The Delta Tule Trekkers will hold a special “Meet and Greet the Trekkers” at Bel Piatto Italian Restaurant, 1000 Kansas Ave., Modesto on Monday, Aug. 14 with dinner/social at 6 p.m. and meeting at 7 p.m.
The Trekkers have been active in San Joaquin County for over 30 years and are affiliated with the American Volkssport Association or America’s Walking Club. Jim and Diane Gomes of Manteca will be there to tell guests about the Club of “Friendly Folk.”
Join members at 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 for a social hour at the meeting room at Bel Piatto Italian Restaurant and stay for the regular meeting at 7 p.m. You will learn about upcoming walks and special events. Single members, couples and families are all welcome to join this group that has members all over the United States. They are always looking for new friends. Visit their website at deltatuletrekkers.org or on Facebook at Delta Tule Trekkers. You can also call President Dianne Driver at 209-887-2807 for further information.
Jim and Diane joined the club in 2013 after Jim had gastric bypass surgery and wanted to start walking. Diane met a club member, George Wells, at church and he shared adventures of walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. When she told George she would be interested in that walk, he recommended the Delta Tule Trekkers walk club.
Four years later, the Gomes’ have taken this Camino de Santiago “bucket list” walk seriously and are walking longer, steeper distances with loaded backpacks in preparation of fulfilling the Camino de Santiago walk in September 2018. The couple also started hiking with American Pilgrims on the Camino groups in the Bay Area and Sacramento.
The Camino de Santiago is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Diane and Jim will be walking the Camino Frances which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago.
Both Jim and Diane have retired from Lawrence Livermore Lab, where they met in 1978 and married a year later. Their blended family has given them eight grandchildren. Jim enjoys cycling, collecting movies and music, computer games and watching old TV series. Diane enjoys sewing, reading, audiobooks and volunteering at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and setting up lunches for seniors.
