Adventurers' Club News Nov 2009 - The Adventurers

TheAdventurers’ Club NewsVolume 53 NOVEMBER 2009 Number 5Vince Weatherby, Anatoly Sagalevitch, Emory Kristof, Don Walsh

The Adventurers' Club NewsThe Official Publication of the Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles,NON cbt, 2039Volume 53 Number 5Publisher Allan Smith #1069EditorClub Phone (323) 223-3948 (24 Hrs)www.adyenturersclu b. orgTABLE OF CONTENTSDIRECTORYINSIDE FRONT COVERPRESIDENT'S PAGE BY ALLAN SMITH 1ARTICLESA COLD WAR SEA STORY BY FRED HARELAND 2LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 3EPIPHANY 4BOOK REVIEWS 5THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB 6RALPH WHITE CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY BY ROGER HAFT 18NEW MEMBERS 19 & 20FORTHCOMING PROGRAMS 21UPCOMING EVENTS 21(-PRESIDENT 2ND VICE PRES SECRETARY ADDRESSAllan Smith Jim Heaton III Gene Arias 2433 N BroadwayLos Angeles, CA 90086MAILING ADDRESS1ST VICE PRES TREASURER DINNER RESERVATIONS PO Box 31226Vince Weatherby Rick Flores (323)-223-3948 (VoiceMail) Los Angeles, CA 90031Deadline: Tuesday NoonPHONE & WEBSITE(323) 223-39482PIPW.adn thrersclub.or

TheADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWSVolume 53 November, 2009 Number 5THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE – Looking ForwardAllan R. Smith #1069 - PresidentAs I write this months Presidents message,it is with a heavy heart as I havejust received the message that our belovedmember John Nicholls Booth #869 hasgone on the great adventure. John was aninspiration to so many around the Worldand to everyone in our club. A man thatlived many lives and published over 18books, including countless articles. A magician,adventurer, minister, cinematographerand the first clergyman to have a religioustelevision show in the 1940’s. Aman that epitomizes what our club is allabout. A memorial at the club is beingplanned and he will be sorely missed.We have concluded our elections forthis year and the new officers and boardmembers for 2010 are as follows: PresidentAllan Smith, 1 st /Program ChairmanVince Weatherby,2 nd Vice President Mike Gualtney, SecretaryAlan Feldstein, Treasurer RickFlores. Board members: Steve Peterman,Jeffery Goddard, Stuart Bird Wilson, DaveFinnern, Robert Williscroft and Dave Yamada.We now start to look ahead to the holidaysand our “Presidents Christmas Party”.This year’s party is not the time to miss as Ihave some great “female” entertainers forthe evening. Emily will be fixing our customarydinner and we have a new awardthat will be handed out that evening to aspecial member, as well as the Adventurerof the Year award. Please consider buyingyour ticket and getting your reservation inearly.So as I dedicate this month’s newsletterto our friend and past President JohnNicholls Booth. The best thing I can say toyou is live life to the fullest, look to thestars and dream big. Live to be an exampleto others, as John has been to so many ofus!Until next time,Allan R. SmithADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS November, 20091

A COLD WAR STORYEscorting a Soviet Juliett Nuclear On the way back we received orders toMissile Submarine to Vladivostok head north to intercept and accompany aBy Fred HarelandSoviet sub and her watchdog trawler. Wesped up to about 21 knots. But it took aboutIwas recently surfing the Web looking10 hours to arrive at the position 200 milesfor information about the Soviet Juliettclass submarines when I saw the fol-away. The Soviets were underway at a leisurelypace.lowing.online ad: SUBEXPO,LTD—offeringan ex-Soviet Juliett-class nuclear mis-All sixteen deployed Juliett class subswere built between 1961 and 1968. Thesile submarine for hire or sale. This ad surprisedme; however, I wasn’t too surprisedJulietts had by the late sixties had morphedfrom a nuclear missile platform into a platformfor anti-carrier operations. Our Juli-when I tried to access the web page andgot the message that this page cannot beett sub probably carried four of the nucleararmed P-6s (NATO designation SS-Nfound!We’ve come a long way from somewhere3A Shaddock.) These carried 20 kiloton nuclearwarheads, big enough to vaporize anyout in the North Pacific in December, 1969,during the height of the Cold War whensurface vessel.such subs were roaming about loaded forI don’t know her name or hull numberbear with nuclear anti-ship cruise missilesbecause the Soviets routinely painted themand manned by Soviet sailors.out . But she was one of only four JuliettsThis is how things were when the USSassigned to the Pacific.McMorris DE-1036 intercepted a surfacedWe suspected that our quarry had sufferedsome engineering damage forcing herJuliett and followed it for three days almostto her home port of Vladivostok. The Sovietshad a sense of humor and invited theto surface and make way for Vladivostok.McMorris maintained a parallel course onofficers and crew in for a port visit. Weher port side at a distance of 350 yards.promptly declined and after offering ourOn the third day a Soviet Harmone helicopterflew around our ship several timesappreciation turned toward our next destinationSasebo, Japan.taking photographs. So we had our photographer’smate take photos also. Crew mem-The McMorris was fitted out for electronicintelligence and she stayed busy performingspecial operations assignments. Ourbers on the “Mighty Mac” observed ourenemy and his armament.home port was Pearl Harbor, however, weI went to the signal bridge to look throughwere frequently in and out of Subic Bay inthe binoculars. This was my first time tothe Philippines.see Soviet military sailors. They wereWe got the word to get underway fordressed in dark blue jumpsuits with patches.The officers wore shoulder boards withKaohsiung, Taiwan to participate in Taiwanpatrols and then return to Subic.gold piping. All wore those furry looking(A Cold War continued on page 3)November, 20092ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

