Meet a modern American explorer, the first person to walk the 4500 mile coastline of South Island, New Zealand.
A seasoned explorer, Barrow has hiked some 10,000 miles and toured by bicycle more than 20,000 miles in various countries in his adventurous life.
Hear about his encounters with treacherous rivers, sheer cliffs, and bull seals: view his photographs.
In the course of his adventuring, Barrow has received international recognition.
He has written for the San Jose Mercury News and Monterey County Herald Weekend Magazine and is featured in the book
America’s Greatest Walks published by Addison-Wesley.
Barrow has given numerous slide presentations of his coast walk throughout New Zealand and the United States and these have been met with much acclaim.
He has also been interviewed on numerous TV programs such as AM Buffalo (NY) and also featured in various magazines and newspapers.
Trekking the Coast of New Zealand
Born in Oakland, California in 1962, Bryan Barrow grew up primarily in the San Francisco Bay area.
He has also lived in southern California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania.
After graduating from high school, he set out on his first adventure, bicycling 3,200 miles across the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast.
Barrow then attended college at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, receiving his degree in Advertising Design in 1983.
Soon thereafter, he drove across the country to begin his next adventure.
His dream was to be the first person to walk the entire western shoreline of America, from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico.
He followed the natural coastline of beaches, rocks, and cliffs walking 3,300 miles south to the Mexican border, a journey which spanned 13 months.
He worked as a traveling photographer before setting off to the Grand Canyon.
There, he hiked 300 miles through the desolate regions of the inner Canyon, going for weeks without seeing another person.
His next travels by bicycle took him from Texas to Mexico, up to Canada and back down to California, an eleven-month undertaking.
While living in California, he planned his next goal, to become the first person to encircle the entire South Island shoreline of New Zealand on foot.
This 2-1/2 year, 4500-mile journey was the longest, toughest undertaking of his life.
He walked through unknown and unexplored territory, setting foot where no human had ever been before.
Since hiking New Zealand, Barrow has bicycled to the Yukon and Alaska from Oregon, has backpacked for three months in several Caribbean Islands,
and visited Mexico and Iceland.
He also returned to New Zealand and bicycled 2600 miles on both islands.
In the future he hopes to visit Chile, Mongolia and Australia.
Ladies Night -
Hoi B. Tran A Vietnamese Fighter Pilot in an American War
Hoi will share with us the honest truth of what had happened in the Viet Nam war from 1945 to April 1975.
Hoi was not only a witness but also an active participant in that war, a war some naοve Americans called immoral and believed unwinnable.
In reality, it was the wicked Ho Chi Minh and his Communist Party that started the war in their attempt to redden the entire Viet Nam
with abundant military aid from the Communist bloc.
With a just cause and a noble act,
the U.S. and the free world selflessly helped the Republic of (South) Viet Nam in their legitimate self-defense against
the evil North Vietnamese Communist aggressors.
Unfortunately, it was politics, the antiwar movements in America and the liberal U.S. news media of the nineteen sixties and seventies
that turned an imminent military victory on the battlefields in Viet Nam into a political defeat in Washington D.C.
After the undeserved demise of the Republic of (South) Viet Nam in April 1975,
for the first time in the long history of Viet Nam, millions of nationalist Vietnamese involuntarily fled from their motherland to avoid Communism.
Hoi will answer questions about the Viet Nam War, including:
Who started the war in Viet Nam?
Was Ho Chi Minh a true Vietnamese patriot?
What caused the collapse of the Republic of (South) Viet Nam?
Were the U.S. Armed Forces defeated militarily by the North Vietnamese communist forces in the Viet Nam War?
Viet Nam in the postwar years under the regime of the so-called liberators.
Biography
In his 22 years of military service (1953-1975) Hoi B. Tran was; an Aircraft Mechanic; a Flight Instructor at VNAF Air Training Center;
a Fighter Pilot Flight Leader at 2nd Fighter Squadron and at 83rd Special Air Group. Combat Group Commander 74th Tactical Wing, Can Tho;
Commander Political Warfare Division 33rd Tactical Wing, Tan Son Nhat; an Airline Pilot Air Vietnam Dept of Transportation, RVN.
He was a Major in 1968 prior to being deployed to Air Viet Nam.
1975 2003: He was Director VN Service Center Washington State Natural Disaster Coordinator Washington State Area Manager Desert Petroleum, Calif -
BI Special Investigation CSAA.
1953 1975
Republic of (South) Viet Nam Air Force
Air Force Staff Sergeant - Aircraft mechanic
2nd Lt. Flight Instructor
Capt. Fighter pilot (Flight leader)
Maj. Combat Group Commander (74th Tactical Wing)
Maj. Commander Political Warfare Division (33rd Tactical Wing)
Airline pilot Dept. of Transportation of the RVN
1975 2003
Assistant Director Demonstration Project for Asian American, Seattle, WA
Assistant Director Dept. of Emergency Services, Seattle, WA. In charge of refugee Program
State Coordinator on Natural Disaster Dept. of Emergency Services, Olympia, WA.
