The Great Valley - Splendor in the Grass

When California is mentioned, the ocean, beaches and surfing are always a highlight of the conversation along with
the beach communities of Malibu. Los Angeles and the glitzy glamour of Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, Getty Museum and music at every club and lounge in that area are something to brag about when talking about the pros of California.

Then there is California's most famous city, San Francisco. Hippies on Haight Street, Golden Gate Bridge, the beautiful bay where whales, dolphins still visit the urban population reminding San Franciscans of the closeness of nature to the City by the Bay. Picturesque Victorian homes dot the hillsides in walking distance to world-class restaurants and culture. An artist and musician's paradise of golden inspiration at every corner of the city. Photographers can spend a lifetime here capturing images unique only to San Francisco.

And, California brags about their mountains. Spectacular Sierra Nevada with Lake Tahoe bordering both California and it's next door neighbor Nevada. Rivers and waterfalls flowing everywhere in the spring where the runoff from the snow brings a sense of urgency to California. Possibilities of whitewater rafting and flooding are paramount in everyone's mind during this time. And, the photo opportunities are legendary as photographers line up to visit Yosemite and other mountainous areas. The Sierras are legendary and draw recreationists, adventurers and explorers from all over the world.

California is my home. I would not live anyplace, but California. But, I want to talk about an area that Californians rarely brag about... and it is unfortunate, because it is one of the most spectacular places in the world.

The Nature Conservancy - Consumnes River, California

The Great Valley. California. The bread basket of the world. Soil that can grow anything. An expanse so huge, that it takes a lonely drive up Hwy 5 to really appreciate the place. Like John Steinbeck and Joan Didion, I have found the beauty and sadness here, too.

I had an errand to run, and I had to meet a friend in Lodi. Remember that old Creedence Clearwater song? "Stuck in Lodi" was a vision of hot, dusty agricultural gloom signaling a valley town that did not warrant a visit. Well, the place was vibrant with grape vines and cherry trees. Vineyard country with world-class wines and wineries and restaurants that support the agriculture there. We had an incredible lunch together at a local restaurant.

The Great Valley at sunset by Stephen L.

As I drove home the next morning, the sky was a swirl of blue and huge pink, gray, white and bluish clouds were filling the skies space. Massive clouds filled with rain and snow moving across the sky like a heavenly dream. The width of the valley was so apparent. Flat and wide, the valley's structure was quite apparent. A huge valley surrounded by mountains. So huge, that you could see the curvature of the earth when you scanned the sky with your eyes.

I almost got vertigo driving and staring at the huge expanse of sky. Birds flew past the clouds, moving and darting among the wind and then landing along the freeway in the wetlands filled with nutritious food of algae, bugs and critters in the water. I saw egrets... snowy white egrets walking in the water right near the freeway. Picturesque, old barns and

landscape dotted with cows were as painterly as the landscapes that you would see at Crocker Art Museum's collection of old California art.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I spotted Mt Diablo in the distance. What an incredible perfect structure in the flatness of The Great Valley. You could see the coastal mountains off in the distance. The lush green pastures of the farmland and the swirl of the wild mustard coloring everything with a chrome yellow. Old Oak trees at least 100 years old or more were leafing out making each tree look as if puffs of sage-colored smoke were clinging to the end of their branches.

I could imagine wild herds of animals thundering through the flat expanse looking for water in the wetlands before civilization started building cities and suburbs in the valley. Indigenous people hunting the animals and praying to their gods for their skillful capture of fish, animal and birds in the valley. Even then, the valley gave the populations food fit for kings.

The Great Valley is beautiful. It is as spectacularly beautiful as any other place in California. I opened my car windows and sang

along with the radio. I had a smile on my face as I realized how incredibly lucky and privileged I am for living in this state. California has more than just beaches... it is a godly place of incredible beauty. Please respect this place and please help to preserve the natural places as best we can. Even the valley... wonderous... The Great Valley.


The Great Valley resources:

Golden Gate Bridge : http://www.goldengatebridge.org/visitors/

Sierra Nevada : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_%28U.S.%29

Getty Museum : http://www.getty.edu/museum/about.html

The Nature Conservancy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaJHeJ9j6o

California Writing Project's "Great Valley Writing Project" : http://www.californiawritingproject.org/In_The_News/index.html

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, CA : http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html

Joan Didion was born in Sacramento, CA : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Didion

World Wildlife : http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0801_full.html

Fresno, CA - The Bread Basket of the Nation : http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/fresno-california-the-bread-basket-of-the-nation-1636814.html

Crocker Art Museum's California Art : http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/art/permanent-collection/california-art

Sacramento Art & Events : http://www.sacramento365.com/


Photo: Off the side of one of the WET River Trips vehicles in California.


