#russian-river

#russian-river

The tiny town of Duncans Mills is a tribute to kinship. Named after two brothers, a pair of 19th-century Scotsmen who sailed lumber down the Russian River for building homes in San Francisco, the unincorporated Sonoma County community is now run by three sisters. Their parents started rescuing buildings from dilapidation in the area in 1970 and ever since, the family has safeguarded the revival of the rustic yet boutique village by the river.

A wanted felon led Sonoma County sheriff's deputies on a one-hour chase Thursday in which a vehicle pursuit turned into a foot pursuit and then a water pursuit in the frigid Russian River. The incident began on Thursday afternoon, when authorities appear to have been seeking out the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Raymundo Navarro Jimenez. Navarro Jimenez had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of San Joaquin County for narcotics-related charges and possession of child pornography, and it's not clear how the pursuit began.

When the weather gets hot in Sonoma County, there's no better way to cool off than with a float down the Russian River. A number of small towns dot the banks of the popular river flowing from Mendocino County to Jenner, but the best known of them all is Guerneville. On a recent scorchingly hot Thursday, I made the hour-and-a-half drive up to this river town of 4,500 from where I live in Oakland.