Favorite Travel Quotes

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."
-- Mark Twain
Innocents Abroad

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey." -- Fitzhugh Mullan

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." -- Lao Tzu

Egypt On My Mind

©Bert Gildart: Recently I’ve been downsizing images currently in my stock photo files. It’s an emotional and challenging task as so many of these photographs have been published.

Others images simply remind me of personal histories. For instance, 30 years ago I was working monthly for Travel Holiday Magazine, which provided me with wonderful assignments that included a month in Egypt. (Every night while on the Nile, I had a bottle of Queen Nefertiti wine in my stateroom.) Editors at the magazine used these and other photographs from my submission to them.


Egypt5-2

As the man rode his donkey and towed his camel, he shouted out, “I’m John Wayne, 
I’m John Wayne.”  Then he asked for Baksheesh… baksheesh.


So, now, which images should I save? More to the point, do any of these images have any future commercial value — perhaps for some family or extended family member who might one day decide to major in journalism or in photo journalism? Vanity gets in the way here, coercing me to ignore what may be reality, but that’s OK, as hopefully ultimate disposition is at some distant date.

In the meantime, here are some images that recall such wonderful memories that I cannot include them in my discard pile.

Egypt5-3 Egypt5-5 Egypt5-1


L to R:  The man had stationed himself for early morning visitors, such as me; struggling Egyptian village; young children
have already learned the lingo and ran out to greet me, then asked for Baksheesh… baksheesh


TRAVEL COORDINATORS  CAUTIONED:

In the 1980s, officials cautioned that it was dangerous to embark on solo journeys.  But I was lots younger then, and perhaps a bit too self-assured, so I ventured out – and am glad I did, for I managed to capture the Pyramids of Giza at dawn. I managed to dramatize the setting with a camel rider just waiting for someone like me, and I knew what to expect. “Baksheesh… baksheesh (tip),” he smiled, holding out his hand.

Shortly thereafter another rider materialized. He had a long stick and he was “firing” it, saying “I’m John Wayne.” I tipped him, too.


Egypt5-4 Egypt5-6 BazaarCairo


L to R:  Hiking five miles between Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens; Napoleon shot
the nose off the Sphinx; day in a Bazaar at Luxor.


I also tipped others. For instance, I was advised not to hike the five miles across the desert between the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens (burial site of Queen Nefertiti), for “it could be dangerous.” But I hiked the desert there anyway and met a delightful young man who later served me tea from his village home. There, in the small village I met young children living on the edge of poverty who had learned how to pose, and, of course, they too, had learned the lingo: “Baksheesh…baksheesh.” I didn’t mind the request and responded with the tip amount travel coordinators had suggested.

Because these images recall such wonderful memories, I’ll certainly keep these and a few dozen others. (Hundreds are now staring at me from a trash pile.) But I’m starting to realize that I’ll never scan all those other in-camera dupes and that I do need to downsize. It’s painful, but eventually it will have to be done. And it might as well be done now. Right??


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This Time Last  Year:



A Few of Our Books:

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.

$18.95 + Autographed Copy


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






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