Adventurers` Club News Mar 2013 - The Adventurers` Club of Los

Transcription

The
Adventurers Club News
©
Volume 57
March 2013
Yungas Road in Bolivia The most dangerous road in the world
Number 3
The Adventurers Club News
The Official Publication of the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles®, California
March 2013
Volume 57 ............................................................................................... Number 3
Publisher .................................................... ACLA President, Rick Flores #1120
Editor .........................................Robert G. Williscroft #1116, Lewiston, ID 83501
Cell (818) 613-9445; [email protected]
Asst. Editor .................................................................................................. [OPEN]
Club Phone (323) 223-3948 (24 Hrs) ........................... www.adventurersclub.org
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
FRONT COVER .................................................................... YUNGAS ROAD IN BOLIVIA
PHOTO SHANE BERRY
DIRECTORY ............................................................................... INSIDE FRONT COVER
PRESIDENTS PAGE .................................................................................................... 1
ARTICLES OGTA ALMOST: MY THREE CAT LIVES ................................................ 2
OGTA LET THERE BE AIR .................................................................... 4
LUCY THE ADVENTURING LAB ........................................................... 5
N.O.H.A. ........................................................................................................................ 7
THRAWN RICKLE ........................................................................................................ 8
BOOK REVIEW: FLATLAND A ROMANCE OF MANY DIMENSIONS .......................... 9
WHATS HAPPENING... .............................................................................................. 10
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB ............................................................................. 12
FORTHCOMING PROGRAMS .................................................................................... 21
PRESIDENT
2ND VICE PRES
SECRETARY
ADDRESS
Rick Flores
Mike Gwaltney
Eric Flanders
2433 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90086
1ST VICE PRES
TREASURER
DINNER
RESERVATIONS
MAILING
ADDRESS
Ralph Perez
March 2013
Roger Haft
(323) 223-3948
PO Box 31226
Deadline: Tuesday Noon Los Angeles, CA 90031
ADVENTURERS CLUB NEWS
The
©
Volume 57
March 2013
THE PRESIDENTS PAGE
Rick Flores #1120- President
M
arch is
already
looking like a
great month.
On my last
hike in the
Santa Monica
Mountains on
the 3rd, the
hillsides were verdant, the early spring
flowers were blooming, and I spotted at least ten different types of butterflies. There were a limited variety
of birds, but they will come eventually; and based on the snow still
present on the Angelus Mountains,
we will soon have some great waterfall hikes to enjoy.
Life is good!
We had a great lineup of speakers
last month, and this month is looking equally exciting. Keep checking the
Club website. The lineup of speakers
is always subject to change, but Ralph
Perez and Rich Jackson are doing a
great job keeping the website current.
We got a very good response to the
survey that we sent out last month.
We asked for your opinion and you
gave it to us; at least half the membership responded! It will take us
some time to compile the answers to
each question. We will let the memADVENTURERS CLUB NEWS
1
Number 3
bership know the results as soon as
we finish. I want to give a special
call-out to Steve Lawson who went
above and beyond the call of duty.
In addition to providing a detailed response to the survey, Steve created a
digital map with the location of each
member pinpointed on it. Thanks
Steve, the Club appreciates your work
in creating this useful document.
We will be having the first catered
evening of the year on March 14th; if
all goes well the Plum Tree Restaurant will cater the event. In the past,
these catered events were well attended, so please call and make a reservation by the Tuesday before the
meeting. Getting an accurate count
is vital to making the evening a success. If this first catered event is successful, we can plan more throughout the year.
I put out a call for volunteers to fill
the vacant 2nd Vice Presidents position and for a News co-editor to assist Robert Williscroft. I am relieved
to announce that we have a volunteer for the 2nd Vice Presidents position, but nobody has, as of yet,
come forward to help with the News.
So come on, somebody please step
up to the plate and help out with this
important job.
Take care all.
March 2013
OTGA Almost: Shane Berry
OTGA Almost: My Three Cat Lives
Photos Shane Berry
Shane Berry (#1093)
Shane Berry came up with a marvelous concept for a continuing series of articles from fellow Club
members about their nearly going OTGA while on an adventure. The articles are to be short, firstperson narratives that we can feature each month in the News. All it will take is for each of you to
participate in the process and send Shane (or me directly) your OTGA Almost story. Please
include the highest resolution photos you have. So, this month we feature Shanes narrative My
Three Cat Lives, and Larry Schuttes Let there be Air.
I
In 2009, I was mountain biking Yungas Road in Bolivia (also known as El
Camino Del Muerte or the Road of
seem to have been in places where,
had I been there a few hours, days
or weeks later, I would have died.
Here are three of my cat lives.
In January 1999, I was traveling in
India with Ryan, my youngest son. I
got some free flights to Mumbai, but
we had to catch a flight to New Delhi, and at that time of the year there
can be heavy fog. All of my Indian
friends and fellow travelers told me
to avoid Air India. A 2011 article rated only China Air as having a worse
safety record while Air India was second (data since 1970). Air India had
many flights that day compared to
only a few on the regional airlines. I
rolled the dice and took a chance on
Air India. The plane looked and felt
like it was falling apart. Although my
luggage got stuck in the overhead bin,
the plane landed okay. About two
months later, the same flight at the
same time went down in New Delhi
killing over 300 passengers.