This rafting blog and photos belong to W.E.T. River Trips; all contents are reserved.

Thanks to Stephen for his awesome pics and photos of the sandhill cranes.

Thanks to Great Valley for video and links!

Spring Break - The Empty Nest - I Miss Them!

Spring break. The heart aches in the silence of the house. The kids have all moved away now. One is in college and the other just left to room with his buddies. The silence is deafening.

Those big feet that belonged to the male eating machine would constantly pound down the stairs in the morning yelling, "What's for breakfast?"

And, the sound of that incessant blow dryer as she would fuss over her hair for hours each morning, whining loudly, "I hate my hair!"

I miss it very much. The problems of teenagers, with their ever present drama and bad decisions taking a toll on the entire family, seem to be a distant insignificant blip. That entire episode of the teen years seem so harrowing... so incredibly important, then.

I miss them in the house. I miss their friends. I miss the mess strewn throughout the house of misplaced clothing, school books and spilt sticky juice on the counter. I miss it all.

We are an empty nest. A nice tidy home now with everything in its place. It's maddening. I hate this quiet place. The only sound now is our voices and the tv. Every little musical ding in the background, and I am checking my cell phone for their text messages. I seem to wait for their contact everyday.

We are connected by our cell phones and computers. We share our family pictures in the social networking sites like FaceBook. We text each other. Though I would prefer to talk in voice, they both claim that I am old-fashion and no one calls anymore. I miss their voices very much.

What I have done is plan a trip for our family this spring. We are going rafting and camping together. Amazingly, they both agreed and they were both excited. We used to take them when they were adolescents. The wide-eyed amazement on their faces made the rafting trips worth every minute of the hassle of packing them up in the car to drive the miles cooped-up together in the noisy metal box.

I told them to bring a friend with them. That's always fun as I love to watch them interact with their peers. The insights in their conversations tell me so much about their life now. I stopped interrogating them long ago as I discovered that teens and young adults really don't tell you what you really want to know. I know I never told my parents much... only what they wanted to hear.

Soon, they will be arriving only during special occasions with their own children. Soon, they will look at us fondly, and believe that we are wise beyond our years. That day is not here, yet. So, we grab each other on these special whitewater trips to bond and tease each other lovingly. 2011 Spring Break brings us all together again for a family outing...

I miss them so much.

Notes: W.E.T. River Trips honors our families. We now have multiple generations on our whitewater rafting trips. Some have been with us since the late 70's and bring their own children and grandchildren now. Bless all of you and may we enhance your family experience in the best possible way.

All photos by W.E.T. River Trips except for the Family pic at the top. Thanks to Google images for that one and thanks to youtube for the video parody of teens tolerating their parents.

Email Sucks

I hate email. (Come on everyone... ya know you hate it too.) Email sucks and everyday it gets worse and worse. And, I am not just talking about spam. Spam is easy. I filter it out with my ISP tools. And, poof it's gone. Most of my friends just text me via cell phone (... don't get me started on text messages... argh!) and I retrieve that easily and answer quickly.

No, this is about email and doing business with email. And, yes I know about WAVE. I am not sure that would have streamlined this situation because words can be misunderstood no matter where it is. But, the majority of us are still using email to conduct business. I hate dialogue using email. I hate it. Half the stuff doesn't make sense because it's in a conversation that refers back to past emails that I can't remember. So you end up saying, "Wha?!?" And, the recipient says, "Huh?" and so on and on.

For the last 3 days, I have been having a dialogue with three members of my company. A situation came up where 3 managers were in miscommunication. Three different individuals with three different perspectives and three different solutions. None of it made sense to any of us. No matter how we communicated in the email, we kept misunderstanding each other.

We emailed our conversations in paragraph form. The worst. Who can read a block of words when there are 300 other emails in the inbox. Then we emailed in list form. A bit better. At least it was easier on the eyes.

Then we started calling each other to explain the emails. Then we asked each other to confirm in email our verbal conversation so we could make sure that we were all on the same page. There were still misunderstandings. I thought it would never end. Three days of back and forth. Finally, we all gave up. Now, I know why we do the team-building rafting thing. It helps us to have a release from this craziness.

