It’s Tuesday morning and I am sitting outside on a picnic table by the banks of the Kaweah River. There isn’t much water, but given that there was no water a couple of days ago, I guess I can’t complain. There was some rain here on Sunday when we arrived and that was just enough to freshen up things a bit. It is very beautiful. Bird noise. The sun is cresting the peaks to the East.
Sitting here in Three Rivers, reminds me of a friend of mine who deserves a shout of gratitude. I’ve spent the last year or so realizing not only that there are so many things I am grateful for, but also, so many people. I’ve learned that if you spend the day looking at all the things for which you have gratitude, it will keep your mind off some of the ugly things you would rather not think about at all. I feel that it is my duty as a human to keep up on what is happening in the world, but lately it is a bit much to take. Best focus on what is good in our lives when that happens.
But back to my friend. His name is Jeff Jertberg and I used to hang out with him back during the fourteen years that Sandy and I spent in San Diego. Jeff is a “salt of the earth” kind of guy, about as easy to be friends with as anyone I know. He has a huge love for music, whether it is listening to sound or making it… and a lot of respect for musicians and the lore around musicians, groups, and the history of popular music. He can build anything, and spent a lot of time teaching me construction techniques when we bought our first house. He’s the kind of guy who would do anything for a friend.
Over the years, I had the opportunity to do most of my favorite things with Jeff. We did quite our share of drinking. Hanging out at the beach. Volleyball. Hiking. River trips, and some road trips. Probably my favorite thing to do with Jeff was Sunday morning surfing. To me, that was “church”. Get up when it is dark and hit the ocean as the sun comes up. Cold water, the smell of ozone as waves are breaking and (sometimes) some great sets. I probably felt closer to God more times with Jeff during those sessions than any other time.
After surfing, we would almost always end up back at Jeff’s house. He would make us a pot of coffee (usually at stomach rotting strength) and then he would dig into the fridge and make breakfast out of just about anything he had. It didn’t matter what was in there; vegetables, steak, bacon, potatoes, cheese, eggs – it all went into a pan and got covered with salsa. Oh! And maybe a Bloody Mary to go along with it. The kind of morning that is good for your soul. I can just sit here thinking about it and get peaceful.
So, why am I sitting by this river and thinking about Jeff? Because right now, I am living his dream. You see, for as long as I can remember, Jeff has always wanted to own an Airstream trailer and travel the country. Jeff was so into Airstreams that when he turned forty, John Carpenter and I bought him an Epiphone Airstream Guitar. Check it out. It weighs almost as much as a real trailer and has a really nice logo on it which says “Trailer Troubadours”.
Our daughter, Milada, just spent a couple of months couch surfing down in San Diego (some of the time at Jeff’s and Jen’s house), and she told me that Jeff has tons of Airstream magazines. Although I only get to see him on a rare occasion, it is obvious that the dream is still very real.
But that is only half the story. You see, Jeff also used to own property in Three Rivers, and I know this place was very dear to his heart. For about fifteen years I heard stories about Three Rivers, and I had never had an opportunity to visit. So, when Sandy and I realized that we had to get down to Los Angeles for an anniversary party, I started looking for some place about half way down the state for us to spend a few nights. I pulled up Google Maps and Three Rivers leapt out at me. It just had to be!
So, back to gratitude. I believe that my life has been filled to the brim with influences; most good, some bad. If I look back, there are quite a few people have had a strong impact on my life. It is to those kinds of people that we should be most grateful, and we shouldn’t miss a chance to let them know about it.
So Sandy hatched up this crazy plan to travel across the country in a trailer.
There was no major decision to be made – it had to be in an Airstream. That was Jeff’s influence. On the very first day of our trip, we pulled into Three Rivers, dropped the trailer and rushed up to Sequoia National Park to see it for a few hours because Sandy had to work in the morning. It is breathtakingly beautiful. We couldn’t have had a better first day on the road, and I never would have come here if it wasn’t for Jeff.
So, this blog post is dedicated to Jeff Jertberg. You are a great friend, and my life has been all the better for knowing you. I am totally enjoying this dream of yours and I look forward to hearing about your own adventures in the not too distant future. Thanks for sharing.
what a nice tribute. Really enjoyed getting to
know Jeff through your eyes. So glad to see
you guys realize your dream. Safe travels.
I love love love this journey already. What a heartfelt expression and heart opening photos. Traveling Mercies dear ones!!!
If you’re planning to go to Zion National Park, I highly recommend visiting Arches National Park, which is just a few hours away. We were at both NPs earlier this year, and were more impressed by Arches. Anyway, great trip!
Thanks, Ken. We were able to go to Arches N.P. on my sabbatical about five years ago. I agree with you that it is wonderful, but we fell in love with Zion because of the Angels Landing hike and another hike up the river in the Narrows. I would love to go back to Arches, but I think we are going to try and stay further south for awhile, since eventually we will head toward the Grand Canyon and then Carlsbad, NM. Good to hear from you.
