Welcome to 2025
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Jan 092025
October 2024 Circumbits
Chapter Spotlight, Circumbits, The Blog
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Oct 012024
Welcome to October
Best wishes to Circumnavigators, family and friends for a glorious month. Keep us updated on your travels!
The LOG
The upcoming issue of The LOG is in the works. Please send us any recent travel info and photos for All Over the Map. Also, for Collectors Corner we are featuring holiday tree ornaments collected from foreign trips. We would welcome submissions by email to headquarters.
Foundation News
In each upcoming edition of Circumbits, a YouTube link will be provided to a video interview of one of the Foundation Scholars from 1971 to the present who participated in the Foundation Retrospective program undertaken in connection with the half-century observance of the around-the-world travel-study grant program. The interviews provide insight into the Scholars’ research projects as well as fascinating – and at time, harrowing – travel tales that all Circumnavigators will enjoy.
Click below to access the Foundation’s interview with 2016 Northwestern University Grantee Tara Mittelberg, whose research topic was “Genetically Modified Organisms: Progressing the Conversation.”
Chapter Highlights
New York Metro members gathered at The Yale Club for cocktails and exchanged recent travels stories. The next gathering at The Yale Club will be on October 15 at 6:30 pm. Members from Chapters and At Large are welcome. We hope to see you there. If you would like to join the New York Programs Committee, please reach out to Tracy at club@circumnavigators.org.
Naples Chapter…Its seasonal G.E.M.S. held its meeting featuring Sophie Classen’s presentation on Egypt. The group (Globetrotters Exchanging Memorable Stories) is organized by Anne Granada with monthly events in the Florida “off” season.
Circumnavigator Ed Hotchkiss (New York Metro) and his wife Khadija recently completed an ambitious eight-country, three-continent tour. Afghanistan and Burundi were among the off-the-beaten track countries. Ed reports, “I spent two weeks in Afghanistan exploring many regions and cities including Kabul, Bamyan, Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharīf and Jalalabad. I saw only eight other foreign tourists, so it hasn’t become a mecca of travel by a long shot. I had frequent interactions with Taliban foot soldiers, commanders and government officials.” Ed goes by the moniker Exploring Ed. Members can read more about the fascinating trip at www.ExploringEd.com.
Circumnavigator Michael Lawler (Pacific SW Chapter) and his wife Barbara camped with 80,000 other “crazies” at Burning Man in the northwest corner of Nevada. Here they are ready for the Pink Tutu Parade!
September was busy for the Chicago Petersons. President Dan Peterson flew his plane to Parry Sound, Ontario, for a beautiful lakeside wedding of some friends in nearby Port Carling. Meanwhile his wife, Circumnavigator Melanie Peterson traveled to London, Portsmouth, Amsterdam, Brugge, and Paris by air, sea, and rail, with her friend and future Circumnavigator Marcia Christoffel, pictured here at the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris.
Circumnavigators Gwendolyn and Jim Sutton (Washington DC Chapter) visited Cody, Wyoming for Rendezvous Royal weekend at the Buffalo Bill museum of the west. They “highly recommend this fun event to explore the west! And yes, it’s still wild!” On the first leg of their trip, they enjoyed sites of Wyoming.
Circumnavigator Ken Mink (Washington DC Chapter) and his wife JJ took a two-week western trip that included a seven-day cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. They saw many of the west’s iconic wonders such as Yellowstone, the Tetons, Mount St. Helena and Multnomah Falls.
Circumnavigators Virginia Foster and Arthur Hammonds (Pacific SW Chapter) made the long way from Southern California to Northern New England to visit beautiful Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Circumnavigator Sherri Donovan (New York Metro) is currently on an African adventure, including Libya and Algeria. Here she takes a break on Roman columns in front of the oldest mosque in Libya.
Circumnavigator Michael Bell (New York Metro) is traveling in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy with stops in Sicily and Corsica. He loved Sicily but Corsica is event better in his opinion.