I was skiing with a friend in the
Lake Tahoe area in the 1980s, and
spent the two nights in a motel at Incline Village. We skied Incline, now
called Diamond Peak Ski Resort. The
following week an avalanche killed
everyone at that motel.
March 2013
Satellite view of the Yungas Road route
Death). In 1995, the InterAmerican
Development Bank christened it as the
worldss most dangerous road. One
estimate is that 200 to 300 travelers are
killed yearly along the road, or one vehicle every two weeks. In July 1983, a
bus veered off the road and killed more
than 100 passengers.
Shane on the Road of Death
2
OTGA Almost: Shane Berry
The road is mostly single lane without guardrails and has extreme drop
offs from 300 to 800 feet,
making the road extremely dangerous. Rain, fog,
loose rocks, and a small
waterfall cascading on the
road not to speak of cars,
busses, and trucks make
this a difficult mountain
bike ride.
Yungas Road is one of
the few roads in South
American where you Yungas Road
drive on the left side going uphill.
This gives drivers a better idea how
close they are to the edge.
Mountain biking El Camino Del
Muerte is high on the list of things to
Top of the Road of Death at 15,400 feet
do in South America. The road from
La Paz to Corioco starts at 15,400
feet then drops 11,800 feet over fortytwo miles. I have mountain biked for
the past thirty years and considered
myself very up-to-the-ride.
The first part of the trip was paved
and uneventful. Then, however, we
arrived at the unpaved, dirt road portion. I found myself racing with the
bike leader in the early going. As I
was racing down the road I didnt have
time to sightsee, because of the hairpin turns and loose rock.
Out of the corner of my
eye, I was able to view
all the white crosses
along the road that represent sites where people
have died. That got my
attention.
At one straightaway
section while traveling
faster than normal, we
hit some gravel. I skidded out, landing in the middle of the
single lane road fortunately. A few
more feet and I would have fallen to
my death another white cross along
El Camino Del Muerte.
On our return trip back up the
mountain, the road was closed. A
landslide had completely closed the
road at the spot where I skidded out
the day before. This landslide happened shortly after we passed. It
would have pushed all of us off the
mountain road to our deaths.
I nearly went OTGA twice that day.
The landslide that nearly got Shane
3
March 2013
OTGA Almost: Larry Schutte
OTGA Almost: Let there be Air
Larry Schutte (#1121)
A
cent to my fifteen feet safety stop
threshold. All was going well as I ascended except for the worry as I saw
the remaining air in my tank hit zero.
I was at about
twenty-five feet
from the surface
at this point, but
as those of you
who dive know, I
couldnt just jam
on up to air and
sunshine. Then I
saw the glint of metal. It was a tank
and regulator hanging at the fifteen
feet level off the back of the boat
ladder. Not every boat captain does
this as a safety measure, but I can tell
you, I was very glad to see it.
It seemed like it took forever to
close that ten foot gap between me
and air, especially since my tank was
completely empty. Reaching the
mouthpiece,
I breathed in
fresh, sweet
air and was
able to complete
my
safety stop
without incident.
After hundreds
of
dives, I fell The 15-foot safety stop
into a rookie mistake, which, I assure you, will
never happen again!
fter coming very close to death
in a plane crash in Sept. 2009, I
once again dodged the grave as I was
diving deep in Roatan, Honduras in
Feb. of 2010.
Having got
caught up in the
amazing beauty
of this place, I
found myself
suddenly at 119
feet of depth and
not enough air to
get to the surface with the proper safety stops to successfully purge the nitrogen out of my blood stream and
tissues.
Down deep off Roatan
Anxiety was the first thing that hit
me, and it hit hard as I thought about
the bends and the possibility of
being left paralyzed or worse.
Then my training kicked in, and I
told myself I was going to control this
situation with all the willpower I had.
I went into slow, controlled breaths,
not shallow or deep, but just enough
to keep me conscious on my slow asMarch 2013
4
Lucy
Adventurer
Lucy The Adventuring Lab
Ralph H. Perez (#1150)
D
eep in Azusa Canyon, made fa- out of sheer rock.
mous by Mafia dead-body dropAfter this difficult construction task
offs, lies the Bridge to Nowhere. From had been completed, however, on
its name, it really does go no where.
March 1, 1938, an unprecedented
According to the City of Azusa, the
storm deposited many inches of rain
first recorded reference to this area on the San Gabriel Mountains. The
was found in Father Juan Crespis result was a tremendous flood that
1769 diary, while on his way from San
roared down the East Fork, obliterDiego looking for Monterey Bay.
ating everything in its path including
The Bridge
more than
to Nowhere is
five miles of
one of the
the painstakmost bizarre
ingly conartifacts to be
structed highfound in the
way. Only the
San Gabriel
bridge, high
Mountains.
above the ragBack in the
ing waters re1920s, Los
mained unAngeles Countouched. The
ty planned to Lucy headed down the difficult trail with the San
futility of the
build a high- Gabriel River below
project havway up the East Fork canyon to the
ing been so emphatically demonstratMine Gulch. From there the road
ed, the County abandoned their plans,
would climb over Blue Ridge and leaving a brand-new concrete road
drop down into Wrightwood. It would
bridge standing alone in the middle
be among the most scenic roads in
of the wilderness more than five
America.
miles from the nearest highway.