A Cold War Story(Cold War continued from page 2)caps.They were a sharp and professional lookinggroup of adversaries, men who we knewwould not hesitate at attempting to annihilateour ship and crew.As an epilogue—I recently completed aseven-month stint working for NorwegianCruise Line and was being trained to becomethe ship’s Communications/ElectronicsOfficer. Two of my mentors were Russians,Victor and Alexey. They were goodpeople and I was happy to know that we(the US) never had to nuke them. They returnedthe sentiments.Silver Linings by Bob SilverWhere will you be when the Adventurers’ Club celebrates its centurybirthday in 1922? Where will the Club beand how will it be transformed, if at all?Remembering the Club’s many venues,presidents, great programs and members.Also it can be recalled that the Club hasnever been robust financially and has alwaysdreamed of its own home. Stalwartleaders progress with their non-productwith until they move out of town or go onthe Great Adventure.So are there any suggestions, maybe amodest proposal?Glad you asked—here goes:1. the president appoint a standing Centenarycommittee (Cencom) composed ofall former presidents who shall envisionhow they’d like to see the Club on its bigbirthday. Cencom Is empowered to appointnon-presidents as participants in planning.2. Cencom is empowered to poll themembership by questionnaire to determinehow we see ourselves past present, and future.3. Cencom shall select a chairman fromits membership who shall submit to theClub’s Board no less frequently than bi-annuallyon February 1 st a white paper consitingof a majority and if any minority.And I hope we can all attend this birthdayparty.Don Taylor writes that he is 91 andstill driving and in his own home.He has sold his aircraft and is in goodhealth.He has finally quit flying solo after15,000 flight hours. He received his firstCAA (now FAA) pilot’s license in October,1940.Don was an active pilot for 68 years includingWorld War II as a fighter pilot. Hequit flying because it became too much ofa hassle. He has sold his aircraft.He gives his best to all and urges us tohang in there.ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 3November, 2009

EpiphanyBy Bob ZemanLike many in the Club my epiphany iscentered around John Goddard. I wasfortunate to grow up in La Canada whereJohn lived. He was called upon to give presentationsat my school.Like John, I was an Eagle Scout but I wasaware of my limitations. I was just an unformedhuman who had potential, like everyoneelse and I really wanted to do somethingwith my life.But finally my reading required for futuretests was over and I could travel outsideof my community and experience thepeoples, flora and fauna. My health was excellent.I could hike because La Canada isat the base of the Angeles Crest Highwaywhere I had often hiked and camped.No, I have not kayaked the length of theNile. I have not even been to Egypt.I do have a list like John but there is aproblem with lists as John will verify. As Icheck off each accomplishment, I usuallyadd two or three more. Thus my list enlarges.I think John once told me that if hewere to update his list from the original hemade as a 15-year old, his list would nownumber more than 500.I remember returning from a trip to theRussian Far East and meeting with my wifeMarie. I asked her how she was doing andshe said that she had been a little under theweather. I said that I hoped she felt better.I felt fine despite having spent three weekseating strange food, camping in tents andhiking about in cold weather.November, 20094WHO DO WE HONORBy Frank HaiglerOn this day the markers and crosses stretchrow upon row with little gay flags, flutteringover each. So many veterans lying hereamongst their fallen heroes of wars so longago. And we stand before these reminders ofsome who died in battle and many who livedon to hopefully fulfill their dreams, many ofwhich were changed by their war. Yes, wemourn and honor them, our veterans and heroesof wars long past. But we fail to honorthe many many more tragic heroes of our fallenin battle, those whose lives were to continuelong beyond the heat of the battlefield. Thesadness and loss of the countless mothers andfathers, the wives and sweethearts, the brothersand sisters and countless friends wouldcontinue on through the years. It has beensaid it is easy to die but so difficult to continueto live with a broken heart. Remembertoday as you face these flags and markers thatin many ways they merely symbolize the realtragedy of war. As you read the history books,the narratives of war and the statistics of individualbattles, the true picture is not revealed.The thousands killed in action anddying of their wounds is but a fraction of thelosses we have sustained. We can never countthe misery and anguish of the living left behind,the unknown children never to be fathered,the terrible loss to a mother, and afather’s pride gone; the live of a woman leftalone and the voided companionship of comrades.Yes, this is the true tragedy of war, notlimited to those fallen heroes or recounted inthe archives.Think of this today as you gaze onthese flags bravely waving in the breeze.(Epiphany)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Book ReviewsBOOK REVIEWSTrail of Feathers by Robert Rivard, Public Affairs, New YorkBy David YamadaIn late 1998, I read a small paragraph in the newspaper about Philip True. He was anewspaper reporter missing in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. A couple ofweeks later in another small paragraph, I read of his death.This is the story of the man who trained in Mexico City by walking through smoggyneighborhoods carrying a backpack full of rocks. He had previously walked parts of thesame trail and befriended the local Huichol Indians. This is a lesson in traveling alone;things that can go wrong through cultural misunderstandings; the burdens placed uponnative populations; rumors that take on a dimension of their own; tragedy; inept bureaucracies,and a more inept/corrupt judicial system producing a result championed andfunded by the unwitting.The story reeks of international politics.Cleveland’s National Air Races by Thomas Matowitz, Arcadia PublishingBy Marvin GarrettCharles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic in May, 1927 caused an explosionof interest in flying and the Golden Age of Air Racing. The National Air Raceswere held in Cleveland between 1929 and 1949.While the Army air Corps and Navy were flying fixed landing gear, bi-plane fighters,they finally woke up to the fact that air racing planes were much faster. Why? They haddeveloped innovations like retractable landing gear, low-wing monoplanes, air-cooledengines and streamlining.This reviewer had an opportunity to see the events described. He remembers RoscoeTurner, Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, Clff Udet and many others.They seemed to enjoy talking to a little red-haired kid who dreamed of being a pilotsomeday.The reviewer’s home has a room with walls covered with autographed pictures of planesand pilots of legendary flying fame. One framed photo of Roscoe Turner reads: THEREIS NO EXCUSE FOR AN AIRPLANE UNLESS IT WILL FLY FAST.ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 5November, 2009

