Been there, done that 

Have you ever seen something or been somewhere and experienced a feeling that you’ve been there before or done this some other time? If yes, then you’ve probably experienced a phenomenon known as déjà vu.

“We have all some experience of a feeling, that comes over us occasionally, of what we are saying and doing having been said and done before, in a remote time - of our having been surrounded, dim ages ago, by the same faces, objects, and circumstances - of our knowing perfectly what will be said next, as if we suddenly remember it!” (Dickens in David Copperfield - chapter 39)

From our friends at Wikipedia, déjà vu or promnesia, is the experience of feeling sure that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously, although the exact circumstances of the previous encounter are uncertain. The term was coined by a French psychic researcher, Émile Boirac (1851–1917) in his book “L’Avenir des sciences psychiques” (”The Future of Psychic Sciences”), which expanded upon an essay he wrote while an undergraduate. The experience of déjà vu is usually accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity and also a sense of “eeriness,” “strangeness” or “weirdness”. The “previous” experience is most frequently attributed to a dream, although in some cases there is a firm sense that the experience “genuinely happened” in the past.

On Tuesday, I sensed a strong feeling of déjà vu as I looked out the window and the driveway was once again covered in snow. Last Sunday afternoon, it was in the neighborhood of 57° F, and I was so tempted to pull one of the Ducati motorcycles out of winter hibernation for a short mid-winter ride. But wait a minute, weren’t there mounds of snow, salt and grime on all the roads just a couple weeks ago? Déjà vu

Well, it didn’t happen. I had just returned Saturday night from my first business trip of the year to Jacksonville, Fla., and if memory serves me right, I shared a similar experience with you all about a year ago. Last Wednesday morning as I’m making my way to the departure gate at Indianapolis International Airport, I’m walking by the South Bend Chocolate Company, and there’s our friend Liz whipping up some sweat, savory delights. If memory serves me right, Liz can make one mean steaming hot white chocolate beverage. Déjà vu

Back to Sunday afternoon, instead of gearing up for what would have been a cool ride on questionable roads, I settled into the couch-potato mode to exercise my trigger finger on the TV remote control. Oh, the Indianapolis Colts were playing some New York team again that had brought their undefeated season to an end back in December. I guess the first-string guys needed a rest back in December. Well, I’m sure you’ve all heard the Colts managed to beat the New York Jets this time around with their first-string guys on the field, winning the AFC championship and earning their second trip in four years to the Super Bowl in Miami in a couple weeks. Déjà vu

Well, it’s time to get back to my week’s activity that has become quite interesting in that I am serving as a jury member on a very interesting case here in the state of Indiana. When all the dust settles, I’ll share a bit about this experience with you all in the following weeks here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.

Greg

It’s good to set goals…
Well, I hope everyone had a safe and exciting New Year’s Eve celebration complete with a rousing rendition of “Auld Lang Syne“ followed by a generous toast to the dawn of 2010. One of the long-standing traditions of a New Year’s Eve celebration is sharing a New Year’s resolution with friends and family.

So just what have we just gotten ourselves into?

A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day.

Some of the more traditional goals at Popular New Year’s Resolutions on USA.gov include resolutions to:
·         Improve health: Lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking

·         Improve finances: Get out of debt, save money

·         Improve career: Get a better job

·         Improve education: Improve grades, get a better education, learn something new

·         Improve self: Become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent

·         Take a trip

·         Volunteer to help others

A study done by QUIRKOLOGY shows that while 52 percent of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12 percent actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22 percent more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”), while women succeeded 10 percent more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.

Some hints offered up in the QUIRKOLOGY study for achieving New Year’s resolutions included recommendations like make only one resolution, plan ahead, avoid previous resolutions and be specific, thinking through exactly what you’re going to do, where you’re going to do it and at what time.

So by now I’m sure you all are just on the edge of your seat with anticipation of what my New Year’s resolutions might be.