Construction began in 1929, most
On todays hike I nearly killed my
of the work being done by County loyal and trusting two-year-old chocprison work crews. By the mid-1930s olate lab, Lucy. People actually do die
the highway had reached The Nar- in these canyons; but today please
rows (2,800 ft) where the East Fork dont add my dog to the count. On
flows through a very deep gorge, the
the return part of the hike, Lucy and
deepest in Southern California. There
I found ourselves on this huge nearit was necessary to construct a con- vertical cliff. We both had fought hard
crete bridge high above the waters of to get there by free climbing a rock
the gorge. A tunnel was also chiseled
wall, up and over tree roots, and fi(Lucy continued on page 6)
5
March 2013
Lucy
Adventurer
(Lucy continued from page 5)
a hiker not a rock climber, so why
nally climbing over a small worm
was I even there? Also, Im OK with
shaped oak tree. After a little more
heights; otherwise, I might have
free climbing I started to become condropped off the edge earlier, with
cerned, not necessarily for me, but for
Lucy staring down at me, all broken,
my dog. Time seemed to stand still.
face up on the San Gabriel river rocks
The little brown dog, ever so trustbelow.
ing, kept her cool. Our climb started
Another highly addictive and someout as a hiking trail, then became a
times rewarding hobby in the river
climbing trail that continued to turn
below is recreational gold prospectvertical. While still safe, we reached
ing. These
a go or no-go
guys were out
moment. Go
in force, but
and possibly
not below us.
risk losing my
One of the
best dog in the
richest strikes
prime of her
on the East
life; in my head
Fork
was
I gave it a
made at Alligreater than 70
son Mine lopercent slipcated on the
fall-and-die
Ralph
and
Lucy
posing
on
the
Bridge
to
west slope of
chance. I made
Nowhere
Mt
Baldy
the decision to
above the confluence of Iron Fork
go back down. Of course, by not
and the East Fork, just upstream from
climbing on, we needed to get back
the Bridge to Nowhere.
down to where we started . We restLucy seemed to know the conseed for about fifteen minutes. What to
quences of one missed step. The edge
do?
of a huge drop-off above the rocky
Due to numerous earlier water
San Gabriel River was just one foot
crossings my feet were soggy, my
away. Sure-footed, she held on as I
hands and clothing muddy, and I was
coaxed her down to where even a
covered in sweat. I could feel my
sure-footed mountain lion could
heart racing as I considered the lifemake the descent.
critical decision. My first choice
Had we missed the trail? After a
turned out to be snapping a quick
couple hundred more feet up the trail,
memorial picture and video of Lucy,
the roadbed abruptly ended with the
to remember her by just in case. As
trail dropping into the riverbed. I
it was, I considered the odds of gochose to continue upward rather than
ing back down just as bad. Hey, Im
March 2013
6
N.O.H.A. / Lucy Adventurer
attempt a deep water crossing. At
times we were on an old roadbed that
carved its way along the canyon wall
with the rocky boulder-filled creek
below.
ting higher. We pushed on, Lucy either to my side or ahead, briefly stopping to look back as I caught up.
Our arrival at the bridge caught us
by surprise. After a few well-earned
Deep in Azusa Canyon
Deep in Azusa Canyon
The bridge is five advanced-hiking
miles into the canyon. The many obstacles in the path transform this into
a seven-mile difficult and treacherous hike over severe, rocky terrain
with numerous water crossings. At
times, while hiking on an old brokenasphalt road, I told myself that the
bridge was near. It was getting closer
all right, but the elevation was getADVENTURERS CLUB NEWS
parting pictures of the Bridge to Nowhere, we realized that the sun would
be setting soon, and commenced our
downhill trek out of the canyon.
My feeling of accomplishment at
having cheated death for my dog is
difficult to describe.
And now my goal in life (at least in
this respect, anyway) is to be as good a
person as my dog already thinks I am.
7
March 2013
Thrawn Rickle
THE THRAWN RICKLE
From the Ancient Scottish: thrawn = stubborn; rickle = loose, dilapidated heap
he was a visiting scholar at the Center
for Theoretical Physics at MIT. Following that he was a visiting scholar in
mathematics at Harvard. Then he
founded the Institute for Basic Research with branch divisions around the
world, and subsequently MagneGas
Corporation to exploit the research.
I have listed these credentials to
give you a sense of Santillis background and experience. Santilli, you
see, does not agree entirely with Einstein. He has developed Hadronic
Mechanics, contrasted with mainstream Quantum Mechanics, that
points to another kind of chemical
bond that he calls a magnecular
bond.
Now, understand that very few
mainstream western scientists will
give Santilli the time of day, let alone
give credence to his theories even
though several well-respected scientists from the old Soviet Union and
from several Eastern European countries are actively pursuing his ideas,
and even though he is manufacturing
and selling devices that appear to produce a new kind of clean fuel from
both water and waste (garbage). (No,
its neither hydrogen nor methane.)
One of his devices produces
HHO gas from water, which Santilli says is a new form of water, of
the form (HxH)-O, where x is a
magnecular bond and - is a valence
bond. Western science laughs while
the Russians and Eastern Europeans
appear to be doing it.
Robert G. Williscroft #1116 Editor
J
udging from
the feedback
I received about
the full-color edition of the News
(zero... nada), I
would have to
guess that it fell flat. If this is incorrect, let me know so we can do several more full-color editions. It only
takes a few minutes to pen an email.
