Russ Cheney Finishing the Russell B. Cheney 50-K
Russ Cheney in Memphis, December 2003
Russ Cheney 2004 Season's Greetings
Charles-
Here's
my "annual" letter which comes out every few years or so.
R
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Hi:
I
hope that this past year has been especially good for you, and that 2005 will be
even better!
The
year 2004 has been particularly eventful for me.
I started the year by completing and electronically-publishing a
technical book on emergency response for cryonics ("Cryonics Regional
Operations"). I have been able
to travel to many new places (for me) in the South, Mid Atlantic and Northern
states, I entered and completed 15 marathons bringing my total to 180 in 30
states. Our family suffered an
unexpected and tragic loss of my dear and much beloved sister Coni.
My brilliant son Brad is still doing a superlative job teaching 8th
grade, and my beautiful daughter Chrissy is doing a superlative job raising
Indigo 5 and Zane 3.
The
following sections are more detail of the above; feel free to peruse, skim, or
skip!
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Writing:
Since retiring from cryonics as an active volunteer in March
2003,
I had wanted to provide a written basis for others to be able to profit from my
6 years of active service. "Cryonics
Regional Operations" was the result. It represented a concerted 7-month
effort, was 100 pages in length, and covered everything I could think of
relating to developing and strengthening an organization to effectively respond
to unexpected member legal-deaths, including training staff, developing
curriculum, financial planning, equipment, vehicles, medical and related
protocol, automated inventory systems, etc.
A large section was devoted to suggestions for improvements in current
operations, with specific paths recommended, cost estimates and labor
requirements specified.
In
2004 I also submitted my first children's book ("I Have 12 Fingers - My
First Counting Book") to an artist-illustrator (my daughter Chrissy) for
graphics.
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Travel:
I think I've never told you how I'm going about selecting my travel
destinations.
I'm
using both the AAA TourBooks and the National Park Service as guides.
I
usually begin by selecting a marathon in a general region or state.
The TourBook for that area can then be used in conjunction with a map to
study specific sites listed by city. I
find this an interesting and informative process in and of itself, allowing me
to learn much about what is considered most relevant and significant
historically and culturally for the area.
Complementing
this process are the 387+ sites administered by the National Park Service (NPS).
While some of these are obvious (Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon,
etc.), others I would never have selected on my own (Saint-Gaudens and Little
Rock Central High School for America's premier sculpture and a first-hand look
at desegregation in a currently safe environment, for example).
Details on virtually all the NPS sites can be found in the TourBook.
Research
can require days of reading, including the use of maps by the AAA and NPS.
It's often a type of puzzle-solving / detective-work, figuring out the
best routes given limited time and monetary resources.
As one proceeds, one can mark off NPS sites as "visited" on
their US map.
As
an added spice, the NPS has a Passport program, where most NPS sites will
ink-stamp certain specific pages within their region, and certain special sites
also have stickers (issued annually for a limited number of sites), as well as
special ink stamps (as steam-engine outline at Golden Spike and animals at
Yellowstone). Most sites are
especially welcoming to "seniors," with special discounts allowing for
one's finances to include an expanded itinerary.
In
2004 I visited about 60 sites. Some
I put in much effort (Yellowstone was about a week of planning and travel, a
week within the park, and a day or so leaving).
Some require minimal effort (The John Paul Jones memorial on the south
edge of the Washington DC Mall can be seen in a few minutes while walking
between the Lincoln and FDR memorials). I
can say that every one so far has been a learning experience for me, with many
surprises; quite a number I wish to visit again and spend more time.
I'd
love to share all experiences with you! But
here I'll just make a few comments:
Perhaps
my biggest NPS excitement came with Yellowstone (2003).
My expectations were ENORMOUSLY high, yet were exceeded.
I did NOT get attacked and mauled by a grizzly bear, and the traffic and
crowding were tolerable (I visited as the park was closing many areas for
winter). The opportunities for
exercise and exploration were ENORMOUS: for instance, I spent one entire day
running the trails around and into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which
I'd never appreciated before. It's
enough smaller than the Grand Canyon of AZ that one can comprehend its
magnificence (in AZ I'm just OVERWHELMED by the immensity, even running to the
bottom and back in one day).
