The Putin River of California

     Yes.  That's what I'll call the venerable Russian River from now on.   Sonoma county's lazy, meandering wine country water course was just beautiful yesterday as the Mayor walked and waded along its lower reaches, near Austin Creek.   Temps were in the 70's on a clear day.  The water was relatively clear and moving at about 1000 ps.  A few other fishermen were around but action was limited.   Sea lions were in from Jenner, creating havoc among the migratory hatchery steelhead trying to make it to Warm Springs to the dam site hatchery.   Locals note the prevalence of sea lions hanging out at the mouth of the river, feasting on the steelhead as they attempt to migrate up river.  No doubt the conservation efforts are working for the sea lions: they dine on government funded steelhead with fees collected from fishermen who cannot touch a voracious trout-eating sea lion.
       My friends G. and Rod had little luck with their offerings.  G. was casting around Wohler Bridge alongside a few other anglers.  He missed one and let go a smolt heading down river.   But, it was a fine day on the Russian, or Putin River.
     Now about the name.  Perhaps one of Obama's sanctions should be the renaming of the river itself.  Why glorify a place with such a name as Russya when so undeserving?  The Russya presence of the 18th century on the California coast is long over and generally forgotten anyway.  Only a few old locals can mention that some Russkies landed here and stole some sea otter pelts to make hats for the Czars and fledgling oligarchs.  The local natives, with the help of a few Spanish oligarchs chased them out.   Old Fort Ross is their one and only legacy on the North Coast.  Let's change the name, now.
     Calling for suggestions among our blog followers.
1.  Big Austin River
2.  Sonoma River
3.  Brown River, after 4 term governor, Jerry B.
4.  Martin Luther King River
5.  Jack London River(author)
6.  Mark Twain River
7.  Bret Harte River
8.  Roy Rodgers River- I like that one.
9.  Berry Mill River( local mill family)
10.  Parmeter River(local pioneer family)
11.  Nemtsov River(Putin opponent murdered last week)
12.  Obama River( just kidding)
     So, suggestions?