Summer dreams dry up on the Russian River, a paradise whipsawed by drought, flood and fire
Summer dreams dry up on the Russian River, a paradise whipsawed by drought, flood and fire Diana Marcum Healdsburg, Calif. — If there was any respite to be found, it was here on the Russian River. A river otter popped up next to Larry Laba's inflatable canoe, then dived down with a plop. A yellow swallowtail butterfly, big as a hand, fluttered past. Yet everywhere were signs of the West's ever-intensifying drought, with the Russian River taking the early hit. Laba, the owner of Russian River Adventures, who had paddled this river hundreds of times over 20 years, made note of unfamiliar thin...