Bob Heberle and I met and became friends on fire and trail crews out of the Inyo Ecology Center — now Owens Valley Conservation Camp — near Bishop, Ca., 55 years ago. Still friends today but better suited to laughing in my backyard about sharp tools, smoky nights and crazy camp cooks.
Bob, wife Judy and their dog Casey visiting from California with me and my guy Cowboy 2 in Placitas, April 29, 2026.
Just about a week after Bob and Judy’s visit, Roger Bergmann, the former Inyo Crew 1 leader and later International Gay Rodeo Association president, stopped off on his frequent Western travels. The kid from Kalispell now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been honored by the IGRA Hall of Fame.
Roger is retired from a career with the U.S. Forest Service. Bob is retired from many years of school teaching and Judy is retired from the University of California at Davis. Everyone seems to be enjoying life after professions, although Bob is remembered by former students and stays in touch with many old friends and Roger stays busy as the IGRA archivist and president of the Gay and Lesbian Rodeo Heritage Foundation.
dream ranch 