"Rabbi"

Attended the Modern & Black Powder Gun Show, in Lincoln, NE, held over last weekend. Met alot of nice people, learned some things, all in all a good time. One of the unique characters there is Les Vilda, aka 'Rabbi.' I have seen him at numerous rendezvous and he is always the center of attention as he is an avid entertainer, historian, and educator. Borrowing from his website..."Les's knowledge of history comes not only from books, but also from personal experience as a Living Historian. He has canoed the full length (2500 miles) of the Missouri River and 500 miles of the Mississippi River. He walked 980 miles of the Santa Fe Trail with a pack donkey in 1984 and 1100 miles of the trail with a horse and wagon in 1987. In 1988, Les traveled nearly 300 miles of the Oregon Trail in Wyoming on horseback and, in 1992, traveled 170 miles of the Nebraska City Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail in Nebraska with a wagon and a donkey-mule team." He conducts educational programs for schools, museums, and historical events on Lewis & Clark, the western trails, and skills. Check out his website at: http://www.havedonkeywilltravel.com/