Adventurers Club News Mar 1987 - The Adventurers` Club of Los

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The America's Cup Returns Home
MARCH 1987
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COVER
The drawing of the yacht on the cover symbolizes the "Stars and Stripes" which won
back the America's Cup from the Australians
on Feb. 4, 1987. In a 4 - 0 win, the yacht
skippered by Dennis Conner bested the "Kookaburra III" in its final race with a 1 minute 59 second victory to return the "Holy
Grail of Yachting" to the United States after losing to the Australians in 1983. We
rejoice in the victory and offer Dennis and
his crew our congratulations. Ed.
Abornturrr4i
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE
ADVENTURERS' CLUB or
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
'
March 1987
Volume 30:3
Bottoms Up!
by
KEITh
YOUNG
#565
§ It was only a lake. And not
a very big one at that. Nor do
I claim its discovery. This in
spite of its remoteness in the
higher elevations of our incomparable High Sierra and the difficulties of reaching it. My
transportation there was first
by Jeep, then by horseback when
the Jeep could go no further and
finally on foot when the horses
could climb no higher.
PUBLICATION OFFICE
706 VEST PICO BOULEVARD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Founded 1921
it is as ll that this
II lakePerhaps
isso isolated and difficult
Other-wise others
of access.
I nrMt
FFmrlt 010 1- r-irl
IhIa.bs*
r on the
very unlikely chance that they
too might see what I saw one unforgettable morning some eight
years ago.
No, it was not any sort of miraculous religious visitation.
My experience was quite mindane
when considered objectively. Yet
it could have been altogether
different had I not 1i equipped
with binoculars, good eyesight,
excellent visibility, and an inquiring mind. And could just as
easily have n33eworld headlines.
Maybe not front page stuff, but
certainly newsworthy. Enough to
have brought out TV crews. And,
in their wake, scientists. Followed t1.-i by the merely curious.
All of which is the reason for a
certain reticence on my part regarding more precise geographic
information at this time.
My trailmates on this venture
were Bob and Jesse, two well ex(Follow the story on page 3)
mamh 1987
ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS
CLUB MEETS AT THE
ADVF911JBERS' CLUB ROOM
ThE CAPTAIN ROUIAC MFVORIAL
BUILDING FUND
THURSDAY NIGHTS
The large teakwood plaque that
hangs on the front wall of our
Club room contains the names of
all members who have contributed
to the fund.
706 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90015
Phone (213) 749-3537
1987 OFFICERS
Chester R. Kyle
President
1st Vice Pres. Alan H. Siebert
David Yamada
2nd Vice Pres.
Lester C. Storms
Secretary
Milton W. Valois
Treasurer
To add your name to the plaque
a donation of $25.00 will provide a brass name plate for you.
A contribution of $100.00 will
add a gold star.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David Reed Robert D. Sechrist
Donald Orosz Chester M. Sidell
Keith Chase Kenneth L. Senter
Charles J. Ross
Have you looked at the plaque
recently? Have you noticed how
many gold stars there are? Is
your name there?
§
To add your name, give your
check for $25.00 or $100.00 clearly marked, to our Treasurer at
any Club meeting.
THE ADVENTURERS' (flJB NEWS
Robert C. Williams
Editor
Robert Aronoff
Reporters:
David Yamada and others.
TIFIBUKI1J WFIII ThE 3 MUSKETEERS
Subscription
$10.00 Per Year
An article on this adventure
(see program report on page 19)
is in the process of being prepared. The article will contain
a first-hand narrative of what
was experienced by Emil's vagabond crew. Anyone wanting to go
down the Yangtze with Emil, Dave
(Yamada and Reed) and Ken, be
sure to contact Emil before he
finalizes his plans, now in progress.
Entered as Second Class
postage at the Post Office at
Los Angeles, California
usp (389-310)
THE ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS is published
monthly by The Adventurers' Club
706 Vest Pico Blvd., Los Angeles
CA 90015
Second Class postage paid at
Los Angeles, California
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
the above address.
-2-
March 1987
PIVFJrI1JRERS' CLUB NEWS
(BOTTOMS UP, from page 1)
so yards from the lake's shore
perienced out-doorsmen, and with
and perhaps 100 feet above it.
whom I have in the past respectThe day was cloudless and sunny
fully explored a variety of the
and with perhaps just a hint of
California deserts and mountains
a breeze. Visibility was perfect.
marvelling the while. All my
A STRANGE DISTURBANCE IN THE WATER
life I have been in thrall to
To determine the best shore t
these sublime wildernesses and
follow
I scanned the lake with
their endless wonders.
my
binoculars
and was just about
Bob, a former Air Rescue parato
pocket
them
when I noticed a
medic, was eager to re-discover
small disturbance, an unnatural
the wreckage of a light twin-enupwelling of the water, a few
gined trainer which had crashed
hundred yards from shore. This
on one of the few glaciers in
was not large and would probably
California just after UJII. The
have escaped my attention had I
human remains had been removed
not been squinting at that parsome years later, but the plane
had been preserved in the icy em- ticular spot at the time. This
lasted no more than a few seconds
brace of the glacier.
when before my startled eyes a
Leaving the horses in a grassy
strange object thrust its way up
and watered meadow at the 9,700
through the lake's now seriously
foot level, the three of us set
roiled surface. I quickly thumout from our base camp at first
bed my glasses into even sharper
light on what was planned as a
focus
and observed that the obone day dash. However, after aject
which
had so shockingly ebout four hours into the climb I
merged had the appearance of a
began to suffer sara cardiac distelephone pole though somewhat
tress and decided to return to
camp. An old war wound I claimed. thicker in girth.