September 10, 2009partment in the country with 18,000It was Ladies Night. Roger Haft re sworn officers and staff and a budget of $2.4turned from his adventure to Iceland, billion. The nation’s largest local jail systemNorway, Greenland and Spitsbergen. He houses more than 20,000 prisoners.visited our member Kristjan Kristjanson Sheriff Baca served six years in the Marinein Iceland. Kris used to be with the police Corps and this is his third term in office.department and has done underwater recoveryfor the police.be adventurous to survive. But we have aThe Sheriff noted that animals have toSteve Bein and Bob Zeman both went mind that allows us to discern. He wantsto Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains. to live to 100. He may be a bit of a fool byBob went to hike up to 14,000 feet and then but he doesn’t want to be a damn fool.Steve walked among the bristlecone pines, He was impressed by the Wright Brotherswho, as scientists, took chances butthe oldest living things on earth.Reda Anderson is trying in November and knew the risks. He remembered going toApril to send Ralph White’s ashes into the roller coaster as a 10-year old with hisspace.grandfather who enjoyed a good drink andEva Wahlroos returned from her 13 th trip his uncle. His grandfather sobered up completelyafter the ride while his uncle wasto Tahiti and visited Danee Hazama. Evais trying to get a Tahitian-English language scared to death.dictionary published.Human spirit cannot be broken unlessBernie Harris flew to Santa Rosa and you break it yourself. Because we have ahis wife Devera flew with him.mind, we need to get out and use it. HeAllan Smith and his wife are going to asked: if the universe did not have us toBluff, Utah for a raft trip down the San witness it, then what good would it be?Juan River through the goosenecks to MexicanHat.stan. He went to Lahore, Peshawar, theSheriff Baca recently traveled to Paki-Shane Berry is leaving for Lac la Ronge Khyber Pass and the base camp of thein Saskatchewan.Pakistani army. He met with MusharrafPierre Odier is leaving in two weeks for and talked about law and police training.Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.The police system in Pakistan is a good oneCharles Carmona has planned a trip to but the police are underpaid.the tourmaline mines on Sunday November1 st . This owner does less pre-screening a country by going there. Iran is a beautifulHe believes that one canbest appreciateso the chances are good for gems. country and has good people. But the mediaportray a different image. The Americanpeople can be public diplomats.Sheriff of Los Angeles CountyHe helped train police in Qatar and oversawtraining in Saudi Arabia. He and Lee Baca runs the largest sheriff ’s de hisNovember, 20096(Minutes continued on page 7)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Meetings September 10 & 17, 2009officers ate a traditional meal of rice andlamb using their hands.On a flight over the North Pole, SheriffBaca was invited to sit in the cockpit. Hewas enthralled.Adventure is not about quitting but aboutperpetual growth in spirit and inspiration.Our mind is unlimited.Lee has plans to host many police chiefsfrom Muslim countries, Australia and othercountries. Police in many of these countriesare eager to learn English, math, and science.But they don’t know how to teach policing.Lee recommended two books—On GoldenMountain about the Chinese coming toCalifornia and 28 days to Musa Dagh.September 17, 2009In between two ladies’ night presentations, we had another stellar presentation.Alan Feldstein said that he had somebeautiful dives in Catalina and his guestHeidi, the dog, will appear on DesperateHousewives.President Allan Smith is going for a seven-day,90-mile raft trip on the San JuanRiver between Bluff and Mexican Hat.Bob Zeman noted an article on Bill Altafferin the September issue of Men’s Journal.It discussed his status as the world’smost traveled man.Apparently, organ transplants are easier toobtain in Florida than any other state. Is thisbecause Florida is one of the few state thatdoes not require helmets on motorcyclists.Island of the Great White SharkOff the coast of Baja, Isla Guadalupeserves as a sanctuary to the great whiteshark. Cinematographer Richard Theiss hasmade numerous trips to film these predatorsin visibility of 100 feet.Richard uses a small spear and an electricshield to protect himself. He initiallygoes down in a cage to assess the behaviorand their potential appetite.Since the cage only goes down about 10feet, one does not have to be a certifieddiver but can use an air hose to view thesharks. But there are three buzzwords—education, appreciation and respect.Most of the filming is done inside thecages. Chumming is not done but a chunkof tuna can be held as bait. One time a2,000 pound shark bumped a zodiac andraised it two feet.The sharks eat mostly seals, sea lions andlarge fish. They are able shed their teeth becausethe teeth are attached to cartilage andnot bones. Their skin is made of denticlesinstead of ordinary fish scales. The denticlesare constructed like hard sharp teeth and helpto protect the shark from injury.The two main shark observation boats,Horizon and Islander each take a day toget to Guadalupe from San Diego and spendthree days off the coast. The sharks do migrateto a sea mount off Hawaii every yearbut then return.Richard likes to track the sharks by taggingthem as the base of the dorsal fin. Andhe recognizes at least three on sight.There are also great whites along with tigersharks and lemon sharks in the Bahamas.But there the visibility is not as goodADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 7November, 2009