If you are the old-fashioned type, we
welcome hand-written snail-mail as
well. Or leave me a voicemail with
the title: A letter to the editor.
The members of our Club are an
eclectic lot, having in common that
we tend to travel the world off the
beaten path. There are others who do
the same, although not trekking hidden trails or exploring lost islands. Instead, they fathom the depths of the
universe. They explore the leading edge
of scientific discovery, men like Einstein who became mainstream, and like
Tesla who remained on the fringes.
In todays world, Ruggero Maria Santilli is one of these kindred souls. Born
in Capracotta in the Italian region of
Molise, Santilli studied physics in Naples and Turin in the early 1960s, and
conducted NASA research at the University of Miami in 1967. He became
an Associate Professor of Physics at
Boston University, where he taught
physics and math and conducted research for the Air Force. In the 1970s
March 2013
8
Book Review Flatland
BOOK REVIEW:
Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions
Edwin A. Abbott, Greenbook Publications, Sioux Falls, SD, 2010 (originally published in 1884), 6x9 Hard
cover, 74 p, ISBN 978-1617430091, Review by Editor with material supplied by online sources.
F
latland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 satirical novella by
the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott.
Writing pseudonymously as A Square,
Abbott used the fictional two-dimensional world of Flatland
to offer pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. The
novellas more enduring contribution,
however, is its examination and exploration of dimensions. It
is in this exploration capacity that I
present it here.
In Flatland, women are simple linesegments, while men are polygons with
various numbers of sides. The narrator,
A Square, is a humble square who guides
us through some of the implications of
life in two dimensions.
Square has a dream about visiting
Lineland, a one-dimensional world inhabited by lustrous points. He attempts to convince the realms ignorant monarch of a second dimension,
but finds it essentially impossible to
make him see outside of his eternally straight line.
He is then visited by a three-dimensional sphere, that he cannot comprehend until he sees
Spaceland for himself.
From the safety of
Spaceland, he is able
to observe the leaders of Flatland secretly acknowledging the
existence of the
Sphere and prescribing the silencing of
anyone found preaching the truth of the
third dimension.
Square tries to convince the Sphere of the
theoretical possibility of
the existence of a fourth
(and fifth, and sixth...)
spatial dimension.
Offended by this presumption, the
Sphere returns Square to Flatland in
disgrace.
Square recognizes the connection
between the ignorance of the Lineland monarch with his own (and the
Spheres) previous ignorance of the
existence of higher dimensions.
Back in Flatland, Square cannot
convince anyone of Spacelands existence. Eventually, Square is imprisoned, where he spends the rest of his
days attempting to explain the third
dimension to his brother.
9
March 2013
Whats Happening...
Whats Happening...
Shane Berry Photo-astronomer
Photos Shane Berry
S
hane Berry (#1093) reports...
I recently attended a weekend
workshop on Night Sky Photography
and really enjoyed it and learned some
ideas on taking sunrise, sunset, night
sky photographs, and star trail photos. It is ran by the Desert Institute at
Joshua Tree National Park (Oasis visitors center at Joshua Tree). The class
is limited to fifteen photographers.
The instructor is Dennis Mammana,
one of the top five night sky photographers in the USA. He has led night
sky photography and astronomy trips
around the world along with Dr. Rosaly Lopez and Dr. Frank Drake
(#1132) of the SETI Institute.
You have to know your camera settings, especially the manual settings.
I had photography problems the Sat.
night out at Joshua Tree during the
workshop. Focusing and taking photographs in the dark is hard.
I reread all the instructors notes,
looked at my Canon 60D manual, and
went back to Hidden Valley at Joshua
Tree two days later. I used an ApuMarch 2013
ture Remote cord (generic version of
Canons that costs around $35) that
lets me take shots with very long or
short time exposures, and set both
interval times and number of exposures. My lens is a 24-105 EF Canon
with a Canon 60D body. I used a 4.5F
stop, ISO of 400 on my two photos.
After trial and error, I went with a
one-minute exposure, 15 seconds of
interval and 24 individual photos. I
used my compass and eye to guess
the true north. I used the free Star
Trails software that the instructor recommended. (http://www.startrails.de/
html/software.html)
I finished the photo with a layers
or levels adjustment in Photoshop
CS5 and used Niks Define (noise reduction), Niks Color Efex Pro 4, and
Niks Sharpter to finish it. I saved it
as a TIFF file then resized for email.
The first photo is my first Star Trails (24
photos).ThesecondphotoisoftheJoshua
Tree and done with only two photos.
10
Whats Happening...
Kevin Lee...
LAUPS Photographer of the Year
Has dived all seven continents
espite inclement weather, some
times with deafening thunder
and lightning bolts sizzling across a
sinister sky, Kevin Lee dived in Australia (Nelson Bay & Sydney) in February, thereby completing a quest to
scuba dive all Seven Continents. Images from his dive travels can be seen
at www.diverkevin.com.
D
K
evin Lee (#1163) is honored as
the Los Angeles Underwater
Photographic Society (LAUPS) 2012
Photographer of the Year. He has
also been Orange County Underwater Photographic Society (OCUPS)
Photographer of the Year numerous
times.