It appeared to have a life of
At my determined insistence Bob
its own as it tremblingly lifted
and Jesse pressed on while I beitself perhaps ten or twelve feet
gan a slow and cautious descent
in the air and somewhat majestito a less rarefied elevation.
cally proceeded to flail itself
Eventually I found myself confrom side to side, and backwards
fronted by a shimmering lake
and forwards, before collapsing
which we had passed on the way
back on itself and disappearing
up and along one of the shores
beneath the bubbling and foaming
of which I would now I'e to make
(Continued on next page)
I rested awhile, 100 or
-3-
March 1987
PSJIb
(BOTTOMS UP, continued
surface, this performance lasting
perhaps as long as a minute.
In the short time it was visible I had no difficulty in iden
tifying it as a treetrunk of indeterminate age. It appeared to
be of a nondescript brownish color, but not uniformly, a more
accurate word perhaps might be
mottled.
Its uppermost end was rot flattened at the tip as might have
been the case with a sawn log.
Rather it seemed to be crowned
with what resembled a sort of
rounded-off dunce's cap this odd
conformation giving the object
the appearance of having a head,
one that seemed more reptilian
than otherwise.
As this dripping and mysteriously-impelled log broke U-n surface I noticed that the surrounding water was in a high state
of agitation, not unlike that
which accompanies the surfacing
of a submarine from a dive and
which results from its blowing
its ballast tanks with compressed air.
As for the log's extraordinary
behavior, I found myself struck
by its resemblance to a caber
used in Highland Scottish games.
It was as if some unseen cabertosser was manupulating the log
from beneath and making little
darts back-wards, forwards and
sideways in a desperate effort
to keep the log erect. I also
found myself comparing t1se awkward darting motions with the
jerky neck and head movements of
some large ungainly non-flying
bird as it lifts its head from
browsing and in nervous segments
searches the horizon about it for
signs of danger.
But strangest of all were the
peculiar noises it emitted as it
thrashed about in seeming agony.
To my astonishment, and though
the sounds were appropriately attenuated by the distance involved
and somewhat muffled by the commotion of the water, it was as
if the tree trunk was screeching
in pain. Perhaps I can best describe this sound by comparing
it to that made by a whistling
kettle as it reaches a stean-gaerating temperature. Unattended
this can reach an ear-splitting
intensity. So almost did my
shrilly-keening tree trunk. This
shrieking was not sustained and
eventually subsided to an equally
doleful wet, bubbling and whistling sound. But the fact remains
that these sounds in their various registers were perfectly
audible at two or three hundred
yards range and their source was
beyond doubt. This, then, is all
I saw and heard.
I chose not to discuss the incident with Bob and Jesse when,
frustrated in their attempt by
huge, unclimbable, ice-covered
-4-
AIYF](I1JRERS' CLUB NEWS
March 1987
of positive buoyancy is at last
achieved.
This
gas-saturated
and externally impermeable tree
trunk then, spontaneously, lifts
itself from t1 bottom and, slowly at first, but with ever increasing speed, rises to an area
of much lower (or simple atmospheric) pressure on the surface.
This complicated even further by
a factor of altitude. Something
has to give as the trunk's internal gases, tremendously compressed for so long, demand release.
Now we have all seen and heard
what happens when a tire of the
family car blows out. To inflate
that now-failed tire, air had
been pumped (compressed) into it
at a pressure of between 25 and
35 pounds to the square inch, approximately double tInormal atmospheric pressure at sea level
of 14.7 psi.
Consider, then, the effect
when an object containing gas
under abnormally high pressure
suddenly finds itself in an atmosphere of cons1rerably lower
pressure. Unless restrained it
simply bursts through whatever
may be containing it. And though
for technical reasons it may not
dissipate that energy in one
great explosive bang, it would
certainly have reason to hiss,
whistle or even scream as it obtamed that release by degrees
rather than all at once.
Some further food for thought.
Compare my account with those ma-
(BQT]flMSUP, continued)
boulders, and exhausted almost
to the point of stupefaction,
they staggered into camp near
nightfall. It had been their day
rather than mine, I thought. Besides, why invite disbelief and
derision. I decided to keep my
own counsel.
