Hokey Spokes
"Hokey Spokes" isn't a new dance craze; it's a bicycle safety light that consists of transparent blades that attach to your bike's spoke wheels. Start pedaling and an internal computer will communicate with the 16 built-in LEDs to light up, showing images and text on your wheels! Up to six blades can be put on each wheel, which have a diameter of 24 inches or greater, for the ultimate in LED art. These blades run on three AA batteries and are completely waterproof. Choose from red, green, yellow, orange, blue, white or rainbow, from $29.95 to $39.95 each.

Did you know that today is "make today a better day than yesterday" day? Who thinks up this crap?

Arrgghh! Sure hasn't started out that way for me. Stupid tank for the vacuum pump has been rotted out and a big hole in it for years. I had it patched with bags and tape to hold the vacuum, but this morning it wouldn't hold enough to milk the cows. Finally the milkers fell off their tits and onto the floor. Shit.

So, I had no idea how to change it myself, and in usual fashion it was put off and put off until it becomes an emergency. Then I had no choice but to figure it out myself and in a hurry so I could get the milking done before the milkman arrived. Fortunately I had ordered a new tank a long time ago, so I had that.

Anyway, I ripped it all apart, covered in slime and dust and cowshit and sweat and spiders and replaced it. Works better now, although the years of sucking dirt and rust and tape and pieces of bags into the vacuum pump hasn't helped it any. It sounds kind of funky nowadays. Oh well. It's not mine. If the guy that owns the place doesn't give a shit, I sure as hell don't either. I can just go home.

Looks like "make today a better day than yesterday" is already a bust for me!

FYI:

I heard that there are some layout problems for the Castle Rock Family ATV Club's web site on certain servers. If it's any help at all to whoever takes care of it now, I looked at it this morning and in my opinion it is not server related. It's related to the viewers' different browsers, monitor resolutions, and settings on their individual computers. The probable cause is the web page templates being used. My thoughts on it are, dump the templates and use a simpler HTML document to start with. When that takes care of the layout problems in as many cases as possible, work up to fancier stuff from there, double checking with different browsers and monitor resolutions along the way.

On this machine I'm running Windows XP Service Pack 2, screen resolution of 800x600, 15 inch monitor. Here's a few screen shots I captured:

Firefox version 2.0.0.5:



Internet Explorer version 6.0.2900.2180:



Netscape Navigator version 4.8:

Hawkeye Update:

After 800 miles and 60 hours, I'm still happy! I've had no problems, and only one major complaint (which I'll detail in the next paragraph). I still haven't had the recall work done, but nothing has broken. My dealer phones me occasionally to tell me that he hasn't received the parts from Polaris yet. Come to think of it, he hasn't called me for awhile now. The last time he called he said he expected the parts in a week to ten days, which I'm sure was longer ago than that now. I'm in no hurry to get the recall taken care of anyway, but maybe I'll call him and check in, since I haven't heard from him lately.

Anyway, on to the one major complaint: Whenever I run over a stick, it kicks up and crushes into the underside of the floorboards! It might not sound like much to people reading this, but when I explain that I spend most of the time on my Hawkeye in the woods, hauling firewood and whatever, that's a lot of sticks crunching into the floorboards! There's been no structural damage done to the plastic yet that I can see, even though sometimes the sticks are large and it feels like it wants to lift the ATV off the ground! Last night I was riding with my flip-flops on. (Yes, you read that right, flip-flops! If they weren't for real men too, they wouldn't make them in size 13, would they?) A stick kicked up into the underside of the floorboard, stuck up through one of the holes, and poked me in the foot. Ouch! Good thing I was wearing my helmet. :-)

We had some corn from the garden last night. It's still young, but maturing fast. Boy was it delicious! Won't be long now and it will all be ripe at the same time. Then it's eat it fast, freeze it, give it away, or throw it out!

Looks like I might actually get a cucumber - by October! I wish whatever gave me all the trouble with my cucumber plants this year would have went away a few weeks earlier. I never did figure it out, it just quit cutting them off when I was down to my last plant. I think it was a little grasshopper, but not positive. The bastard.

Beautiful day today. Looks like about the last one before the heat and humidity comes back. I hate to waste it by doing nothing. Maybe I'll go for a ride. :-)

Ha ha ha! What fun I had today with Gary, Randy, Ann, Dale, and Sandy and I never even unloaded my ATV! We hung out at the Roadhouse, told stories, and talked smart. I decided to hurry home and milk the cows instead of riding today and next Saturday I'll go to the Cutler Fire Fest.

A nice little rain last night! Inch and a half. The phones were out until about 5:00 this morning. My ISP was out until just now, noon. There was a lot of lightning, so that must have caused all the trouble. Didn't hear of any severe weather right in the area.

SPACE JUNK: Weight: 1400-lb. Size: Akin to a double-wide refrigerator. It is, in short, one big piece of space junk:

Photo credit: The crew of the International Space Station. [more]

Pictured above is the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), hurled into space this week by astronauts working outside the International Space Station: movie. The EAS was installed in 2001 as an ammonia reservoir for the station's internal cooling system, but it was no longer needed after an improved cooling system was activated in 2006. So, astronauts pushed it overboard to make room for new construction.