Kevin and friend John 800 miles from
North Pole
being coleader and navigator on the
voyage of the Nina II, an endeavor
to sail a replica of the Columbus caravel across the Atlantic.
Robert Marx guest speaker at
California Wreck Divers banquet
arx was guest speaker at the CWD
March 2. His adventures have
taken him throughout the world and led
to the discovery of Spanish and Manila
galleons, Civil War ironclads, French,
English and Dutch shipwrecks as well
as Mayan temple sites in the remote
jungles of British Honduras.
He was Director of Archaeological
Excavation of the sunken city of Port
Royal, Jamaica, which sank in 1692
during an earthquake, and was knighted by the Spanish government for
M
Nina II
Editors Note: Each month we will feature recent
activities of members and friends on this page.
Please send your material along with any photos
to the Editor by email or snail mail. Designate it
for Whats Happening....
11
March 2013
Minutes February 7, 2013
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB
film a Red Cross project there.
Joe Brown #928 said that Walt Ehlers
#1119 came down with a case of pneumonia and is in Los Alamitos Medical
Center.
Bernie Harris #1063 is teaching a
course in CPR in Santa Monica.
Jay Foonberg #1126 will be running a
half marathon in Fredricksburg, Maryland in May.
We were pleased to have Loren Janes
#704 and Charles Rozaire #744 in the
audience.
February 7, 2013
Bob Zeman (#878)
W
e had one of our largest crowds
ever with active duty Marines from
the Palmdale-Lancaster area joining us.
Also having dinner were about forty
Marine recruits. They are mostly seniors
in high school. They have signed on to
enlist upon graduation and are now
meeting once a week with their recruiters for physical and mental training.
President Rick Flores #1120 presided
and he thanked Allan Smith #1069 for
getting in touch with our speaker and
promoting the event with the Marines.
Bob Gannon #1066 was able to get
to Cuba via Mexico and showed slides
of his visit before the end of Fidel.
Marie Martin #1047A joined with sixty-seven of her Sherlock Holmes friends
to travel to Switzerland. There they reenacted the episode of Holmes throwing Professor Moriarty to his death over
Reichenbach Falls.
Dave Finnern #1065, our cover guy
for the February issue, told of a 1944
incident in which a P-38 collided with a
Corsair. The P-38 pilot bailed out and
lived. But the Corsair pilot was not so
lucky. The two planes went down in the
Pacific just off the coast. The P-38 was
found some years ago. But Dave and
Steve Lawson #1032 just recently found
the Corsair in 150 feet of water.
Eric Simmel took out some old skis
to go skiing. His bindings broke on the
second run but he got a new set and was
back on the slopes in half an hour.
Brian Cruickshank #1158 said that his
wife is pregnant and their daughter is due
April 8th. Brian has been hired by the Red
Cross to fly down to Peru and Chile to
March 2013
Marine Corps Night
C
olonel Joseph Shusko was the speaker.
Allan Smith enlisted in the Marine
Corps on May 5, 1980, and served for six
years. He showed a five-minute slide show
of the Marines in action. He then praised
the late Ted Williams (#999) who served.
Roy Roush (#864) served in the Marines
from July 4, 1942, to July 3, 1946. In late
1942 he was sent to the South Pacific and
landed on Guam, Guadalcanal, Saipan, and
Tinian. Roy said the Marine Corps will make
a man out of you. You will know your
limitations and your capabilities.
When the Korean War broke out, Roy
joined the Air Force because he had always wanted to fly. He remembered
growing up in Oklahoma where, at the
age of seven, he saw Charles Lindbergh
fly overhead.
Roy later flew a
P-51, T-38, F80 and F-86
among other
planes.
Colonel Joseph Shusko
took his Marine
oath in 1975.
12
He has served in the joint Endeavor in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Desert Storm
and Desert Shield. His call sign is Joe
Marine.
He also qualified as a helicopter pilot,
and for five years he flew for President
Ronald Reagan whom he commended
as a true patriot.
arts. He had to consider what could be
done, considering all the gear that each
Marine wears.
MCMAP
includes techniques,
mental training, and
character building
to the ethical warrior. Now almost
all Marines are
trained in martial
arts.
Our speaker had MCMAP Instructor
numerous tie-ins a Trainer Black Belt
few of which he related.
One related to words. The five most
important are All men are created equal.
The four most important are Live a balanced life. The three most important are
I love you.
The two most
important are
Genuine
concern.
And the most
important
word
is
Humble.
Another
MCMAP shoulder throw tie-in related
to the pencil. The pain of sharpening is
worth it to be sharper afterwards. All
make mistakes and that is why we need
an eraser. The best part of a pencil is
what is inside just as your character is
most important. One can go out every
day and do great things and leave ones
signature.
In the summers in the nations Capitol there are weekly events. There is a
formal parade at 8th and I on Friday
nights and there is an informal gather-
Marine One in flight
Colonel Shusko said that the Marines
have a brotherhood, an ethos, camaraderie, and a history. They come from all
walks of life and live by the warriors
creed. There is no such thing as a former
Marine. Marines value honor, courage,
and commitment.
In 1999, he attended a symposium put
on by the Air Force to establish that services core values. It turns out that the
Navy had copied the Marines values of
honor, courage and commitment. Once
an Air Force colonel heard that, he said
the Air Force should follow suit.
The Marines were started November
10, 1775, at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia,
and they have distinguished themselves
ever since.