Well, I’m going to leave you all hanging right here, and I’ll see you in a couple weeks here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

It was a year to remember…

Wow, another year has come and gone here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, blessed with a weekend of outstanding weather for the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP this past August 2009. To close out what has been a very interesting year we may or may not want to remember, I thought I’d share one last Wikipedia lesson with you all.

Auld Lang Syne is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song (Roud # 6294). It is well known in many English-speaking (and other) countries and is often sung to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. By extension, its use has also become common at funerals, graduations and as a farewell or ending to other occasions.

The song’s Scots title may be translated into English literally as “old long since”, or more idiomatically, “long long ago” or “days gone by”. The phrase “Auld Lang Syne” is also used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570-1638), Allan Ramsay (1686-1757), and James Watson (1711) as well as older folk songs predating Burns. Matthew Fitt uses the phrase “In the days of auld lang syne” as the equivalent of “Once upon a time…” in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language.

Robert Burns sent a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, “The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man”. Some of the lyrics were indeed “collected” rather than composed by the poet; the ballad “Old Long Syne” printed in 1711 by James Watson shows considerable similarity in the first verse and the chorus to Burns’ later poem, and is almost certainly derived from the same “old song”. It is a fair supposition to attribute the rest of the poem to Burns himself.

Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo is often credited with popularising the use of the song at New Year’s celebrations in America, through his annual broadcasts on radio and television, beginning in 1929. The song became his trademark. In addition to his live broadcasts, Lombardo recorded the song more than once. His first recording was in 1939. A later recording on September 29, 1947 was issued as a single by Decca Records as catalog #24260.

However, earlier newspaper articles describe revellers on both sides of the Atlantic singing the song to usher in the New Year.

A manuscript of “Auld Lang Syne” is held in the permanent collection of The Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

OK, that was a pretty interesting account of want many of us may be singing this evening as we bid a fond farewell to 2009 and raise a toast to the dawn of a brighter 2010. I know I have a new destination to explore next spring as I have never visited The Lilly Library, and Bloomington, Ind., is one of our favorite destinations we pass through on many weekend motorcycle rides.

Well, it’s time to start taking down O Tannenbaum and putting Christmas back in the attic, but once again; I’d like to thank everyone for a great year of Centennial Era celebrations out on West 16^th Street at the Racing Capital of the World^®.

With this, I’m signing off for 2009 but want to wish everyone all the best for the New Year, and I’ll see you all here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com in 2010.

Greg

Are you ready?

Since I last visited with you all here at The Experience several weeks ago, “Old Man Winter” finally reared his frosty head here in central Indiana. A week after the Thanksgiving holiday, all the weather prognosticators here in the Indianapolis area proffered the chance of a light snow-dusting Monday morning commute. Evidently everyone listened and believed this forecast, including the local Department of Public Works folks. Well, the first Monday morning of December started off with a layer of ice with a frosting of about an inch of snow on top. I know that doesn’t sound like much, especially to all our readers out on the East Coast, but what a surprise to the local snow removal teams that were literally caught in bed that morning! Even with my all-wheel-drive H3 Hummer, I did a lot of slip-sliding away all the way into the office that morning. I think I could have made better time on my ice hockey skates, or maybe one of those Tucker Sno-Cats would have been the way to go.

If you recall from my Wikipedia lesson several weeks ago, “Old Man Winter” is an alternative older name for Father Christmas, who is also known in Russian folklore as Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa Claus. Well, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than a good old blast of “Old Man Winter” to frost the windowpanes and paint the landscape in a blanket of snow. With all these weekends of Indian summer persisting so late into autumn in my neck of the woods, still riding the motorcycles past the Thanksgiving holiday makes getting into the Christmas spirit kind of hard.

The week following that first icy December Monday morning definitely switched me into the Christmas mode. I managed to get most of my holiday decorations up, knocked off almost my entire gift list and even managed to celebrate the season’s festivities at several holiday parties. With no better half to object, my collection of two-wheeled steeds moves into the house and spends the winter months in the family room all nice and comfy warm. They even become part of the holiday decorations with a couple Christmas trees and some twinkle lights strategically placed. Ah, the life of a bachelor!