ThIS IS IT I SAW
Since then I have accepted my
own analysis of tkincident that
all I saw was an age-old log
which had somehow made its way
to the surface after years of
submersion. As to what had impelled it, and the extraordinary
sounds it made, I can only offer
a tenable hypothesis. Compressed
gases offer the most logical explanation of both events. It is
more than possible, I believe,
that the curious sounds I heard
resulted frun the gradual release
of long pent-up gases created over tiii by the natural processes
of decomposition (methane is one
such), these being effectively
encapsulated within tI-c long-dead
trunk by the petrification of
resins, gums and phenols as are
to be found in profusion in most
trees of the coniferous order,
Add to this the tremendous dynarnic pressures exerted by the
waters of a 1.aI which could conceivably have a depth of several
hundred feet. Then consider the
consequencus when, after years
of slow chemical change, a state
-5-
tuJIVI"1
(BOTTOMS UP, continued)
ny sightings of "something" hich
periodically surfaces or swims
or writhes about before slipping
back into the cold and murky
depths of Loch Ness, Scotland.
Consider this, then reflect on
whether we might perhaps have our
own "something", though hardly a
monster, in the High Sierra.
I happen to have passed by
Loch Ness three times but I have
yet to see its monster. However
I submit there have to be similarities to what I know I saw (on
a bright sunny day, at close
range, through sharply-focused
binoculars, and within earshot)
and with what may who visit Loch
Ness claim they have seen. Generally at a distance, in usually
murky weather, and out of earshot. The essential difference
between their sightings and mine
is that I was able, almost instantly, to make a positive identification of my 'monster". I
knew at once that it was not animate. Evven though it appeared
to have a life of its own.
But supposing I had been alone
in a boat on a dark night and
there had been a mere hundred
yards or so between me and "it".
What, I wonder, might have beenmy reaction as I sat fearfully
listening to all that aqueous
commotion, together with an accompanying series of unearthly
screams and malevolent growls
emanating from something which
March 1987
had risen from the depths of the
lake, furiously and audibly vented its rage, then submerged
without doing me harm.
What would my subsequent story
have been? Might I not have sworn
that same living creature, a monster, if you will, had breached
mere yards from where I sat? I
rather think I might have done
so. Or been prepared to do so.
By such reasoning I have concluded that others could have
been honestly but similarly deceived in their sightings. I believe, too, that the Loch Ness
ADVENTURER BOOK WRITER
JOHN II
MACDONALD DIES
John D. MacDonald, one of
the most prolific and successful of action-adventure writers, died January 18, 1987.
MacDonald, a longtime resdent of Sarasota, Fla. died at
St. Marys Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisc., of complications
following heart by-pass surgery. He had been hospitalized since September.
Best known as the creator
of Travis McGee, the eccentric
anti-hero detective who became
the '60s answer to Raymond
Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Mac
Donald's career spanned more
than 40 years, including at
least 77 books and 500 short
stories.
(lATimes)
March 1987
PSJI
(BOTTOMS UP, concluded)
Mystery might be solved by the
simple dredging up of a few of
the age-old logs which are surely
to be found onthe loch's bottom.
Then by observing and listening
closely as the high pressure gases they could contain (unless
previously discharged) seek release in the surrounding low
pressure atmosphere.
On the other hand, perhaps
this possible solution ought never be attempted. Or even advocated. Why demolish a quaint,
lucrative, and altogether harmless industry? Good heavens, it
would be almost as wicked as
tearing down Disneyland. The
fantasies engendered by both are
equally endearing and, I repeat,
KDY.
as harmless.
VIDEO PREMIER OF THE VOYAGER
(The 4ottowing atice wa w'Lt.te.n by a L-th gitade studen-t at
CoUe.ge. View Schoot in Hunting-ton Beach atvt a peevi-ta-ton
given by Aan S.e.bekt.)
On January 15th, the 5th grade
class at College View School in
Huntington Beach, was privileged
to host Mr. Alan Siebert the actin President of the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles. Our
guest speaker was one of the 90
members of the Voyager Team who
helped the plane on its flight
around the world.
We were the first to see the
video which he made about the
Voyager. In the video, it showed
us some close-up shots of the
flight of the Voyager. He also
told us a lot of interesting
things that most people never
heard about the trip, like:
CHANGES OF ADDRESS FOR
YOUR ROSTER
GEORGE PIERRE #776
4620 South 146th Street
Seattle, WA 98168
cPilot Dick and his two little buddies
*The rain melting the wings
NOBLE TRFNHA}1 p694
1030 Armada Drive
Pasadena, CA 91103
And Jeana getting a haircut to save fuel
The Adventurers' Club sounds
like a really neat place where
you can hear about a lot of unusual things that people have done.
PHIL W. ROIJLAC 0611
P. 0. Box 2018 (Until [lay)
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
thenBox 39
OrcaS, WA 98280
-
=Travis Bresnan=
Grade 5, Room 12, Mrs. Thomason
-7-
March 1987
ADVENTURERS'CLUB NEWS
IN MEMORIAM -WI WAM J. CI-IANEY
Member No. 601
Retired Airline Pilot
All types of flying since 1928.
Twenty-three years with major
foreign and domestic airlines. During WW II with Air. Transport
Command, and transport instructor for U.S. Navy. Has visited
numerous foreign countries including Turkey, Greece, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Egypt and Lebanon. Sponsored and led four
hunting and collecting safaria in East Africa for the Los Angeles
County Museum of Natural History. Returned seven habitat
groups now on display in the Museum as well as numerous bird
specimens.
