Swimming The Sinkholes

April 19, 2013

casey_1.jpg

Casey McKinlay under water

Credit:

David Rhea

Swimming The Sinkholes

Produced by:

Jorge Valencia

Play

We think our feet are always on solid ground, but in Florida it's more like Swiss cheese. Dick speaks to Casey McKinlay, who, along with his diving partner Jarrod Jablonski, pulled off a 21-hour dive through underwater caves that connect sinkholes.

Music:

"I Can't See Clear" by Espers

and

You might also like…

Lessons From Alaska

Alissa Braatz spent three summers looking for adventure and summer work in Petersburg, Alaska. She found both.

Listen

Coal Songs

When the Sago mine disaster happened in 2006, singer Kathy Mattea was reminded of another mining disaster from her childhood in West Virginia. It was 1968. Her parents were glued to the television as news of 78 trapped Sago miners came across the screen. Rescuers eventually had to give up.

Listen

The Meaning of Profit

Hal Taussig believes that CEOs have a responsibility to do more than earn wealth for themselves. He created a successful travel company called Untours. The company has a budget in the millions. But Hal does not keep any of the profits. He donates them to charity.

Listen

Summer Job: Sauerkraut Runner

Bob Goodale wrote to say that he has really enjoyed our series of summer job stories. When he was thirteen years old, Bob had an interesting summer job. Bob wrote, "I was a sauerkraut runner. Sauerkraut is cabbage and salt. The cabbage becomes moldy if the salt isn't evenly dispersed. In Iowa during 'sauerkraut season,' young men in hip boots trudged around in huge vats. My inseam is only 28" today, so you know I was a shorty back then. My job was to get in the vats when the brine was below their knees and 'run' around until the brine was well over their knees!"

Listen

Next Chapter Peter Maerz

Peter Maerz was on the program about a year ago. Peter is an avid scuba diver, and he told the story of being out off the coast of Florida – when the scuba boat left him behind. Well, telling that story on the radio radically changed his life. Today, we find out why.

Listen

Pioneer Woman - With Vulture

Shannon Carter feels fortunate that she's had creativity and resourcefulness to rely on during hard times. When her husband's work in building ran out, she started raising her own food and scrounging in abandoned houses for supplies. She also started some new ventures on eBay and took in a vulture chick - who helped her out in unexpected ways.

Listen

Lessons From The Master

It's said that Joe Thompson is the last African American "old-time" fiddler in the south. Joe was born in 1918. His father and uncles were fiddlers who played for black and white audiences for weekend "frolics". Young Joe not only learned the songs of his youth, he performed them at Carnegie Hall. Today Dick Gordon spends an hour with Joe and the young African American string band trio, The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Joe is mentoring the threesome, teaching them the songs which define his musical legacy.