I am ashamed to say that I started ignoring the emails. Somehow, the email got deleted. Somehow, it never arrived into my in-box. Somehow, it was lost in the loop never to be found again. Ohhhh, yes, I finally resorted to deleting everything. It was email madness, and I could not stop myself. (Whew... it was only a dream...)

But, I did ignore some of the dialogue between us three. It just got ridiculous. So we all went back to our own perspectives, and the job got done correctly without all the minutiae and dissection. We are in our positions because someone trusts us to do our jobs right. So, that is what we did and forgettaabutta rest.

Note: These guys need to go on a river trip. Go outside! Get on the river and do a whitewater trip! Connect with yourself and Mother Nature. California rafting trips is in your back yard...

WET River Trips 1.888.723.8938 for help on office psychosis... hee hee.

Thanks to google images, www.spring.org.uk and wet river trips for photos.

Spring Rafting w/ WET River Trips in Northern California

Ahhh, the kids from WET River Trips are at it again. The first commercial trips follow the celebratory Smith trip with the launch of early season rafting trips in Northern California. This weekend on March 6th, the crew will be on commercial river trips on the North Fork American River just three hours from San Francisco and one hour from Sacramento. 2010 Season is here!

The story below just came in from the support crew for the whitewater trip they just did up north. Big Poppah holds the reins on the kids while the infamous guides take their first bite of 2010 whitewater rafting.

What I can't figure out is why they still listen to Wolfe's driving directions. Haven't they learned that the Wolf path is always the most extreme? LOL!



The whitewater team from WET River Trips has pulled off a stellar, early-season Spring Rafting trip in Northern California. We just celebrated the launch of the 2010 Rafting Season on three Forks of the Smith and Cal Salmon River on Class 4 to 5 whitewater in world class wilderness scenery with internationally known river guides on a private, non-commercial rafting trip a couple of weeks ago during Valentine's weekend.

Day 1:

We met and loaded up at the Lotus warehouse at 5 pm. Wolf, Justin, Jon, and Alex H. were ready and had everything laid out for the river trip as I arrived with the Dodge.

As usual, we packed heavy (you never know) with 2 rafts, 1 kayak, and a mountain of camp and personal gear. 5:30 and we were on the road to Jedidiah Smith Redwoods. After years of driving up I-5 to 299 and then to 101, we took the advice of Google Maps, and we went straight up I-5 to Grants Pass to 199 (Redwood Hwy) and back down into California (about 400 miles but less curvy and potentially safer). We pulled into Jedidiah at 2 am with a light rain and found our soon-to-be notorious site #41 as we rigged tarps and tents for a quick bivouac.

On the drive up, we conferred with Heffe currently living in the Pacific Northwest and arranged to meet up in our camp in the morning. I got up fairly early around 7 am and made coffee and breakfast. The crew woke to hot coffee and breakfast burritos to start off the day. As we geared up for the North Smith, Heffe arrived shortly after, and we packed the Dodge as we prepped for the North Fork.

Heading out, the rain stopped, and we were pleased to see partially sunny skies and drying roads for the shuttle in to the remote drainage of the North Fork Smith River. The drive in consisted of traversing a landscape that changed from Redwood groves to meadows to blank hills, and back again. Apparently the geology of the North Fork Drainage allows for deposits of copper and other minerals and the varying soils have provided an amazing variety of vegetation.

The previous rains had saturated the ground to such an extent that every hillside was cascading fresh runoff from the Coastal Range into the Smith River Drainage. A good day coming up! The remote put-in was “improved” with a toilet, changing areas, and a flat rock beach to drop off gear (thank you California Boating and Waterways!) Quite a crazy luxury for a river with a small season and in a remote location on a dirt road …very nice!

It was decided to take one raft (Justin, Alex H., & Jon) and two kayaks (Heffe & Wolf). We estimated the flow to be about 2,000 CFS. The trip was ready to put-in at 11:30 am, and I asked Wolf (the only one of us that had run the North Fork) how to get to the takeout in Gasquet on Hwy 199. He gave me the directions to head east over the bridge at put-in and then continue to a fork in the road where I would turn right and drop out of the canyon and then to 199. (sounded reasonable and plausible).