Hello Caleb and Sandy, Loved your story of your dear friend Jeff. I can’t wait to read more of your travels and adventures. Stay save and happy. Keep on itchin ! Love Jeanne
Dear Caleb and Sandy,
Jen sent me a link to your travel blog, with no other words, this AM so I followed up and started reading about your odyssey. What a wonderful adventure and how brave and wise (foolish) you both are. The envy of many of us well past our middle years. Anyway, reading from top to bottom (or most recent backwards in time) about your days in southern California; Death Valley, barely getting out alive; and then on to Zion. I was expecting to read that you were caught in Zion during the terrible flash floods they experienced in which some hikers were trapped in a canyon but didn’t make it out. But no, you enjoyed a glorious hike and made it back alive. Then on to the Kaweah River and Three Rivers! I thought to myself that I know that place well! Then you moved on to your tribute to Jeff and his Air Stream dreamsI Wow! I was so touched by your words it brought some tears to my eyes. You sum him up very well and I must agree with everything you said. I’ve always thought he was pretty special but am happy to read that I’m not the only one. Thank you for loving him like we do!
I look forward to sharing more of your mid-life adventure as time goes on. It’s a wonderful journey and you write about it so elegantly. I always knew you were an artist but didn’t know your talents also lay in the world of literature. Love to you both and God speed!
Pat and Jerry Jertberg
Hi Pat-
Thanks so much for the response, and sorry for the tardy reply. It was obvious to me that you spent some time writing back to us, and that you thought carefully about what you wanted to say. I wanted to mull it over for a while before I responded.
In this day of Facebook and Twitter, I have a way of classifying how people communicate. The simplest is what I call a “one-finger response”. This is the “Like” button on Facebook. With just one finger, we can let someone know that we “like” what they have posted. Of course, we don’t indicate why we like what they have communicated, and the response is pretty impersonal. But I guess it is a nice stroke to receive, even if sometimes, it seems very similar to another one-finger gesture that has been around a much longer time. (Maybe it is my problem, but a “Like” seems like you are saying, “I don’t have time to write back – even just few words.”)
The next one is what I call a two-finger response, and it usually involves Twitter or a short text message as its method of interaction. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that it uses thumbs not fingers, because most people use their thumbs and a cellular device for this method. For my part, I’ve never really been able to say much of value in less than 140 characters, but that may be obvious as I ramble on with this response. There is a phrase, “He (or she) is all thumbs!” which is an idiom for someone who is awkward or clumsy. Maybe there is some kind of modern correlation to be extracted, here? Anyway, I’m not saying that a two-finger response is bad. It just has to be justifiably short, because writing takes time. Thinking about what you really want to say, takes time.
Which brings me to the “Ten-finger response”, which is what I got from you, and is my favorite. It is so nice to have someone take the time to share how they feel. We live in a time when we drop a quick note on Facebook when someone has a birthday rather them writing them a letter, or sending them a card (much to the chagrin of those fine folks at Hallmark). It was so nice to hear from you – frankly it was a surprise, and I could tell that the subject matter required some time and a real keyboard to do it justice. I know this was a long-winded way of making my point, but thank you so much for taking the time to share how you feel. It means so much to me, even our mutual admiration for your son is probably embarrassing the hell out of him.
Leaving San Diego twenty years ago was a difficult thing to do. I severely missed the ocean, and I really missed my friends. And although I’ve managed to stay in touch with my old friends over this time, the lack of proximity changes the relationship. When you leave your home, you leave a chunk of that life behind. Thank God for those past memories, and thank God that there is usually a new home waiting for us up ahead, with new friends and new influences.
We are lucky enough to be surrounded by people all the time. So, why wouldn’t we find joy in what they have to say, how they can affect us, and what they have to share, especially if they are people we truly value? It is Jeff’s influence that I miss most – the same influence that I blogged about and eventually led Sandy and me down this Airstream path. The phrase you used that was the most thought provoking was your reference to us being “brave and wise (foolish)”. That was so spot-on, and there is not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t wonder about just how “wise (foolish)” we are in taking this trip. I only know that it has been absolutely awesome so far, and after too many years of doing the “right thing” it was time for us to do something a little foolish. Why have friends if they can’t help influence you to do something passionate and foolhardy?
Which brings me full circle. As we travel, I’m trying to write – which is exciting, yet painfully hard. It requires discipline that I am grasping at. I’m trying to put down words on paper that share how I feel, and for the first time in a long time, I have the time to do so. Not with one finger, or two… but all ten. You see, I am just as guilty of digital brevity as the next person – but I am trying to break the habit.
Thanks Pat, for your kind response and your support. I hope this message finds you and the whole Jertberg family happy and well.
Guess I talked too much the first time. OK-I’ll try again! What a touching description of a friend and friendship. The ultimate sacrifice— living the dream for him! Watch out he may show up at your door. Enjoy your wonderful inward and outward journey.
Jeff’s Mom
Hi Pat, It’s so great to hear from you. We would love for Jeff and Jen to show up at our aluminum door! That has been the plan all along. ; ) Entice him enough and he just might show up.
I was once inspired by your archeological adventures and I thought I would love to have an adventure of my own someday. So Pat, I’m attributing a little bit of this to you!
Good Morning to both of you adventurers,
Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful response. After my first reply, I got a message on it indicating that it was awaiting revision, or something like that, so I guessed I had written too much. Not being a blogger or techie I assumed that I’d exceeded my welcome. So — the reason for my second reply. Anyway, love hearing from you and joining your quest vicariously. Pat