Well, after a couple weeks of “Old Man Winter” hanging around, my first day of a three-week vacation and holiday break from the daily grind started off with a 57 °F day in central Indiana last week. OK, you guessed it! I couldn’t resist. The Ducati 1098 R Bayliss LE had to depart its holiday parking spot in the family room and go for one more ride. It couldn’t really be classified as an Indian summer day, but anything warmer than 50 °F in the middle of December in central Indiana is just too good to pass up a late-season two-wheeled experience.

I knew it was too good to be true. The following morning dawned with evidence of Jack Frost back on the window panes and the local weather prognosticators talking about the chances of a white Christmas. The Ducati has resumed its position in front of the family room Christmas tree, and I guess it’s back to wrapping presents. The local Indy DESMO Ducati enthusiats club also met for a holiday celebration later last week, and the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association crew had their holiday gathering, both of course with lots of feasting and gastronomic delights. I hope I can still get into my leathers after all these holiday celebrations. You never know when “Old Man Winter” might slip away for a day or two around here and tempt a motorcycle enthusiast to get one more ride in.

Christmas is just a few days away now, so I’d like to wish each and every one of you the very best for the holiday season from all of us here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Where are you?

“Old Man Winter, like the elfish creature Jack Frost, is a personification of winter, sometimes also called Father Winter. He may be an alternative older name for Father Christmas and has been identified with the Old English god Woden. In Russian folklore, Old Man Winter is known as Morozko and is also identified with Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa Claus. In English folklore, Jack Frost appears as an elfish creature who personifies crisp, cold, winter weather; a variant of Father Winter (also known as “Old Man Winter”). Some believe this representation originated in Germanic folklore specifically in the Anglo-Saxon and Norse winter customs. Tradition holds Jack Frost responsible for leaving frosty crystal patterns on windows on cold mornings.”

Yikes, yet another Wikipedia lesson on folklore of the holidays and seasons. I bet you never thought you’d be learning so much reading The Experience here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Fortunately for the third weekend in a row, Old Man Winter has kept clear of central Indiana. During our Indian Summer lesson a couple weeks ago, we learned the generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 70° F. Last weekend turned out to be mostly sunny and clear. But with temperatures only making it into the mid 50°F both days, I don’t think we can call this Indian Summer anymore.

Having been pretty distracted from household autumn duties the past couple weekends, I did manage to focus for part of a day and, like my buddy Mike last weekend, get my yard cleaned up of all my neighbors’ leaves. Yes, you heard me right! I only have one small deciduous tree in my whole yard that drops its leaves in the fall. Unfortunately, all my neighbors around me have very large trees with mountains of leaves that inevitably end up in my yard. You would think they would want to collect all their leaves themselves!

So with my neighbors leaves disposed of, Sunday turned into another full day of wandering the back roads and small towns of Indiana with a group of like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts from the Indy DESMO Ducati owners club. A group of 11 of us made our way down some favorite twisty roads starting off in Monrovia on SR39 through Martinsville then down to Old SR37 passing through Hindustan and Dolan on our way to Bloomington. Taking SR48 west of Bloomington, we shot south on the freshly paved SR43, hitting towns like Hendricksville and Solsberry on our way to SR54. Heading west on SR54, we passed through Ridgeport, Bloomfield, Linton and Dugger on our way to our final destination in Sullivan.

Oh, I forgot to mention we did have a destination in mind for this two-wheeled adventure. The Indy DESMO group shares very similar passions as the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) I’ve blogged about many times here at The Experience. Both groups love to ride, and both groups love to eat. Well, our destination for the day was lunch at Joe’s Italian Foods & Pizzeria in Sullivan, Ind. Oni and Nora Leone have owned and operated Joe’s Pizza in Sullivan since February 2000. Oni is also a fellow Ducatista and is the proud owner of a Ducati Monster. Two other members of Oni’s family operate Joe’s Pizza restaurants in Robinson and Newton, Ill.

