American Rivers Delta Loop January 2012

River Ride on January 29, 2012

"Wanna go for a ride on Sunday?" he asked quite innocently. A ride through any part of California is a favorite way to spend a few hours on a Sunday. Who was going and why were my questions, and the answers were kind of vague in their response. An annual ride with people I didn't know so that I could write a blog about the trip. Now that sounds interesting and I said, "Yes, I would love to go."

The blogging team from WET River Trips were picking me up around 9:00 AM so that we could meet the rest of their friends by 10:00 AM in a park somewhere in Sacramento. I wasn't driving and those of you who know me, know that my geographical skills are sorely lacking. "Somewhere near the Delta..." was the response I got when I asked where we were going.

With my nose in my notes and my eyes on my cell, I started writing about these people and friends whom I was accompanying on this little adventure. I say a little adventure as I was not required to bring a ton of gear. Just a hat, a jacket and good, sturdy shoes were all that was required.

We met the group near the park as the roar of the engines drowned out the speaker's voice as he instructed the group on the day's schedule. We were doing the "Delta Loop" which is a popular ride for top-down automobiles, motorcycles and bicyclists. The weather was beautiful... too beautiful for January! Then we were off on our ride, heading through the Delta towns such as Rio Vista, Clarksburg, Hood and Solano county where the wind turbines create a surreal landscape for the viewer.

I had no idea where I was. The loops and islands were so confusing! Each island looked so similar except for the homes and buildings. Each small town was picturesque and dotted with old-time ambiance. There was wine tasting along the way, art galleries, shops, the beautiful river with the boats, yachts and the incredible homes along the river frontage. This was a magical setting of another world, another place to experience.

I met quite a few interesting folks on this ride, too. I met a scientist and programmer of robotics. An interesting chap of European heritage. We talked about his current project. And, I gave him the name of one of the whitewater rafting guides who has an internet company that could help him with a problem.

As he passed me his business card, I was struck with the "Social Networking" that we just had. This is truly social networking! The real deal! No computer. Just talking with someone who had something in common with me.

Now, I am very interested in the outcome of this project that he was working on as I want to know if my input had any value to his project. If it did, then I will feel as if I was part of his team... no matter how small. "Social Media" in the best sense!


This blog belongs to W.E.T. River Trips California Whitewater Rafting blog.
All photos belong to WET River Trips Flickr site.

whitewater rafting in california

whitewater rafting in california
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

Oh, don't get me started! I love this river. South Fork American is a jewel of a river in California, USA.

Gold rush history surrounds this river rafting trip with glimpses of the old West. Gold panning is still done by many miners and enthusiasts.

Golden poppies surround the hillsides in the spring. This should be your first whitewater trip. User friendly but absolutely thrilling, many group rafting organize their activities for this whitewater trip.

Group discounts make this rafting trip affordable. Whitewater outfitters provide everything, so it is simple for the guests.

California is blessed with not only incredible weather, magnificent mountains and beautiful oceans, but the rivers that flow in the Sierra Nevada are the magnet that attracts paddlers from all over the world!

See you on the river!

Middle Fork American Labor Day Weekend!

Here we gooooooo! It's Labor Day Weekend and what are ya gonna do?



It's not too late to grab a Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run this Sat or Sun. A few spaces left folks for one of the deepest canyons in the state and an awesome whitewater rafting. Wait until you see Tunnel Chute rapid... double wow!



And for those who have families with younger children, we recommend South Fork American. SoFo is a fun splashy whitewater trip suited for beginners, novices and intermediates. Lots of fun on the water will cool you down.

We'll see you on the river!
WET River Trips
RAFTWET.com

King Tut Exhibit in San Francisco

Our avatar in the virtual world of Second Life did a recent blog about the King Tut exhibit on the grid. The premier builders, Rezzable, creators and artists in the virtual world had presented a beautiful interactive site showing the tomb's contents and of course, the boy king himself. I saw the pictures that the avatar posted on the King Tut blog about the sim and quite frankly, they were a stunning representation of the real life exhibit.