The boats pulled away from shore and I headed out on “Wolf’s Way” and at first the road seemed good with evidence of recent tracks in the wet surface and the ruts were “passable." That soon changed as the road turned into a trail littered with fallen trees and rock slides, but I had faith.

That faith took me into terrain worthy of the Rubicon Trail, and I made use of my low-range 4WD and my abilty to wedge large rocks off of the trail and to drag small trees to the edge of the canyon. After having to back-up a single track trail “trail” for over ¾’s of a mile, I tried my Verizon GPS …it worked! After spending over an hour in the middle of nowhere and feeling like a member of the Donner Party (albeit equipped with a 4wd Dodge truck), I had hope in technology as I headed back to a new trail spur that was only (by GPS) 8 miles to Gasquet!

The new road started out with promise (it was passable) and I got to within 6.8 mi of Gasquet when the road disappeared into 3 foot ruts, large rocks, large fallen trees, extreme mud and loose rock, I called it quits, turned around, back-tracked and found myself back in Gasquet at the pre-determined meeting spot (confluence of the North and Middle Forks) at 2:45.

Wolf was waiting on the road with a giant grin from running the North Fork Smith at what became over 3,600 cfs in flow (epic good flow) without any incidents and a crew that was ready to paddle the Middle Fork of the Smith through Oregon Hole. After listening to my “opinion” related to Wolf’s directions, a substantial lunch began with fantastic stories about waterfalls, caverns, primeval forests, and carnivorous Pitcher plants or its botanical name, Darlingtonia Californicus, and some awesome, continuous class 3 and 4 rapids, the crew headed out to finish the run through Oregon Hole and the Middle Gorge of the Middle Fork of the Smith River.

The Oregon Hole section is visible from the road (Hwy 199) and the crew attracted a crowd of touristas trying see what was going on at the river side as the crew scouted what they could. Every boat came through without a problem except for Wolf who submarined against a huge undercut and yet remained bolt upright in his kayak with only the top of his helmet still visable. Big fun… and I smiled broadly knowing that Wolf had experienced a “moment” that I could relate to clearly.

Take-out was at Myrtle Beach and only about 2 miles from camp. Camp was great; big meal, good stories, Alex H. on guitar, and no rain... or so we thought. Around 3 am, a light rain started and then the skies opened up at 4 am flooding our camp with over 3 inches of standing water. We were completely soaked. No worries, we headed off to the Hiouchi Café where we had a nice hot, dry, and substantial breakfast.

While waiting for our food, Paul Gamache rolled up with a friend and we exchanged info about the North Fork (he was leading a trip from CSU Humboldt’s outdoor program down the North Fork after our trip put-in). It was great to see him and catch up; but, as he left something was not quite right. As he got into his car right outside our window, he was laughing harder than he had a right to... damn... we soon found out why. He had reached up to our inflated raft and pushed in a valve and fully deflated a tube. Yuk, yuk. Little does he know what we did …it’s on!
Written by : Big Poppah
Resources: Smith River Alliance, California Whitewater Rafting

Part 2 continues next week! Bookmark this blog http://raftwetblog.blogspot.com

First W.E.T. River Trips starts March 6, 2010 this Saturday! We will be on the North Fork American and/or South Fork American. Days have been intermittent rain, big fat fluffy white clouds and blue skies. Looks like spring is here!

WET Videos

The digital world is rich with creative opportunities and education. We have been learning to make videos, and our staff and friends are learning, too. With the storms bringing much needed water and snow to mountains and building that snow pack on the Sierras, we are looking at an incredible beginning to our California whitewater rafting season this year. Thank you mom nature and river gods... you all bring it just when we needed it.

The videos are featuring our paddling guests, our rivers in California (especially the American River) and the antics of our whitewater guides. We are having fun making them. Music is added to them so that you can hear the tunes we have in our head when we go kayaking, rafting and surfing on whitewater rivers.

Here are a couple that were finished during this past holiday... better than tv. (Pssst... comment and rate them please... we appreciate it!)

First whitewater trips start on March 5, 2010: Rivers are up up up!

North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run Class 4+

South Fork American Full River Class 3+ - 4 (4+ if high flows)

White Water Guide School (register asap)

Thank you to our contributors: bubba, wet and our beautiful rivers!

group rafting trips

group rafting trips
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

The weather is changing in Caifornia and today the sky is gray and ominous with the impending storm. Yes! Outdoor enthusiasts look at this weather and we start thinking about skiing, whitewater, rafting and anything on the water.

