Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/776310
68 nFebruary 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS Where Am I? e "Where Am I?" game is for all THUNDER PRESS readers, what ever part of the country you hail from. Off ered each month is a set of clues within a riddle, and from those clues your job is to guess where our wandering reporter (and riddlemeister) Susan might be. Lo cations chosen are always in the Western U.S. or Canada. How does it work? e clues can be solved either by personal familiarity with the location, with the aid of a map, or by using the Inter net. When a clue is particularly important, and/or somewhat vague, we o en italicize that trickier portion to make sure your attention is drawn there. Where/when/what do I win? Very important: Do not e-mail your guess until the 8th of the month, so every one in our circulation area has a chance to get a copy of the paper. en on the 8th e-mail Susan at susan@tohonor.org and if you're the fi h correct e-mail you win. (Note: If there's no phone number in your e-mail where I can call you, your e-mail will not arrive fi h. Some law of physics or something…) Winners are profi led and pictured in the following issue. Good luck. Many among THUNDER PRESS readers are affl icted By a malady more often ascribed to automobiles than bikes It's when all-else is shelved in the face of... Automotive hiccups, pings, knocking or the like If you're a gearhead then you generally know it But don't let it rob the joy from your day Why not hit the 101 and 10 paces north of shooting a cannon Take a calm retreat, have a scone and coffee the Pacifi c way This walkable town almost always provides a parking place Because locals walk to the store, to Fitzgerald's or out to eat The population is about 1,500 this time of year But it triples in the midst of summer heat So tell me, where am I? WHERE AM I? WINNER DAN AND RAMONA HICKS Back in the saddle Dan and Ramona Hicks of Creston, Washington, met when Ramona was fresh out of high school in Mountain Home, Idaho. Dan had just fi nished military service and was doing odd jobs, bartending to working at a trailer manufacturer. He left the service in the 70's and benefi ted from training offered for those who served, learning heating, venting and air con- ditioning (HVAC), resulting in a job at the Mountain Home AFB. At that time, Ramona's father had only recently left service at the same base. Her family had 12 moves as Ramona was being reared. After graduating she left the comforts of her parents' Mountain Home residence for a while, but in January of '75 she returned and Dan and Ramona became roomies. In 1983 the roommate's daughter Mariah acted as her parents' fl ower girl at an outdoor wedding in Bennett, Idaho, near Camas. The wedding was held on property owned by Fred Bennett (a.k.a. Pinto), a known name on the music scene nationwide. His parcel had a performing stage and rodeo grounds and plenty of acreage to host their nuptials. Dan explained the crowd was a diverse troop from their shared acquaintances and employment backgrounds. A pig roast after the cer- emony brought out, "Cowboys, bikers and GIs." After the event Dan hopped on his Harley, Ramona got behind the wheel of her Mazda, and a new chap- ter began. Sixty-fi ve-year-old Dan's been riding since he was a young lad, his fi rst bike, a Harley 350 Sprint, was more easily started by a push than a kick. Dirt bikes, off-road riding and moto- cross followed. A 1959 chopped Sportster kept Dan on the road until '77. Then, thanks to a fi nan- cial settlement, he purchased a brand spankin' new Harley FXR and for the next 10 years enjoyed that nimbleness. Life, responsi- bility, daughter Mariah, and med- ical concerns for his bride meant a step back from riding from '87–2007. Mona gave up riding with Dan in '88 having developed neurological chal- lenges that found her reliant on the use of crutches. The outlook for rebound was beginning to seem grim. Dan got his road fi x driving a Corvette, and his sporting fi x was spent on a riverboat "that still doesn't run." But he missed his best friend in the saddle near him. The couple moved to Washington State in 1992 when Dan took a posi- tion at Grand Coulee Dam, originally as a pipefi tter, then an electrician in the switchyard, then a supervisor direct- ing the work of about 25 employees. Before he retired he'd risen to the post of superintendent. He retired a year and a half ago. Ramona, age 60, is a nurse at the Coulee Medical Center where she's worked for six years. But let's back up some: On Easter Sunday 2011, over a dozen years since she'd given it up, she decided to go for a ride with Dan. By the time they returned home she'd had an epiphany. She felt an overwhelming desire to return to riding, this time, on her own. Her faith told her what she should do, so they headed for Lone Wolf Harley- Davidson in Spokane where salesman Dave Schloesser didn't seem con- cerned that Ramona was on crutches. He set about demonstrating to her that she was capable of piloting her own. He took a used trike off the sales fl oor, pushed it outside and asked Ramona to join him. She did. When the two came back to the dealership he told her it was her turn, and he'd take up the rear. He convinced her that all she'd need to navigate was her feet and fi ngers. Both Ramona and Dan credit Dave with the right combination of nudging and cheerleading. She said, Last month's mystery location: Jerome, Arizona See "Where am I?," page 74, column 4