Director 1960, 1961.
A Tribute to a Great Adventurer by Kieth Young
By the time you read this the melancholy ritual will have been
performed: the ship's hell by the podium will have tolled the passing
of another member, the identity of this latest person to absent himself on his Last and Greatest Adventure will have sadly bean announced
there will be the customary gasp of shock on the part of many, followed by whispered condolences and short conversations between those
members who knew, esteemed and will miss the departed.
. after which
the President, understandably, will move on to (Continued on page g)
ADVEN'IURERS' CLUB NFMS
March 1987
(IN MEMORIAN, continued from page 8 ) further business of the Club and
the show, as they say on Broadway, will go on.
That is how those present will hear the news. But then there
are those who for one reason or another are no longer able to attend
the weekly meetings with the regularity they once did. Thus, in many
cases, their first awareness of an old and dear friend's passing will
be when they read it in the ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS. In which case
the obituary may consist of merely a few lines stating that the departed has left on the Great Adventure. Or, space and time permitting,
it may take the form of a somewhat lengthier eulogy. Such as this
well-deserved memoriam to Member William J. Cheney, 601, who joined
our Club in 1953. Of the 100 members who once bore membership numbers
in the 600s, only 37 still survive; 36, rather, with the death of Bill
Cheney. An even higher attrition is reflected in the 500 series of
which there now remain a mere 20. Thus are the old-timers disappearing. Among their numbers were many who were regarded, and remembered
by their contemporaries as giants. Bill Chaney was such a person.
Born in Orange County in 1913, Bill Chaney was an accomplished
flier at the age of 15. He did his bit in the barnstorming days of
the Twenties--a story in itself--before going on to become one of the
pioneering pilots with American Airlines and other commercial carriers. The sort of flyer who could have stepped from the pages of any
of author/pilot Ernest Gann's flying classics ("The High and the Mighty", "Fate is the Hunter" and others) Bill Cheney was a leading
member of that hardy and resourceful band of aviators which before,
during, and after World War II, went about opening up the hitherto
unknown air routes of the world to commercial aviation. And not just
in a civilian capacity, or for big money. Bill spent his share of
time in uniform with ATC (Air Transport Command) flying the old recips (DC-4s and 6s, Constellations and the like) not merely to Europe
or Australia but to some of the most God-forsaken places on this planet. Survey flights, many of them, and opening up new airways so that
you and I can today fly the same oceans but in less than one-third
the time it took Bill Cheney and the other aerial pioneers and route
openers.
Next to flying Bill's great love was big game hunting. I am
speaking, of course, of the days, now only a distant memory, when big
game really 91)ounded. Especially in those areas of Africa where today the "hunters" are armed only with zoom-lensed cameras, and where
March 1987
CLUB NEJS
only cruel poachers and desperate subsistence-seekers are taking hides
horns, tusks and skins, plus, of course, meat, both edible and offal,
in order to exist. Nor, may I repeat, is the killing of game as merciful by these as it was at the hands of genuine collectors with high
powered and instantly killing rifles.
Bill made no less than seven trips to Africa collecting for the
L.A. County Museum. And truly beautiful specimens he brought back for
presentation to that institution; his professionally-mounted displays
are outstanding among the superb exhibits there. Neither did Bill
ever flaunt these magnificent trophies; you have to search with almost
microscopic intensity to discover the tiny brass plate which indicates
that the exhibit is due to the generosity of William B. Cheney, Jr.
And speaking of generosity, it is probably now permissible to
reveal that one of the largest donations ever made to the Club's Building Fund came from Bill's pocket. Then, too, he was generous in other directions. For instance, when it became apparent to him that
the degenerative nature of the disease from which he was discovered
to be suffering was such that he would never be able to hunt again,
he gave a number of his prized guns to some of his closest friends.
The remainder he disposed of for a mere pittance--but only to those
whom he knew would use them responsibly as well as lovingly. Among
these was a real gem--a Boyal Ejector Purdy Side-by-Side 465 Rigby
Elephant Gun, a single round for which costs today something on the
order of five dollars. The rifle itself? On that would probably
fetch at today's prices somewhere between $18,000 and $25,000. It is
important, I think, to emphasize that Bill Cheney did not live merely
to hunt and shoot wild animals. He enjoyed the well-deserved reputation of being one of the finest trap-shooters in the U.S. And, indeed, probably the world.
Bill Chaney departed this life on Thursday, January 22, 1987, at
his home in Windermere, Florida. His remains, however, now rest in
Melrose Mausoleum, back in Orange County, California, the place of
his birth. Bill had many, many friends in various parts of the world
but particularly in Southern California where he spent most of his
life. In deference to his many California resident friends, and in
accordance with their and Bill's wishes, we understand from his bereaved wife, Marie, that a memorial service will be held somewhere in
Orange County, the exact time, date and place to be announced later.
