Book + Beverage Summer 2026

THE BOOK

AS LONG AS RIVERS RUN BY LARRY RAY RATHER

The Ute tribe named Colorado “the land of the Great Spirit.” It is a rare soul who explores this wilderness of mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers without sensing others who have led the way, long before.

Fourth generation Colorado native, rancher and author Larry Ray Rather shares this insatiable curiosity about his ancestors who inspired his engaging novel, As Long As Rivers Run. His grandfather first visited Colorado at age 12 on a cattle drive, then returned to Oklahoma to eventually marry a Ute woman.

“She died in childbirth and my grandpa, now a cattleman, headed north toward Alaska for a new start with a buckboard wagon and two mules. He never made it. In Durango, he met my grandma at a local dance and soon married again … I grew to appreciate the genuine Utes and their rich, humanistic culture, not bombarded by Hollywood’s vision of savagery. That was so important to express to my readers,” Rather says.

Indeed, Rather’s understanding of the climate of white culture and his reverence for the Ute ways creates the foundation for his work. His personal relationships and experiences lend vivid credibility to his diverse characters and settings. Tom Dunagan, a white Civil War veteran and widower, leads his courageous teenage daughter, Brooke, into wild 1891 Western Colorado to mine new beginnings and fortune. During a bear attack, they save Yellow Bear Ute leader, Bow River, and a tenuous friendship develops. Other Utes including Water Bird, Strong Horse, Star Flower, Stone Calf, Rose Creek, Blue Jay and Badger Heart play prominent roles in building bonds of respect and love.

As Long As Rivers Run took Rather almost as long to complete. He wrote a first draft in 1991. He lost the original 150-page handwritten manuscript, accidentally leaving it behind in a roadside cafe, but started over five years later.

“It gave me time to study how to write a novel,” he admits. “I narrowed it down. I wrote mostly during the winter months with more time. Originally, I planned to feature the Meeker Massacre from a Ute’s perspective. Then one day, driving up the Roaring Fork, I imagined what it must have been like for Tom and Brooke, pulled by fate, to adapt to such a unique life and often perilous circumstances. Slowly I knit my ideas together. I chose to self-publish, and I love the cover art contributed by Basalt artist Tania Dibbs.”

Rather’s book blends historical fiction, Western adventure and romance, and its wisdom echoes the Great Spirit.

“Walk beside me that we may be as one.”

THE BEVERAGE

COLORADO CELLARS CHOKECHERRY WINE

Drawing from Rather’s careful research and vivid storytelling, As Long As Rivers Run weaves in authentic Ute-inspired flavors, including a celebration featuring elk roast, biscuits and chokecherry juice. It’s a natural pairing that favors a wine rooted in the same regional fruit.

Colorado Cellars Chokecherry Wine is semidry and distinctly bittersweet. This unique fruit wine captures the character of wild chokecherries found throughout the West. Best served chilled, it pairs unexpectedly well with barbecue, Chinese cuisine and rich chocolate desserts — or enjoyed simply on its own.

Originally published in the summer 2026 issue of Spoke+Blossom.