Minutes – September 17 & 24, 2009and one has to be a certified diver to viewthem.Male sharks live about 12 years and femaleslive about 10. Gestation period is 18months and only one or two pups are theusual litter.Sharks are being harvested for productsincluding shark fin soup. The fin does notadd to taste but to texture. This demandhas greatly decimated the shark population.Sharks can detect sounds from milesaway. Closer in they detect scents and thenthey get visual contact. Only near the endof the approach can they sense electricalimpulses. This last sensitivity is what Richarduses on his electric shield to driveaway a hungry shark.September 24, 2009We had a large crowd tonight and firstvice president Vince Weatherby,treasurer Rick Flores and other boardmembers did a great job in insuring that allwent well.Anatoly Sagalevitch introduced hisguests from the oceanology institute inRussia. The institute currently has officesin Moscow, Lake Baikal, Vladivostok andMurmansk. Next year, tourist dives areplanned to the Bismarck and Titanic.Explorers’ Club president Lorie Karnathsaid that Anatoly would be presented theWilliam Beebe award for exploration by theExplorers’ Club.Guest Mark Weitz said that he had returnedfrom Malta and visited the temples,grottoes and walled cities.Dave Finnern returned from a dive tripto Bermuda. He visited the museum of theTitanic and saw the flag presented by RalphWhite.Bernie Harris and his wife Devera aregoing to Quito, Ecuador and the Galapagos.Bill Morse and his wife are leaving for aminimum of two years in Cambodia. Billwill be running the NGO for CambodianSelf Help Demining (www.landmine-relieffund.com)and Jill will be teaching. Theyare taking the dog.Bob Oberto and Andrea Donellan areplanning an adventure to Antarctica to recovera plane from the Byrd expedition.Andrea has seen the plane twice on herseven trips to the Continent. The kickoffbash will be October 10 th at the Proud BirdRestaurant with Robert Byrd Breyer,grandson of the admiral, and Dick Rutanin attendance.Mike Gwaltney, Jim Dorsey, AlanFeldstein and Pierre Odier are leavingin a couple of days for two weeks on thevoodoo trail in West Africa. They will visitTogo, Benin and Burkina Faso.A brief report was given on the distributionof the ashes of former president RalphWhite. Jay Foonberg took the ashesto Guam and Iwo Jima. Paul Isley tookthem to the Pyramid of Cheops in Egyptand to Lake Baikal in Russia. Paul and BillMorse took them to Mt. Everest basecamp. Rosaly Lopes carried them to Brazil,Halifax, Nova Scotia and Mt. Blanc.November, 20098ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Minutes--September 24, 2009Roger Haft took them to Norway and WestAfrica. Pierre Odier took them to Turkey,Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ohm.Bernie Harris is taking them to the Galapagos.Bob Silver will bury them at seavia a nuclear submarine.Among those in the audience were LennyLipton who was involved in using threedimensionalphotography underwater andJim Hellemn who is converting 35 millimetercameras to three-dimensional.Ghost Ships and Deepwater AnimalsEmory Kristof started as an intern atNational Geographic Magazine atage 20. He was hired as a full-time photographerat 21 and went out with PeterBenchley.The two went out to Loch Ness in Scotlandfor a 56-day photo shoot trying to heatwater to attract Nessie, the supposed seamonster. The highlight was a photo of aneel.Emory has dove around the world withmany famous photographers including AlGiddings, Ralph White and David Doubilet.He was the first to use a vista vision camerafor photographing the sides ov a wreckwhile in a submersible.After diving the Titanic, he wanted tomake a film on hot water vents. In the SouthPacific he filmed brine shrimp with HDcameras. But the heat can melt the plexiglass.Geographic He made showing the film underwater “Volcanoes shots. of theDeep Sea.”His footage “Ghost ships of the War of1812” was on sunken ships in the GreatLakes. The cover was the first for NationalAnother venture was the search for theBreadalbane in the far north. It was foundin 340 feet of water. A camp village wasset up for 17 days and a remote operatingvehicle was used to search for and find theship. The finding made two covers of themagazine.Emory made a huge flash under picturein the Cayman Islands. In Suriga Bay, Japan,he flimed a crab that stretched 12 feetfrom toe to toe. He also filmed a 28-feetlong shark-like fish.A lot of treasures were recovered of theSan Diego which went down off the Philippines.These included 17 bronze cannonsand southeast Asian pottery.After diving the wreck of the EdmundFitzgerald, he replaced the bell with onethat had the names of the 29 persons whodied.Emory showed photos of diving in 750feet depth of water in the Yucatan. Off asea mount near Alaska, he saw an 80-poundhalibut and a 20-armed starfish. He haseven dove Rongalap which is 70 miles fromBikini.For the future, he sees more LED use forlighting and going from film to digital infilm.ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 9November, 2009

Minutes--October 1, 2009October 1, 2009After the business meeting, first vicepresident Vince Weatherby saidthat he had flown in the Goodyear blimp.It fulfilled a lifelong ambition. Ramona Coxaccompanied him.Bob Walters witnessed the Rod Run inWashington. The boulevard was lined withspectators for 20 miles. Some did burn rubberas they drove by.Allan Smith and his wife returned froman 86-mile rafting of the San Juan River.They also hiked Slickhorn and Grand Gulchcanyons.Bob Oberto publicized his kickoff bashfor the Byrd plane recovery mission.Charles Carmona said the pickings forthe tourmaline trip on November 1 st willbe better than usual.Richard Venola wishes he could attendmore meetings.Bob Silver asked for interest in touring anuclear submarine in San Diego.Jim Heaton passed out ballots for votesfor Adventurer of the Year.27 Months in the Peruvian AmazonCharles Carmona was the Chief ofSurvey on the Oleoducto Nor-Peruanofrom December, 1974 to February,1978. It included 850 kilometers of oilpipeline and seven pumping stations.The project in northeastern Peru startedin the center of the Amazon basin and theline went westerly into the foothills of theAndes; crossed at Porculla Pass (2145meters) and ended at Puerto Bayovar onthe Pacific Ocean.Charles’s wife introduced him by sayingshe met him barely two years out of thejungle, but he has never really left. He hadrecently completed gemology courses andwas off to Colombia to buy more emeralds.She thought that when he returnedfrom Colombia, he would settle down.Little did Betty know that Charles wouldgo on gem related trips to Brazil, Thailand,Sri Lanka and Madagascar. In between werejobs in China, Vietnam, Egypt, Mexico andPuerto Rico.As a result of following him, Betty hasgone elephant trekking in northern Thailand,eating worms and other insects andfording leech-infested streams in Sri Lankaand fighting off bands of wild lemurs inMadagascar.In the roadless virgin jungles of the Amazon,his daily commutes were by raft, dugoutcanoe, motorized skiff, homemadewooden river boat, crew boat, helicopter(100’s of hours) and turboprop seaplane.Underwater at least four months of theyear, the flora and fauna of this unpopulatedpart of the world experienced its firstencounters with homo sapiens in the personsof Charles and his crews.The $2-billion project (in 1970 dollars)was second only in size to the Alyeska pipelineon the North Slope of Alaska. It hasserved to supply Peru’s domestic needssince its initial operation began in 1978.At each turning point in the line, a campwas set up and a heliport was built. In hissection he built 25 to 30 helipads. CharlesNovember, 200910ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