Area Manager Desert Petroleum, Inc. (Retail Division) San Jose, CA
Senior Bodily Claims Specialist A A A (Special Investigation Unit) San Jose, CA
Claims Supervisor Insurance Consulting Associates, Inc. Yorba Linda, CA
May 2003
Retired after 50 years in the work force. (22 years with VNAF & 28 years in the US)
Wini McKay - Inside Look at the Circus World Today
Wini McKay
Wini McKay, Founder / Director of the LA Circus, a presentation of the Los Angeles Foundation for the Circus Arts, is a native of Los Angeles.
She knows the city and has a true love for it’s culture and arts.
Graduated in the LA School system including college at LA Trade Tech studying dance and management.
She took her dance ability on the road with a traveling circus learning a single trapeze act from the famous circus performer,
Dorothy Herbert under the watchful eye of Big John Strong and creating her own original round trapeze.
In 1986, she was honored by being accepted into the Guinness Book of World Records.
After twenty years of circus experience she returned to LA to start her own entertainment consulting firm with clients such as Disney, Circus of the Stars,
Yoshimoto, Kogyo Toyota, Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Dentsu to name a few.
In the process of starting her own business, she realized that Los Angeles had a great need for a Circus Arts Foundation.
At that time, the LA Circus was born.
In the past 21 years, the LA Circus has reached international acclaim.
Acts from the LA Circus have won medals in Circus Festivals around the world.
The Los Angeles Foundation for Circus Arts solely credits Ms McKay for this progress.
Wini and Chester now run a successful prop house and circus / carnival research facility.
Martin Bloom’s story is about the carrier war, the men, the machines and his experiences flying during the Vietnam conflict.
His involvement with a war he wanted nothing to do with but got caught up in anyway.
It is about the conflict of our country and a pivotal point in our history and Martin’s coming of age at the wrong time.
But most of all it will be an adventure that will put you in the cockpit with Martin as you go for the rides of your life (sometimes at tree-top-levels)
in the venerable A-6 Intruder as we go on bombing and missile firing missions "over the North."
He will present us with a compelling view of what it was like to fly from a carrier sailing from Yankee Station off the coast of North Vietnam,
going coast in avoiding the small arms fire, the flak and the missiles, taking out the targets and eventually making it back to the carrier by
"trapping" on a moving air field mostly in the dead of night.
We will be flying the final missions of the war (Operation Linebacker and Linebacker II) which essentially forced the North by overwhelming fire power
to capitulate and finally sign the peace treaty that ended that awful ten year war.
Martin’s story and other’s stories as Vietnam Vets, from the mundane to the painful reality of combat,
tell of a war that was unlike previous United States engagements.
The enemy was often indistinguishable from the local populace, strategy too often focused on body counts in lieu of territory gained,
and the dense jungle and mountainous terrain blurred definable front lines.
Back home the war became a polarizing issue.
Some politicians and civilians questioned the war’s necessity and strategy as American casualties mounted.
But for those of us who served "on-the-line," Vietnam became a defining moment in our lives.
Most American troops served honorably - all sacrificed and some sacrificed all.
Ladies Night -
Scott Warner Prospecting the West for Gems, Minerals and Fossils
Scott Warner
Scott Warner (#1184) has been mining for Gold in in the Mother Lode for over 30 years.
His original passion was dredging for Gold in the rivers of California, which led to his interest in hunting Gems, Minerals and Fossils across the Midwest.
His travels across the western United States caused him to develop a deep appreciation of the Geology, History and beauty of our country.
While working on the Merced River, he began exploring Yosemite, which developed into a love of our National Parks.
His travels thru Yellowstone sparked an interest in exploring thermals of the west and wherever he prospects,
he takes the time to explore the country for thermals,
Indian petroglyphs and natural geologic formations.
In 2010, he got his diving certification and began an adventure in diving for Spanish treasure and exploring the limestone cave systems of the Yucatan.
His love of photography has allowed him to share his experiences with those around him.
Prospecting the Western United States
Scott Warner Amethyst Gold Trip, May 2014
Scott will be giving his 3rd of many presentations at the club on prospecting for Gems, Minerals and Fossils in the west.
He will discuss the different types of mining and the various opportunities available to anyone who wants to prospect in the western USA.
Learn about the treasures of the west and where you can go to find amazing Gems, Minerals and fossils.
Scott will be discussing the diversity of our country and all the fantastic photo opportunities awaiting anyone who travels in the west.
Scott will cover how he turned his love of prospecting into successful businesses.
As a collector and dealer of fine minerals, he will be sharing some of his prized specimens for the audience to view, hold and enjoy.
His love of photography will allow you to share in his prospecting trips and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Western United states.
Gems, Minerals and Fossils
As a mineral dealer and collector of fine specimens, Scott will be presenting a wonderful display of Gold, gems, Minerals and Fossils for the audience to view.
Come learn about the State gemstones and view the minerals he has found across the Western United States.
Learn all the places where an individual can hunt treasures in the West and go home with a treasure donated by Scott.
Scott will be holding a raffle of fine minerals at the end of his presentation as a donation to the ACLA.
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.png "Martin Bloom - US Navy in Vietnam - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Scott Warner - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Scott Warner - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Scott Warner - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Scott Warner - Click to Enlarge")
.jpg "Scott Warner - Click to Enlarge")