California's outdoor recreation depends on storms for optimum fun during the respective seasons.

We love the weather!

Start planning your group rafting trips now because it looks like Mother Nature is about to bring us our wishes come true.... just in time for ski season during the Christmas holidays!

And that white stuff? The frozen crystals of water laying its mass over the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains will turn into that whitewater rafting that all of us river runners will enjoy the most!

During this holiday season, grab some gift certificates, plan your bachelor party or just grab your friends and plan a group trip for 2010 on California's finest whitewater rivers! Woot!

Whitewater Rafting Guide School

The Sierra's have had a first snowfall. Hey, kids! It's that time again. Start researching your options for white water guide schools.

From North Fork American HIgh Water

W.E.T. River Trips is an old rafting company out here in the west. Our guide school is legendary for training serious professional guides. For this year, we start our program the first week of March. Brrrrr. Actually, March is usually a great month with intermittent weather ranging from brilliant blue skies and sunshine to days of rain. (Come on now... professional guides don't whine about the weather!)

From Klamath 2009

From North Fork American HIgh Water

We start early so that when the bulk of the rafting season begins for our guests, you will be bomber at your paddling skills. Deposits and payments are being collected now. Our manager will have overlapping sessions from March through June. But, he wants to limit the numbers to 12 per session. This way you will have a more one on one experience as you mentor with our seasoned guide instructors.

From Klamath 2009

From Klamath 2009

Here is a list of old posts from the past that may help you with making a decision on who to train with and who to approach. Our prerequisites for training with us are on our main website at raftwet.com. Guide School information will be found there. But, take a read on these past funny posts and you will see why our guide school is legendary among the best professional guides in the world. (Yes, we have a lot of fun while you train to be best of the best on the A-List of whitewater guides.)

Guide School and Early Season Rafting:

Guides from UC Berkeley : Alex tells his story about being a guide for WET River Trips

Sunshine is Finally Here : about the early spring sunshine for guide schools

April 8th Weekend : whitewater guide school and glimpses of early season commercial rafting

High Water Gift from Mother Nature : UC Berkeley and early season whitewater rafting

Mikes Story A Man and His Paddle : a personal story about his rafting guide school experience

Toilet Bowl is Back! : spring flows can change a river and how guides rate a rapid

Rafting Guides : whitewater guides celebrate seasonal parties with the company & crew

High School Senior Year! : our lifestyle division leader makes her observation on rafting

WET River Trips Guide School : how-to organize your whitewater guide school plans

Jonny, Jonny BoBonni : long time professional guide gives us a view on WET's guide school

Unbearable Likeness for a New Guide : Heffe shares his guide school experience

Horseshoes, Class 5 Rafting : Senior WET guide tells his story about spring training

Getting Ready for Spring Rafting : winter guide staff info and snowpack updates

Whitewater Guides : annual North Fork American River race (WET wins every year!)

Speedo Sunday, Fun Guides! : outdoor guides having a great time as a team

WET Throw Down : spring rafting challenges on North Fork American Class 4+

WET Whitewater History : da boss reminisces about the past 30+ years with WET

Spring Rafting on North Fork American : 2009 blog about the North Fork American

Now you can see that we have a blast on our white water guide school and early season spring rafting trips. There are so many stories and we want to share that experience with you as the newest member of our guide crew. Bring it on with a great attitude, healthy mind and strong bodies and you will exceed your wildest expectations.

From Klamath 2009

From Klamath 2009

For more information on our upcoming 2012 Whitewater Guide School click on these links:

Rafting Guide School : info on prerequisites for whitewater guide school

White Water Guide School : schedule for upcoming season (new dates posted 11/15th)

Online Store Guide School Buy Now : use the online store after you call us for questions!

Or we can help you by phone at 1.888.723.8938

Call : WET River Trips in California at 888.RAFTWET (888.723.8938) for more info.

Website : raftwet.com

FaceBook Fan pages : Be our Fan! WET River Trips or American River

Labor Day... NOT! Play Instead!

Labor Day is a holiday in the USA that was originally created in Canada based on labor disputes in the 1870's. We adopted the concept waaay back in 1882. The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.

So, we celebrate this weekend. We play hard. We play in the water. The late summer in California is hot. No question about that. We are melting in the valley; sweating in the foothills. You need to be around the water.

