Bone has been wandering the world for 40 years. Given his nature, it is only natural that he would end up at Burning Man. He and a butterfly are perched on “Horse with No Name,” preparing to ride off into the desert.
Have you met Bone? He’s been hanging around here for 7 years and traveling the world for 40. Once upon a time, and it seems like a long time ago, this blog was even titled the Peripatetic Bone. There’s a story here, of course. In January of 2010, I had attended the San Francisco Writers’ Conference. Part of the event had involved ‘speed dating’ with agents. I had carried Bone with me to San Francisco and introduced him to three of the agents, suggesting that I wanted to write a book titled “Travels with Bone.” They had been a bit surprised to meet Bone, but had been intrigued by the concept. Each had suggested that I go home and write up a proposal.
I had also learned at the conference that I needed an Internet presence and would be expected to market any book I succeeded in publishing. I dutifully went home and created a blog for Bone on Word Press. Somewhere in the process, I decided that my first book should be on my Peace Corps experience. So, I wrote and published, “The Bush Devil Ate Sam.” I also changed the name of my blog to “Wandering through Time and Place.”
I decided it would be fun to reintroduce Bone and do a five-part mini-series on his adventures. Today, I am going to summarize his travels. Next week I will do an interview with Bone. Then I will follow up with three posts on how he was found.
Bone has traveled twice to the base of Mt. Everest.
Part I: The History of Bone
Sometime in 1900s Bone started his life as part of horse wandering through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The horse was allegedly eaten by a bear. Bone ended up in a high mountain meadow practicing Zen and being nibbled on by a miscreant rodent.
1977: He was ‘discovered’ by two lost backpackers (Curt Mekemson and Tom Lovering) on the Tahoe Yosemite Trail above Lake Tahoe and launched his career of wandering the world.
1980-81: Bone commenced his first World Tour with Tom. He visited Asia including Japan, Hong Kong, Bombay, Delhi and Katmandu where he trekked to the base of Mt. Everest. He then wandered on to spend spring and summer in Europe stopping off in Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, England and Ireland. Getting cold, Bone headed south and hitched ride in back of truck through Algeria, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Sudan, Kenya (where he crossed Equator), Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. He signed on with Tom as crew of sailboat in Cape Town and headed north to Mallorca, stopping off on the islands of St. Helena, Ascension, Cape Verde and Madeira. Back in Europe he explored his possible Viking roots in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Bone ends up in Tom’s hair (don’t ask) on a 2010 trip down the Colorado River.
1983-86: Bone assumed Cheechako status and moved to Alaska with Curt where he was stalked by a grizzly bear on the Kenai Peninsula, explored Prince William Sound by kayak, learned to winter camp in 30 degree below zero weather while listening to wolves howl, backpacked in the Brooks Range north of the Arctic Circle, and discussed the finer points of eating salmon with Great Brown Bears in Katmai National Park. He escaped briefly to the warmer climate of Hawaii and participated in New Orleans Mardi Gras.
1986: He backpacked the Western US for five months with Curt exploring the Grand Canyon, the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, the Rockies, and the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming before returning to his beloved Sierras.
1989: Bone went on a six month 10,000-mile solo bike tour with Curt around North America visiting 18 states and 4 Canadian provinces. He ended his journey by meeting Peggy.
1990: The International Society of the BONE was formed at Senior Frogs in Mazatlan, Mexico, where Bone spent the afternoon being pickled in a pitcher of margaritas and being kissed by lovely senoritas.
1991-97: Various members of International Society accompanied Bone on numerous adventures. Highlights included a White House Press Conference with Bill Clinton, being blessed by the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, visiting with Michelangelo’s David, going deep-sea diving in South Pacific and Caribbean, doing a Jane Austin tour of England, and exploring the Yucatan Peninsula. A group adopted him as a good luck charm and took him back to visit the base of Mt. Everest one year and to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro another.
Bone loves high places. Here he is on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa. (He’s with MJ, fourth from right, standing.)
Bone went diving in the Pacific in 1997 with Jose and Barbara Kirchner, visiting a Japanese ship sunk during World War II and receiving his diving certificate.