Circumnavigator Mark Pross (Washington, DC Chapter) successfully completed a 6,042-mile polar expedition sailing from Iceland to Greenland, through the Northwest Passage of the Canadian Arctic to Nome, Alaska, and Vancouver. Mark pays his respect at the graves of three crew members from the lost Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage (1845-1848) on Beechey Island, Nunavut, Canada. Inuit elder in Ulukhaktok, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. Mark sailing from the Chukchi Sea south through the middle of the Bering Strait by Big Diomede Island, Siberia, Russia (center), and Little Diomede Island, Alaska (left). At this point, the United States and Russia are only 2.4 miles apart. The islands are separated by the International Date Line.
Circumnavigators Kristen Koontz (New York Metro) and Katie Koontz (At Large, California) ventured off to Mexico to experience the south of the border culture. Here they are in Mexico City.
The Last Shot
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
Editorial Director
club@circumnavigators.org
September 2024 Circumbits
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Sep 032024
September Already?
Circumnavigators for the most part are past their school days. But we remember that September meant the end of vacation and back to school. For our members, however, the month means looking forward to a season of travel adventures. Best wishes to all Circumnavigators, family and friends for a great month. Please make sure to send us your travel stories and photos!
School Days
We asked some of our key photographers to send us photos of international school children and we got a bunch! We hope Circumnavigators will enjoy schools days around the world. Besides the photo above, we have posted several more under the Last Shot.
Chapter Highlights
Nineteen members and guests of the Naples Chapter enjoyed the recent meeting of the seasonal G.E.M.S. group with a lunch and presentation given by Ellen Stephens, and her husband Richard Weise. They shared memories of their recent trip to South Africa, which took them by air, rail and car across this fascinating country full of natural wonders. G.E.M.S. stands for Globetrotters Exchanging Memorable Stories.
Pacific Southwest Chapter members gathered to welcome new member Lynn Payette and share travel stories.
The Circumnavigators Chicago Chapter held a joint meeting with the Illinois Chapter of Travelers Century Club with a backyard BBQ at the home of International President Dan Peterson. Thirty-three people shared travel stories and plans and according to Dan, finished 11 bottles of wine, among other beverages!
Pacific Northwest Chapter Circumnavigators met to review Chapter business, socialize and share travel stories. Circumnavigator Caroline Farrell provided an outstanding Hawaiian buffet. A round table discussion of recent travels, including an in-depth description of Seoul by Circumnavigator Stefan Krasowski.
Michigan Chapter members enjoyed the iconic Woodward Dream Cruise Weekend in the Motor City. They were joined by Circumnavigators from Chicago and Washington DC. The group enjoyed partying, dining and experiencing the 40,000 plus vehicles cruising Woodward on a ten-mile loop.
Circumnavigator Suzanne Frye (New York Metro) recently returned from a trip to Africa which included close encounters with giant tortoises in Mauritius. She also was delighted to visit the historic painting school in the Congo. The young artists of the Poto-Poto School produce varying styles that share common themes from daily life in the Congo. The school was founded 70 years ago to foster the natural talent of the African artists who had little to no background in painting or knowledge of the conventions of European fine art.
Circumnavigator Mark Pross (Washington DC Chapter) is currently on a polar expedition sailing from Iceland to Greenland, through the Northwest Passage of the Canadian Arctic to Nome, Alaska, and Vancouver. He unfurled the Circumnavigators flag at the abandoned cryolite mine and settlement in Greenland and at the traditional Inuit sod house, Nunavut, Canada.
Circumnavigators Roger & Paula Baker (Naples Chapter) just returned from the Channel Islands, the only part of Britain occupied by the Germans during WWII. They were there a week before the official visit of King Charles III.
Circumnavigators Maria & Gunther Winkler (Naples Chapter) enjoyed a hiking vacation in Austria. They said they felt like they were in the Sound of Music movie.
Scuttlebutt
Flight Centennial
September 28, 2024 is the 100th anniversary of the first flight around the world. Every country wanted to be the first, the United States won. The flight left Seattle in April 1924 and arrived back in Seattle September 28, 1924, greeted by 50,000 people.