This weekend, June 27, 2009, the real exhibit comes to the De Young Museum in San Francisco. This is a much sought after ticket and the wait was almost unbearable for those of us who love history. Imagine... being able to actual see the tomb's contents and King Tutankhamun.



Many travelers and vacationers have included this event as a must see. We have included a package that will help to make the history visit even more fun! If you have a ticket for the exhibit, call in and we will offer you our Pharoah's Discount this week.





Just say "Pharoah's Discount" and you will receive a $99/person white water trip on any American One Day River Trip we offer. That includes lunch, whitewater trip, shuttle, guide service and all river rafting gear. Travel with us on the river and visit the historical gold rush sites in Northern California. What a great way to top off a history weekend!

de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
415.750.3600
http://www.deyoungmuseum.org

Life Decisions : Family

Recently, I was speaking to one of the younger members of the blogging team. He writes about the foibles of his youth and how he resolves the pending issues of the day. I gather that his life is full of adventure as each day unfolds to bring either good tidings or sorrow. He is young and full of spirit. The decisions he makes daily are hard. There are so many temptations, so many wrong things that can happen. The one constant in his life is his family, his good friends, his music, his art and rafting on rivers.

From North Fork American HIgh Water

Was life this hard when I approached it as a young adult? Yes, it was. Sometimes, I didn't think I would survive. I was always worried about money. There never seemed enough funds to cover the daily living cost. I can remember eating top ramen noodles because it was dirt cheap and satisfying. I wonder if "they" eat that, too...

From Buff Castle 2nd Saturday with White Fang & Religious Girls

He said to me that sometimes he wished that he could just go back to the warm embrace of his family... have mom do his laundry again... have dad slip him a twenty for gas... and waking up in a bed with clean sheets. He said he never imagined how much he would appreciate all the little things that mom and dad would do for him. He missed it very much, but he knew that he couldn't go back. He knew that he was an adult in a sometimes, childlike mind.

From Buff Castle 2nd Saturday with White Fang & Religious Girls

From Buff Castle 2nd Saturday with White Fang & Religious Girls

I imagine how difficult it is to ward off the temptations, the bad friends, and to make critical decisions to launch himself into full adulthood. He told me that his music and being outdoors on river trips was his greatest joy. He will be on our rafting trips this weekend enjoying himself with his friends. There, he can forget for a while, the seriousness of life and just enjoy what Mother Nature brings.

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

What year is this? How could it possibly already be Memorial Day Weekend?

From North Fork American, Middle Fork American, South Fork American Spring 2009

People from all walks of life are entering the zone of relaxation and party mood this weekend. Some are on vacation while others are just doing a quick trip nearby enjoying great discount prices with their family and friends.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

On our rafting trips, we are seeing a trend of last minute reservations. Not only does that stress out our staff, but it must also stress out our guests. We know that you are scrambling for something to do this weekend. We know you are trying to organize people who may be just as busy as you. Believe me, we know... as we repeat the same pattern for ourselves.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

This weekend... I am not sure what I will be doing. I waited 'till the last minute, too! I think the easiest thing will be to get on the online rafting store to do a quick purchase for a trip this Sunday or Monday. I gotta go rafting... I just have to spend this hot weekend on the water outdoors. And taking the ski boat out is too expensive or going to the coast is daunting, because I don't know if I can get in at the last minute on a hotel or b&b.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

So I am going rafting with friends... and I'll be thinking of all of you last minute, disorganized people like myself as I paddle the rapids and breathe a sigh of relief as I enjoy the river and the water. Peace...

From North Fork American, Middle Fork American, South Fork American Spring 2009

Props to PappaJah for the rafting photos from Middle Fork American 2009!

Whitewater Rafting in California

What a surprise... the rain, the snow in late February has changed the entire landscape once again in California. Just a few weeks ago, we were planning on having a shorter spring rafting season. We just thought mother nature wasn't going to cooperate this year.

Now March is here and the storms are coming one right after another. I look up at the sky and see another round of dark clouds rolling in from the west...

North Fork American was at 10,000 cfs a couple of days ago. The flow, of course is far to big to go whitewater rafting on that stretch. The crew is on standby watching the rise of the rivers, waiting for the chance to jump on the rapids. A precious gem of crystalline waters rapidly descending from the mountains and into the river of dreams, is finally calling to me again.