1998-99: Bone embarked on 40,000-mile journey in the van, Xanadu, through the US, Canada and Mexico with Peggy and Curt, visiting over 30 National Parks, driving the Alaska and Baja Highways, checking out Smokey the Bear’s and Calamity Jane’s graves, kayaking in the Sea of Cortez, leaf peeping in Vermont, jetting to the Bahamas, pursuing flying saucers in Roswell, New Mexico, and completing his visits to all 50 states, etc. etc. etc.
2000-02: Bone journeys up the Amazon, returns to Europe, cruises to Belize, Cancun and the Cayman’s, and goes to New Zealand where a misguided customs agent tries to arrest and jail him as animal matter.
While in the Amazon, Bone slept in the same room that Jimmy Carter had slept in.
2003: Bone undertakes a 360-mile backpack trip in celebration of his discovery and Curt’s 60th birthday. They begin at Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe and end by climbing Mt. Whitney. Various friends join them along the way.
2004: Bone visits Hemingway’s grave in Idaho, goes horseback riding with Australians and Bahamians in Montana, and makes his first pilgrimage to Burning Man in Nevada, a very Bone like type of place. He also jets off to Costa Rica.
Bone has a love for anything ancient. Here, he perches on a Mayan sculpture in Costa Rica.
2005-2007: Bone returns to Burning Man twice and revisits Europe twice including special stopovers in Portugal, France, Holland, Germany, and Belgium. He also revisits Mexico.
2008 – 2011: Bone commences another exploration of North America. This time he travels in the van, Quivera, along with Curt, Peggy, and Eeyore the Jackass. His journey takes him over 75,000 miles of American Roads. In May of 2010 he begins his travel blog, The Peripatetic Bone, and rafts 280 miles down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
2012-2017: Bone goes into semi-retirement in Southern Oregon. Please note the semi, however. He continues the exploration of the West Coast ranging from Big Sur to Vancouver Island, where he kayaks for a week in search of Killer Whales. He wanders through England and Scotland helping Curt find his roots and spends a week traveling by Canal Boat on the Mercer River. Later, he returns to Europe again, traveling through the Mediterranean visiting Turkey, Santorini and other Greek Islands, Dubrovnik, Venice, Rome, Pompeii, Florence, and Barcelona. He returns to Burning Man several times. On one trip, he is married to the lovely Bonetta, who he met while exploring a swamp in Florida. Rumor has it that it was a shotgun wedding.
Bone and Big Nose Bonetta are married at Burning Man 2013. Bone’s kilt was made for him by an 80-plus year old woman from Kansas. Bonetta is wearing a designer wedding dress with very expensive plastic jewelry to match.
NEXT Wednesday: Bone grants one of his very rare interviews. You won’t want to miss it! (No, Bone doesn’t talk; he just thinks out loud.)
In the Meantime:
Saturday: A return to Burning Man and the last of the sculptures.
Monday: Peggy and I have just been in Bandon on the Oregon Coast. Are you ready for a visual treat?
37 thoughts on “The Journeys of Bone… Forty Years of Wandering the World”
GP Cox
I’d almost forgotten all about Bone. Please welcome him back here at Blogsville for me. We’ll look forward to hearing about his future plans.
Curt Mekemson
Bone’s a little excited that you had ‘almost forgotten’ about him, G, but he is glad he was still floating around in your memory banks. 🙂 –Curt
shoreacres
What I have to know is — have you ever been bad to the Bone?
Curt Mekemson
Who hasn’t? 🙂 I played the song for Bone just now. I also told him about your trapeze experience. Now he wants to meet you. BTW, he did think that Tom and I were bad to him when we pulled him out of his peaceful meadow in the mountains. –Curt
dave ply
Wow. That must be the most well-traveled bone in history.
Incidentally, when you started describing Bone’s travels, I was reminded of a Tom Robbins book, Skinny Legs and All, where in one plot line five inanimate objects (Can o’ Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick and Conch Shell) become animated and persevere through a trip of their own. Have you read it?
Curt Mekemson
He likes to think so. 🙂 I haven’t read Skinny Legs and All, Dave. But I do have it around here somewhere. I’ll put it on my list. Thanks for the suggestion. –Curt
leggypeggy
Nice to meet Bone. He’s had some great adventures.
Curt Mekemson
Yes he has Peggy, and he is always craving more. But then again, who among my fellow bloggers isn’t? 🙂 –Curt
Alison and Don
I wish I’d travelled half as much as bone! And OMG the wedding picture – love it.