was a surveyor and towers up to 80 feetwere built to get sightings. Rafts were builtto ferry the towers and scaffolding.But hacking a tree could disturb a waspnest. There were pet monkeys and coatisin camp. But one time a 4.85 meter boawas killed and skinned.The helicopters brought in rice, spam andother dry goods. The workers also grewbananas and a root to eat. Most of the pilotswere veterans of Vietnam. There werehueys, double engine 212 models and Belljet rangers. Havilan twin otters were usedto communicate with civilization.Charles had a short-wave radio to whichhe listened regularly.The turnover was huge. Some employeesarrived, got off the plane and got rightback on. Charles was quickly promoted tochief surveyor. His project was four monthsbehind schedule but he caught up to beingon time when the job was completed.After a time, he was given a boat with ahead, galley, air conditioning and a bunkroom.To preserve the pipeline, fences werebuilt around the valves. And a means wasdevised to attract the electrons to the pipeand prevent oxidation.A similar project is now going on in Ecuadorbut a big lawsuit needs to be settled.Some people have gotten very wealthy andmany of the natives have not prospered butsuffered healthwise. The royalty distributionis terrible in Ecuador but much betterin Peru.October 8, 2009Since our speaker flew in from Connecticut and written a book, theBoard decided to open the meeting to ladies.Heaton Armstrong told of being inHood River, Oregon and checking into amotel. The next morning, there were manypolice officers because the owner had beenshot and killed during the night.Ramona Cox returned from the PacificNorthwest where she flew her plane andlanded at remote airstrips.Paul Isley entertained some of the notablesfrom the recent meeting featuringEmory Kristof. He then viewed clips ofthe soon to be released film Avatar withJim Cameron. Paul is going to Florida tovisit his son PJ who will turn 21 and wantsto buy a gun.Bernie and Devera Harris are leavingfor a tour of nine islands of the Galapagos.The tortoises, blue-footed boobiesand northernmost group of penguins livethere.It was reported that Larry Schutte hadhealed enough to fly to Papeete, Tahiti forsome diving.Roger Haft is flying to Hamburg to seehis daughter. But he had two extra days sohe will spend them in Lisbon.Bob Silver asked for interest in touringa nuclear submarine in San Diego. Sendreplies to RobertHISilver@yahoo.comKen Freund is going to Malaysia to ridea variety of motorcycles.Bob Oberto and Andrea Donellan pub-(Minutes continued on page 12)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS November, 200911

Minutes – October 8, 2009licized their Kickoff Bash to find and returnthe plane from the 1928 Byrd expeditionin Antarctica.President Allan Smith is leaving forDeath Valley to participate in a debate onthe authenticity of a trunk found there believedto be from the Lost 49er expedition.Charles Carmona will lead a tour oftwo tourmaline mines on Sunday November1 st .Vince Weatherby passed on the sadnews that John Booth was found on thefloor of his home and taken to emergencyat the local hospital.You Want to Go Where?Get Someone to Pay for the Trip ofYour DreamsThe first adventurer to obtain fundingfor his explorations was ChristopherColumbus, according to Jeff Blumenfeld.But since then, there has not been muchsponsorship until Will Steger obtained helpfrom DuPont, Shaklee and others.Jeff has written a book called “You Wantto Go Where?” The book says it is hardlyeasy to find someone to pay for your nexttrip. But it is possible with the help of thisnew book. One can learn how America’sgreatest explorers and adventurers attractedfunding and how you can too.He showed examples of a man who hit agolf ball across Mongolia. Another wantedto fly fish the Pacific Northwest using agoose amphibian plane. Skywalker Jay Cochranewalked on a tightrope across thethree gorges of China.Norman Vaughan was a dog musher onthe Admiral Byrd expedition to Antarcticain 1928. While there, Admiral Byrd nameda mountain after Norman. At the age of88, Norman returned to Antarctica to climbhis namesake mountain.Another man was a descendent of LiefEricson, who wanted to re-create his ancestor’strip across the Atlantic to the newworld. He designed a boat with the samematerials and specifications. But he addeda VHF radio, life raft and an engine formaneuvering in the harbors. That boat isnow on display in Iceland.Reed Stone wants to spend 1,000 consecutivedays at sea. He brought along hisgirl friend on his 72-foot ketch. On day 375,his girl friend learned she was pregnant andleft the boat. On day 450, Reed became afather. On day 657 he broke the old recordof days at sea. He is now at day 980 andlooking forward to landing and seeing hisson.All of these adventurers obtained somesponsorships. One who never needed it wasSteve Fossett.On an expedition to the Arctic in 1986,Paul Schurke placed a sewer pipe withmementos in the ice. The finder would beentitled to a $5,000 prize from DuPont. In1989, a man walking the beach in Irelandfound the sewer pipe and contacted thereferences. He collected his prize.Mike Haugen is now trying to summit thehighest point in each of the 50 states.A 77-year old African-American womanwants to ski to the South Pole. She has alreadybeen to the North Pole skiing a partNovember, 200912ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Minutes – October 8 & 15, 2009of the way.Jeff offered some guidelines to obtainingsupport for an adventure.1. Try for funding first; if that fails,go for the gear2. The project must be bigger thanyou, otherwise it sounds like a vacation3. Consider a tie-in with a non-profit4. Train hard. Consider National OutdoorLeadership School (NOLS) or OutwardBound.5. Demonstrate an ability to write,photograph, blog, and speak in public.6. Get to know the media.At the end of his presentation, Jeff presenteda copy of his book to the Club.Meeting of October 15, 2009We greeted Alan Feldstein, JimDorsey, Pierre Odier, and MikeGwaltney back from their voodoo trip ofWest Africa. Alan said they went to villagesin Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo toview animistic religious practices. Theirguide was great and they saw sacred andharvest dances.Steve Bein is going to Glacier Park forphotography.Dave Yamada and his wife Judy are goingto Japan for a tour focused on martialarts.A number of members have signed upfor the gem mine tours on November 1 st .Jim Heaton passed out ballots for Adventurerof the Year. We have some outstandingcandidates including, Jim Dorsey,Allan Smith and Pierre Odier.Overland from Lake Titicaca to RioShane Berry has traveled in more than50 countries on six continents. Hebrought 18 guests to view his presentationtonight.He left in April of this year for 33 days.He flew to La Paz and then went to Uyunito view the larges salt flats in the world.But among the flats are islands of cacti. Inone motel, the table is made of salt as arethe walls.Bolivia has always had rich mines whichproduce tin, silver and other metals. Butthe safety rate is terrible. Over the yearseight million miners have died. Almost allformer miners have breathing difficulties.Shane did explore one of the mines nearPotosi for a few hours. He saw rotted timbersand he did wear a mask.He spent a few days at Copacabana villageat Lake Titicaca. It is beautiful but thelake water is brackish. There are beautifulislands on the Lake on which he hiked.Shane signed up for a bicycle ride downthe most dangerous road on the continentbetween La Paz and Coroico. He started at15,400 elevation and cruised to 11,800 feet.It was 40 miles long and the drop off tothe side was almost vertical.Then it was over to Sucre, the capitol,where he saw the world’s larges dinosaurfootprints.Shane told the story of Percy Fawcett.He was born in 1867 and was sent to Boliviain 1906 to map the border with Bra-(Minutes continued on page 14)(ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 13November, 2009