What
were some of my biggest surprises? I
didn't know how much I admired Saint-Gaudens''s work; I need to return and learn
more about him. I didn't realize
how little I knew about the southern perspective on desegregation, and that in
the culture that I saw there the "blacks" can interact on a
"normal" basis, which strengthens all aspects of society. But why is
this not so in SoCal? The Southern
black may typically feel now that they need to achieve economic equality, but I
think perhaps the SoCal black still feels treated unequal in the culture. Hmm.
My
visit to Shiloh was my first extended stay at a major Civil War battleground
(2-1/2 days). I walked or jogged
much of the battle area, and attempted to understand the monuments and at least
the major events that took place there. The
human cost of the battle was horrific: thousands of Americans killed and maimed.
It's challenging to put that cost in perspective to what the Civil
changed in America.
I
also spent 2-1/2 days at Gettysburg battlefield, but it was much too large to
see all of it even at a cursory level; there are over 1000 (one thousand)
individual monument, for instance). Just
carefully going through the Visitor Centers can takes the best part of a full
day. Then there are several driving
tours one can take, with CD / cassette tape, plus walking trails, all to help
understand the events and the affect on the War.
Gettysburg was perhaps four times as big as Shiloh, and had a more
profound affect on the outcome of the Civil War. Was one reason that the Civil War was so hard fought that it
inevitably resulted in virtually the complete annihilation of the Southern
culture?
My
expectations were also ENORMOUSLY high for the Everglades; I'd wanted to go
there since I was a small boy. They
are a long way south, and require some extra effort.
They were perhaps my greatest NPS disappointment of the year. They are dying, due to something Californians can understand:
lack of water. Their unique eco
system was created my consistent annual floods that inundated the bottom of the
peninsula for thousands of years; the water's been diverted, and it's drying up.
There current estimate is that annually only 10% of the number of birds
are present that were there in the 1960s. There
appear to be no viable plans to restore the 'Glades.
And many of the users of the Everglades, the boaters, are quite visibly
destructive of the accessible parts, tearing through the channels at breakneck
speeds and churning up the precious aquatic life; if you're in a kayak, hold on
tight!
The
toughest NPS site to get to: the Dry Tortugas.
A key 70 miles west of Key West (Key West being at the end of the highway
which connects most of the major string of keys).
After MUCH planning, I took a 30-mile-per-hour catamaran
"ferry" to the Tortugas. Fabulous!
Old US fort. Fantastic snorkeling (although I accidentally got lost and
ended up in the good spot!). Unique
birds (I've tried to start keeping track of the different species of birds
seen).
For
sheer beautiful nature, New River Gorge and Bluestone in WV are just hard to
beat. I took a day's mountain-bike
excursion along the Bluestone up to a well-known resort; it was exquisite
Hurry for the bike; I'd not have been able to travel the route any other
way (and of course getting stuck in the mud was part of the fun!).
I've
been wanting to understand the Revolutionary War; the NPS at Saratoga certainly
helped! The battlements and the
strategy were all laid out so clearly that the strategies and execution of the
battles were made abundantly clear. I
need to point out the the majority of the NPS sites have a two-page brochure,
often with maps, full-color illustrations, and EXCEPTIONALLY well written test
apparently carefully prepared by historians.
Saratoga was no exception, and the brochure was excellent.
I
revisited a few NPS sites I'd seen either with Brad while visiting DC or touring
after the Boston Marathons. They
had virtually ALL been enhanced! What
a marvelous surprise! For instance,
the Minute Man sites in MA were just WONDERFULLY expanded; one could EASILY
spend a full day tracing that historically critical running battle.
And
the DC Mall has seen spring up 10 or 15 sites over the last decade or so (WW II,
Women in 'Nam, FDR, Thomas Mason, 26 Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
Korean War, LB Johnson, etc.), and now Congress just passed a new law that
nothing else can be added to the Mall! How
likely is THAT? I must say that in
my opinion ALL the new monuments are well done, beautiful tributes to American
history, and appropriate and tasteful reminders to us of our past and our
growth.
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Running:
My 2004 marathons provided me the opportunity to see new places and meet new
people. Each was a new marathon for
me, the "50-Staters" marathoners having given me a new perspective,
and my travels providing the opportunity. I
miss keeping up my streaks in my old marathons (I did all of the San Diego Rock
'n Roll, Black Horse and San Miguel Buzz marathons, for instance), but have
expanded my horizons in the process:
1. 2/1 4:39 GA Callaway Gardens, Columbus - Extremely
cold & windy.
