Rinker Buck

A quick scan of my reading list reveals my affinity for nonfiction by authors who are quirky, erudite, and steeped in the natural world, whether through agriculture, adventure, or another lifestyle; books like Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm, The Shepherd's Life: A People's History of the Lake District, and Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World are par for the course. It should show more come as no surprise, therefore, that Rinker Buck's account of his covered-wagon journey along the Oregon Trail hit all the right buttons for me.

This fellow is crazy. Let's get that straight right away. His answer to a mid-life slump is to buy a genuine covered wagon and a mule team and try to drive the Oregon Trail just like the pioneers did. His brother, who is even more eccentric and far less civilized, comes along for the trip, which adds a bit of family drama and a whole lot of profanity to the story. Intermixed with his account of their (mis)adventures, Buck provides all sorts of wonderful historical information about the trail and some of the people who traveled it. Although these segments are not always integrated as smoothly as they might be, the overall effect works well and the history and travelogue illuminate and enhance each other.

This book is funny, informative, and deeply absorbing. If you can listen to the audio, do so. Buck narrates his own story and, while I generally hate it when authors read their own work, it is perfect in this case. He's a great reader and the genuine feeling that comes through makes for a superb audio experience. If you choose to stick to the text version, don't worry. Buck writes so well and has such a great authorial presence, you'll feel like he's right there next to you telling you his story.

There's no way I'd take on a project like Buck's, but thanks to his storytelling skill and exhaustive research, I'm seriously considering taking my children on a car-bound version of this expedition. Anyone who can tempt me to spend more than a week in a car with three children has major inspirational power! show less

“Crazyass passion is the staple of life and persistence its nourishing force. Without them, you cannot cross the trail.”

“Seeing America slowly was, in a way, like eating slow food-I wasn't covering much ground in a single day, but I was digesting a lot more.”

Looking for the perfect end of the summer reading adventure? Boy, do I have a pick for you. Rinker Buck decides to ride the entire 2,000 mile Oregon Trail, in a covered wagon, pulled by mules. Something that has not been show more attempted in over a century. He takes along his shabby, profane but mechanically inclined brother, Nick and his Jack Russell terrier, Olive Oyl. (Nick reminded me of Bryson's friend Stephen Katz, from A Walk in the Woods. Just not as broad).
You would think traversing the trail in modern times, would be a tad easier but the Buck brothers encounter, the same problems that the original pioneers did: wicked storms, runaway mules, lack of water, various break-downs and intense desert heat.
Rinker also adds many historical elements to the narrative, that identifies with the Oregon Trail, making this an ambitious and informative read.
It is all told in robust prose, filled with humor and insightful observations about America now and then. The added bonus was how good the people were, across the country, supporting the brothers, on their journey, reminding us how caring and decent, Americans can be.

Come on! Take this ride. (In the comfort of your own home, of course). show less

Rinker Buck, on a whim, decided to travel the entire length of the Oregon trail in a covered wagon more than 100 years after the last pioneers to do so. Which may be slightly less crazy than it sounds: Buck's father was an antique wagon enthusiast who once took him and his siblings on a covered wagon trip through Pennsylvania, so it wasn't like the experience was entirely new to him. And his brother, who accompanied him, is an expert mechanic and horseman who inherited their dad's wagon show more obsession. So if anybody was going to make that trip in the modern era, they would seem to be the right guys for it. It's still at least a little crazy, though, which is something the author readily admits.

The book is part adventurous travelog, part memoir (complete with lots of personal musings about Buck's ambiguous feelings towards his father), and part history lesson. It also takes a variety of tones: snarky, self-deprecating, appreciative, informative, introspective, even inspiring (although not in a mushy sort of way). Somewhat surprisingly, it works on all these levels. Occasionally, Buck's airing of his emotional issues borders on over-sharing, but he never quite goes too far with it, and it does serve to bring a human element to the story. And I found the history surprisingly interesting, and the many new things I have learned about mules even more surprisingly interesting. show less

Rinker Buck had been reading about keelboats and flatboats and how they helped expand the United States. He decided he wanted to try to do the same thing--build his own flatboat then travel down the Monongahela, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers in it to New Orleans. He did and this is his story.

I was fascinated by this book. I wish I had been on that trip, but I know I do not have the skills to do it, but I loved being an armchair traveler with Rinker, his different crews, and Patience, his show more flatboat. I was interested in all aspects from building the boat to getting it to Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, to begin his journey.

I appreciated being taught something about navigating on the rivers by using the bridges and having to know what type of bridge it was so you knew which bridge you were traveling under. I loved the tales of the people he met along the route and their stories. I loved the warnings he was given about dying when he met certain parts of the river. It became a joke for him and his crew at those times.

The generosity of people he met was amazing--from food to ice to making anchors for his flatboat, and so many other things he needed as he went along his trip. I liked how he learned to work with the tugboat captains so that they helped him at times just as he helped them, and he stayed out of their ways. While some members of his crew were pains in the behind and were skittish about so much, he remained calm most of the time and did the right things at the right times.

I enjoyed reading of the times he had to navigate around other boats and how he navigated when rivers came together. Reading about how he made it through those confluences was exciting. I liked that he was always learning and trying to do what he thought was right. He managed to get to New Orleans without being pulled off the river as a nuisance.

I loved the history I learned as he talked about flatboats, slavery along the Ohio River, the Trail of Tears, how the towns around the rivers came to be, as well as what life along the rivers is today. I saw this country from a different point of view. I saw the isolation of these towns and understand why those people feel forgotten by the rest of the country and the government. I appreciated when he talked of getting behind the myths of the country and the rivers and finding out about them. So much of the history we are taught is myth. The reality is dirtier and uglier than we want to admit or learn about, but learning about it opens you up to see things through others' eyes. It was good to see it and learn about it and get recommendations to learn more about any of the topics he spoke of in the book.

As Mr. Buck says you have to do to learn the truth, to see behind the myths. Once you do, you are changed and don't see with the same eyes as before. I am so glad I read this book. I learned so much. It should be required reading for all. show less