Just moments after the breach, the pent-up river releases awesome power, creating this standing wave to greet the ocean at Pinnacle Rock. Both men are in the shot as tiny figures on the sandbar. (Nicholas Wilson via Bay City News)

MENDOCINO Co., 12/22/23 — On Dec. 13, State Route 128 had been closed for six days due to flooding over the roadway. Sheldon Schultz and son Zalmon Schultz loaded up their kayak and went out to pull the plug.

The seasonal sandbar blocking the Navarro River had already begun to fail. The two men had gone to have a look two days before, and they realized it was close to flowing naturally. Why not be there to see it blow?

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Frank Hartzell is a freelancer reporter and an occasional correspondent for The Mendocino Voice. He has published more than 10,000 news articles since his first job in Houston in 1986. He is the recipient...