Colonel Shusko was called upon to
develop the Marine Corps Martial Arts
Program MCMAP. He took the best
techniques from each group of martial
(Minutes continued on page 14)
13
March 2013
Minutes February 7 & 14, 2013
(Minutes continued from page 13)
Announcements
ing on Tuesdays at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
In response
to a question,
Col. Shusko
said that the
Israeli version
of martial arts
called Krav
Maga is similar to MCCombat knife with rifle
MAP.
R
oger Haft reported that attendance
at the Riviera Golf Course is free to
veterans who register at the VA office in
Westwood.
Ralph Perez #1150 announced that
there would be a special tour of the USS
Iowa at 10 AM on Wednesday for any
who wished to attend.
Chuck Jonkey updated us on John
Goddard who is undergoing chemotherapy but can get out some.
An Icelanders Adventure
February 14, 2013
A
Those Returning from Adventure
C
huck Jonkey #1026 went to a memorial for his sitar teachers, one of
whom was Ravi Shankar, which was in
an art exhibit hall where the art was all
from found objects. He did a performance playing on found objects such as
bunt pans, glass objects and others. This
inspired him to make a glass marimba
which he just finished.
Roger Haft #1098 reported that he returned from his daughters wedding,
avoiding blizzards but because of weather delays he missed a flight and had to
overnight in Atlanta.
Jeff Holmes #1148 and Bob Silver
#728 visited Russell Wulf #675 (president 1964) at an assisted living facility and
delivered to him his Emeritus membership.
Jay Foonberg #1126 went to Indonesia but was not accepted at his hotel as
he had no luggage. It was lost on his
flight. He went out and bought a suitcase
and returned to the hotel where he was
now acceptable.
March 2013
Photos Kris Kristjansson
fter reviewing the history of Iceland,
Kris Kristjansson told the story of
his life. Beginning with working in the
herring fishing industry where he worked
in the salting of the herring. Herring was
exported in large amounts mainly to
Russia and the USA. This was good until
1969, when over-fishing caused the herring supply to dwindle. He then went on
to reindeer hunting.
He became a
diver and showed
fascinating pictures of cave diving and told of
diving after cars
that had plunged
into the harbor after he had joined
the police force.
The recent receding ice packhasaffected the weather Nicholass rift in
and livelihood of Thingvellir
many of the people.
Kris was present during the large volcanic eruption and showed pictures of
the lava flows and the damage done by
Eric Flanders(#1162)
14
the fall of ash on the town. As the lava
flowed, help came in the form of water
cannons blasting the lava to cool it down.
It took considerable time for the townspeople to recover from the damage.
Kris as a political activist in South
Africa
February 21, 2013
Volcanic eruption on the Island of
Heimaey, ten kilometers off the
southern coast of Iceland
Bob Zeman (#878)
P
resident Rick Flores #1120 welcomed
all including guests.
One of the guests was Rich Abele who
is a tour guide docent on the USS Iowa
(BB-61). He recently led a group including Doug Brown #1160, Larry Schutte
#1121, Jeff Holmes #1148, Bob Perez
#958, Richard Litchfield #1118, Bob
Walters #1047, and Marie Martin
#1047A on the ship. It was launched in
1942, and is one of two battleships that
has recall rights meaning it can be re-commissioned in six months. The remains of
the April 18, 1989, turret explosion in
which forty-seven died are still visible.
Vince Weatherby #1060 introduced
twelve-year-old Michael Hobbs who recently defeated Vince in a BB-gun competition.
Another guest was Bruce Lesher whose
father fought with the Marines on Iwo
Jima.
Eric Flanders #1162 is leaving for
Mexico on a non-native non-dietary
(Cancun) trip.
An organization funded by the World
Bank is setting up a gemstone and jewel-
Iceland has a long history of cultural
exchange with Russia.
The Soviets in Iceland
Kris went to the University of Illinois
to continue his education in law enforcement. Among his other law enforcement
duties, he was a sector chief providing
security for the Olympics in Atlanta.
Kris has traveled extensively throughout
the world and has visited eighty-nine countries including traveling through Europe by
3rd class rail, and becoming a political activist in South Africa. His presentation was
illustrated with many slides and a striking
movie of Iguazu Falls in Argentina.
15
March 2013
Minutes February 21. 2013
ry training center in Arusha, Tanzania, and
has asked Charles Carmona #1136 for
on-site assistance.
said I want that flag and ordered another flag put up that was bigger. A Navy
corpsman took another flag and raised
Iwo Jima My Story
J
ay Foonberg #1126 lectures about
twice a month to lawyers. Over the
years he has talked to 300,000 lawyers,
CPAs and business people. He felt that
this presentation is his most important.
He was inspired to go to Iwo Jima by
Painting from the original Joe
Rosenthal photo
it with five Marines using twelve feet of
Japanese water pipe. An Associated Press
photographer whirled around and took
the photo of this second flag raising on
negative #10. He then got a photo of a
celebration of men on negative #11 that
was staged.
When asked later if the photo was
staged, Rosenthal said yes, thinking of
negative #11. He did not realize the impact of negative #10 would have on the
Jay lecturing to attorneys
Pat Connelly, the main coach of L. A.
Marathoners. Jay went as a tourist but
came away emotionally charged by the
loyalty of Marines to each other and the
site of the invasion beach where so many
Marines died.