There will still be many who fondly (Concluded on the next page)
-10-
March 1987
ti'
A SINCERE "Thank You" TO
THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED IN 1986 TO THE
CAPTAIN ROU1AC MEMORIAL BUILDING FUND
AND/OR THE VENTURE FUND
Richard W. Barrett
Lester C. Storms
Robert T. Brahms
Chester C. Lindt
Edward C. Boden
Alan H. Siebert
Robert N. Neiman
Donald P. Taylor
Richard A. Stepp
Howard F. Murphy
Wilbur E. Roberts
Dick Kelty
W. Tom Sechrist
Bruce L. Meyers
Clarence F. Harms
Charles Rozaire
Howard E. Jackson
Allen C. Ward
R. V. DeWitt
Marion A. Cassell
Ralph DeLoach
Henry VonSeyfried
George P. Klinka
Thomas W. Kendall
Wallace Beene
John DeiLmonte
Richard A. McCartney
Richard R. Woodard
William J. O'Neal
Charles S. Ramsden
Roman L. Yanda
Chester N. Sidell
John S. Parker
Noble B. Trenham
Daniel J. Young
Harold Price
Thomas L. Horowitz
Al A. Adams
Robert Mueller
William J. Kitchen
Steven L. Rose
W. Edwin Chatwell
Kenneth L. Senter
Peter P. Nartinek
Ray C. Fredrickson
Roger L. Rothrock
Sven F. W. Wahlroos
Roy Roush
(IN MEMORIAM, concluded) remember him in the Club--of which he was,
for a time, a Director--and who will always regard him, not only as
one of the giants among men but a most valued member of the Adventurers' Club. I happen to be among their number.
Rest easy, Bill, you had a full and satisfying life. Not only
rich and remarkable but, indeed, truly enviable. Few men can say the
same. Or have it said about them.
K. D. Y.
-11-
ADVENrURERS' CLUB NFJS
March 1987
LET'S UPDATE THE ROSTER
The Roster needs updating. It is rapidly becoming obsolete or
at least misleading.
There are at least 45 address changes that have occured since
printing in its present form. Almost none of those reported in various issues of the A. C. NEWS have included phone numbers.
HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:
Class A.
If your current address or phone number is different than
in the Roster, send it to Chet Wilczek. (He's #811 and his
address and phone number are correct in the Roster.)
Class B.
If your number is above 975, the following should be sent
to Chet Wilczek:
(1) Your name and Club Membership Number and classification (Active or Associate).
(2) Your mailing address.
(3) Phone numbers you wish included marked as business
or residence or both. If none, please specify "No
phone".
(4) Resume of your qualifications (as you want them to
appear on your picture page).
(5) A picture of you preferably black and white. (If
it is too large to make a 2" x 2" head size it can
be reduced. It should not be too small because
enlarging results in poor quality).
Class C.
If you are one who wants a change in your existing picture
page, do the following:
(1) If it's a picture chane, send the new one. (Assumedly sixtyish doesn t want to continue looking
thirtyish).
(2) If it's "Adventures" changes, please rewrite the
entire report 'as you wish it to appear, unless the
changes are numbers or dates that can replace existing ones, or
(3) If it's a simple addition to your report just show
"The following is to be added at the end of the
present page # so and so", and to help with accuracy include your membership number.
-12-
ADVENI1JRERS' CLUB NEWS
March 1987
[More on The Roster]
COSTS:
A. The Club covers the costs of all address and phone number
changes whenever the Roster is updated.
B. All original entries for new memberships currently beginning
with 976 and up, are made at Club expense, at no cost to the
member.
C. All changes requested on existing picture pages will cost the
requesting member $20 for the entire page. Make checks payable to The Adventurers' Club.
The period for receiving the "updating"
the month following the mailing of the issue
ment. If you wait too long your changes will
updating or -- whenever!
Please remember to include your phone
phone".
material will be during
carrying this announcebe included in the 1988
number(s) or state "No
If you wish an acknowledgement of rr' having received ywr "inputs"
for the Roster, please include a self-addressed-stamped envelope.
I have received "Class C" changes for the picture pages from the
following members:
Roger Rothrock #966 - New picture only
Stephen Roulac #767 - New picture and data changes
Bob Sandwick #909 - Data changes
If I'm supposed to have others, please remind me and I'll look
for them.
Of the address changes printed in various issues of the ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS most did not include phone numbers or changes so
they would be incomplete.
I'm not hankering for this job but someone's gotta do it. So it
will help if you'll get at it yesterday.
Trapped as Guru,
Chet Wilczek #811
Home address: 230 Walnut Street
Arcadia, CA 91006
Home phone: (818) 447-1010
-13-
March 1987
ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS
A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
PROGRAMS FOR MARCH AND APRIL
Alan Siebert, Program Chairman
March 5, 1987
THE VOYAGER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
Guests: Blosser and Massengale
March 12, 1987
LADIES NIGHT
"DANGER ON THE YANGTZE"
Guest: Kevin O'Brien
March 19, 1987
"tASTRQLAW IN THE ANTARCTICA"
Guest: Charles Stovitz
March 26, 1987
"BY KAYAK AROUND THE ISLANDS OF THE
CLOUDS" - The Queen Charlotte Islands
April 2, 1987
"IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT WAVE"
Guest: Paul Holmes
Editor of SURFING Magazine
During the month of April the
emphasis will be on adventure
in sports, California-oriented.