I’ve got to report to you that I experienced the best pizza I have ever tasted last Sunday at Joe’s Italian Foods & Pizzeria in Sullivan. I also experienced the same difficulty with my riding gear apparently shrinking as I did last weekend during our gastronomic tour around Indianapolis on two wheels with my riding buddy Mike.

Well, I just saw the weather forecast for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, and it appears Old Man Winter is finally going to make an appearance here in central Indiana with some snow, so I’ll wish you all the very best. I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Another Indian summer weekend

Am I still in Indiana? That was the question I was asking myself last weekend here in the Midwest in the middle of November. After our little lesson about the origins of the term “Indian summer” last week here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, I figured it would be snowing by this past weekend. To my surprise, central Indiana was once again blessed with a spectacular two days of fall temperatures and clear blue skies this past weekend. Several more weeks ago I shared with you all “A day in the life of a business traveler” going to Calgary, Alberta, so this week I thought I’d share a day in the life of a motorcycle enthusiast with yet another Indian summer weekend.

7:30 a.m.: Rise and shine. The sun is up, the sky is clear, the thermometer is approaching a favorable level, so it’s time to ride! Darn, all the bikes are back in cozy winter storage, so I’ve got to roll one up from the family room to the garage. It’s still a bit chilly, but I’ve got room for an extra layer under the leathers so I should be fine for a couple hours until it warms up.

8:30 a.m.: I’m suited up and ready to ride. I stopped by my riding mate Mike’s house to see if I can get him out of bed early on a Saturday morning to join the day’s ride. To my surprise, he’s already up and raking leaves in his yard and cleaning out gutters. Yikes, that’s really what I should be doing today!

9 a.m.: My temptations for Mike to join the morning’s ride apparently didn’t work, so I swung by Shapiro’s Delicatessen and met up with the local BMW riders club for breakfast. I’m the lone Ducati in a sea of BMWs, but we all share the same passion of two-wheeled adventures. Shortly after settling in to a piping hot cup of java and a plate full of eggs, bacon and toast, Mike comes zooming into the parking lot on his German steed. I guess those leaves and gutters will have to wait for another day.

11 a.m.: After a breakfast like that, my leathers seemed a bit tighter. But now that I’ve got Mike peeled away from yard work, we head up to Ducati Indianapolis on the far north side of town for a piping hot espresso. Now the table has turned, and Mike’s BMW is surrounded by a sea of Ducatis. After a couple shots of espresso and a pastry or two, it’s time to head off to the monthly meeting of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA).

1 p.m.: Dreyer Motorsports, on the west side of Indianapolis, had graciously offered their MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) training room to host the MSTA meeting this month. Dwayne Dreyer was hanging out in the main showroom welcoming the arriving MSTA members and pointing us in the direction of the meeting room. After solving all the world’s problems, trading a few big fish stories and munching on chips and soft drinks, Mike and I suited back up once again to continue our Indian summer ride.

3 p.m.: With almost six hours since our last full meal, we head off to the far south side of town to grab a late lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Fireside Brewhouse. Hey, wait a minute, didn’t we just have snacks at Dreyer Motorsports and more treats at Ducati Indianapolis earlier in the day? This Indian summer riding is a very strenuous activity that consumes a lot of fuel for both the motorcycles and their riders.

5 p.m.:  With the sun settling low in the November sky and the zipper on my leathers mysteriously getting tighter and tighter, Mike and I head over to another riding buddy’s place on the near south side of Indianapolis. To both our surprise, we find Craig finishing up a full day of yard work and chores around the house with his Italian and German two-wheeled steeds setting idle in the garage. I guess Craig is lucky I didn’t swing by his place earlier in the morning on my way to rescue Mike from the same late Indian summer fate.

7 p.m.: After a full day of eating my way around the City of Indianapolis, I finally roll up the driveway of my house, checking out my yard full of leaves, and wondering if Sunday will be a day of yard work and chores or if the siren song of a two-wheeled Italian steed tempts me to avoid it for yet another week.

Well, I’ve got to confess. Sunday dawned just as Saturday had. The crew from Ducati Indianapolis successfully rescued me from my home duties yet again with a full-day ride down through the twisty roads of southern Indiana. I guess the fall duties will have to wait for another weekend, and maybe I can persuade Mike and Craig to join me for a day of raking leaves!