The tank is now circling Earth. On July 25th, Kevin Fetter used a low-light video camera to photograph EAS tumbling across the sky over his home in Brockville, Ontario: movie. "The flashes were about 6th magnitude," he estimates--not quite visible to the naked eye. The brightness will increase about a year from now when the orbit decays and EAS enters Earth's atmosphere as a flaming meteor.

UFO sightings bring town to a standstill


A crowd of 100 stunned stargazers brought a town centre to a standstill when five mysterious UFOs were spotted hovering in the sky.

Drinkers spilled out of pubs, motorists stopped to gawp and camera phones were aimed upwards as the five orbs, in a seeming formation, hovered above Stratford-Upon-Avon for half an hour.

The unidentified flying objects lit up the otherwise clear night sky above Shakespeare's birthplace in Warwickshire on Saturday.

Read more...

• Exclusive: Watch the extraordinary UFO footage here

Although Air Traffic Control reported no unusual activity, some witnesses were convinced they were witnessing an extra-terrestrial spectacle.

Crows gathered to gawp at the strange lights that hovered silently over Stratford for 30 minutes

The strange episode started just after 10.30pm, when the lights were seen hovering slowly over the town before three of them formed a triangular shape with one positioned just to the right. More.........

Another calf born this morning. A healthy little heifer. She was running and jumping all over the pasture when I went out to get her. Too bad she'll spend most of the time growing up with a stupid string tied around her neck.

Her mother on the other hand is a different story! Oh boy, she's the "Queen of Kick"! I was almost afraid to milk her this morning because I know how she is. She's one of the two worst kicking cows. But to my surprise, by the time it was her turn to be milked (last) a little helper showed up! (Not little in size, but little in the amount of help.) Wow, she was much easier to milk with her tail being held up!

I decided to go sit by the neighbor's pond and enjoy the light breeze this evening. I saw a few deer (they were wondering why I was delaying their cool drink). It was really peaceful sitting there on an old stump by the water.

I got the idea to climb up into a nearby deer blind. That way maybe the deer and other wildlife would come for a drink and I could watch. Well, I got up there, sat down in the metal folding chair, and was immediately surrounded by wasps! Great. There is a nest under the seat. Didn't take me long to get down the ladder and out of there! One sting on the hand and another on my knee. Fortunately I'm not allergic to stings. Within minutes of being stung the one on my hand was already going away and is completely gone as of now. The one on my knee still stings faintly, but is almost gone too.

So much for my peaceful evening watching wildlife!

For 2008, Polaris has simplified its Sportsman line along with adding new complementary models that will appeal to a wider variety of customers.

The Sportsman 1-Up Line Up Includes:
Sportsman 800 H.O. EFI
• Original big bore 800 returns with High Output engine for 10 percent more power
• Standard dual exhaust
• Improved throttle and clutching response
• Available in Sagebrush Green, Boardwalk Blue, Stealth Black and Sunset Red. These models come standard with cast aluminum rims. Mossy Oak New Break Up Camo model also available.

Sportsman 500 EFI
• Best-selling, automatic, 4x4 ATV of all-time returns with new color options including: Stealth Black, Boardwalk Blue, Sage Green, Indy Red Clear Coat and Mossy Oak New Break Up Camo.

Sportsman 500 H.O.
• The legendary, carbureted Sportsman 500 H.O. is back. Introduced at $6,499 in1996, this year’s model is at an all-time low price point of $5,999.
• Colors include Sage Green and Indy Red.

Sportsman 400 H.O.
• New for 2008, the Sportsman 400 H.O. offers power and full-sized features in a mid-size package.
• Colors include Sage Green, Indy Red and Mossy Oak New Break Up Camo.

Sportsman 300 H.O.
• Formerly called the Hawkeye 4x4.
• Colors include Sage Green and Indy Red.

Sportsman 500 H.O. 6x6
• The ultimate work ATV is available in Sage Green.

Other 1-Up Rec/Ute Models
Trail Boss 330
• Available in Indy Red.

And many 2-up and sport models.

Here's a snapshot of part of one of my stats pages from Statcounter. It gives me more pages of information than I could ever use. On this page I highlighted the lines that showed me where JR was before he even posted his location on his blog!

PHOTOGRAPHIC AURORAS: Last night, auroras billowed over the corn fields of central Wisconsin. To the naked eye they were dull and almost unnoticable, but a 28s exposure with Tony Wilder's Canon30D revealed a different picture:

"Auroras in summer!," says Wilder. "Christmas came 6 months early."

The source of the display was a solar wind stream that hit Earth late on July 20th, rattling Earth's magnetic field and producing a storm of magnitude 5 on the 0-to-9 Kindex scale of geomagnetic activity. Another solar wind stream is due on July 26th. Ready your cameras!

My sweetcorn is growing pretty good. It's actually a little taller than when this picture was taken a week ago, but it won't grow much more. It's putting it's energy into the ears now and then it will be done. I will try a few of the biggest ears tonight or tomorrow. They're a little young yet, but will taste great! They will be mature almost all at once over the course of the next week or two.

