(UPDATE FOR 11-30-23)
DAY FIVE (9-19-23) ... BUTLER, PA to WILLIAMS PORT, PA.
IT'S THE WOODROW CHRONICLES:
(You are invited to supplement this account by reading the trip/event report in TN#153, page 11 and 12...)
Left Butler after talking with a fellow KLR rider, Gus gave him a FSSNOC card.
Stopped at West Kittanning for gas and to adjust and oil my drive chain, we spent 1hour and 26 minutes at that stop.
We rode through some back areas off the grid in the heart of an Amish community. Right before riding by Punxsutawney, we spotted a groundhog running and it disappeared into a culvert. I believe it may have been "Phil"...
We stopped at Karthaus and oiled the chains after the dusty backroads plus we had a lemon-lime water from the Butler Hotel and a fruit and grain bar.
Our next stop was Renova where we ate at Socky's for a late lunch/early supper at 5:11PM to 5:56PM. Gus had a breakfast scramble, I had a cheeseburger and onion rings.
(A "Gus" note: this may have been my favorite meal of the trip; an old school cafe ran by a swarthy and sweaty cook and a unpretentious waitress ... real food at real prices! There was a huge building across the street, I asked what it had been whn it was in use, she didn't know...
I'll maybe show you a photo next week if room allows and I don't forget ... Ha! Ha! Now back to Woodrow... )
After eating, we reserved a room at the Comfort Inn in Williams Port, PA. and arrived there at 7:18PM.
Total time: 9 hours,17 minutes, and 49 seconds.
Moving time: 5 hours, 50 minutes, and 3 seconds.
Distance: 233.1 miles.
Start time: 9:03AM
Average speed: 37mph
Maximum speed: 79mph
Total feet riding uphill: 1589 feet
Maximum elevation: 2313 feet
See you next week, we'll report on Day Six, which may be considered by some as the most unique day/night of the trip - don't miss it! Gus and Woodrow/ThumperCafe #61
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(11-23-23) HAPPY THANKSGIVING from the Event Page ... and Gus and Woodrow!
Here, on the Event Page, we continue our series of travel day reports on the trip from Kansas (ThumperVille) to Bethel, Vermont and beyond to attend ThumperCafe #61. This is Day Four (Sept. 18, 2023) and it is from fellow FSSNOCer, Jay #5420, who travels on these trips under the pseudo of Woodrow, a parody on an ex-Texas Ranger character in Lonesome Dove, the TV series.
That leaves me, Jack, #000 (FSSNOC Director and chief bottle washer) to play the part of Gus. To read this story from the view of Gus, see Thumper News #153 ... this hardtack version is how the younger and granted, more tech savvy, more modern Woodrow sees the day, as recorded each night before we go nighty-nite... (grin). Take it away, Woodrow:
Woodrow reflections:
09-18-23
As we rode away from our motel in Lima, we went by a motorcycle shop and I got a new innertube. Rode to Marengo, Ohio where I oiled my chain and we had a snack, then continued to Mt. Vernon, Ohio for fuel. Next stop was Salineville, Ohio for a coffee, a jalapeno beef stick, and to oil my chain. The on to Butler, PA.
When we got there, the only hotels in Butler with availability was a Supper 8 for $66 and a Marriott for $165. We chose the $66 Supper 8 (Yeah, it's an alias to protect the guilty - #000) despite the empty parking lot, well, one other vehicle. Before unpacking, we ate at the Burger King in the next parking lot over. Why $66.00?
Bed Bugs! We saw one crawling across the bed sheet. Luckily, we had stacked our stuff on the desk and tv and NOT on the bed! I went to the lady who checked us in at the front desk who stated, "We just sprayed for those..." and she gave me a refund.
We packed up the bikes and headed for the Marriott, booking a room right away.
We slept real good in the bug-free hotel... Woodrow
Technical Widgets from Woodrow's phone:
Total time was 11 hours, fifty-three minutes, and 44 seconds.
Total time moving was 7 hours, 23 minutes, and 27 seconds.
Distance traveled was 306.5 miles.
Start time was 8:42AM.
Average speed was 38mph (we are getting farther east...).
Maximum speed was 69mph.
Total distance going uphill was 1324 feet.
Maximum altitude was 1343 feet above sea level.
Have a great Thanksgiving! ... Woodrow (see you next week for Day Five)
ADDENDUM by Gus ... simply said, see the History Page! Ha! Ha!
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(11-16-23 update) the Event Page:
Reflections from the saddle of Woodrow (and ole what's his name ... uhhh, Gus!)