-14-
March 1987
WE HEARD FROM:
HONDURAS Nov 13 - Greetings from
fantasy land!
KEITH CHASE
§ § §
ATHENS Dec. 24 - An evening with
London "Savages" (Wade greets
Booth.) The Princess climbed to
new heights. Natives seem friendly. Greek Xmas is Feb 25 though
a bit low-keyed by LA Standards.
Having explored the 1st Mu. B.
C.E. in Greece we're off to wander through the 2nd to 5th Mu.
B.C.E. in Egypt. Dispatch to follow.
Fondly (still),
THE MERRYS
§ § §
HONOLULU Dec. 26 - Merry Christmas from Hawaii. See you soon.
BILL GARR #855
§ § §
TOMBSTONE, AZ Jan 5 - On the way
to New Orleans and stopped by
"Uncle Charley's" in Boothill to
pay respects to whom Wyatt Earp
called the "most dangerous gun
in the West!" See you in two
weeks
SMOKEY STORMS #914
§ § §
A.P.O. GERMANY Jan. 5 - I'm In
Germany till tomorrow then leave
from here fur Manila and Palau,
Peleliu and so on. Made my New
Year's resolution togive up wine
women and song. Severe strain
so far. Doctor advised me to
give up singing only. Hope you
all do great.
The best
HENRY VON SEFREID #881
§ § §
BAJA, CFA (Date unknown) We are
having a good time in Baja. We
might come back some day.
ED CHATWELL #718
BILL CARR #855
NEIL SELMAN #965
§ § §
SITKA Jan. 8 - Am attending the
Alaska State Trooper Academy in
Sitka. Tough on such an old guy.
Boring because so much is basic;
exciting because it's being police work in "The Last Frontier".
Everyone seems amazed to find
someone from the "Big City" with
26 years service. I'm a dinosaur.
Miss you guys. Really appreciate
the CLUB NEWS, Bob!
Fraternally,
MAX HURLBUT #880
PRICE IS HONORED
GERRY PRICE, member #537, was
honored recently for his 35 years
of dedicated service to the Municipal Water District of Orange
County. The big affair was held
at the Santa Ana Country Club on
January 29th.
-15-
A Recording of History
OUR THURSDAY NIGHT PROGRAMS
January 15, 1987
Bill Roberts (Carmel) and Emil
Barjak (Mexico) get rny"Hats off"
award for this evening for coming
such a long distance to be with
US.
have transportation down to the
Club to be with us.
Ken Senter, one of the three
musketeers of Yamada-Barjak-Senter trio, reported on meeting up
with Emil last December in Mexico City. Emil cautioned Ken on
his intended climb up Popocatepetl (17,800+) due to stormy,
windy weather. Ken's good-natured humor allowed him to report on what befell him for failing to heed good advice. His
hair-raising experience made him
a believer for his next ascent.
Bob Benner is off to Yellowstone National Park following up
with a trip to the Caribbean to
defrost.
Dwayne Merry reported on his
(and wife Suzy's) trip to England, Greece (it snowed in Athens), Egypt and back to England
in his engagingly humorous style.
Recent member Sven Wairoos was
awarded a Club flag for his forthcoming expedition aboard the Sea
Cloud. It is a 4-m,sted bark going from Easter Island to Pitcairn, Ganibiers and the Austral
Isles stopping off at Henderson
Island too before ending in Tahiti.
Jan. 15, 1987 - The Program
Bob Silver brought down many
artifacts from Bhutan not nor'rIBF?'
mally seen outside of that counwith guest Jeff Berman
try.
Bob Brahns invited members to
Guest Adventurer Jeff Berman,
his travel offices to see some
with wife in tow, took what they
of his eye-popping things gaththought would be a trek to Nepal
ered along the way. Tonight he
reported on his "capture" of the (Jeff's third trip back to Nepal)
largest garuda (11 feet high) and then into Tibet with five
outside of Indonesia among other
quadrilingual Sherpa guides who
spoke fluent Nepali, Sherpa, Tiartifacts he brought back from
his recent trip to Indonesia.
betan and English.
Jeff said the Tibetans have a
As usual Bob went over to Weststrong distaste for the Chinese
wood tonight to pick up Louie
Loober to make sure Louie could
who have incorporated Tibet into
-16-
March 1987
ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS
(Tibet, continued)
China's lifestyle as rrirh as that
can be done recognizing the Tibetans have lived for centuries
without Father Ghina"doing good"
for them.
Much of Jeff's slides involved
Buddhist monasteries whose titular head is the Dalai Lama. The
Han Chinese stamped out the religious life of Tibet but from
what we could see, the Tibetans
fled into ft religion as a shelter from this cultural oppression.
On a trip to Tibet one never
forgets the overwhelming and pervasive effect of the Portola in
Lhasa, seat of tbe religious life
there. The 5th Lama built the
Portola and his remains and all
those after him up to the 13th
are buried in it. The present
Dalai Lama has flown the coop to
India. He is the 14th in the
succession of Lamas. The Portola
is an edifice of 1000 rooms seemingly built into, or attached
onto the side of an imposing hunk
of earth perched and dominates
the locale of Lhasa (which rests
on a plain 12-13,000 feet high.