This is a river that challenges the seasoned paddler. Not fun in the sun, but fun under the gun! One right after another, the class 4+ rapids thrill and excite like no other extreme sport. Team building? This is the ultimate team building sport. No question... hands down, this river rafting trip is the best in Northern California.

Friends of the River had a monumental victory this year regarding this precious resource. The North Fork American has staved off the water barons for now. The Auburn Dam has been shut down, at least for this round.

Those of you who are mad about rivers and whitewater rafting should know: this is looking to be an incredible North Fork American season. We ask you to reserve now with the thought that this year, we need you to be experienced, aggressive paddlers on the Chamberlain Falls run. 

The Deal: call us now and receive the 2009 NoFo special; includes lunch, wetsuit, splash jacket, lifejacket, shuttle and our professional guide service. This year the price is all inclusive. We want reservations to be simple so pricing reflects that.

There are three companies over there that we highly recommend:

WET River Trips (largest & longest use; most experienced)

American Whitewater (2nd largest use; experienced guides)

American River Recreation (regular use; experienced guides)

Note from WET River Trips: Russell Towle, champion of the North Fork American drainage system died a few months ago in a tragic auto accident.  A profound loss to the conservation community since there are so few with his passionate embrace of this river. There was a tribute for him in Dutch Flat, California. Here are some photos of Russell.

From the last post of his blog: "... brilliant and innovative mathematician, entranced by higher-dimensional forms. He was a computer animator. He was an extremely doting father who enjoyed every single moment of life with his kids. He was a lover of classical Latin literature and Shakespeare, of Tintin comics and Terry Pratchett novels. He was a historian and a writer; a geologist; a linguist; an artist; a builder; a musician with a special love of Brazilian music; a nature lover and photographer."

Everything's Gonna be Alright...

The 2009 whitewater season starts up in just one month for us. It's been raining and snowing and more storms are lining up to come in to California over the next week and beyond ... and California now has a budget and President Obama's stimulus package is being unfurled.



As we are all aware, the economy is a mess and folks are justifiably nervous about the present and the future ... time for the adrenaline, sunshine, water, good food, and the relaxation that a whitewater trip can provide and without breaking the bank (or what's left of the bank!). A one or two day California whitewater trip feels like a week at the spa...except you get an extra dose of endorphins, adrenaline, and team building. Whether you bring the family group, friends, the office, or just yourself, you are part of a journey team-building and bonding that has no other agenda than to have the best time possible!

The river guides are on the same page and you're rafting rivers with others that share that agenda as well. It's a time a maximize your investment and create a life-long set of returns, benefits, and dividends: memories, friends, rafting photos, emotions, and flat-out fun! Your guides have no other imperative other than to help you enjoy your trip safely, provide you the best meals you've ever had in the outdoors, and make every moment an escape.... You need and deserve a whitewater trip!



As Bob Marley sings in "Three Little Birds"...Everything little thing's going to be all right! Thanks and Praises for whitewater, California, and those wacky river guides....got to love 'em...they're your guides!!!! (Note from WET: lump in my throat watching Connie sing this ...)

Note SpamReminder: Guide School starts on March 14th. Couple spaces are available on 4/4; 4/11, 4/18 & 4/25::

New York City : Kayaking Hudson River

Amazing day on the water today. An opportunity to once again truly become connected with nature. My understanding of the new water (ocean, estuary)  I've been paddling has become stronger, and I keep finding ways to make paddling in the New York Harbor, Hudson River, East River and Harlem River, fun and enjoyable every time. Each time I stretch my comfort zone that much more, and I am remembering what it felt like to be strong in a kayak once again. My weight has dropped and my training for New York City's kayak championship, called the Mayor's Cup, seems real. Today on the water was one of those remarkable days when you feel a boost in your teaching ability. Pardon the egocentric comment, but the feeling was good in a way that made me realize I was contributing in a positive way to those who choose to try kayaking and/or paddling as a sport.

