The Russian River region has morphed from a lumber area, to a recreational paradise, to a retirement locale and a semi-bedroom community of Santa Rosa Valley, all the while sustaining itself as one of Northern California's premier vacation destinations. Each resort region town has its own personality dictated by its environment: forest, river, fields, and hills. A self-proclaimed 'River Rat,' Valerie A. Munthe has lived 20 years in Guerneville, where she and her husband, Jesse, raise their two children. John C. Schubert, who has lived on the Russian River for 55 years, is a former U.S. Marine, a retired deputy, and a local writer and historian of some note.