Jeff learned some Nepali and
managed some Tibetan lingo to
grab off some "straight talk"
without going through interpreters. He felt local folks might
fear telling them like it is. In
Tibet, the Chinese assign a mandatory guide for all travellers,
But they preferred being with
fellow Chinese back in Peking or
wherever. So Jeff said the group
gratuitously dumped the guides
and went out on their own whereever possible. The guides were
delighted not to have to be amongst the Tibetans and the palpable feelings were reciprocated.
In a startling sequence of slides
Jeff showed us a Tibetan home.
Quite primitive by our standards
but how else can you live under
such high altitude circumstances.
Also, from the many, many conversations Jeff had with the
THE CHINESE SUPPORT 111EMONKS!!!
monks, he learned that 10,000 of
them used to call the Portola
their home; now only a few hundred live there.And who supports
the monks these days? Would you
believe the Chinese do?
The food on the trip was horrible where the Chinese were in
charge. Lodging was a rathole at
times. An exception was a magnificent looking building run by
the Holiday Inn in Lhasa where
the food was good because a European chef was brought in. It
seems that rice and Spam was the
order of the day at meals more
times than Jeff cared to recall.
Tibetans, on the otFr hand, were
friendly, outgoing and a sheer
joy to be with.
Jeff closed the program with
some slides he had of Mt. Everest
and the immediate surrounding
(Concluded on the next page)
-17-
March 1987
ADVENTURERS' CLUB NEWS
(TIBET, concluded)
area. The trek, which turned out
to be more by lorry than anything
else, brought them up to the 19,
000 foot level where the magic
of a camera captured shots of
this majestic beacon bathed in a
sunny pink from a rising sun.
Thanks must go to our sterling
member Dick Kelty for introducing
Jeff to the Club. Dick's son,
Richard, joined us for this evening, too, as he has adventured
off the beaten path with Jeff on
some of Jeff's other treks.
BOB I3RAI-IM'S GARUI)A
RUNNING THE RAPIDS OF
THE AMERICAN RIVER
with Keith Chase
WHAT IS A GARUDA?
Tonight Keith Chase (leave it
to Keith to be thinking of the
Club) gave us a video insight on
being a river rat running the
rapids of the American River in
central California. This is classified as a "IV" on river running
scoring. Keith has taken the
trip and was so enthralled by it
he is willing to put out $4000
of his own dinero if the Club
wants to get 40 members, wives,
or guests together for a private
run in June 1987. The cost would
be $205 a head (leave Friday pm,
return Sunday pm) all costs inclusive,. leaving from, say, the
San Fernando Valley on a chartered bus. Call Keith if interested.
For those members who were
not at the meeting on January
15th, sour Editor checked with
Bob Brahms on the definition
Of the word garizia. He tells
me that it is a mythical birdlike creature and is one of the
national emblems of Indonesia.
It was fortunate that I had
the good sense to check with
him as, after checking with my
dictionaries--both English and
Spanish--I failed to turn up
any trace of the word The
closest word was garufa and,
because garuda was a Spanishsounding word I almost concluded that it was a mispelling
of the word garu, only to
find that a garia was a polecat!
Ed.
March 1987
ADVFNIIJRERS' CLUB MW
January 22, 1987
- The
(or
Program
bUS1
I
"
with Emil Barjak, Dave Yamada
and Ken Senter
Timbuktu is deep into the intenor of the northern hump of
Africa a short jaunt from the
Niger River in the country of
Mali. The Michelin map I'm looking at shows d- spelling as Tombouctou, about 500 miles northwest of Godforsaken Bamako (MaLi's capital) or 1250 due north
of Abijan/Accra, capitols of Ivory Coast ati Ghana respectively,
I needn't explain further its
location except to say it's on
the underbelly side of the great
Sahara.
Perambulating Emil Barjak,
with Dave Yamada and Ken Senter
in tow plus two other friends
(unaffiliated adventurers), dazzied an overflow turnout with his
intimate frenzy of slides on
north and west Africa as only
With Ken Senter
Emil can do.
narrating the journey to this
huge Ladies Night group and Dave
cracking the whip on his c.ompanions to make sure they didn't
stretch a point, we watched in
admiration as these adventurers
trekked through tbe horrors found
in the undeveloped areas of Africa -- developed maybe on Afri
can standards but strictly "de-19-
privation" by our own.
We saw Emil's usual assortment
of startling, sharp shots of the
range of human faces, variations
in physique, color, expression,
etc, and I might add, some beautiful bodies au naturale. Very
graceful people and done in a
most dignified manner.
Before the slides began, I
should add, member Bill Wheeler
modeled a beautiful garb worn by
Tauregs of the Sahara (Bill traveled there recently and his programs of his trips were simply
blockbusters. He lived in the
region for a number of months,
in fact). I'd call his "get up"
a shrill blue, with all those
wrappings around the torso and
just his eyes showing. Thanks,
Bill, for taking the time from
your medical practice to come
down to show us authenticw3@r of
the region.