We are headed for the FSSNOC ThumperCafe #61 in Bethel, Vermont in the year of 2023, about 150 years after the original travels of our two heroes, Gus and Woodrow ... this report was noted on my phone at the end of our third day on the trail. ( You may augment my comments with Gus's recollections of the day in Thumper News #153, page 9. )
Rode out of Lincoln, IL. after breakfast and oiling the drive chains. Ran out of gas right before Rankin, IL. I switched to reserve and stopped at a Casey's for fuel. Another chain oiling and a snack.
Next stop was Peru, IN, another Casey's, another chain oiling (remember my o-ringless chain?), another snack before heading on down the road.
Gus said I was taking TOO many main highways???
I said that HE could lead if he wanted to...
He told me to just turn off on side roads and just head in a general easterly direction ...
We made it to Lima, Ohio where I stopped in a parking lot of a donut shop and began to look up a place to stay the night on my phone. Gus went in and bought us some donuts, the ladies told him of a hotel just up the road. We procured a room there and walked across the street to eat at Pizza Hut. We also learned of a motorcycle shop nearby where tomorrow, hopefully, I could purchase a new innertube. (To replace the one that was flatted by the roofing nail on yesterday's ride.)
Road Details:
Total time - 9 hours, 39 minutes, and 27 seconds
Moving time - 6 hours, 13 minutes, and 37 seconds
Distance traveled - 322.5 miles
Start time - 7:18AM
Average speed - 48mph
Maximum speed - 82mph
Distance Riding Uphill - 3809 feet
Maximum altitude - 875 feet above sea level
And that's my story of Day Three ... Woodrow, #5420
Addendum by Gus:
A few fun facts here, Woodrow has his phone mounted within vision from the saddle, I really don't recall where it is on the bike, at first I thought it was on his handlebar, but I'm not sure about that ... anyway, it is his constant "go to" for all things needed moment by moment, such as cafes, gas stations, routes, time of day, phone calls from home, weather ahead, you name it, he can game it!
It is a sign of the times, my friends ... me? I'm a map guy, a seat-of-the-pants traveler. I had always lead our two-motorbike parade when we rode on our earlier year travels, but in 2022 in Georgia I handed Woodrow the baton.
In essence, the old guy ways succumbed to the new guy ways ... hence, the GPS/phone equipped KLR650 began riding at point, me? I'm relegated to riding tail-gate, but on occasion, such as today, I voice my old school views ... "too much four-lane!"
Rather than bump heads, Woodrow and I always seem to meet each other somewhere in the middle for the betterment of the experience without actual hand-to-hand combat or nasty disparaging words - it's a beautiful thing, cooperation.
A fresh result came from spreading out the map of tomorrow's ride and setting way-points on Woodrow's phone GPS, we telling it where we wanted to ride, not the other way around. Hence, miles and miles of open back roads and tiny towns and villages amidst the flurry of crowded Interstates in the distance ... good stuff!
And that Pizza Hut ... it looked a little dark inside, but the sign was on so we went in ... "You here to pickup, what's the name?"
"Uhhh, we want to order...", so we did and a few minutes later a pizza was handed us ... in a box.
"Sorry, we aren't serving inside, not since Covid...", we were told. "Ohhh..." was our reply, almost in unison.
"Do you care if we set here at this table to eat?", we asked.
"We don't want to eat it in the motel room..."
"Sure, go ahead...", so we did. We ate our to-go pizza onsite, after our purchase of two bottled waters ... and it was tasty!
Day Three (today) was a day of making miles, everything went as planned pretty much, it was a day we needed to meet our quest of arriving at the ThumperCafe on schedule ... see what Day Four brings in the next update, see this Event Page next Thursday evening, same time, same place,
Thump On! - Gus and Woodrow
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(11-09-'23 update) Another Thumper Thursday!
If you are newly tuned-in here, read the post below, dated 11- 02-'23, to refresh yourself on what's going on here, okay?
REFLECTIONS of THUMPERCAFE #61
(see DAY TWO in Thumper News #153)
Good Morning, This is WOODROW of the Gus and Woodrow T/C#61 saga in TN#153 - Note our day's route as depicted above. The following is my version of the day as reconciled right before lights out:
Left Jamestown, Missouri. Stopped at Milan to oil my chain. At Canton, MO, gas station, gassed and oiled chain, a small can of beanie weenies and a chicken tender for lunch. No ferry. Got nail in tire leaving Canton. Two hours to change tube. Roofing nail. Rode in rain all the way from Quincy, IL. to Lincoln, IL. Stayed in the "last room" of a Super 8. Pork and beans and Carrie's granola bar and a Yoder beef stick for supper.