AURORA WATCH : A solar wind stream is heading toward Earth and it could spark high-latitude geomagnetic storms when it arrives on July 20th or 21st. Sky watchers, be alert for auroras.

CANADIAN METEOR: On July 17th, astronomer Marjorie Dessureault of Quebec's Observatoire du Cégep de Trois-Rivières witnessed a "huge meteor passing through Bootes and the Big Dipper. It was was brighter than a full moon." Sky watchers, if you saw the same meteor, please contact Marjorie with details. She hopes to gather enough data to calculate its trajectory and possible landing site.

Top 10 Killer Tornadoes

Tornadoes kill dozens and sometimes hundreds of people every year in the United States. Warning systems have improved dramatically, however, so some of the deadliest tornadoes were recorded many decades ago. In some cases, a single tornado caused hundreds of deaths. Following are the 10 deadliest on record, based on data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Strengths are measured from F1 to F5 (strongest) on the Fujita scale.

May 11, 1953

The Waco Tornado in Texas destroyed 200 business buildings and damaged another 400, including a six-story furniture store that collapsed.


June 8, 1953

The Flint Tornado destroyed homes on both sides of Coldwater Road and killed multiple family members of at least 20 families in Michigan.


June 12, 1899

The New Richmond Tornado in Wisconsin began as a waterspout on Lake St. Croix, then moved northeast in the direction of New Richmond. The massive amount of flying debris result in multiple deaths and a 3,000 pound safe was carried a block by the winds. More than 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed.


April 24, 1908

The Amite/Pine/Purvis Tornado hit Louisiana, Mississippi. It was reported to be two miles wide. Only seven of 150 homes in Purvis County were reported left standing.


April 9, 1947

The Woodward Tornado hit Gray, Roberts, Hemphill, Lipscomb counties in Texas, Ellis, Woodward and Woods counties in Oklahoma and Barber and Kingman counties in Kansas. Along much of its path, the tornado was reportedly one to two miles wide. The entire town of Glazier and most of Higgins was destroyed.


April 6, 1936

The Gainesville Tornado, actually a pair of tornadoes, hit at the start of the work day. The funnel clouds took different paths into the city, but converged in a four-block area that was destroyed. Debris filled the streets up to 10 feet deep and about 750 houses were destroyed. The Cooper Pants Factory, a multi-story building, collapsed and caught fire, killing about 70 workers.


April 5, 1936

The Tupelo Tornado began near Coffeeville, Yalobusha County. It leveled hundreds of houses and killed entire families. A movie theater was turned into a hospital with the popcorn machine used to sterilize instruments. One hundred-five box cars were brought into town to serve as temporary housing.


May 27, 1896

The St. Louis Tornado touched down six miles west of Eads Bridge. Buildings and homes along the river were swept away or damaged, although the steel span bridge was largely undamaged.


May 7, 1840

The Natchez Tornado touched down in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, and Adams County, Mississippi. Most of the deaths occurred on the Mississippi River, since the tornado tracked for some time directly over the waterway. The death toll from the tornado is undoubtedly higher than officially listed, as many slave deaths were probably not included in the total.


March 18, 1925

The Tri-State Tornado was by far the worst in U.S. history. It wreaked havoc for more than three hours. Records were set for both speed and path length. Tornado damage stretched from Reynolds, Iron, Madison, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties in Missouri, through Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Hamilton, and White counties in Illinois and Posey, Gibson and Pike counties in Indiana. The worst devastation was in Illinois, where the town of Gorham was destroyed. In Murphysboro, 25 deaths occurred in three schools, with students crushed under falling brick and stone walls.

Funerals are the most disgusting, morbid tradition and it's about time this society lets go of it. It's so gross to display some poor dead person's body for everybody to look at. Even if it's a closed casket, it's still no better. The act of making a display out of death is awful. They say it's for the family, but it's not. I've never once felt better after standing next to my loved one's dead body for hours while many people wander by and tell you how well the dead person looks (how well can a dead person look?). It's for the funeral homes and churches to make money from. It's an old throwback from the days when life and death was not so understood and people believed it had to be ritualized with ceremonies and other magic charms. The funeral homes and churches will never change it, for fear of all the money they will lose.

I never go to a funeral unless I have to help put the body in the ground myself. And I don't expect anybody else to go to mine. As a matter of fact, it states that in my will. I want no more spent on my burial than what is legally required. And I don't want people gawking at my dead self. All I need is a couple close friends or family to dig the hole, drop me in the ground, and throw the dirt on me. The bare minimum required to get the job done.

Some people are like the Grim Reaper. They wouldn't miss a funeral no matter what. It's disgusting how they are fascinated by death. Karen's aunt and uncle are that way. They would drive 1000 miles to go to the funeral of some guy who's name sounds familiar! Yuck.

It would be much better to get the poor, deceased person's body in the ground as quickly and quietly as possible. Have a "farewell" type party later. I want it that way when I die, as I'm sure most people do. Remember me when I was living. I don't want people's last memory of me to be my old corpse.

Castle Rock Family ATV Club Events Reminder:

Just a few notes on upcoming events...................

Please make a change on your events calander for the Cutler Fire Fest.

The dates are August 3 & 4.