The weather in New York is different. Being from Auburn, CA, where the Middle Fork and North Fork American rivers flow, I'm used to dry California heat. New York is humid and thunderstorms happen in summer. Today, myself and two new kayakers experienced what can happen in the waters surrounding Manhattan. These two ladies were students at Manhattan Kayak Company and had come to do a North/ South kayak tour. That means paddlers head either North or South depending on the currents. First you head upstream, then down, in either direction as the Hudson is not only a river, but a tidal estuary. My two ladies were in a double kayak as they were training for a huge sea kayak trip to Alaska. We started paddling and went North. It was 1:30, and we needed to paddle against the current no longer than to 3:00 PM so as not to have to come back against tidal current. If we headed South by 3:00 PM, we would get slack tide and not have to work too hard.



The energy of the group was to really go for a nice long paddle and get some good experience and I went out in focus of the moment. We crossed the river and paddled up the New Jersey side. That was their first river crossing and they were excited. This was the 3rd time for both of these ladies in a kayak and they had never paddled out of Manhattan Kayak's backyard. A haze hung over Manhattan as we paddled. Strokes were worked on including the forward, sweep and draw. In addition we practiced connection of strokes and paddling style. The decision was made to no longer use the rudder and the two really needed to start working together, and they did, strongly.

We turned around after probably an hour and a half. We had paddled by many of things characteristic of maritime scenery. Pilings, industrial buildings, barges, boats, parks, and Midtown Manhattan. As we paddled back, it began to sprinkle and felt wonderful. I took the ladies out to the middle of the river to experience being surrounded by enormous amounts of CFS flowing. We floated on top of it all and the weather worsened. A Cruise Ship was close to leaving as we passed it and lightening started to hit. We were very close to getting home at that point, within a mile I would say. There wasn't a place to stop and some critical points needed to be passed, including the Water Taxi Terminal, or Ferry Terminal.

The paddle back to the boathouse was against current; we had been out for enough time for the current to switch directions. We were heading back with a slight current against us and a headwind. The rain was kicking and the power of the Thunder Storm became massive. Various streaks of lightening and powerful sounds of thunder, then the wind really increased. It was at this point that we needed to cross the ferry terminal. We waited it out for a moment for one ferry to pass and we charged hard. It was powerful out there and we put our heads down and are bodies in an aggressive position to face the wind and continue moving forward. Nearing the end of the crossing, the worst of the storm appeared and we were hit by a 50 mile per hour gust. My two ladies were blown back 20 feet easily in that gust; just into the ferry terminal. The gust died a bit and we needed to move though while we had the opportunity. It was there that they continued their assault as a team.

Twenty minutes later were back on the dock with a storm that was calming down. I was happy as any teacher watching two student paddlers improve with leaps and bounds, and while pushed out of their comfort zone as beginners, they had the mental strength to get them through. At the end, they seemed full of joy and excitement. I felt this was a positive day on the water.

Theo from NYC 's Tidal Estuary via New York Harbor... paddlers never stop paddling!

Theo is a whitewater rafting guide for WET River Trips; also a bomber kayak instructor!

GUIDE POST from Berkeley (Bezerkeley)

Well, now that I have a little time in between working all day on the river, and writing papers all day for school, I figure I will take a break to briefly document some of last summer’s better adventure rafting trips. The year started off very well for the W.E.T. crew, completing the 2 day run of Generation and Giant Gap on the North Fork American River. Along with several other W.E.T. guides, notably J. Orban and Data Dax, we made the 5 mile hike into the Generation Gap with some Kayaker assistance (Heffe, fem Alex, and The Wolf), and put on at a perfect spring flow on a perfect spring day.



The Generation Gap has been run multiple times before in rafts, but was still a very challenging class V run, involving a few good portages, some quality boxed-in canyons, and Wolf-scouted rapids called “lefty lefty, scrapey scrapey.” (Note from WET staff: LOL!) On the second day we reached the confluence with the North Fork of the NoFo, and got a healthy boost in water to run the Generation Gap with somewhere a little under 2000 cfs. (For the record the Kayakers portaged Locomotive, and we styled it in the raft with Orban guiding). The run finished with no mishaps, a few sketchy backwards moments, and a bunch of tired, cold, hungry, and happy guides.