Circumnavigator Ed Galkin (New York Metro) will be a major participant in the upcoming four-day celebration of the centennial. A private pilot, Ed has circumnavigated several times in his own plane. Now, he has been selected to have his plane on display with six other planes that have flown around the world. It is estimated that he is the oldest pilot to have flown a single engine plane around the world. The event will be held at Boeing Field in Seattle. Look for an update after the event. Congratulations, Ed.
As mentioned earlier, we hope you will enjoy these photos of school children around the world.
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
Editorial Director
club@circumnavigators.org
July 2024 Circumbits
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Jul 022024
Welcome to July
To our American members and friends, best wishes for a glorious Independence Day. For our UK members, thanks for our peaceful alliance for these many decades. And for our Singapore members and Circumnavigators around the world, “Have a wonderful July.”
National Anthem
Each year, we like to remind our members that the Circumnavigators Club was instrumental in the adoption of our national anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner was long a popular refrain, but it was not the American National Anthem. In 1929, Circumnavigator Robert (Believe it or Not) Ripley wrote a column “Believe it or not, America does not have a national anthem.” Numerous people began to lobby for the Star-Spangled Banner. Circumnavigator John Philip Sousa, the March King, took up the cause, pushing hard to make it official. In 1931, Congress authorized the National Anthem. The bill was signed by Circumnavigator and U.S. President Herbert Hoover. It’s history!
Chapter Highlights
The Naples Chapter held its second G.E.M.S. event. G.E.M.S. stands for Globetrotters Exchanging Memorable Stories. It is a monthly gathering organized and led by Circumnavigator Anne Granata, which takes place during the off-season summer months. At this meeting the attending members showed off interesting souvenirs, brought back from visits to different foreign countries. During a leisurely lunch, Circumnavigators exchanged fascinating stories of their many adventure travels.
Circumnavigators Donna & Lion Curran (At Large, Pennsylvania) had a fascinating visit to Alaska, highlighted by the Kodiak Crab Festival. The event in its 66th year is devoted to Alaska King Crab which ironically this year is under a catch moratorium. But the Currans report there were lots of other delicious crabs on hand. They also had a wonderful wilderness encounter with bears who were just waking up from hibernation.
Circumnavigators Susan & Brad Gary (At Large, Florida) visited New Guinea and got this terrific shot of Sea Warriors. Brad points out that this is the area where Michael Rockefeller disappeared in 1961.
Circumnavigator John Weed (At Large) and his wife Cynthia completed a tour of the Greek Isles, ending the trip in Athens where they visited the Plaka neighborhood and Acropolis.
Circumnavigators Dan Peterson and Jim Franch (Both Chicago Chapter) were joined by Circumnavigator Matthew Peterson (At Large, Texas) in Omaha to watch some games of the NCAA Men’s Baseball College World Series. Matthew, who is Dan’s son, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and they enjoyed watching the Vols beat Texas A&M for the national title.
Circumnavigators Pam & Bill Girtman and Donna Suddeth (All Naples Chapter)traveled to Portugal along with Donna’s husband Steve. Pam, Bill and Donna were photographed at the crowded Livraria Lello, labeled the “Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World”. They were in such a hurry that they displayed the club flag upside down. Among their adventures, they enjoyed tobogganing in Oporto.
Circumnavigators Maria & Gunther Winkler (Naples Chapter) took a breathtaking train ride from Skagway, Alaska to White Pass Summit.
The Last Shot
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
Editorial Director
club@circumnavigators.org
March 2024 Circumbits
Chapter Spotlight, Circumbits, The Blog
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Mar 042024
Welcome to March
Weather has been off the charts, at least in America, in recent months…rain, snow, floods, winds, frigid temps. Now we look forward to a glorious Spring! Best wishes to all for a wonderful month.