As you know, the
Tauregs are known as the "blue
people" because the blue dyes of
their garment/turban w= off onto their faces leaving a bluish
hue.
After flying into Bamako from
Paris, they managed to get to
Mopti 360 miles further upstream.
There they finagled a 30-foot
rat-infested pirogue with a squat
thatched hut in the mid-section.
This protected them from the elements, mainly the tropical sun
intent on debilitating anything.
The boat was flat-bottomed and
didn't look too sturdy. Included
March 1987
ADV1NI1JRERS' GUJB NEWS
(TIMBUKTU, continued)
with the boat were a couple of
guides. At night, Ken reported
the rats emerged from the forest
thatch of the boat's construction
to forage about--including using
Ken's face as a throughway. Having shoved off from Mopti, our
adventurers only once si in the
Niger until the guides and local
natives they met along the shore
alarmed them with stories of man
eating crocodiles that stealthily
drag prey down to the river's
depths to drown them and later
eat at their leisure.
- THEY NEVER MEl' A BAD AFRICAN
While this boat did not have
any similarities to Bogart's African Queen, it did have a motor
attached to it, which made it a
sort of Cadillac among boats on
the river. Huck Finn wouldn't
have been proud of it, I bet. It
was strictly and African mxl &d
served its purposes there, well.
Ken pointedly said tFey never saw
nor met a "bad" African--invarihonest, helpful and
ably all
a pleasure to be with--they once
left all their gear for three
days and returned to find it all
intact.
They lived off the river, es
pecially its fish. They ate hippo one night after trading fish
for meat caught in the river.
Although this is starvation country, the areas immediately adjacent to this riverre devoid of
-
the emaciated, helpless souls
common in this land which is naturally inhospitable to the human condition.
They got some good pictures
of the anatomy of a sandstorm
which rolled across their path
before making Timbuktu maybe 200
miles northwest of Mopti as the
crow flies (much greater on the
boat's odometer, if it had one,
since no river is "straight").
After reaching this ancient desert caravan crossing point, the
coterie retraced their path to
Bamako and then flew back to Paris and on home.
§ § §
Thanks Emil, thanks Ken and
thanks Dave--you guys are an adventure in and of yourselves. It
is sumply amazing knowingyw always return in one piece, seemingly none the worse for wBar and
raring to go on the next challenge (it is rafting down the
Yangtse from its origin, next,
with Dave Reed hitching a ride
with Emil's bank).
Last but not least, as the expression goes, a big round of
'hurrahs" for the Daves, Reed and
Yamada, for cutting up countless
squares of ravishing cake for all
the house
of us to wolf
lights were turned on. Since
Emil's programs are "short but
good" they had to work fast to
get it all out in time.
-20-
AMERICAS CUP WINNERS
YACHT NAME WINNER
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US
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SKIPPER
John Cox Stevens
Andrew Comstock
Nelson Comstock
Josephus Williams
Nathaniel Clock
Aubrey Crocker
Martin Stone
Henry Haff
William Hansen
Henry Haff
Charles Barr
Charles Barr
Charles Barr
Charles Francis Adams
Harold Vanderbilt
Harold Vanderbilt
Harold Vanderbilt
Briggs Cunningham
Bus Mosbacher
Robert Bavier
Bus Mosbacher
Bill Ficker
Ted Hood
Ted Turner
Dennis Conner
John Bertrand
Dennis Conner
THE CREW OF STARS & STRIPES
- Dennis Conner
SKIPPER
- Tom Whidden
TACTICIAN
- Peter Isler
NAVIGATOR
MAINSHEET TRIMMER - Jon Wright
- Adam Ostenfeld
TAlLER
- Scott Vogel
BOWMAN
PITMAN
- Jay Brown
MASTMAN
- John Barnitt
PORT GRINDER
- Jim Kavle
GRINDER
- Kyle Smith
STARBOARD GRINDER - Henry Childers
TAlLER
- Bill Trenkle
THE ADVENTURERS' CLUB
OF LOS ANGELES
706 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015
POSTMASTER:
Address Correction Requested
Entered as SECOND CLASS
Postage at the Post Office
at Los Angeles, California
MR. CHARLES ROZAIRE
% LOS ANGELES COUNTY MU3EU
900 W. EXPOSITION BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90007
- IN THIS ISSUE Page
.........
UP! by Keith Young #565
Capt. Roulac Memorial Fund........................... Page
Changes of Address for your Roster...................Page
Page
Video Premier of the "Voyager" .........
arix
1
2
7
7
IN MEMORIAM - William J. Cheney 1601
by Keith Young......................... ..... Page 8
A Sincere "Thank You" ............................... Page ll
Let's Update the Roster with Chet Wilczek #811......Page 12
A Look ]i'to the Future
Thursday night Programs for March.... .......Page 14
We Heard From ....................................... Page 15
TIBET with Guest Jeff Berman........... .. . ......... Page 16
RUNNING ME RAPIDS OF THE AMERICAN
RIVER with Keith Chase #664 ................. Page 18
TIMBUKTU OR BUST! (Ladies Night) with Emil Barjak,
Dave Yamada and Ken Senter..................Page 19