Below is a Schedule of their events.

Please keep August 11th open on your Calanders!

A public hearing for the proposed Germantown Route System has been scheduled for August 11 at 11 am at the Germantown Hall. The board will take public comments on the ATV route system proposal so we will need all members available that day. Bring your friends and neighbors too. Try to get the word out to ATVers in the area who would like to see this route system come to life.

Remember the club meetig on July 28 at the Roadhouse 10 AM with a club ride to follow. We'll be discussing the Germantown meeting and the clubs particapation in the Cutler Fire Fest.

Theresa Palms

Secretary CRFAC

*****************************************************************************

Cutler Volunteer Fire Fest

Friday, Aug. 3^rd

ATV/Motorcycle/Vehicle 2 Day Poker Run

5:00 pm Food & Beverage

7:00 to 11:00 pm – The aTomix Band (Americana, Funk Blues & Rock)

^{Saturday, Aug. 4th}

ATV/Motorcycle/Vehicle 2 Day Poker Run –

^{(For more information contact Randy Martin 608-797-7360)}

^{10:00 am to Midnight – Beverage Tent}

^{10:00 am to 9:00 pm Chinese Raffle}

^{10:30 am to 11:30am – Sign up}

^{100% Payback}

^{Horseshoe Tournament}

^{Bean Bag Tournament}

^{11:00 am – BBQ Chicken & Sandwiches}

^{Chain Saw Wood Carving Demonstration}

^{Kids Games – Bake Sale}

^{ATV Display & Test Drives}

^{1:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Door Prizes every hour}

^{7:00 pm to 11:00 pm Fiddle Stix Band (Country)}

^{No Cover Charge for Bands}

^{No Carry-ins}

Located: ½ Mile North of Hwy 21 on 2nd Ave. 10 Miles East of Tomah

Co-sponsored by: THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS

^{1-800-847-4836 www.thrivent.com}

Wow! That's just too cool! I can post to my blog directly from my phone - and it actually worked on the first try. I'm amazed!

Test post from my phone.

Whatever he was spraying today smelled funny (a little like old railroad ties) and it made my eyes water:

I had a lot of fun at the Castle Rock Family ATV Club annual picnic yesterday! Ralph owns some beautiful property and we are very fortunate that he shares it with us. They need rain over there, and their corn looks even worse than ours. There was more dust than mud, so didn't get to try out my rear-mounted winch. I had the Hawkeye up over the floorboards in a little water puddle or two and it did just fine.

GREAT PERSEIDS: The Perseid meteor shower is coming, and experts say it should be a great show. Get the full story from Science@NASA.

Long-forgotten tractor gets a new life

It began life in the Advance Rumely tractor factory in LaPorte, Ind., in the early 1930s and eventually found its way to southern Wisconsin.

It most certainly passed through an Allis Chalmers farm equipment dealership, possibly Hanley Implement in Sun Prairie.

A farmer bought and no doubt proudly showed the high tech tractor to his family and neighbors. Over the years the farmer or maybe several farmers plowed many acres with this fine tractor even though it was the last of a long line of outstanding farm equipment produced by a proud company.

In December 2006, it was sold to a metal salvage company in DeForest and soon after to Del Endres of Roxbury. And in Endres' farm repair shop the rusted and long unused and abused tractor is in the process of being reborn as an operating piece of history, as good or maybe better than when it left the factory nearly 80 years ago.

http://www.madison.com/tct/business/201037

Ahhh, nice and cool this morning! Even had to put long pants on. It won't last long, supposed to heat up again after the weekend. Doesn't matter though. Either way the weather is nice, because it won't be long and it will be snowing and blowing again. And actually I don't mind that too much either, since I'm so self-sufficient now. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do for plowing driveway this year since my old Sportsman has been sold.

Speaking of Winter, I got my LP tank filled yesterday. It's cheaper in the Summer, but still too much. $1.62 per gallon, $550.00 worth. Fortunately that will last me until next Summer, leaking gauge on the tank and all (which they've been talking about replacing for many years). A lot better than when we used to have it filled 5 times a year!

We had a nice rain Monday. Actually it was several rains throughout the day. Came to 1.2 inches. Sure makes stuff grow good. I started watering my corn again tonight. It's forming ears now and want to make sure they get plenty of moisture. If we get another good rain, then I won't have to water for at least a few days again.

The brothers have gone home. John will be back this weekend. I don't know when Tim will be back. Probably not for awhile, unless something changes with Mom. Still no Terry yet.

Mom is stable and holding her own. There will most likely be no surgery or treatment of the cancer. She may be able to go home, at least for awhile with Hospice Care or something like that. She misses her dog and the stray cat that she befriended.

