THIS IS YOUR HISTORY PAGE ... (04-25-24)
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(photo) A SOLAR THUMPERCAFE!
Amazing photo from Rob, #5186 -MN. - "taken by my nephew..."
(REPLY) - Thank You, Rob! - #000.
(grin! - The above sorta reminds me of what the headlight of a following Thumper looks like in my KLR's handlebar-mounted rear-view mirror! - #000)
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Hi, Jack and other club members!
Just got my "Thumper News" #155. How 'bout that?! LOL!
I hope everybody likes the write-up.
(See pages 14-23 in TN#155 written by Tom!-#000)
Attached is another one. This ride was in early April. Hope you all like it! - Tom
April 8th, 2024 - “Eclipse Day” here in Maine...
The next total solar eclipse is scheduled for 2079 in Maine, and as that equates to the age of 119 for me, I thought maybe I’d take a little ride to see this one. The southern edge of “the path of totality” – where the eclipse was 100% - was a little bit north of me. The weather forecast was perfect: bright sunny skies, highs in the upper 50s, and no cloud cover. H Hour was about 3:30PM.
So, I hopped on the KLR650 (see inside cover of TN#155 - #000) and headed northwest. Unfortunately, I got a little bit of a late start. More on that later.....
And traffic was suspiciously light – more on that later, too!
I was headed for Height of Land up on Route 17 north of Mexico, Maine. That part of Route 17 is a beautiful road on a motorbike. "Height of Land" is basically a wide spot in the road where people park for the spectacular view over Mooselookmeguntic Lake to the west, and it’s about a 90 minute ride from my house.
Some years back, a grant was obtained to widen it, pave it, and make a really nice rest/parking area. It’s a lovely spot. I heard on the news that it was already full before lunchtime, but there’s always room for a motorbike, now isn’t there?
I took Route 41 through Mt. Vernon, Vienna, and New Sharon, and came out on Route 2 in Farmington. West of Farmington things began to get a little bit dimmer – and dimmer, and dimmer. It was as if my sunglasses were getting darker.
Somewhere between Dixfield and Mexico, where the road jogs northward, things got dark for just a minute. The light is hard to describe – like a deep, deep, blue twilight – although the horizon was a duck-egg blue all around. Very cool! That only lasted a minute or so before things suddenly brightened right up again. Did I stumble into the path of totality?! Maybe.... Do I turn around now? Of course not!
We turn right onto Route 17 in the Town of Mexico, and up we go. There’s some traffic coming the other way; what would be considered heavy for this road. We’re heading up in elevation, the temp is dropping fast, and the snowbanks on the sides of the road are getting higher and higher. And although we’re seeing road signs like, “Entering Township E”, which tells us that things are becoming decidedly rural, traffic is getting heavier and heavier coming the other way! In spite of the crowds, I saw no bikini-clad lovelies frolicking in the snowmelt at the Swift River Falls/3 Pools swimming hole. And on such a nice day....
Finally we, me and my KLR, reach our destination, and the place is a parking lot. Cars line both sides of the road for a mile or more! Kickstand down, and "WOW!" The eclipse is well past peak at this point and the view is drop dead gorgeous.
I’m a little chilled by now, so it’s time to head home ... in 1st gear! It was a rolling parking-lot! Two hours later, we’re back in Mexico. They’ve never, EVAH (ever) seen traffic like this in these parts! It was like rush hour in Boston.
It was 90 minutes up ... and 3 hours home ... and worth every minute.
A beautiful, beautiful afternoon.
(REPLY to Tom...) Awesome, Lad - Thank You! - #000.
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GOOD MORNING, FSSNOC CLUB MEMBERS...
BILL, #5484 HERE ...
I enjoyed last week's THUMPERGARAGE, especially the history lesson (see below). One of the great things about "Thumpin" is I take notice of my surroundings better than I do in a car, just as you, #000, did...
By the way - I am in need of a new ball cap (with my FSSNOC # on it). Thank you so much! Bill, FSSNOC #5484 - VA.
(REPLY) Thanks for the compliment, Bill ... and for the hat order, too, on order as I write, should be in your mailbox soon, don't leave the house without it ... Keep On Thumpin' - #000.
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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::: from last week ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Read the info above to learn about the Quivirans ... as they say, "this one really is cast in stone"!
It was yesterday morning, I was motoring across the area grasslands, I was "makin' miles" ... on my way to this week's MOTO-COFFEE to be held at Dorrance, Kansas, just south of Wilson Lake, TT was 12:40PM.
Yup, I was "on the clock", as it is important to arrive by the official table-time (TT). In this life, one can be fashionably late for lots of things but nobody wants to be late for lunch!