Jay dedicated his program to John
Booth #869, John Goddard #507,
Pierre Odier #988, Walt Ehlers #1119,
and Roy Roush #864. On his climb of
Mt. Suribachi, Jay said the man standing
next to him said, If I die climbing this
mountain, then tell my wife I died a
Marine.
Jay talked about the flag-raising photo
known to all Americans the most reproduced photograph in the world. Five
days after the landings, a group reached
the top of Mt. Suribachi and raised a small
American flag. An officer on a Navy ship
March 2013
Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima
war effort and afterwards.
16
Iwo Jima is located 700 miles north
of Guam and 700 miles south of Tokyo. It is considered part of the Japanese mainland. It is volcanic and not
sandy and its name means sulfur island.
It is a pork chop-sized island about four
miles by two miles with three airfields.
B-29s taking off from Saipan and Tinian were being shot out of the air by
Japanese fighters based on Iwo.
U. S. forces blockaded the island and
bombarded it for months. There were
23,000 defenders on the island living in
5,000 caves connected by eleven miles
of tunnels. The Japanese had constructed 750 pillboxes.
Over the course of the invasion 880
Allied ships and 110,000 troops including 80,000 Marines were involved. The
fighting went on for thirty-one days and
claimed 7,700 Allied dead and 17,000
wounded.
Jay himself went to Iwo Jima in 2008
and took his own personal American flag
and a Club flag which he hoisted on the
top of Mt. Suribachi. He later loaned this
flag to Allan Smith and Bill Burke #1157
who took it with them on their trip to
Mt. Everest. Bill Burke was in the audience. He was impressed by this act. Both
the American flag and the Club flag were
also hoisted on the Missouri and the Arizona.
Tadamuchi Kurabayashi was a sixth
generation Samurai. He had spent three
years in America and two years in Canada studying how Americans thought and
felt about many issues. He also was a leader in the invasion of Hong Kong. On
June 8, 1944, he met with the Emperor
for the first and only time. They believed
that the only way to end the war short
of surrender was to make the Allied
forces pay for every inch of it in blood
and lose their will to continue the war,
preferring a peace treaty instead.
USS Arizona Visitors Center
The high cost in American lives was a
major reason to drop the atomic bombs,
as casualties of up to 1,000,000 dead were
predicted if we had invaded Japan.
The Shintos believed that Japan was paradise. The soldiers followed the warrior
code of Bushido loyalty. Marines believe
in Semper Fi which includes loyalty to the
Corps and to fellow Marines contrasted
with Bushido loyalty which was only to
superior not fellow soldiers. Bushido believed that suicide was an act of loyalty and
that surrender was an act of disloyalty. The
Banzai act was not an act of suicide, but
rather an attempt to break up enemy lines
with a frontal challenge.
At the battle of Tinian, the American
troops just landed and walked inland.
Roy Roush was in the audience and confirmed the exact spot of Jays photo. On
Iwo, the troops landed and filled the
beach and then the Japanese fire opened
up. In two hours 550 Marines died and
1,100 were wounded. The Japanese
would fire out of an opening and then
fall back to another opening. Flame
17
March 2013
throwers were needed and did their job
by sucking out oxygen. .
On his trip Jay also went to Guam,
Saipan, and Tinian. He went to the suicide cliffs on Saipan where 1,200 women and children either jumped or were
pushed off. The soldiers jumped at Banzai cliff. He saw the wreckage of the B29 on Saipan that had crashed in 1945
carrying American POWs back from
Tokyo to San Francisco. All aboard died.
Jay went to Pearl Harbor and hoisted
his flag on the USS Missouri where the
surrender documents were signed.
The United States eventually gave Iwo
back to the Japanese who use it as a military base. But a special plane or planes
from America is allowed to land one day
a year March 12th and to renew their
remembrances. A ceremony is held with
top-level Japanese people including the
grandson of General Kurabayashi.
Guests
R
ick Flores #1120: Godson Daniel
Estrada.
Those Returning from Adventure
K
evin Lee #1163 Returned from
scuba diving near Sydney, Australia
including Nelson Bay. Visibility was
poor, not more than five feet. Kevin has
now completed at least one dive on all
seven continents.
Steve Bein #1057 Was driving his
car when he was hit broadside. He was
shaken but not stirred. Steve was in Yellowstone National Park two weeks ago
in temperatures of -10°F. He photographed bison, coyote, and bobcat. No
wolves. He recently tested a new camera
lens in the Bolsa Chica area.
Doug Brown #1160 Traveled with
Sandra to Catalina Island for four days
to celebrate his birthday.
Jay Foonberg #1126 Jay received a
telephone call from his dermatologist
about a cancer diagnosis that turned out
to be a false alarm. His doctor called the
wrong Jay. We give thanks. Jay also suggested a new recognition plaque, one that
honors Club members who have
achieved the same adventure on all seven continents, e.g., Kevin Lees scuba
dives on all seven continents, Jay Foonbergs
travels to all the continents, and Bill Burkes
#1157 ascent of the highest mountain on
every continent after age sixty.
Jay collecting sand from the Iwo Jima
beach
February 28, 2013
Those Leaving on Adventure
Doug Brown (#1160)
evin Lee Leaving in April for the
Philippines and more scuba diving.
He will dive in an area 2 ½ hours south
of Manila.