I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

What is it?

“Indian summer is an informal expression given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, typically in late October or early November, after the leaves have turned following an onset of frost but before the first snowfall. The generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21°c (70°F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S.

Traditionally, in former times in Europe, ‘Indian summer’ was called ‘Saint Martin’s Summer,’ referring to St. Martin’s day, Nov. 11, when it was supposed to end. In British English ‘St. Martin’s Summer’ was the most widely used term until the American phrase Indian Summer became better known in the 20th century. In Italy, St. Martin’s summer (Estate di San Martino) was expected and celebrated as a rural tradition with ancient origins, and is marked by a festival throughout the peninsula on November 11. In Spain, it is called ‘Veranillo de San Miguel’ or ‘Veranillo de San Martín,’ depending on which date it occurs. It can also be called ‘Veranillo del Membrillo’ (little summer of the quince).

In Russia, it is called ‘Women’s Summer/Babye Leto (Бабье лето),’ in Poland – ‘Babie Lato’ and in Croatia ‘Bablje ljeto.’ In Galicia (northern Spain), it is called ‘Veraniño de San Martiño,’ and in Portugal it is called ‘Verão de São Martinho,’ both of which refer to St. Martin’s summer.

In Bulgaria, the phenomenon is sometimes called ‘Gypsy Summer’ (Bulgarian: циганско лято, tsigansko lyato) and in some places ‘Gypsy Christmas’ and refers to unseasonably warm weather in late fall or a warm spell in between cold periods.

In Sweden it is called ‘brittsommar,’ which is derived from Birgitta and Britta, who have their “name day” in the Swedish calendar on Oct. 7. That is when Britt Mass, an official fall open-air market, was held.

In Germany and Austria it is called “Altweibersommer”, in Hungary “vénasszonyok nyara” (Old Ladies Summer or Crone’s Summer) because the many white spider silks seen at this time of the year have been associated with the norns of Norse folklore or medieval witches.

An alternative to St Martin’s summer was ‘Saint Luke’s summer,’ as the saint’s feast day is Oct. 18. Another alternative was “All-hallown summer,” as Halloween is Oct. 31; the expression is used in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part 1, Act 1 Scene 2.”

Hey, stop it, Wikipedia overload is setting in. OK we all now know that Indian Summer comes after Halloween, and every country has their own version of this time of year! Back here in good ole central Indiana, we had one spectacular Indian Summer weekend. I even had to bring one of my favorite two-wheeled toys out of a comfy winter storage to click off some miles on some of my favorite twisty roads in southern Indiana with a couple riding buddies.

Three other Yankees, two from Texas and our own “Kentucky Kid,” had a spectacular “Veraniño de San Martiño” ride last weekend at the Grand Prix of Valencia in Spain. American riders claimed three of the top seven finishing positions. Colin Edwards placed fourth on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine, while 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden finished fifth on the Ducati Team bike. 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies finished a strong seventh in a wild-card ride for the Sterilgarda Yamaha Team. Check out www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for more race details.

Hopefully this bit of Indian Summer lasts a few more days before Old Man Winter rears his ugly head. I’ve asked my friends up in Calgary, Alberta, if they could keep their “Alberta Clippers” up in their neck of the woods this year.

I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Another lost Sunday
It’s another bright, sunny fall Sunday morning in Indianapolis with an expected high temperature of 58° F, and here I sit in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport once again staring at the same scenery. Does this sound familiar? I think I was sitting in the same area in the C Concourse across from the sbarro – Fresh Italian Cooking restaurant, at the same table blogging to you all from the same table a couple weeks ago. Once again, what’s wrong with this picture?

So, what would I be doing if I had my Sunday back? You guessed it! Yet another late autumn opportunity to stretch the legs of a favorite Italian steed now tucked away in the family room with few unlikely opportunities left this season to ride. Yup, you heard me right. For the winter months, my stable of two-wheeled steeds gets to hang out in a nice climate-controlled family room area of my house. If I can’t ride them, why not display them as any great works of art should be treated? A cold, damp garage during the “dark half” of the year is no place to keep beautiful examples of Italian craftsmanship.