I was recently handed a survey being conducted by the Wisconsin ATV Ass. It's kind of interesting, so I will share it here with you, my viewers. Page 3:

• 5.Clear understandable signs posted at Trailheads indicating trail length and difficulty: Unimportant
• 6.Safety Training Facility: On site at a Motorized State Riding Area? Unimportant
• 7.Large Play Area: Very
• 8.Short Trails - less than 10 miles: Very
• 9.Medium Trails - 10-20 miles: Very
• 10.Long Trails - 50+ miles: Very
• 11.Race Course: Very
• 12.Mud Areas: Very
• 13.Primitive camping: Very
• 14.RV camping: Very
• 15.Toilet Facilities: Very (some days more than I care to think about)
• 16.Loading Ramps in Parking Lots: Unimportant (sounds like a good idea, but in reality they are a waste - I've found that nobody ever uses loading ramps because they either trailer their ATVs, or carry their own ramps)
• 17.Pressure Washing Stations: Unimportant
• 18.Pressure Washing Stations: see #17
  
• 19.Dust Control: Unimportant
• 20.Trail Difficulty - Beginner: Very
• 21.Trail Difficulty - Medium: Very
• 22.Trail Difficulty - Expert: Very
• 23.Maps - Signage: Very
• 24.Flat and wide trail with gradual grade changes: Very
• 25.Tighter Trails with abrupt grade changes and minimal clearances: Very
• 26.Tighter trails with lots of grade changes and off cambers: Very
• 27.Race course with lots of jumps: Very
• 28.Trails with diverse skill and riding experiences: Very
• 29.Safety and Etiquette information: On site at a Motorized State Riding Area? Unimportant

The end.

I was recently handed a survey being conducted by the Wisconsin ATV Ass. It's kind of interesting, so I will share it here with you, my viewers. Page 2:

• Have you ever served as a leader in an ATV Club?: Yes
• If Yes, how many year/terms?: 5 years
• If Yes, what position?: Vice-President
• During a typical year, do you participate in any of the following recreational activities? (check all that apply.): Fishing, Picnicking, Animal/bird watching, Photography, Camping, Sightseeing, Other/Street Bicycling and Bicycle Trails
• We would like to know your opinions about POTENTIAL State ATV legislation and programs in Wisconsin. Do you support or oppose: 1.A Motorized Recreation Park: Strongly Support 2.Incentive Program to private: Strongly Support 3.Sport Quad area with climbs, sprints, and rollercoaster-type trail: Strongly Support 4.Routes connecting to other riding areas: Strongly Support 5.Clear understandable signs posted at Trailheads indicating trail length and difficulty: Neutral, don't want to take all the adventure out of it. 6.Landowners to open up land for trails: Strongly Support 7.User Fees for Bike & Hiking: There already are user fees for bicycles on state trails. Strongly Oppose for hiking. 8.Increased appropriation spending for "off-trail damage": Will only support if a need for it can be proven and if the current system is not sufficient. 9.Increased Resident Registration: Are you kidding? The registration fee was more than doubled for nothing and now we're talking raising it again? Ha ha ha ha! A BIG Strongly Opposed! 9.Fee to be used for Trails: Shouldn't that be what the stupid registration fee is for, at least partially? How much more money do we need to support no new trails? A BIG Strongly Opposed!
• Indicate how important each of the following would be in a Motorized State Riding Area: 1.Rock Crawl area: Very 2.Kids play area: Very 3.Sport Quad area with climbs, sprints, and rollercoaster-type trail: Very 4.Routes connecting to other riding areas: Very

Tomorrow - Page 3

I was recently handed a survey being conducted by the Wisconsin ATV Ass. It's kind of interesting, so I will share it here with you, my viewers:

• Please list the ONE improvement you would most like to see in Wisconsin ATV trails: More of them. Especially since more than doubling the ATV registration fee years ago and still no substantial results.
• What if anything, interferes with your ATV riding experience?: The fact that there are no trails or routes within riding distance of my house. No matter where I go, I have to haul my ATV for many miles.
  
• How far are you willing to drive for an ATV recreational experience?___MILES: I am willing to drive nowhere, 0 miles. But, I have to drive as far as I need to in order to ride where the experience can be pleasant.
• How do you feel about the level of ATV law enforcement in Wisconsin.___Not Enough ___Too Much ___Just Enough: I do not break the laws, so for me personally there is no law enforcement needed. I very rarely see others breaking laws, but I also rarely see any law enforcement officers. With that in mind, I will say that the level of ATV law enforcement is "just enough" or leaning slightly towards "too much".
• Would you be in support of a mandatory helmet law for all operators in the following areas open to the public? Roads, Trails, Frozen Waters, Public Lands (hunting/fishing): Right, just what we need is more legislation that pretends to protect us from ourselves. If you wear a helmet, GREAT! Glad to hear it. But, do not force your fears and lifestyles on others through legislation. A big NO is my answer. ABATE of Wisconsin says it best. "Actively opposing mandatory helmet and seat belt laws (not because we are against their use, but because as a precedent, they set the stage for unlimited meddling of government in the personal lives of private citizens.)"
• Do you feel that most ATV Rountes (roads) are properly signed?___Yes ___No: Yes.
• There is a proposal to create registration plates for ATV's. If this proposal is approved where should an ATV be required to display the plates?___Front Only ___Back Only ___Both Front and Back: Plates are unnecessary, but if such a silly thing does become a reality, I say none of the above. Display them underneath, on the skid plate.
• What is the biggest obstacle you have encountered for increasing trail miles in your area/club?: In my area, the biggest obstacle is ornery old narrow-minded bastards. In my club (which is not in my area), the club gets most of what is asked for.
• What other clubs do you participate in other than ATV (or Motorized) in order to build trust and good PR in communities?: I am an active member in the local antique club and I am an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church.
• Do you get involved in local politics in order to improve ATV opportunities?___Yes ___No: Not anymore and never again.
• When making a choice of where to drive your ATV, do you generally prefer: (Please choose one answer in each pair.) 1___to visit the same area or___to seek different areas? 2___to be in relatively flat open terrain such as a field or___to be in hilly terrain? 3___to drive on roads and trails with few obstacles or___to drive on rugged steep, rocky roads and trails?: I don't have much choice, since I have nothing within riding distance of my house and have to haul my ATV every time I go riding. With that said though, I am happy to just be riding regardless of the terrain. Hilly or rugged terrain might be a nice change. So many trails nowadays have been "improved" to the point of taking most of the "off-road" riding experience out of off-road trail riding.
• How many hours, on average, do you spend participating in some form of Trail maintenance per year?___hrs: I don't anymore, other than helping the club clean up garbage along the routes less than 8 hours per year.
• Does one or more of your family members participate in maintenance of trails in your club area?___Yes ___No: Yes, see previous question.
• Do you actively participate in maintenance activities of other ATV clubs that you belong to?___Yes ___No: I gave up on the "other" ATV club and only belong to the Castle Rock Family ATV Club now.