Alison
Curt Mekemson
You and Don would have loved the wedding, I’m sure, Alison. It was in a huge non-church that one of the Burners had built because he wanted to get married at Burning Man. I get jealous of some of Bone’s journeys myself. 🙂 –Curt
gerard oosterman
Long live bone. Has he been to Australia yet?
Curt Mekemson
No, sigh. I was there before Bone was discovered. He made it to New Zealand, however. I’ve promised him a trip to Australia. If we get there, I am sure he will want to come and share a pint with you. –Curt
Andrew Petcher
Before he retires it only seems right that you take him to Boneo!
Curt Mekemson
Laughing. Maybe he can explore the backcountry and end up as a nose decoration. 🙂 –Curt
Mel & Suan
Mel: “B-B-B-Bad Bad to the bone” we suppose. Wow have not heard that one in years. On hindsight it wasn’t all that bad, journeying around the world that other parts of the anatomy might be envious of!
Curt Mekemson
Right. 🙂 –Curt
Green Global Trek
Is it possible to be jealous of a bone? This is avout as crearive a travel partner one can get. I DID have an imaginary friend as a kid. A bone mighta been better,
Curt Mekemson
Admittedly, Bone is a great travel partner. He never complains, is always up for an adventure, and is a great conversation starter! He isn’t cuddly, however. –Curt
Animalcouriers
Hats off to Bone, one of the most prolific travellers we know!
Curt Mekemson
Not sure he can compete with AC, however. 🙂 Admittedly, his adventures are a bit different. –Curt
Oh, the Places We See
Well, you do have a sense of humor! And a love of traveling with a bone, as it were. I’m looking forward to the next few posts — just to see where Bone will take me.
Curt Mekemson
Me too, Rusha. I’m never too sure where Bone is going to take me. 🙂 –Curt
christie jones
Wow.. 40 years.. Such a journey!!
Curt Mekemson
And I am not sure whether that speaks more to Bone’s age, or mine, Christie. Bone hasn’t changed an iota… 🙂 –Curt
christie jones
Haha, I’m sure he hasn’t changed a iota! I was counting more all his travels in these years:) Looking forward for the ones to come! All the best, Christie
Curt Mekemson
I figured as much, Christie, but couldn’t resist the comparison. 🙂 Bone will be back on Wednesday with his take on the world. –Curt
hilarycustancegreen
Good to touch base with bone again.
Curt Mekemson
Likewise, hilary. (laughing) -Bone
hilarycustancegreen
Sorry – Bone.
Curt Mekemson
Bone or bone… Had to stop and scratch my head, a not easy accomplishment, over what there was to be sorry about. Just glad to hear from you again, Hilary. Someday I will stop by. I really want to meet those hedge hogs! –Bone
Crystal M. Trulove
How did Bone escape from the Customs Agent in New Zealand? And I’d like to hear more about the International Society of the BONE.
Curt Mekemson
I explained Bone to the agent. 🙂 After about a minute he looked bemused and waved Bone and I on. The Society has been quiet for a while, but mainly it consists of people who have carried Bone. There are exceptions, of course. Would you like to become a Bonafide member? –Curt
Crystal M. Trulove
WHAT?! For real? Bone and I could meet? I leap at the opportunity. Does Bone want to see anything up here in the Columbia Gorge, or should we wait till I head south?
Curt Mekemson
So Crystal, I responded to this, of course. But my record is showing I didn’t. Anyway, in case it wasn’t sent, yes you and Bone can meet, he is demanding it. We’ll make it happen. You can even take Bone on a trip and write a blog about it if you want. 🙂 I think it would be fun. –Curt
Crystal M. Trulove
I’m on it! Can’t wait to meet Bone. 🙂
Curt Mekemson
Bone is so excited. Laughing. –Curt
Curt Mekemson
Of course you can meet Bone, Crystal. He’d love to see you, whether it’s up north or down here. Let’s make it happen. Here’s a fun idea. How about taking Bone on one of your excursions and doing a blog about the experience. He loves backpacking but you know him, he’s up for anything. Peggy says Bone can pack accordingly. I’d play it up on my blog, and of course you would become a member of the International Society. 🙂 –Curt