Some go to the coast. Others go to the river. I am going rafting on Labor Day weekend on the most popular rivers in the West!



There are two rivers running right now in California. The whitewater rivers of South Fork American and Middle Fork American are flowing from reservoirs with a release schedule that offers premium rafting for the end-of-the-season-last-hurrah.

Middle Fork American will be offered everyday until Oct 3rd. And, South Fork American will be scheduled until Oct 3rd. Get it this weekend before summer is totally gone.



All one day trips with lunch is priced at $99/person. Period. Out the door. Add a few more bucks for a total package for the Labor Day weekend. If you have a group of 12 or more... call us, and we will add more amenities to your trip, such as free camping, free tent rentals, free showers, free meals, etc etc... yah, it is the end of the season and the deals are pretty awesome...

Staff in office post :
W.E.T. River Trips = http://raftwet.com

Water = Life : Rivers as Best Friends

July came and is slipping away quickly. The month was incredibly busy with guests driving and flying in from all parts of the world. We truly have become an international rafting company devoted to water recreation in the outdoors. W.E.T. River Trips has morphed from that small two raft company to a company that can accommodate hundreds of guests per day. Our focus is still education... educating our friends and guests to the importance of our precious resource; the river.


... small voices united are more powerful than any one person...

The river is our best friend. From that flow, we have water draining towards the valley towns and reservoirs, the delta, the ocean and into our eager hands where our state mismanages and pollutes this very precious element. So, we try our best to educate against water waste, pollution, diversion, and we help to promote sustainable resources to help save the water in California.



We do this in a benign way... without shoving brochures into your mailbox or sending you spammy emails. We take you whitewater rafting. Then, you fall in love with the river just like we did. And because you love the water, the river, you become its friend... and maybe, you won't vote for the politician who only talks about damming rivers... and maybe you won't vote for an amendment that would cause the river to be diverted... or maybe you will teach your children to not throw garbage into the river and waterways.



We teach in a gentle way. Those of you who have been "taught" are becoming advocates for these rivers, too. You will tell others how wonderful the whitewater rafting experience was and how you never knew that such an incredible experience was just waiting in your own backyard... just a couple hours away.



As we go through life as rafters and paddlers, we know we have been granted a special time in our lives to experience what Mother Nature has created. All we ask is that you respect, revere and love the water as much as we do. Happy paddling friends, and we will see you soon on the river!

Tahoe Paddle Fest : aug 1 - 2

The Tahoe Paddle Fest is coming on August 1st - 2nd! This free festival encourages children, teens and adults to participate in healthy, sustainable outdoor activities and paddling sports. The Tahoe area is home of Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada, an indigenous people from this locale. The Washoe Tribe is an event sponsor of this fun festival.

This first annual paddle event will highlight non-motorized watercraft with a nod to the indigenous water craft that might have graced beautiful Lake Tahoe long ago. Watercraft from indigenous cultures to modern times will include dugout canoes, standup surf paddling and outrigger boats. Racing these crafts will be another highlight to the weekend.

Tom "Pohaku" Stone, University of Hawaii professor who is an authority on Hawaiian surfboards and outrigger canoes will also serve as a keynote speaker.

Promotion of safe boating and the importance of checking for the invasive mussels that could destroy Tahoe's sensitive ecosystem will also be encouraged. Tahoe Basin and Educational partners are providing free demos or educational outreach for this event.





Tahoe Paddle Fest is located close to several paddling rivers including the world famous American River trips. Both California whitewater trips on South Fork American and Middle Fork American are within 1.5 hours from the Tahoe area. Close enough to paddle the white water river while enjoying the displays and exhibits from the festival.

Contact Tahoe Paddle Fest for more info or call them directly at 530.318.7599 to reserve sponsorships or exhibitor booths.

See you on the water!



Thank you to Tahoe Paddle Fest for this summer update!
Thank you to Ecomentum Green Marketing for cool surf pic of Prof Stone!

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!

rafting trips in the great outdoors

rafting outdoors
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

This past Mother's Day on Sunday, we went to a pool party. Yah... 90 degrees and melting in the heat. How can one day in California be raining and snowing and a week later, it's 90 degrees HOT!

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!

Come on down folks for the classic white water trips out here in the West! The most popular whitewater river is South Fork American, a California river trip full of rapids designed for anyone.



Bring your family and friends and tell them you did the whitewater rodeo section of the American River. They will be impressed! Now let's go!!!!!!!