Open country abounds in this area. A rider's common view is a visual line of aged asphalt undulating over and about the heave and swell of the rolling countryside. Reduced to a "Single" moment, it can seem to go forever, the rhythmic "thump" of the single cylinder motor providing a mesmeric backdrop to the open road ...
I was "makin' miles" when I went by the sign that you see above. It was located at an unsigned and little noticed junction of a narrow dirt road with the road of my choice.
Of course, I rode right by, without even the slightest reduction of throttle. I was livin' the dream, it was a beautiful morning with little wind, I was ... Whoa, it hit me! I gotta go back and read that sign! It's why I ride, not to get somewhere, but to experience the day, the setting ... life.
After making sure it was safe to do so, I turned the KLR on its heels and rode back to the intersection and dismounted.
The sign (above) was in a grassy area off the road a bit, cordoned by a multiple strand barbed-wire fence on the front two sides, south and west, and with tubular metal fencing panels on the north and east. The fence posts were old and gray, the barbed wire twisted and rusty, a mute testimony to how long that fence had been there, but as in the photo above, the sign looked new. Despite its appearance from the road, it has probably been there for decades, the difference being that granite ages much slower than metal, eh?
I opened the section of barbed-wire that was fashioned as a farmer's gate, the 12 foot section held to the corner post with wire hoops that held tension until lifted up by someone curious enough to get closer ... me. In the process, I snagged my riding jacket numerous times, that barbed-wire is dangerous stuff, worthy of a ton of respect!
History is really life that has happened ahead of us, this example happening some 483 years ago by my math. The stage is similar ... land, sky, people ... and the day.
I am humbled by history. It drives home the point that I am a very small piece of a very large puzzle. I am so glad I stopped...
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On with the show!
Finally, we have a NEW club cap ... Yes!
Carrie and I love ours! Order yours today ... if you are a current member of FSSNOC.
Mail your purchase request with a check made out to: FSSNOC, INC.
at: P. O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks. 67504-1809
Details:
First of all, it is called black but due to the pre-stressing effect it is more of a charcoal to me - an excellent choice as it should be slow to discolor with hard use, eh? Toss it into my tankbag? Stick it under my riding jacket? Wear it proudly every day? Yes!
Secondly ... It adjusts with a strap that disappears into a slot (as opposed to using that sticky velco) and it is said to be designed to fit many different head sizes.
Third ... In gold, "FSSNOC EST. 1986" is up front. On the example above, one may observe the FSSNOC member number on the left side. This is an optional service to each individual member upon their request and payment of an additional modest fee. It'll proudly exhibit your membership number and it will identify your cap from another member's FSSNOC cap when tossed onto a nearby table at a gathering ... both excellent reasons to choose that option.
Fourth ... Yes, it is as affordable as it is comfortable (it was day three when I began to forget I had a new cap on my head, matter of fact, I am wearing it as I write this ... and, (grin) that aforementioned affordability is important to we Thumper riders, eh? It's always fun to make a good deal! Read on...
$20.00 for each cap, mailing (only to USA addresses) is via a polybag mailer for $6.00 per cap.
Add your FSSNOC member number for $5.00 additional per cap. This makes your cap unique as we talked above.
Should you wisely desire to purchase additional caps at the same time to save on the postage, yes ... a great idea. Add just $2.00 per cap to cover the additional mailing costs.
Dollars here are in US funds. So, order up ... opportunity knocks. Tell the world that you proudly belong to the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club (FSSNOC).
Carrie did insist I remove mine at bedtime ... no sense of humor, that girl! - #000
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ENJOY A LITTLE OF OUR OWN HISTORY ... CHECK IT OUT, RUNS AN HOUR AND MAYBE A BIT MORE, MIGHT TAKE THE PLACE OF SOME BAD TV, EH? - #000
A THUMPER RIDER'S PODCAST ...
To view the podcast ... CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZb4CgjfmEk
The podcast above was generated by Janus Motorcycles in Goshen, Indiana. EP.#1 ... In this podcast, FSSNOC #000 (Jack) is the guest being interviewed by Richard and Grant from JANUS MOTORCYCLES.
Play/View time is a tick over an hour so some popcorn might be nice, I like the chocolate drizzle kind, btw. Formal wear (FSSNOC club t-shirts, cap, etc...) adds to the mood, but not mandatory. Contact your friends, invite them in, share as you like. No cheat sheets, no prompt boards, no prior discussion and no Thumpers hurt in the making of this podcast.
574-538-1350 JANUSMOTORCYCLES.COM
And, this podcast is for entertainment only...