Club News
Chapters have been active and Circumnavigators have been hitting the road for international and domestic adventures. Please remember to send us a photo or two and a brief message when you travel so we can share. The LOG is in the works and members should receive the latest issue this month. When you get your copy, please gives us your feedback. Our Annual Meeting will be held in New York City on May 17 at which time new officers and governors will be introduced.
Reminder
Let us know if you have visited all seven continents in order to receive your recognition certificate and be listed on this web site.
Chapter Highlights
Singapore Chapter Chapter President, Mr. Ang Hao Yao, presents new member, Mr. Suhaimi Zainul-Abidin with his membership certificate at the chapter’s February lunch event.
Palm Beach Chapter Members enjoyed an exciting evening with friends at The Wanderers Club Polo & Lobstermania Event. Chapter President Tom Van Horn said, “Congratulations to fellow Circumnavigator Polo Team Captain Tareq Salahi on his four goals. The Chapter also had a recent meet and greet luncheon at the Norton Museum of Art. The purpose was to allow members to get to know each other better and to provide their feedback regarding the changes the Chapter is making.
Washington DC Chapter Members gathered for Chapter meeting where they elected a new slate of officers.
Miami Chapter Carolyn Stein, Chapter President, welcomed new members Staci and Ron Schnell at the recent Chapter meeting at the Fort Lauderdale museum.
Circumnavigators Lion & Donna Curran (New York Metro) visited Everglades City, FL for the Seafood Festival. It is the “Stone Crab Capital of the World”.
Circumnavigator Win Everett (Jacksonville, FL) spent a week chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland. He reports, “Iceland is quite a different country in the winter, the countryside was beautiful. We enjoyed a lot of good meals as we traveled around, eating everything from lamb chops to the world’s most famous Icelandic hot dog. While in Iceland we took a ferry to Grimsey Island to walk across the Arctic Circle since we were so close.”
Circumnavigator Mark Pross (Washington, DC Chapter) unfurled the Circumnavigators Club flag at the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), Cuba, site of the failed April 1961 military invasion by Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution. Having waited decades for the opportunity, Mark spent nine days in February visiting Havana, the Las Terrazas Biosphere Reserve, Valle de Viñales in western Cuba with its karst topography and traditional tobacco-growing techniques, the Korimakao artistic institution, French colonial Cienfuegos, Cuban Revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s Mausoleum in Santa Clara, colonial Trinidad, and former coffee and sugar slave plantations.
Circumnavigators Jon & Melody Dill (Naples Chapter) took an extensive tour of South America, enjoying the Iguazu Falls and the Amazon among other sites. In this photo, Jon handles a sloth.
Circumnavigators Ellie Hamby & Sandy Hazelip (At Large, Texas) reported on their latest adventure to South America where among other activities they caught (and released crocodiles). The Dynamic Duo are the best friends who went around the world in 80 days at the age of 81.
Scuttlebutt
Recently we told you about Circumnavigator Steve Barnett (At Large, Panama) who planned a six-month excursion through India by motorcycle. We are sorry to report that Steve’s trip was cut short by a hip problem that forced him to return to Panama for surgery. He hopes to continue the adventure later in the spring. Best wishes, Steve.
The Last Shot
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
club@circumnavigators.org
January 2024 Circumbits
Chapter Spotlight, Circumbits
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Jan 022024
Happy New Year!
Our historic club has now entered its 122nd year and there is much ahead. It is important to remember that we are a sharing club, giving members advice and strategy on travel. Most important is our mission: Through Friendship, To Leave This World A Little Better Than We Found It. Our mission isn’t limited to international events. Closer to home is equally relevant. So, Chapters and members, please let us know what we are doing to make the world a better place. Of course, our best wishes go to members, family and friends for a wonderful 2024.
Our Annual Meeting will be held in New York City on Friday, May 17. Yours truly will make the presentation at the end of six years of presidency. President David Mink will “Wrap it Up” with photos and Circum stories.