Very
safe (no cars)! Beautiful venue! Very disorganized (I was given
3rd-overall
plaque since they couldn't find their 3rd-in-age plaque for my age division).
2. 2/8 5:13 LA Birmingham
3. 2/28 4:54 FL Blue Angels, Pensacola - Well
organized! I enjoyed the marathon
and the fabulous Navy-fighter museum.
Gap: I was in southern FL - no endurance runs!
4. 5/30 7:20 FL Wickingham Park, Melbourne - Heat index
112 in shade, ~126 in sun. Some
runners going for 200 miles, but none exceeded 100.
I "only" did the marathon!
I like the heat!
5. 7/10 8:05 WV Rattlesnake Trail 50K, Kanawha [KAN-A]
- Thunder, lightening, 1" of rain (left overhead vents open in motorhome!).
Primevel woods.
6. 7/31 8:30 OH Buckeye Trail 50K - BEAUTIFUL venue in
Cuyahoga Valley Natl Park! 2 to
5" of rain 8-hours before race, 1" during, made for a mud run.
Sandals needed rudders for direction control.
PR for black toenails.
7. 9/12 4:31 PA Erie - Serene flat shady state park on
peninsula with magnificent views of Lake Erie.
Fast speed also attributable to trying to keep up with Maria Hadjian's
intense training schedule beforehand (unlike me, she's not a marathon couch-potatoe,
and is in the sub-3-hour class, with workouts to match).
8. 9/19 NY Dutchess County - Surprising rural forests.
Intense traffic made this road race EXTREMELY hazardous; I do NOT
recommend!
9. 9/26 5:53 NH Clarence Demar, Keene - First half
REALLY beautiful,
downhill
by russelling brook; second half with intense traffic made this road race
EXTREMELY hazardous; I do NOT recommend! My
finish times seemed to be affected by the one-a-week schedule required to
collect all these new states.
10. 10/3 5:08 ME Portland
11. 10/9 4:56 CT Hartford - I really enjoyed this
well-organized, big-event race!
12. 10/16 5:20 VT Green Mtn, South Hero Island in Lake
Champlain - The height of the Fall color season.
Breathtaking. Carried
disposable
camera!
Ferocious winds at end, made for spectacular breaking waves.
13. 11/14 5:34 RI Nifty 50 - Snowfall the day before
left a Christmas-card sparkling frosted forest in the sunshine.
Temperatures in the teens, but loop course permitted apparel adjustments
to comfort. I was again the only
sandal runner. Said to be the ONLY
RI marathon!
Intense
traffic made this road race EXTREMELY hazardous; I do NOT recommend!
14. 11/21 5:16 PA Philly - I just REALLY enjoyed this
run, thru historic sites and Fall colors along gorgeous river!
15. 11/27 5:15 MD Northern Central Rail (NCR) trail,
Sparks - No hills!! Magnificent
forest! Historic railway complete
with signs as to when to blow our whistle before crossings!
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Coni:
I hardly know what to say about my dear sister.
Coni was so beloved by everyone in the family.
She seemed to hold as one of her highest goals that she would do
everything in her power to communicate and empathize with everybody on their own
terms, to make their life a better experience for them.
She was such a close part of me for my whole life; she was born when I
was 3, and was always there. And I
assumed that her strength and her loving would "always" be there (at
least for the expected next 20 or 30 years).
I
understand that it is usual for those closest to ask themselves many questions,
and to feel many strong emotions: what could I have done differently? Why was life so tormenting that she did not want to enjoy
all
the blessings of the future? Should
I have recognized the impending climax? Deep
feelings of frustration, anger, sorrow, guilt.
I
will miss her enormously; the future will miss her enormously.
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Kids:
Brad is still enthusiastically and creatively teaching, mostly 8th grade
English, but this year also a high-school dumbbell-
English
summer challenge and now a 7th-grade last-minute new prep.
Indigo
has successfully started kindergarten! Chrissy,
Tim and the kids are moving into their "new" home in Lancaster CA,
scheduled for 12/27! There is much
excitement!
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Please communicate! The best to you and yours! Russell