The Odell Buckenflush Chronicles are a collection of river tales garnered from a career in the field of outdoor education. Throughout the Odell Buckenflush Chronicles, experiential-learning is mated with humor and addresses our environmental impacts and consequences of actions. While most of the tales have a humorous slant, each tale has a lesson directed at those who venture to the outdoors via our waterways.
The tales provide fun examples for outdoor leaders, teachers, camp counselors, and resource managers to utilize in an ever-shrinking outdoor environment, making this book a tool for both education and entertainment. After all, the outdoor educator is in the business of "edutainment."
In the Odell Buckenflush Chronicles, circumstances unfold and decisions must be made that have consequences. Through the decisions we make, hopefully we learn from our experiences, gain wisdom, and develop good judgement. The great outdoor educator, Paul Petzoldt once noted, "People in outdoor settings should learn from their experiences; however, many must have what "just happened" explained to them, otherwise they keep making the same mistakes over and over." There are a wealth of examples of "what just happened," in these tales.
While this compilation is not a treatise on learning theory, it does provide different examples of learning. We all learn differently as the great American humorist, Will Rogers expressed, "There are three kinds of (people): Those that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
Have fun with these tales! Odell does the "peeing." As the reader, all you have to do is enjoy!
The design of all five volumes in the Odell Buckenflush Chronicles is consistent. Each volume has forty-eight tales arranged into four chapters entitled:
1.Inventions and Achievements
2.Family Connections
3.Rescue and Survival
4.Philosophy and Life
At the end of each tale is a short note entitled, "Tale of the Tale." This section details the real-life inspiration of the tale.
A Glossary of River Terms is included in each volume with accuracy and "tongue-in-cheek" definitions.
Multiple "Appendices" provide cross-references for:
1.Rivers and geographic locations
2.Previously published tales
3.Subjects related to outdoor experiences
4.Buckenflush characters in the tale
Finally, there is no single person who is Dr. Odell Buckenflush. He is a combination of real folks, imagination, and folklore. Perhaps you may recognize yourself or your common experiences in some of these tales.
Steve Spencer
