It's Warm in Siberia
Travel Stories and Photographs from a Solo Journey Across the USSR in 1984
In 1984, Jon Humboldt Gates, having spent two years studying Russian and planning his journey, left his rural home on the California north coast and landed on the shores of the Soviet Far East by ship via Japan. He spent the next eight weeks traveling by rail and automobile through Russia and Ukraine, riding the full length of the Trans-Siberian Railway, driving alone for hundreds of kilometers through Russia and traveling south to the Black Sea. Along the way, he met scores of people from all walks of life, most of whom had never met an American before.
Before the Dolphins Guild
A Story of Heroic Efforts to Save Two Navy Submarine Crews Trapped Under the Sea in 1915 and 1916
In the early days of submarining, before the Great War, two U.S. submarine disasters riveted the nation as the stories unfolded in local and national newspapers. In Hawaii, the USS F-4 left Honolulu on a routine training run in March 1915 — and disappeared with its crew of 21 men. At Northern California’s Humboldt Bay in December 1916, the USS H-3 crashed onto the sea floor during a treacherous bar crossing attempt and was pinned under roiling surf with its crew of 27.
Firestorm
A Personal Narrative from the Epicenter of a California Wildfire
Firestorm is a personal narrative, written by the author after he escaped with his family at midnight when their home and the region were suddenly engulfed in the 2017 Sonoma County Tubbs Fire – one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. In just a few hours, the fire destroyed more than 5,600 structures, with 22 people perishing in its wake. This volume of vignettes captures the terror, confusion, anger, loss, impotence and disconnection wrought by the North Bay Fires on one couple and their community and, ultimately their resolve and hope.
Falk's Claim
The Life and Death of a Redwood Lumber Town
Nominated for the Forest History Award, Falk’s Claim chronicles a lumber community from its bustling peak through its decline to a ghost town. Told through personal histories, it is a vivid portrait of a disappearing way of life in small rural communities. Richly illustrated with photographs, the daily lives emerge – trusted neighbors, rough-edged ways of the lumber camps, the town characters, the kids, the fights and festivities. Throughout this tale, the sense of change and renewal challenges our notions of permanence, reminding us that our history is but a moment when measured against the enduring cycles of nature.
Night Crossings
Maritime stories of rogue waves at night on California's notorious Humboldt Bar
At night, a harbor entrance becomes a dark and unpredictable corridor. One of the most dangerous harbor crossings in North America is the entrance to Humboldt Bay, on the California North Coast. For years, mariners have traded tales of shipwrecks and narrow escapes on the bar. The five stories retold here occurred between 1933 and 1982. They are based on recollections of sailors who survived the treacherous waters when a rogue wave came out of the darkness.