After one message in a bottle crossed the Atlantic and sparked a friendship, Les Goldsmith never expected lightning to strike twice.
Family Lore Tempts Fate
In 2001, when Les and his daughter Beth were visiting the Galápagos Islands together, they decided to try it again.
This time they chose a container they trusted.
A Nalgene bottle.
After seeing his first message travel across the Atlantic years earlier, he knew the ocean demanded something tougher than an ordinary bottle. Nalgene bottles are built to be durable and 100% leakproof, and he figured if anything could protect a message drifting across the Pacific for years, a Nalgene bottle was it.
They tucked a handwritten note that included a map, their names and a request that whoever found it send it back to them in New Jersey. They even slipped in a dollar bill. Then they set the bottle adrift in the Pacific Ocean and continued their trip.
Years passed, and like the first bottle, the memory slowly faded.
Lightning Strikes Twice?
Then, late at night on July 11, 2025, Les received an unexpected phone call.
On the other end was Dr. Greg Lewbart, a veterinarian leading a research team studying wildlife in the Galápagos Islands. Earlier that day, one of the researchers had discovered a bottle on a small island near Santa Cruz.
Inside was a note with Les and Beth’s names.
The bottle had been at sea for 24 years.
Even more remarkable, the call revealed an unexpected connection. Dr. Gregory Lewbart and several members of the research team were veterinarians who had studied at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine—the same school Les attended years earlier. As they talked, they began discovering mutual colleagues and shared connections throughout the veterinary world.
What started as a chance discovery quickly turned into a web of shared friendships and professional ties stretching across decades.
When Les’ Nalgene bottle was finally mailed back to him, Dr. Lewbart had included the well-preserved note from 2001, and the shaggy dollar bill that had been in the bottle as well. The message with the map was in remarkable condition.
And the Nalgene bottle that protected the cargo was still intact.
Made for Life
More than two decades after being set adrift, the bottle had protected its message long enough for the story to come full circle.
For Les and Beth, the rediscovered Nalgene bottle is more than a remarkable coincidence. It’s a reminder that small acts of curiosity can ripple outward in ways we never expect—connecting strangers, rekindling old friendships, and sparking new ones decades later.
It’s also a quiet testament to something else: the objects that travel with us on our adventures sometimes carry our stories farther than we ever could ourselves.
After 24 years in the ocean, the message inside finally made its way home.
And the Nalgene bottle that carried it is still doing its job.
Nalgene bottles are ready for any travel adventure, big or small. Visit Nalgene.com to purchase.