Chapter Highlights
UK Chapter held its annual dinner at the House of Lords, sponsored by Circumnavigator Lord Richard Faulkner. Thanks go to Chapter President Helen Jenkins for coordinating another wonderful sold-out event. About a dozen Americans made the journey to London to join the UK members and guests. Featured was speaker Per Besson with his program “Lessons from a Polyglot’s Travels through 193 UN counties.”
Michigan Chapter celebrated its annual Holiday Party with a luncheon at Plum Hollow Golf and Country Club, hosted by Circumnavigator Mary Lou Butcher, with a plated meal and a round-table discussion. Each attendee shared with the group where they’d been over the past year and where they were headed next year. The stories were amazing!
Chicago Chapter held an event in the wine cellar at Francesca’s in Chicago. Steven Cory Solomon talked about his experiences as a Rotary Scholar in Durban, South Africa. He shared how Dr. Jane Goodall and Archbishop Desmond Tutu changed his life through global opportunities beyond his wildest imagination.
During the event, the Chapter held its biannual election of officers. A signed photo of “Earth Rise,” which had been presented to the chapter in 1990 by astronaut Jim Lovell, was passed from outgoing President Jeneane Blom to incoming President Jim Franch.
Naples Chapter had a festive holiday event during which Circumnavigator Elaine Christian gave a fascinating presentation on her recent trip to the Himalayan Mountain countries of Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet.
Pacific Southwest Chapter held a holiday event at the home of President Virginia Foster and husband Arthur in La Jolla where members recounted travel stories and enjoyed a festive dinner.
Pacific Northwest Chapter held a memorable holiday party at the home of Circumnavigator Will Mason and his wife Maria. Chapter members enjoyed sharing stories and a marvelous buffet.
Circumnavigator Steve Barnett (At Large, Panama) is stepping off the Board of Governors as he embarks on a six-month solo motorcycle adventure in India. He says, “My plan for India is…. well, pretty much no plan! I’ll buy a motorcycle in either Bangalore or Goa (depending on what’s available) then ride to the southern tip of India and gradually work my way north for about five months. This is how I’ve traveled through most parts of the world— just winging it”. His wife Karen will join him for a little while in India in April and they are planning on going on the Deccan Odyssey train from Mumbai through Rajasthan to New Delhi. “I hope to get to the north to see Kashmir and Srinagar. Of particular interest are the houseboats on Lake Dal. I lived on a houseboat in Sausalito California for eight years and have always wanted to see what they are like on the other side of the world”.
Circumnavigator Helen Jenkins (President, UK Chapter) visited the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, Morocco. International garden expert Monty Don ranks it as one of the best gardens in the world.
Circumnavigator Katie Koontz (At Large, California) was recently transferred to Los Angeles. Katie works for CNBC and she returned home to New York for a holiday libation at the Yale Club.
Circumnavigator Club treasurer Jim Franch (Chicago Chapter) was in Madagascar where he had this close encounter with a lemur. He explained that lemurs always live in small groups with defined territories and are run by a single alpha female. All females have a red-brown fur and all males like this one are black. They have no predators on this island so they are not afraid of humans.
Circumnavigator Sally Cole (Palm Beach Chapter) on the road again as she and husband Larry traveled to Cyprus to embark on a cruise through the Suez Canal with stops in Egypt and Jordan.
Circumnavigator Ed Hotchkiss (New York Metro) and his wife Khadija just returned from a three-month trip to 13 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. One highlight was spending five days in the little-known, three-island country of Comoros, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique and north of Madagascar. While it has miles of beautiful beaches, a thick forest, and even a live volcano, few tourists go there. He says, “I was fortunate to go to a local wedding, where I took a photo with these lovely women. The lady on the left has applied masonjoany to her face, a decorative cosmetic paste and sunscreen made of ground wood.”
Circumnavigators Suzanne Frye and Sue Murphy (New York Metro) spent New Year’s Eve at the historic pyramids in Giza, Egypt. As usual, photographer Suzanne caught some colorful shots there.
The Last Shot
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
club@circumnavigators.org