Tomorrow - Page 2.

Had a great ride today again. Rode from Necedah, to Bear Bluff, then around to Josie's for a Bill Burger, and back to Necedah. 80 miles and 98 degrees! Yep, it was a little bit hot out there today, but not so bad as long as you kept moving. Didn't really see any wildlife. Tracie saw some cranes, and that was about it. Lots of deer and turkey tracks, but no more wolf tracks and still no Bigfoot.

The Hawkeye ran great even with the extreme conditions. 750 miles on her now.

My Polaris dealer called yesterday. Wanted to know if I still had my Hawkeye! He said we need to get those recalled parts replaced. Sure, that would be great, but still no parts! That's ok with me though, I'm in no hurry. He said maybe they'd have them in a week to ten days and he'd call me again later to let me know what was going on.

Germantown Routes:

The Proposal for the Germantown Routes is ready to be presented to the Board at their meeting Tuesady, July 10 at 7:00 pm. This will not be a public hearing but but they will be accepting public comments afterwards. This will be a good time for anyone available to stop in at the meeting and show your support for the route system. If the Board is in favor of the proposal there may be a public hearing scheduled at a later time.

Hope to see you there!

Theresa Palms

CRFATV Secretary

STRANGE BUT TRUE: Sweltering populations in the American west might find this hard to believe: Earth is extra-far from the sun today. On July 7th, Earth passes through a point in its orbit called aphelion, which is 5 million km farther from the sun than the opposite point in January (perihelion). This has many consequences. For one thing, the sun looks a few percent smaller than usual:

Photo credit: Anthony Ayiomamitis of Athens, Greece.

Also, sunlight falling on Earth is 7% less intense averaged over the globe. Yet the temperature in Las Vegas remains 114 degrees. What's going on? Click here for the answer.

more images: from John Stetson of Falmouth, Maine; from Gema Araujo of Merida, Spain.

Sounds like today and tomorrow are going to be kind of hot again. That's ok though, it won't be long and it will be snowing! Another couple months. You can tell the days are getting shorter already, especially in the morning.

Tim got here last night. It was good to see him again too. The MRI showed that they can give her solid foods because the duct to the stomach isn't blocked, but we don't know anything more about the extent of the cancer just yet.

I think it's funny how certain events have completely unforeseen consequences. For instance, I've had to take the last two nights off from milking so Master has had to do it himself. This morning there is a brand new sprayer and fly spray setting in the barn! Do you think maybe the cows were kicking Master a little bit? Ha ha ha ha ha! I've also heard a rumor the three-tit cow that kicks me so much, is going to be sold. But, I've heard that rumor before and I'm still getting kicked by her years later. She even kicked my hat off this morning! Now that's close. Maybe I should take more time off?

The doctor decided to do an MRI on Mom to get a more detailed look at the cancer than the CT scan gave. He still doesn't sound too encouraging. He said that when she first came in he wouldn't have even considered it, but now her vital signs are a bit stronger so he will at least take a closer look to see if there could be any hope of surgery etc. Brother John from Illinois will be leaving today, but he'll be back soon. Brother Tim from California has decided to fly here today, and will be with us until Tuesday. Still no brother Terry. He's very busy and lives all the way around the world in Guam. Hopefully he can work something out soon.

I had been watering everyday, just to keep things going, but there sure is nothing like a real rain! Everything really perked up after the 1.3 inches of rain we got. A few of my cornstalks tipped over. No big deal. One lesson about corn for anyone that ever grows it in their garden, if it tips over in a storm, don't try to straighten it back up. You'll break it off and kill it. Leave it alone and it will straighten itself back up in a day or two. I've seen people panic and kill a lot of corn needlessly by trying to straighten it.

Today is Snoopy's birthday. She's one year old. I guess that's 7 in dog years.

