of getting on and off. With weak muscles, you are thankful for any item that saves time and strength. Clogs go that for me. I also stopped in at "With Pipe and Book," the north country's greatest used book store and tobacconist and was able to pick up a copy of Jacob Deschin's 1937 "Using the Miniature Camera," a first edition - and in beautiful condition - of this seminal work on 35mm photography.

A great and successful day in all respects.

View of the Loj - Adirondack Mountain Club Outpost

The thaw on Heart Lake is underway

My 8x10 camera set up on the ice of Heart Lake

The view of Mount Jo from the beach at the Loj

View west across Heart Lake toward Mounts Street and Nye

Topo Map - Heart Lake - Town of North Elba, New York

The Daily bLog
By all accounts, today was a pretty good day. There was frost on the car this morning but before long, the temperature rose up through the 50s, 60s and as high as 78 degrees! I left work at 3pm and drove the 140 miles from Albany to Lake Placid. Our Adirondack Mountain Club Loj facility is located at Heart Lake on 640 acres, 8 miles southwest of town, nestled in the middle of New York's highest mountains. The trails to Mt. Marcy and Mt. Algonquin, 5344' and 5114', respectively, run from the front door of our wilderness outpost. The executive committee is meeting here for the weekend for our annual retreat. We will be discussing leadership, change and technology. Part of that technology includes the wireless broaband connection at the Loj, through which I will keep in touch with the rest of the world with my blog-cast.

Take a look at the pictures I made on the way up this afternoon. When you're finished, take a look at the photographs of Eliot Porter, the famous American photographer who did with color what Ansel Adams did with black and white. All the photographs in this collection were made within 5 miles of the ones I've posted today.

The "Altar" at Chapel Pond - Rt. 73, Keene, New York

Cliffs, Route 73 - Keene, New York

Ice on Chapel Pond - Keene, New York

Ice Out, Chapel Pond - Keene, New York

Algonquin Mountain from Lower Cascade Lake - Keene, New York

All pictures c 2006 Curt Miller