Minutes – October 15 & 22, 2009zil. Percy served as a spy for the U. K. inWorld War I and then returned to Bolivia.He was looking for the Lost City of Zwhen he disappeared in 1925. More than100 persons have died looking for him.Shane rode the death train from SantaCruz to the Border with Brazil. It was sonamedbecause it used to carry the deadminers.He then toured the Pantanal, the largestwetlands in the world, in southwest Brazil.He viewed capybara, caymans, piranha,marsh deer, rhea, hyacinth macaw, toucanand other fauna. In the river were fishweighing 40 to 60 pounds.Shane then took an overnight bus fromBonito to Iguassu Falls. Of course, hisslides were magnificent.Undaunted he embarked on a 26-hourovernight bus to Paraty near Rio. Paraty isa colonial town and the main port fromwhich gold was shipped to Portugal.He finished his trip in Rio where heviewed a soccer (futbol) game in MaracanaStadium and took a tour of the favelas,notoriously poor slums.Meeting: October 22, 2009Jay Foonberg returned from a week inMadrid. He has now visited 150 to 175countries. But he got his pocket picked forthe first time. He believes there was collusionbetween the clerk at the register wherehe shopped and a thief outside the store.Mort Loveman returned from a 4,287-mile cruise through the Caribbean and PanamaCanal. He was able to get off the shipat Gatun Lakes and photograph the locks.He also saw stingray city in Grand Cayman.Claude Hulet has set in motion his 33 rdsymposium on Portuguese traditions atUCLA on April 17 th and 18 th . Each personis introduced by name and title of theirpaper. There are no elaborate biographiesgiven.Jim Heaton noted the deadline for Adventurerof the Year ballots is October 29 th .This is because they have to be countedand presented to the Board. After approval,the appropriate awards have to be inscribed.He said that Steve Lawson wouldbe a good candidate for discovering thewreckage of two ships during the year.Others mentioned were Pierre Odier andJim Dorsey.Bob Walters showed some nice oldwoodcuts. One was of troops goingthrough rifle drills at West Point. Anotherwas of a hunting party attacked by a bearin the Hindu Kush. Another showedshowed to two Anglos and two Arabs oncamels with rifles pointed at each other.And one showed Scots and Blacks in an1881 battle in the Transvaal. The detail wasevident.Roy Roush was interviewed for 30 minuteson radio in Ventura. He advocated thedropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshimabecause it killed less of the enemy andprovoked a bigger response to ending the war.Vince Weatherby and Robert DeMottvisited John Booth at his home. He wasreleased from the convalescent hospital butNovember, 200914ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Minutes – October 22, 2009does have a 24-hour caregiver. He lives inRossmore near the joining of the 605 and405 freeways and welcomes visitors.The Lost 49er ExpeditionOddly, first VP Vince Weatherby introducedPresident Allan Smith.Allan goes on solo remote survival tripswhich means he has no friends.Allan told of his tracking the Lost 49erExpedition which entered Enterprise, Utahin 1849. The group of 120 wagon trainssplit there and this group of 25 left MountMisery heading south through Nevada toDeath Valley.In 1997, Allan, the late Jerry Freemanmember #1072 of the Club, two of Jerry’sdaughters and a photographer put on theirbackpacks and trekked the 300 miles in 33days. The weather was cold but they weremet every five to seven days by a re-supplytruck. There was snow on the ground.Along the way, the five came upon inscriptionsfrom the original expedition plusartifacts including broken wagon wheels.There were some pools of water but mostgot sick. The support vehicle did not showfor a few days and they were down to finalrations.But they made it to Nellis AEC. Herethe Air Force provided an escort throughthe only point of entry and watched overtheir trek until they left. They hiked throughRye Canyon to Cane Springs and foundmuch-needed water.Allan’s group made it to Death Valley andBadwater and were elated to have re-tracedthe steps of this party which gave its nameto the Park.Some months later, Jerry told Allan thathe wanted to go into the restricted areanow called Area 51 to actually cover thepath of the 1849 expedition. But it had tobe done at night because access is extremelylimited.Then later Jerry said he wanted to tracethe trek across Death Valley. So Allan, thedaughters and the photographer agreed.After a few days of hiking, they were inthe Panamints.in the west end of the Park.They had found a knife and a part of a shoefrom an ox They looked up and saw a smallcave with a rectangular object in it.The object was a wooden trunk. Insidewas a letter, shroud, silver coins, doll,bowls, a hymnal, revolver and other items.It appeared to be a trunk from the lost49er expedition. The letter was written byexpedition member—William Robinson.Believing that they were outside Parkboundaries, the group took the trunk hometo Lancaster where they laid out the itemsand photographed them.The Park Service was then notified andthe Park historian LeRoy Johnson camedown to review the treasure. He stayedovernight and then went home with thetrunk and its contents. .He later proclaimed the trunk treasurewas a fraud based on the following points:Mr. Johnson said he had the scientists atthe Smithsonian analyze the findings andthey supported him. But Allan said hetalked with the Smithsonian and none ofthe scientists there had seen any of the(Minutes continued on page 16)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 15November, 2009