It's good to see my brother John again! He got here yesterday late in the afternoon. I wish Terry and Tim could make it here soon. Meri will find out more from the doctor today, but it doesn't sound good for Mom.

Castle Rock Family ATV Club Membership Meeting Minutes:

CRFAC Membership Meeting

June 23 2007

Vet’s Hall, Necedah

Meeting Called to order by Chairman Doug Lindner at 10:20

Treasurer’s Report:

January 1, 2007 to May 23, 2007
Beginning Balance in Checking: $4260.83
Income $2590.00
Expenses $1391.87
Ending Balance in Checking $5458.96

The balance in the CD is $2500.00 bringing the combined total to $7958.96

Randy motioned to accept the treasurer’s report, Mary Jane seconded, all approved except Roger abstained.

Necedah Refuge Adopt-A Road

Doug reviewed the Adopt-A Road program we are involved in at the Necedah Wildlife Refuge. Members got a look at the publicity photo that will be published in the local media shortly depicting Randy, Dale, and Doug from our club with Dan Peterson of the Refuge and the Adopt-A-Road signs. 26 Club members participated in this springs clean-up. Check out the link for the WRJC bit http://www.wrjc.com/newspage05.htm

Germantown Routes

The Germantown route proposal is almost ready for the Town Board Meeting on July 10. Roger stated that he forwarded the proposal to Bill Jax for review. The committee is working on getting a couple more land owner signatures yet. Roger also went over the "core" routes we are proposing. Safety and enforcement will be the biggest concerns.

Wisconsin Outdoor Education Expo

Al and Karen M. Reported that over 4200 kids were able to attend the event. There was information on ATV and snowmobile safety, hunting, trapping etc. They stated that next year the event’s planners hope to schedule the event for a Thursday and Friday to help draw even more children in school sponsored trips.

Committee Reports

Events Committee

A Scavenger hunt is scheduled after today’s meeting and lunch.

Picnic help is needed July 14 for cooking and clean-up. Karyn Fank is organizing the food purchase. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass. Club members can camp Friday and Saturday nights.

Directions:

From Hwy G it is 4-5 miles. From Hwy 82 it is 3-4 miles. Take the dirt road leading into Wisconsin River Meats Storage shed (on the left hand side coming from G). Follow the dirt road, staying to the right which leads to the campsite.

The meeting in July was discussed and it was decided that with all the events planned for the end of Summer and Fall the meeting should take place as planned. Meeting Date is July 28 at the Roadhouse on Hwy 21 with a Club ride to follow.

A ride in Adams county was suggested and the committee will look into possible dates.

Routes and Trails Committee

Dale reported that a section of Hwy H in Cutler will be open for one day only on August 11 during the Fireman’s Picnic. They will be holding a Poker run and this will connect the station to the routes. Dale will post the Hwy H route the night before. Members are asked to show up and help with the event to promote safe and responsible AVTing in the township as well as show our support for the community.

There was no word yet on the petition to open a section of Hwy F in the Petenwell route system. The town board has tabled the petition at this time.

Roger questioned liability issues for townships as they relate to our current and proposed routes and suggested the board look into the issue as we move forward with Germantown and continue to our work on possible Clearfield routes. Board members will be contacting the WATVA and looking into the history of route and trail liability as it has related to snowmobiling.

Dale had a copy of the new map for the members present to review. He is working on finalizing the advertising and we should see them soon.

Dale also mentioned that the bridge was not yet placed on Orange township and Randy mentioned that the route signs need some work.

Website

The site is coming together and a calendar of events as well as newsletters will be posted soon. Some technical difficulties are being worked out and members will need to log on to view photos and use the message board. The membership application is available to members wishing to renew.

Secretary

We are currently at 45 memberships

New Business

The Juneau County Tavern League will be holding a Fall ATV Poker Run on October 5 & 6 to end at the Wilderness. Cost will be $10 per person with cash pay-out, prizes and food. The drawings will be held at 6:30.

Next meeting is July 28 at 10am at the Roadhouse with a club ride to follow.

Anne motioned to adjourn the meeting at 11:00, Karen M. Seconded the motion.

Happy Independence Day! Hope everyone has a safe holiday.

It will be both busy and sad here. Found out last night that my mom has cancer of the pancreas and probably only a couple weeks left.

Castle Rock Family ATV Club Newsletter:

Hi everybody!

Summer is heating up with lots of ATV stuff to do...

July 14 is our annual club picnic. It will be held at Ralph Hamm's property on Hwy. HH just south of Wisconsin River Meats. You can camp on Friday and Saturday if you wish. There are outdoor toilet facilities but you will need to bring a generator for power. There is a screened in shelter too. We're planning on eating around 1 pm on Saturday. The Club will provide the meat and buns and we ask everyone to bring a dish to pass. Please bring along lawn chairs and your choice of beverage too. There is a swimming area if the kids, or adult kids, want to swim and don't forget your ATVs! There are miles of great paths through the woods and near the Wisconsin River. This is always a great event. Please e-mail if you need directions or have questions. If you're not camping just show up anytime on Saturday that your schedule allows. We'll need some help with cooking that day and of course clean-up after to make sure we leave the place as great as we found it.