Total Time: 10:54:55 Moving Time: 6:04:18 Distance: 307 miles
Start Time: 9:12AM Speed average: 46 mph Max. Speed: 78 mph
Total Ascention (going uphill): 6,673 feet Max. Altitude: 1051 feet
Some post trip comments: As we started packing stuff back onto the bikes after putting in a new innertube in the garage at Canton, MO, we saw some pretty ominous clouds moving our direction from the northwest. We had to head south 21 miles to cross the Mississippi river at Quincy, IL. As we rolled out, I noticed a large red cell on my phone radar and it was moving in the direction we would be taking.
We booked it to Quincy, crossed the river and skirted the town, it appeared that we were ahead of the storm. Mother Nature told us that we were not. It started raining pretty hard about four miles outside of Quincy on Highway 24.
We needed rain gear. Six miles later, we stopped under an overpass on I-172 and got geared up for rain, despite the fact that we were already wet. While we were doing this, the wind really picked up, maybe 40-50 mph. It was raining so hard that the drain spouts above us were flowing enough water to hydrate a small city!
I checked my phone radar. We were now in the red cell of the storm. I asked Gus, should we stay here and wait out the weather or head out and try to get ahead of the storm? You can probably guess what he said.
"Let's move'em out..."
We rode in some pretty treacherous conditions! We did manage to get ahead of the cell after awhile, but then our route took us right back into the storm. We finally made it to Lincoln, IL. for the night. As I look back, it was a day of rain-riding that would prepare us for what was to come later in our adventure ... and I almost forgot about having a flat! - Woodrow
(NOTE: See Woodrow as he was caught in the act of doing the tire repair - on the ThumperGarage Page. See DAY THREE next week on this same channel.)
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(11-02-2023 update) THUMPER THURSDAY!
THIS IS THE EVENT PAGE...
Good Morning, ALL! This is #000, coming your way...
As per the gold colored flyer within your TN#153 envelope, we are going to talk about our latest FSSNOC event in Bethel, Vermont and our trip, to and fro ... and if this goes like we talked in the flyer, each week will feature another day on the road only this time it'll be from my trip companion's view.
Wife Carrie worked at a bank for 30 some years, but if you asked her today which day stood out over the rest, I think she'd tell you it was the day back in 1998 when the bank got robbed. Yes, robbed by a bandit with a gun! The staff was held at gunpoint for quite some time so later, when the police were investigating the crime, they interviewed every staff member ... but individually, not as a group. Why individually? They said that everyone sees things in a unique way so every person has his or her own account of a situation, and they later commented that each version can and does differ by a lot ... so the fun thing to watch for here (grin) on the Event Page is the differing perspectives of our two participating characters with their differing ages, experiences, and mindsets ... I introduce to you Gus and Woodrow.
Review TN#153 for the report written on paper with a crayon by Gus and compare it to Woodrow's report, as transcribed to his ever-present device and transposed to cyber media here on the FSSNOC website.
So keep TN#153 within grabbin' distance for the foreseeable future ... this should be fun and if you didn't get to attend the Vermont event, we are sharing the road and the day with each and every one of you, thank you for riding along with us on our journey! - #000
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST NATIONAL RALLY
..... by Woodrow (see photo inside the front cover, I'm the handsome one at the far end of the table)
DAY ONE.
The following is my report:
Hutch to Jamestown, Missouri Amish community. Lunch at Holton, Kansas in the park. Small can of pork and beans and two cookies each. Coffee at Laughlin, MO. at 6PM. Supper at Country Cupboard in Jamestown, MO. Chicken liver and gizzards, micro-waved potato, salad, and bread. Airbnb "THE PORCH", got here 8:15PM in the dark.
Total time: 11 hours, 42 minutes, and 45 seconds.
Moving time: Six hours, 32 minutes, and 21 seconds.
Started: 9:52AM
Distance: 345.7 miles.
Average mph: 47mph.
Maximum: 80mph.
Total Feet Ascended in route: (Riding uphill): 7,303 feet.
Maximum Altitude: 1,622 feet
That was Day One, we are on our way to Vermont to meet up with a bunch of FSSNOC members for lunch ... I'll tell you more next week so check in on Thursday evening for another update. Keep On Thumpin' --- Woodrow
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If you are a current member of FSSNOC, send your motorcycling story to FSSNOC by email: FSSNOCthumpers@yahoo.com
or mail it to: FSSNOC P.O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks. 67504-1809
or text it to our club phone and we'll share it with the world, it's what we do ... do that and your trip lives on...
So starting now, we update each Thursday evening, tune in weekly: www.fssnoc.com - and it is far more entertaining if you watch it on a tablet or laptop or computer in lieu of your cell phone. Thank You and Keep On Thumpin'...
Gus, #000 and Woodrow, #5420