Road Friends Have Become Great Friends
©Bert Gildart: Janie and I have been wandering North America for almost a quarter of a century, and consider ourselves fortunate to have met so many interesting people. In the last couple of days some of these friends have stopped by. We value our times together with all good people, benefiting at times from our combined observations. Here’s a quick rundown.
L to R: One mile hike leads to the much deteriorated remains of the Marshall South homestead; Dave Veddar examines morteros in images two and three.
David and Pam Vedder have been camped in the desert Southwest for over a month and took time to swing by our camp here in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Dave and Pam are from the Seattle area and he is paid to fly round the world in search of the very best areas in which to fish. Initially we met Dave and Pam through our affiliation with the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America, an organization that consists not only of writers and photographers but the editors who buy our work.
Dave only had one full day (two nights) so I took him to two of the most interesting areas in Anza Borrego –Marshall South’s deteriorating old homestead, and to the morteros. Both are accessed from the same backcountry road then reached following short hikes. Morteros were created by the Kumeyaay Indians who used these rock hollows to grind a desert plant known as the agave. Indeed, Dave and I were stepping back in time, benefiting as we regressed from our mutual thoughts on the daily challenges the Kumeyaay faced.
Great good news is that Janie is interested in knowing more about tandem biking. No one can provide more info about the sport than Steve and Linda, who have now logged in 58,000 miles!
Dave and Pam left yesterday but shortly after they left Steve and Linda showed up on their tandem bike. Now here’s an achievement that is almost unbelievable. In the last 10 years or so Steve and Linda have logged in over 58,000 miles biking all over the country. Several years ago they went coast to coast.
We met Steve and Linda about five years ago. They were camped nearby and introductions were easy as we shared biking in common. Steve and Linda have been more than happy to share their knowledge and we’ve learned much from them.
Steve and Linda depart Peg Leg.
Because we don’t see some of our many friends but for short periods of time, we try and keep up with them in other ways, such as social media, and that of course, includes Facebook. By so doing, we know the general location of many and when opportunities arise, we try and and get together, as suggested by our activities of these past few days.
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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS LAST YEAR:
*Organ Pipe’s Ajo Mountain Loop
Also
*Exploring Anza Borrego with Life Long Friends
4th ed. Autographed by the Authors
Hiking Shenandoah National Park
Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.
Big Sky Country is beautiful
Montana Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Treasure State
Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
What makes Glacier, Glacier?
Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent
Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
February 8th, 2014 at 9:20 pm
Wow! 58,000 miles!! That’s crazy! I can’t wait to meet so many new people when we start our adventure!