Minutes – October 22 & 29, 2009(Minutes continued from page 15)trunk contents.Mr. Johnson said there were a few coinsin the display dated later than 1849. Allansaid he took photographs of all of the coinsand all were dated prior to 1850.Mr. Johnson said the word grubstake inthe letter was not used until the late 1800s.Allan said that research by a UCLA professorof linguistics proves that the word grubstakewas used in the 1830s.Mr. Johnson said that the glue from the hymnalwas not invented until much later. Allansaid that this was standard glue for the 1840s.Allan asked someone in authority to docarbon dating on the letter. It has not beendone yet.The theory of the group is that WilliamRobinson and the others known as Jaywalkershad burned their wagons and were walkingto water.Robinson had used his ox to carry thetrunk. But he had to kill the ox with hisknife and then find a place for the trunk.Obviously, a story of this magnitude drewa number of comments. One suggestionwas to go back and find out where the trunkwas found. It may have been outside DeathValley which means that the government’sclaim may be invalid.Another way to go is to use FOIA theFreedom of Information Act. After all, legally,the contents of the trunk do belongto the descendants of William Robinson ifit is his letter.This last letter was dated January 2, 1850.William Robinson made it to Lancaster anddrank too much water on January 28, 1850and died.So the big question arises—why is the NationalPark Service so adamant in trying torefute this discovery. First, is that it does notwant a horde of so-called “treasure hunters”digging in the Park. Second is that it did notwant outsiders like Jerry Freeman and Allanupstaging its own historian.Humor in UniformBy Frank HaiglerMy wife is cynical; so am I for thatmatter but I never realized how cynicalshe really is.Not long ago I was remarking on variousnews reports on the return of service personnelfrom deployment. I was not deridingour soldiers but I did question the psychiatriccounseling given to so many fortheir five or six month’s absence. I remindedmy wife of my involvement in the Normandyoperation and sixteen months in theSouth Pacific.“Hell, I did not get any counseling.”“I know that” my wife answered, “andjust look at you.”Meeting October 28, 2009We had no costumes tonight but agood turnout for a good program.Larry Schutte sent us a card. After threeplane rides, a bus and a boat, he has arrivedin Papua, New Guinea.Bernie Harris returned from a trip tothe nine islands of the Galapagos. Heviewed tortoises, boobies, penguins, mantarays and iguanas in addition to scatter-November, 200916ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Minutes – October 29, 2009ing some of Ralph White’s ashes. On atour out of Quito, he crossed the Equatoreight times.Robert Williscroft and Michelle tookMichelle’s son Jack back east to be buried.He thanked all who had expressed theircondolences.Steve Bein returned from Rocky MountainNational Park where he took picturesof coyotes, magpies and ravens feeding ona carcass.Charles Carmona said there are stillspots open for the trip to the tourmalinemines on November 1 st .Rick Flores, Steve Peterman and RogerHaft are going to hike the renovationof the Los Angeles River.Rick and Shane Berry are going to ZionPark to photograph the subway rock formationand then on to Bryce Canyon andArches National Parks.Unfortunately, John Booth is back in thehospital.The Silk RoadPierre Odier #988 was raised in Switzerland, went to Egypt at age 16, hasauthored 10 books and served as presidentand first vice president of the Adventurers’Club. But up until last year he had notcrossed the Asia fully by vehicle.So when he got the opportunity to drivefrom Iran to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan to Khasgar, China, he said yes.Difficulties were huge. He had to dealwith Pakistan in order to get to Iran. Thenhis flight to Tehran from Amsterdam, hadto turn back because of a broken part onthe landing gear. He arrived at the Tehranairport which was virtually deserted at 3a.m. But his friends had told a driver topick him up and he got to his hotel.Pierre spent 12 days in Iran but his phototaking was limited. Women are covered.He visited Qom, a stronghold of theShi’ah faith, which contains the goldendomedshrine of Fatima. Over the centuries,the old layers of structures have beencovered up by newer layers. All are beautifuland well-made.The Persians used ingenious architectureto build bridges and aquaducts to conservewater. In one area, the water was tappedand pumped to some towers where it wascooled. Even in the desert, they couldmake ice.In the house of a craftsman, he showedslides of his kilns where he makes his potteryand glazes.The market places were large. Onestretched for almost a mile with the salesdisplays on the bottom level and the salespersons living above them.But other old cities that could not conservetheir water have been abandoned.The bases of the structures are still there.On the border of Iran and Turkmenistan,was a well that was important for Silk Roadtravelers. It has since become polluted. Heviewed piles of pottery shards left by formercraftsmen. It was also here that Pierre lefta little bit of Ralph.On a visit to a nice village, Pierre admiredthe clothes and artwork outside of a ger(home.) He was invited inside by a Turk-(Minutes continued on page 18)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 17November, 2009

Minutes – October 28, 2009/Ralph White(Minutes continued from page 17)man woman and her two daughters. Headmired her jewelry.Soon Pierre was fitted with a nice hat andthe woman was trying on her finest clothes.Pierre caught on. A wedding was beingplanned and he was the groom.The climax would be when he gave a ringto the bride. Pierre stood silently and whenthe time came, he clenched his fist aroundthe ring. It took six persons to open it.Pierre paid $50 the next day to get a divorce.Overall, Pierre found a very positive attitudetoward Americans. He felt safe inthe desert even though that is where thebandits are. His group of six land roversalways had a guide with them. They carrieda lot of water with them and did drinkit. But the women do suffer due to the restrictionsplaced upon them.RALPH WHITE CONTINUES HIS JOURNEYBy Roger HaftFriends of Ralph White are spreading hisashes around the world, under the oceanand into space.In August 2009 Ralph set out for Nortica(Scandinavia plus Iceland and Greenland).His first stop was in Iceland wherehe met Kristjan Kristjansson, our memberin Reykjavik. We all traveled from Reykjavikto visit the glacier at Snaefellsjokul,the volcano at Hekia, and several waterfalls(one at which Kristjansson recovereda body during his career as a police departmentunderwater recovery specialist). Westopped at the Blue Lagoon Spa and visitednumerous naturally occurring sources ofenergy: thermal, solar and hydroelectricplants. There is so much excess power inIceland that they are trying to find a wayexport some to Scotland. I suggested ahuge underwater extension cord.We then flew to Nuuk Greenland, wherewe visited a really misnamed country.There were a lot of icebergs looking like alot of very large ice cubes, not the romanticizedpointed looking mountain like icebergs.We then went back through Icelandand on to Oslo, Norway where Ralph tooka ride on the Kontiki raft and the Vikingship which had gone to the North Pole.Our member, Raul Amundson, was mentionedin a lot of the exhibitions. We thentrained to Myrdal and Flam in Norway onone of the most outstanding train rides inthe world. Ultimately we reached Bergen,Norway where we boarded a boat for a tripup the Norwegian coast on the old mail boatroute calling at Alesund, Trondheim, crossingto the Arctic Circle and then finallydebarking at Bodo, Norway for a flight towithin 12 degrees of the North Pole atSpitzbergen. Ralph said he had alreadybeen to the North Pole so we didn’t botherstopping there. He did enjoy driving thedog sled team and the motorcycle ride tovisit Bill Gates’ millions of seeds stored inthe area. Gates is trying to store all theseed types in the world for posterity.After Spitzbergen we flew to Narvik,Sweden and then trained through the centerof Sweden to Stockholm where, amongother things, we took a bicycle down anescalator in a department store to get to abicycle repair shop. In Stockholm RalphNovember, 200918ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