Last Saturday, Eallra Hālgena ǽfen, which we all learned last week is now known as Halloween, the eve of All Saints’ Day, turned out to be a decent but a chilly 50° F day. My friends up at Ducati Indianapolis put on a very festive Halloween celebration at the dealership in Zionsville, Ind., on the far north end of Indianapolis. Maggie Carr especially enjoys putting out a festive display of Halloween decorations and treats. I guess my normal riding gear might qualify as a Halloween costume this time of the year.

Well, it’s getting close to departure time for my flight on to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, so I’ll wrap it up for this week,and I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Eve of the “darker half” of the year

From our friends at Wikipedia; “Halloween has its origins in the ancient celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an), which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly ‘summer’s end.’ A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf). The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the ‘lighter half’ of the year and beginning of the ‘darker half’ and is sometimes regarded as the ‘Celtic New Year.’ The term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows’ Even – e’en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening. This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǽfen. It is now known as ‘Eve of’ All Saints’ Day, which is November 1st.”

OK, now that we’ve all had a bit of a lesson about the origins of the Halloween holiday, the saddest part of Wikipedia’s lesson is the part about “summer’s end” and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year. I think I’ve shared with you all a couple times that I really like riding the sport bikes this time of the year. A bit of coolness in the air and the fall colors make for some very enjoyable weekend jaunts.

After a week in Calgary, I managed to make it back to Indy Friday evening. The pilots on my Delta-Northwest flight even remembered to land in Minneapolis. Saturday turned out to be a bit damp, but Sunday started off cool but quickly warmed up to an ideal day for a ride south of Indianapolis to take in some of the fall colors.

One thing I did have on the agenda for Sunday afternoon was to watch the final rounds of the Superbike World Championship in Portimao, Portugal, and the Grand Prix of Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit. With a win in race one and fifth in race two, Texan Ben Spies wrapped up his first World Superbike title and Yamaha’s first-ever title in this series in his rookie season. At Sepang, Valentino Rossi celebrated his seventh MotoGP World Championship and his ninth title overall with his third-place finish in the MotoGP event. Check out more race coverage at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

With Ben Spies moving over to the MotoGP series on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team with two-time World Superbike champion and fellow Texan Colin Edwards, the 2010 MotoGP season should be pretty interesting with a pair of Texans two-stepping their way through next year’s series.

2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP go on sale very soon, so be sure to get your seats as soon as they’re available. When asked why you should get them on the first day, Colin Edwards said; “The earlier you get it, the earlier you can plan it and get the party started!”

With some additional business travel the next couple weeks, it looks like the two-wheeled toys are about ready to be tucked away for the “darker half” of the year, so enjoy your Halloween festivities this weekend, and I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.

Greg

A day in the life of a business traveler

6 a.m. EDT: It’s way too early for an alarm clock on a Sunday morning. This just isn’t right!

7:30 a.m. EDT: What, economy parking at the new Col. Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport has gone up to $9 a day! Oh, and now the economy parking shuttle drops you off at the transportation center instead of the upper ticketing level of the terminal. Um, the driver said this was to try to encourage travelers to use the higher-priced parking lots nearer the terminal by several yards. For $12 a day, they’ll drop you off at the departure level. OK, so much for the much touted parking conveniences of the new $1,400,000,000 terminal. Yes, that’s a lot of zeros.

9 a.m. EDT: Here I sit on Delta Connection flight 3543 on a beautiful, clear Sunday morning on my way to a work assignment this week in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. First off, what’s wrong with this picture? Didn’t I mention it was a bright, clear Sunday morning? Shouldn’t I be rolling out of bed this time of a Sunday morning for a leisurely breakfast, cup of coffee and a bit of news of the weather for the day? Oh, it’s supposed to get up into the mid-50 degrees F today, which should be beckoning me for a spirited jaunt through the rolling twisty roads of southern Indiana on one of the two-wheeled steeds now tucked away at the house during my absence this week. It also appears to be a potentially prime autumn day for leaf watching. I guess I’ll be checking out the fall explosion of color from 30,000 feet today.