July 28 in our next meeting. It will be held at the Roadhouse on Hyw 21 just west of the Wisconsin River Bridge. There will be a ride afterwards so remember to bring your ATVs to the meeting too.

August 11 is busy with two events.

The Necedah Street Fest is to be held that day and club members are encouraged to ride their ATVs in the parade in the morning to show our support for the community.

There is also the Fireman's picnic in Cutler. The township has granted permission for an ATV route that day to connect the fire station to the ATV trails. There will be a Poker Run and the club has been asked to help with the event by guiding those who may not be fimiliar with our routes. There will be more on these events at the July meeting.

Don't forget the Mauston Parade on August 19 (still tentative) and our camp-out in Clark County on August 24, 25 & 26.

The Web site is slowly coming together. I will hopefuly have the newsletter and calendar of events posted soon. There is a problem with the lay-out on some servers (mainly TDS) that we hope to have corrected soon. All club members will need to log in to view the photos and get into the chat room but I see we have had some visitors already. Links to the DNR, WATVA and some other clubs are already on the site. Please check it out and give your suggestions on it's construction. www.crfatvc.com

We are looking for some club history for the front page to give others an idea of our club's origin and what we are working to accomplish.

Remember to Ride Safe this summer

Theresa Palms

Secretary

Castle Rock Family ATV Club

WRJC Juneau County Daily News
Castle Rock Family ATV club members Randy Dohnke, Dale Swinehart, and Doug Lindner accepting Adopt-A-Road signs from Daniel Peterson, Volunteer Coordinator of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The ATV Club recently adopted Speedway Road in the Refuge.
06.30.07...contributed... The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is proud to announce a new partnership with the Castle Rock Family ATV Club. The Club has adopted Speedway Road within the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in keeping Speedway Road free of litter, in promoting safe riding, and in engaging in education of ATV use in our National Wildlife Refuge System. The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Adopt-A-Road/Trail program is a litter-reduction campaign designed to remove litter and exotic weeds, planting native vegetation thus establishes a partnership between groups and the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge by working together states Daniel Peterson, Volunteer Coordinator. Individuals or groups interested in the adoption program are signed up as volunteers with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. “Castle Rock Family ATV Club’s recent adoption of Speedway Road, which is maintained by the Necedah Township, is greatly appreciated,” said Dick Jenson, township Road Supervisor. Anyone or group interested in being a positive force in preserving our Nation’s wildlife resources can inquire by calling Peterson at 608-565-2551. The Volunteer Program at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge plays an active and vital role in the operation of the refuge. Projects vary according to the needs of the refuge and the interests and abilities of the volunteer. Volunteers are sought who have an interest in wildlife, conservation, the outdoors, and an enthusiasm for volunteering their time. http://www.wrjc.com/newspage05.htm

Google Video sucks lately, plain and simple. For some reason the videos take longer to load, so I've made them even shorter, then they only play half way and stop. So, Google Video is gone as of this morning and I simply uploaded my own MPG to my web space. Of course, the slow crappy dialup people like me still have to wait forever to load it, so I shortened the video even more to make it a smaller file size. I may just get rid of the whole stupid video thing altogether and if anybody wants to see ATVing videos I'll put together a DVD. Google Video was ok at first while it worked, even with the enormous sacrifice in video quality, but it sucked too much lately to keep. Seems like the older I get the less patience I have for bullshit.

Anyway, once I got done fighting with the video thing (which I may not be done with yet) I went for a nice 80 mile ATV ride (after I pumped up a flat tire on my truck of course). That felt better. Very relaxing and a lot of fun. I was feeling a bit lonely at first, which is unusual for a loner like me, but then I met some old ATVer friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. One of which is a fellow Hawkeye owner! She has 3000 miles on hers and loves it. I guess she had a little warranty work done to the clutch at first, but she said that has been resolved and everything is great now. We had a nice chat.

I rode clear up and around the Goodyear/Deerpoint loop in Bear Bluff. Boy, that's really out in the sticks there! Nothing but wolf tracks, woods, and deer. If Bigfoot is going to show his face and scare the hell out of me, that's the place he's going to do it someday. Lots of baby animals running around today. I saw a grouse and her little ones, twin fawns, and a whole bunch of little turkeys. Threw in a turtle or two and some deer for good measure and that was plenty of wildlife to view. Oh yes, and the wolf tracks. I took a picture of them, next to my size 13 boot for comparison. Too big to be coyote (a lot of them by my house) and if it was a dog track, it would have been a good-sized dog. I don't think it was a dog track though. I was a long way from any houses.

The deer flies were pretty thick. Didn't dare stop in one place for too long. The weather was absolutely perfect! Real dusty, but it was all behind me. We sure need rain. The Hawkeye performed flawlessly. Somewhere between the 500 and 600 mile marks it's personality changed. I think that's about when it finally got broken in. The clutches are loosened up and working freely, the suspension isn't stiff anymore and is nice and smooth, and the engine is like a little Sportsman with a big heart. I don't even have to twist, turn, and stand on my head to start it anymore. No extra throttle or fiddling required, just turn the key and it starts at idle now.