Mokelumne River
River flowing from the Sierra Nevada to the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion | Jenny Odell | setting | Odell accidentally spent several days offline in a cabin, panicked for twenty minutes, then found her phone inert. |
| How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion | Jenny Odell | subject | She visits the river at several access points from the forested Sierras to chaparral, finds it always moving, and traces the North Fork up to Highland Lakes. |
How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell (2019)
Source: How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion · How to Do Nothing · Readwise highlight
I was on a solitary trip to the Sierra Nevada to work on a project about the Mokelumne River, and the cabin I had booked had no cell reception and no Wi-Fi.
- Role: setting
- In the book: Odell accidentally spent several days offline in a cabin, panicked for twenty minutes, then found her phone inert. She uses it as her own small digital detox before arguing that retreat is not the answer.
- Why it matters: The cabin itself is not located; the river gives the region.
How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell (2019)
Source: How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion · How to Do Nothing · Readwise highlight
I had just learned that Oakland’s drinking water comes from the Mokelumne River, and wanted to see it “in person”
- Role: subject
- In the book: She visits the river at several access points from the forested Sierras to chaparral, finds it always moving, and traces the North Fork up to Highland Lakes. She sees that headwaters defy delineation and that the water may come from Philippine atmospheric rivers.
- Why it matters: The river embodies the argument that bioregions and identities are fluid flows with permeable borders, linking her Oakland tap to her Filipino family.