The Last River Rat

To give credit where it’s due, I was referred to the story of Kenny Salwey and Tales of the Last River Rat by Brian Weber of Capt. Of the O‘Dark 30. Amazon carries a couple books on his stories, and a film was done. The thing that jumped out at me was the film was done by the BBC. A story about an American naturalist and the greatest American river had to be done by the BBC? I guess the story wasn’t sexy enough, violent enough, or trendy enough for an American film- maker. If you enjoy the simpler life, the outdoors, wildlife and nature, you’ll enjoy the film. Unfortunately, to get it on You Tube, it had to be chopped into 10-min. bites, but if you find it distracting, buy the book!

It hasn’t been fit for any paddling around here lately. The winds have been running 45 mph here, and around 80mph east of us. We’ve been having a long series of wildfires. In one day alone, 50 homes and buildings were destroyed. One woman that manages an animal shelter went to great lengths to cage and move all the animals in the shelter as a fire was seen in the distance, only to get home and find that her own barn and horses had been consumed. Wildfires here are a serious matter between open miles of dead vegetation and high winds. Several years ago four men were working on an oil pumping station when they realized a wildfire was coming. They got in their pickup to flee, but even with the truck, they couldn’t outrun the flames. All four were lost. Anyhow, enough doom and gloom. Enjoy the films. Great photography! When you pull the first video up, at the top you'll see a tab for seven videos by juicer63.  Two through five give you the entire film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73sH2N-wWP4