As I sit in Twentynine Palms CA making plans to leave and head to my good friend Steve Carters house in Salt Lake City for my annual USCG Required doctor's appointment I was reminded of how special Steve and his friendship is when he sent me a link to a YouTube video he created. I have known Steve since 1989 and he has remained a special friend all these years, I am fortunate to have been able to renew that friendship when I started my traveling ways a few years ago.
Steve and I met when I moved from Florida to Salt lake City in 1989, I went to work for a large printing company there, K/P Graphics and Steve was working there at the time, being interested in photography, fishing and music gave us an immediate friendship, little did I know that over 25 years later after neither one of us has worked together for many of those years, our friendship would be stronger than ever before...along with my other good, good friend in Salt Lake City, Lynn Hewitt!
So, after about 16 years apart, I had moved back to Florida in 1994 which was the last time I had seen Steve. I was returning from Alaska via ferry, train, bus and airplane....and needed a stop for a couple days in Salt Lake...I emailed Steve and asked if he could pick me up at 4:00 am at the bus station in Salt Lake City and put me up for a couple nights before my flight to Ohio on my way back to Florida. Yes, you read it right - hadn't seen him in 16 years and asked him to pick my ass up at 4:00 am, you see I had taken a greyhound bus from Kalispell Montana overnight to Salt Lake....well the bus was right on time and so was Steve, that's when you know what a true friend is....
A couple years later I am driving from Florida to Tacoma Washington to pick up my RV and Salt Lake was just a stop along the way, to see Steve and rest before the last leg of my journey. I rested a few days and then went on to Tacoma to pick up my new home.
A month or so later, I was back in Salt Lake dragging my house behind me and Steve officially designated me "The Gypsy"! His driveway has become an unofficial campground on my way North and South every year and this year will be no different.
A couple years ago, I was planning my departure in the RV from Kalispell Montana to Salt Lake and was trying to coordinate the arrival with Steve, he said I am heading to some "Therapy", well I immediately got worried, he is an old fart and I figured he had succumbed to some strange sickness, well I was right, he was needing some fishing therapy...Steve suggested I stop by Dillon and meet him and spend a few days in therapy myself...
So began the first year of our fishing Therapy! I spent a couple days and we fished and was happy that Steve shared his love affair with me....this past year we made a point of scheduling my trip South to coincide with his bi-annual retreat to the Beaverhead...and we fished and drank and shared more memories....
Steve and I only disagree on one thing and that is our choice of computers - he is an "Apple" guy and I am a PC Guy, but our love for graphic design and photography is shared. Steve is a wonderful designer and loves to create "slide show" videos...and they are wonderful and usually involve Montana, from the trains of the old west to fishing.
Before I departed Steve's this past fall, he said, can you give me the original photos you took of me fishing, I said sure, no problem and this is the end result of passing along those photo's.
They say your only meet 5 true life long friends in your life...I am happy to count Steve as one of those 5....his hospitality and travel advice is second to none - he is always a welcome sight. I think that our closeness is because we can fish for 4 or 5 hours and not say more than 3 or 4 words and just enjoy the magic of the outdoors and the silence of the atmosphere and the pleasure of hearing a trout rise without a word needed, we just smile at each other and know that we have been fortunate to have witnessed nature in all of it's glory. Then of course the evening comes and we can share the stories of the day and amaze each other with how much the fish has grown since we carefully released it back in the Beaverhead!
I plan on leaving Twentynine Palms around the 7th or 8th of April and take a leisurely trip from here to Salt Lake enjoying some of the scenery between here and there. I need to be there before the 21st of April for my Dr's appointment.
See you in a few weeks Steve, get the driveway ready!!
Capt. Jim - "The Gypsy"
Traveling and photographing the Southwest and Alaska!