Given the amount of air travel I do in a typical year, my elite level frequent flyer status usually gets me complimentary upgrades into first class. Dang, not this morning! What’s up with all these business travelers this early on a Sunday morning? Usually the next best thing is to snag an exit row seat. These seats usually have a bit more leg room to stretch out in, but not this morning. It’s kind of funny how narrow an airline seat can become with a rather generously size person sitting next to you.

9:30 a.m. CDT: News flash! The pilot just announced our initial approach into Minneapolis. The local temperature is 39 degrees F. That is an improvement from the 33 degrees F in Indianapolis a couple hours ago, and it’s a clear, blue-sky morning in Minneapolis.

10:30 a.m. CDT: Wow, check this out. An airport cop just whizzed by on some kind of three-wheeled, stand-up contraption. That would sure be the hot setup for tracking down some fresh hot donuts! Well, I have my first-class upgrade for the three-hour flight segment from Minneapolis to Calgary, so maybe I should stop whining now. Dang, my favorite seat 1A is already taken.

11:20 a.m. CDT: Northwest flight 2672 is climbing out of Minneapolis heading for Calgary, Alberta, Canada now, and I’m all settled into a nice, cushy, roomy seat 4D for the next three hours. The pilot just announced the weather in Calgary is a brisk 5 degrees C, overcast and light rain. What’s with this Celsius stuff? 5 degrees C just sounds downright frigid!

1:30 p.m. MDT: Welcome to Canada, eh! Wow, Calgary must be one popular place to fly in to on a Sunday afternoon. The line at the Canadian customs must be a mile long. I sure hope this doesn’t turn into an all-afternoon ordeal. The Australian round of MotoGP at Phillip Island is on at 3:00 p.m. MDT on SPEED TV. I’ve already called Lisa at the Hilton Garden Inn Calgary, and she has set aside a room for me with a brand-new, 37-inch HD TV and verified they have SPEED on their TV cable system. Hey, you learn a few tricks as a seasoned traveler!

5:00 p.m. MDT: Well, I made it through Canadian customs with no tricky questions, snagged a rental car and found the hotel in plenty of time to settle in and enjoy the Australian rounds of the 250cc and MotoGP events.  It looks like the 250cc championship is going to go down to the final event in Valencia with Marco Simoncelli’s victory. With Lorenzo’s first-turn mishap in the MotoGP event, Rossi followed Stoner to the finish line and now appears to be staged to wrap up the season with his ninth World Championship. Check out www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for complete race results from Phillip Island.

7:00 p.m. MDT: All of a sudden, my ole stomach is reminding me it’s really 9 p.m. EDT as far as it’s concerned. Another one of my seasoned traveler recommendations to you all is to seek out local eating establishments to get a taste of the local culture and flavor.

9^th Avenue in downtown Calgary is known as a hive of interesting shops and restaurants. Wandering around the area, Jacqueline Suzanne’s Bistro appeared to be a rather eclectic-looking establishment tucked into a heritage building, proudly proclaiming it’s self to be a Purveyor of Fine Food & Spirits. Well, Jacqueline Suzanne’s Bistro turned out to be a very cozy, family-owned and operated establishment full of European charm and elegance. Suzanne prepared my meal, her son served me, his girlfriend kept my water glass filled, a cousin manned the bar, and grandmother folded the napkins. A true family affair!

9:30 p.m. MDT: After a delightful dinner experience on 9^th Avenue in downtown Calgary and a fully sated appetite, I’m back at the hotel and ready to call it a day. Sometimes weekend business travel blues can include some very pleasurable experiences that help to mitigate the grueling grind of today’s air travel.

Hopefully some fall colors and temperate weather are left over for next weekend in central Indiana so I can report back to you all some memorable riding and dining experiences here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.

Greg