Bob Oberto #1124 Will travel to
K
P
resident Rick Flores #1120 called the
meeting to order with the traditional
standing silent toast to honor absent and
departed members wherever they may be.
March 2013
18
Montana for some downhill skiing and
then onto Yellowstone, if all goes well.
Next will be free diving for abalone off
the coast of Northern California.
Park with a niece of Adlai Stevenson II.
Announcements
P
resident Rick Flores Read a letter
that contained an inquiry about Edward P. Bailet #5. Yes, #5. A family is
conducting research and believes Ed is a
family member. If anyone has information, please contact President Rick.
President Rick Flores Gave a salute
to Joe Brown #928 for his extraordinary work in the Clubs library.
Roger Haft #1098 Shared an email
story about a buddy who sent him a
photo of the Blackbird (SR-71) piloted
by Bob Gilliland #888.
Bob Silver #728 Announced a
NOHA project for which he is responsible. He asked all members to contribute a photo or film footage that depicts
either the essence of adventure or the
height of embarrassment experienced
while adventuring. From member submissions Larry Schutte #1121 will create a DVD that will debut October 26,
2013 during the Night Of High Adventure (NOHA).
President Flores NOHA plans are
moving along with the able leadership
of Martin Bloom #1147. NOHA is
now on the Club website. The date:
October 26, 2013.
Ed with Arabian Primo at the Mexican
border
In September 2009, Ed and Neeka, a
registered Arabian endurance horse, arrived at Boundary Monument 78, on the
Canada-United States border, after completing a 2,663-mile journey on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). (The PCT is occasionally designated as the Pacific Crest
National Scenic Trail.) He began the PCT
on another Arabian horse, Primo, from
the border of Mexico on April 19, 2008,
and traveled through state parks, county
parks, a national park, several wilderness
Over 47,000 miles on Horseback
E
d Anderson is a Back Country Horseman from California Antelope Valley Unit, and a member of the Pacific
Crest Trail Association and the American Endurance Ride Conference. He has
the distinction of having ridden in Griffith
On the Pacific Crest Trail
areas and national forests, BLM lands,
and across easements through private
lands. Ed gave an account of what he
saw and what it was like to solo-ride a
19
March 2013
Minutes February 28, 2013..
also good graze nearby, and water. Ed
horse on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
rode two horses, Primo for the earlier
Last year, starting early in July, he joursegments and Neeka for the final stretch
neyed the PCT from Sierra City to Burto the Canadian
ney Falls, California.
border. The highest
(He missed this
elevation reached
part in 2008 bewas 13,153 feet at
cause of trail cloForester Pass in the
sures due to fires.)
Sierra Nevada. The
On July 18 he
lowest point of
rode west out of
140 feet was
Sisters on the Old
reached at CasSantiam Wagon
cades Lock, a city in
Road, and reached
Hood County, Orthe PCT before
egon. The actual
going north to Cantime for the PCT
ada. He resupplied Camp along the Pacific Crest Trail
ride was six
himself by driving
months. Close calls were avoided because
ahead and caching (burying) food at trailEd chose safety first. He carried packets
heads and road crossings. He always left
of mothballs because bears do not like
his tent and packs and his horse in a safe
the way they smell. His tool of choice
place, usually on private property near a
was a Japanese-made Silky Bigboy
residence. His horse was high lined and
curved-blade foldhad plenty of hay
ing saw with a
and water.
14.2-in blade. SamOnce he drove
urai swords were
north to a (prearmade of the same
ranged) safe locametal.
tion he had the
The PCT passes
problem of getting
through twentyback to where he
five national forests
left his horse. He
and seven national
took public transparks. Its midpoint
portation, if availis in Chester, Caliable, and if he
fornia, near Mt.
didnt have to wait Camping at Warner Springs Resort
Lassen. It was destoo long. Otherignated a National Scenic Trail in 1968,
wise, he hitchhiked. Sometimes a volunalthough it was not officially completed
teer Angel drove him back he was glad
until 1993. Clinton C. Clarke conceived
to pay for the gas.
the PCT in 1932. It received official staAs for horse-friendly places to camp,
tus under the National Trails System Act
he looked for water, graze, and trees to
of 1968.
high line. Corrals were nice if there was
March 2013
20
Programs / Notes
Forthcoming Programs
March 7, 2013
March 14, 2013
March 21, 2013
March 28, 2013
April 4, 2013
April 11, 2013
April 18, 2013
April 25, 2013
May 2, 2013
May 9, 2013
May 16, 2013
May 23, 2013
May 30, 2013

Roy Roush Searching for pirate treasure on Mona Island
Pierre Odier Vanishing Swiss Mountain Villages
Bill Altaffer 6,000 Miles Through Turkey
Richard Gaskin Rock art sites in the Northwestern Mojave
Ralph Velasco Cuba: 90 Miles to Another World
[OPEN]
Jeff & Evan Bozanic Cave Diving in Africa
Jace The Pacific Crest Trail
Stuart Witt Mojave Air & Space Port
Kevin Lee Diving in Antarctica
LADIES NIGHT Bob Bitchin The Bob Bitchen Show
Chuck Jonkey Peru
Ralph H. Perez 10,000 Miles by Foot, Ferrari, Jet Boat on
the Alaska Marine High
Notes
21
March 2013