finally got to see a wonderful Titanic museumwhich included full size mock-ups ofstaterooms, halls, etc. He also got to visitthe Vasa, a ship which sank in 1628 andwas beautifully restored in 1961. BothNorway and Sweden have built huge buildingsto house restored ships.We took another boat ride to GotlandIsland, Sweden and then finally, thanks tohaving used miles to book my tickets, afirst class flight back to Los Angeles.Stay tuned for Ralph’s further adventures.NEW MEMBERSKristjan Kristjansson #1141Kristjan was a police officer in Reykjavik,a detective at the State CriminalPolice and a detective chief inspectorat the Naional Commissioner of the IcelandicPolice. He was also a sector coordinatorat the Olympic games in Atlanta.He received his education in criminal justiceand political science from NorthernMichigan Unversity—Icelandic PoliceAcademy.In 1973, he escaped from a volcanic eruptionin 1973 and returned shortly after totake part in the salvage operation while theeruption was continuing. He joined a voluntaryrescue team and became its divinggroup leader and instructor.Over the years he has taken part in othersearch and rescue operation in the mountainsof Iceland.He has traveled to about 50 countriesincluding Andorra, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia,Faeroe Islands, Georgia, United ArabEmirates, Thailand, Malaysia and the countriesof Europe.Kristjan has written a number of articlesfor magazines. His website isinterestingworld.info.Gordon Cucullu #1131Gordon Cucullu is a former SpecialForces (Green Beret) lieutenantcolonel and served twenty years in the militarymostly in East Asia.Later, he was a staff officer at the Pentagonin the office of the Secretary of Defenseand an exchange officer to the State Dept.Gordon has been a Fox News Channel commentatorsince the September 11 th attacks andwas the on-camera analyst for WABC-TV inNew York City during the war in Iraq.He has written books including “Separatedat Birth” about the two Koreas andone on the prisoners at Guantanamo.Carl Rimple #1142Carl is a retired aerospace designer. Butin the past he has been a farmer, sailor,mountain guide, folksinger, truck driver,nurse, caregiver and a teacher.He has been to Bad Water in Death Valleyand hiked to the top of Mt. Rainier.He has fished for salmon in the northPacific in 1958. He worked as a logger inthe woods of British Columbia in 1957. Hehas flown search and rescue missions overAlaska and the Yukon. And he worked in agold mine in the mountains of northernMexico in 1960-61.(Minutes continued on page 20)ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 19November, 2009

NEW MEMBERSDon Malarkey #1137Don told Ambrose of the saga of theNiland brothers of Tonawanda, New York,Don was in his first semester at the how two had died on D-Day and anotherUniversity of Oregon in the fall of was presumed killed. Fritz, one of the four1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Niland brothers, was close friends withHarbor. He tried enlisting but was rejected.screenplay of “Saving Private Ryan.”Don. This episode was the impetus for theWhen he was drafted in July, 1942, hevolunteered for the paratroops of the Army.He trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia and Lynn D. “Buck” Compton, #1139was among the one in six soldiers who Buck Compton was a star athlete atearned their jump qualification.UCLA, where he was a catcher onHe became a member of “Easy” Company,2 nd Battalion, 506 th Parachute Infantry Jackie Robinson. He also played with thethe university’s baseball team alongsideRegiment of the 101 st Airborne Division. UCLA football team in the 1943 Rose BowlHe went to England in 1943 to participate game st . Buck participated in ROTC at UCLAin the largest amphibious invasion in history:Operation Overlord.“Easy” Company, the same as Don Malar-and joined the Army. He was assigned toIn the darkness of the morning of D-Day, key.Malarkey parachuted into France with his During the company’s action at Brecourtunit. Later that day, he received the Bronze Manor, Buck and others assaulted a Germanbattery of four 105 mm howitzers fir-Star for his heroism in a ptched battle toknock out four German 105 mm artillery ing on Utah Beach disabling the guns andbatteries, an action now called the Brecourt routing the enemy. For this he was awardedthe Silver Star.Manor Assault.He fought for 23 days in Normandy, nearly80 in Holland, 39 in the Battle of Basticipatingin Operation Market Garden, theLater in 1944, he was wounded while partognein Belgium and nearly 30 more in and Allies ill-fated attempt to seize a numberaround Haugenau, France and the Ruhr of bridges in Holland and cross the RhinePocket in Germany.River.He was promoted to sergeant before After a partial recovery, he returned toOperation Market Garden. Malarkey served Easy Company in time for the month-longmore time on the front lines than any other siege in the frozen Ardennes that wouldmember of Easy Company.become known as the Battle of the Bulge.Don was introduced to Stephen Ambrose Buck is a retired California Court of AppealsJudge who served as the lead prose-at an Easy Company reunion in New Orleans.His oral history became the basis for cutor in Sirhan Sirhan’s trial for the murderthe book “Band of Brothers.”of Robert F. Kennedy.November, 200920ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS

Forthcoming ProgramsPrograms / NotesNovember 12—The Magnificent Adventurers of China Lake, Liz BabcockNovember 19--Combat Flying Through 3 wars, LtCol William Duncan, USMCNovember 26—Club Dark, ThanksgivingDecember 3—Ladies’ Night, Climb to the Summit of Mt. Everest, Bill BurkeDecember 10—Jeff GoddardDecember 17—Annual Christmas Party, Members OnlyDecember 24—Club Dark, Christmas EveDecember 31,—Club Dark, New Year’s EveJanuary 21, 2010--Ladies’ Night, Captain Alfred McLaren, Unknown WatersFred Hareland asks if members are interested in a February trip to Brewer Caveon the slopes of Parada tepui in southern Venezuela. It is so isolated and inaccessible, dueto the surrounding impenetrable jungle, that it is necessary to travel there by helicopter.The entrance is so huge that helicopters can literally fly into it and land next to atowering waterfall. The fauna inside is thousands of years old. Researchers have discovereda new species of dendrobatid frog, a giant scorpion, troglobionte bugs, crickets and anew species of cave leech.Claude Hulet announces his 33rd Symposium on Portuguese Traditions at UCLAon April 17-18. This forum is dedicated to the exchange and dissemination of ideas andinformation about the language and culture of the far-flung, Portuguese-speaking world,past and present. Its sessions are open to all who share interest.ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS 21November, 2009

TheAdventurers’ Club NewsPO Box 31226Los Angeles CA 90031FIRST CLASS MAILnOVEMBERt 2009