The highlight of summer boating was without question Wolf and my descent of Upper Cherry Creek. With little argument about attempting to make the six to ten mile hike, and nine mile high Sierra run, The Wolf and I set out in the Toyota searching for steep drops, big hits, and granite super highways. After receiving great beta from veteran rafters such as Guy (“you’re going to die”), we were fired up to check out what the upper Tuolumne tributary had to offer.

Along with us, and central to the success of the trip, was Fem Alex and adventure dog Marley, who provided quality ground support and photography. To my best knowledge, Upper Cherry has been run maybe three other times in rafts in the last five or so years. While we were not the first raft to make it down the run, I am almost positive that we did make the first decent in a bucket boat. The Wolf Special, a 10 foot, superlight, all black, two thwart, PVC bucket boat, was the perfect inflatable to boat this run in.



We set out early in the morning with a heavy load and a long day ahead. Before leaving on the trip I struck a deal with Wolf, where I would carry all gear for the trip (food, sleeping bags, first aid, throwbags, repair, top-off pump, ect.), if he would carry the boat. Good to his word, Wolf hauled the raft with a camstrap like a purse, while I managed the hike in with a hefty drybag load. Without any major incidents we hit the river around 3:00pm, and then made the hike up into Cherry Bomb gorge to begin our run.

Due to anticipated lower flows, we opted out of hiking into the section above Cherry Bomb because we didn’t want add miles of additional portages to our trip. As expected, we had a fairly low flow, which made for a great amount of water for exploring the run. Our first set of rapids involved a 200+ yard slide, into a boxed-in teacup section. Luckily both Wolf and I have had extensive slide and waterfall practice up on South Silver Creek, so we were fairly prepared for how the GI Jane bucket boat would handle down the drops. Even with our foreknowledge, I think we were both surprised at how deep you can go in a raft when you’re full of water going over teacups. After an extremely long first day, we camped just below the drop known as “Dead Bear,” and enjoyed a spectacular high Sierra evening.



The next morning we awoke like little kids on their birthdays to about a mile and half of read and run class 4+ slides and small drops. The highlight of day two was probably a 35 ft. off-vertical falls, into a picturesque, Shangri-La pool. This one was so fun, Wolf and Fem Alex hauled the boat back up the granite cliff for another run.

The entire trip went without mishaps. While there are several significant portages on the run, (dependent on flow), we were probably able to boat about sixty percent on the water, which was much better than what I had in mind when we set out. We managed to make it to Cherry Lake around 5pm just in time for a healthy three mile paddle across the flat-water. To top the run off Wolf ran the seven mile shuttle up the ridge to our cars, cruising in to pick us up at 9:30pm, just in time to make the 1:00am Denny’s crowd in Jacksonville, and our 8:00am South Fork American rafting trips the next morning. All in all it was an outrageous summer full of good times on the water.

Hope everyone had a good rest this fall and winter, so we can gear up and go big this coming spring. Also mad props to Wolf’s Tunnel Chute flip for some of the best rafting photos I’ve ever seen.



Note: Thank you Alex for the memories! WET crew is ready for rafting! Cya all on the water!

GO WITH THE FLOW CALIFORNIA!

California is amazing. Go with the flow....and "flow" happens.

The rest of the US is locked in ice, flood, and freezing wind. This past week California weather has enjoyed high temperatures in the mid-to high sixties and even the Sierra Nevada have seen highs in the 50's. The skiing and snowboarding is great. Rafting trips and kayaking adventures are happening everyday. 2009 rafting season is starting up! We have more rain and snow is coming our way.

In the meantime, we're loving the weather and sipping the lemonade that the planet has produced for our geographic corner of the world. Even the ski resorts have gone with the flow with sundecks and "beach-style" recreation like volleyball added to the lodge activities, skiing and snowboarding.

The whitewater season will be big fun in the " Warm California Sun" (the Ramones version)! Hey Ho, Let's go!

Lyrics:: Ramones - California Sun
Well I'm going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I Shimmy and They Shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, I'm going out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I shimmy and They shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go

And I walk and They walk i twist and They twist
I shimmy and they shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

We're out there having fun in the warm California sun