SOUTH Fork American River Latest News!

Our old friend, Bill is a former El Dorado County supervisor now comfortably running the show at his campground on the shores of the South Fork American River. He was one of the early pioneers on the rivers of California, and his passion for this beloved river, South Fork, is unprecedented in the history of conservation in Northern California.



Bill gives us the latest on the flow regime of the South Fork American River near Sacramento, California.

SOUTH FORK FLOW PROJECTIONS JUNE 14 2011

By Bill Center

"It looks like we may avoid any significant periods of flows above 7000 cfs, and possibly even much time above 6000 cfs. The flow pattern we have seen over the past week or so could well hold through June and as long as mid July. At the current melt rate Union Valley will not fill to 260,500 AF until the last week of June. This is the volume (elevation 4868) where they open their spillway gates, putting somewhere between 1000 and 2000 additional cfs down the river. It appears unlikely that Ice House will spill. In the meantime the South Fork at Kyburz appears close to peaking, and flows on it over the next week to ten days will likely drop below 2000cfs. By late June the area of melting snow will have significantly reduced, though there will still be substantial volume above 8000 feet. What all this means is that we are in the middle of a prolonged non-peaky flow regime, and if/when Union Valley spills the South Fork natural flows will have dropped enough to keep the Chili Bar flow from getting much higher than it's been.

What could change this is a couple of things. If we get a week of hot - close to 100 degree - weather, stuff will go off faster and we could get a couple of thousand cfs surge. Also, on a day to day period, SMUD is still peaking White Rock, and will likely continue to, resulting in a spiky Slab Creek reach flow and about a 1500 cfs variation in Chili Bar flows. So we could see flows occasionally jump above 6000 or even approach 7000 if the average flow reaches 5500. Right now the average flow is around 4500. These spikes can be avoided - or selected - by watching the flows and adjusting what time and section you are on the river. They tend to last only a couple of hours at most, and tend to be in the early morning right now, caused by both the diurnal melt pattern and low power demand in the very early morning hours.

We will likely see periodic flows of 3500 cfs well into and possibly even through August, especially on warm week-day afternoons. On the low end, sometime in mid to late July, we will likely see our first drops to around 500 cfs, probably on weekend nights."

This is indeed good news for the general public who loves the South Fork American with the same passion as we do. WET River Trips will pull the plug on any river that is running at dangerous level. But, this news is welcoming as we usually cancel trips above 10,000 cfs on this river.

The weather is hot. The flows are awesome. Come on out for a ride like no other... whitewater rafting in California is the best NOW!

RESERVATIONS: raftwet-store.com

Toll Free: 1.888.723.8938

News & Review Story this week!: GET WET News & Review

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/travel-recreation-get-wet/content?oid=2333595

All photos by WET River Trips in Flickr and uploaded by WET River Trips blogging staff. Letter and information by Bill Center and offered for public use for the whitewater rafting industry on South Fork American River in California.

Excuses, Excuses... Poor Grandma!

Whitewater rafting trips are happening all over California and the western USA. W.E.T. is booking many paddling enthusiasts as this is shaping up to be a historical year for water and rafting in California.

A big snow pack and late storms are proving to be godsend for Northern California's spring rivers. A long season of spring flows until probably end of June? For real!

But, I digress, as I usually do when writing about the insignificant minutiae of the reservation office as we all sit here talking to guests, booking reservations and overseeing the online store for rafting trips.

What I do know is that guests are reserving later and waiting until the last minute to book a trip. We know one of the reasons is because of cancellation policies. It's a dilemma for both the company and the guest.

We have to have a cancellation policy or people won't show up. Any excuse could prevent

them from showing up! So the guests wait... until the last minute to book.

The entertainment for those of us in the office this month has been the excuses for canceling trips. You would think it would be about the weather which is a reasonable excuse given that May's weather was quite unpredictable. Some people do not like to do anything outdoors in the rain. Ok. That's cool, we understand.

Some of the best reasons for the dreaded "no-shows" have been unreal. We hope you understand, if your reason was real and it is listed here... it was just hard for us to believe!

TOP 10 REASONS (Excuses) for Canceling a Rafting Trip

10) I lost my driving directions, so I missed the trip.

uuuhhh... driving directions were sent w/ confirmation... they even called the day before to confirm directions again...

9) My boyfriend made dinner last night and it made me sick.

hmmm... we all wondered what he made...

8) We followed a truck with a raft on it and ended up in Tahoe.

we had a serious good laugh over this one... giggling still... lemmings are alive in California!

7) My friend organized this trip w/ my credit card, but he didn't give me any info.

right. someone uses your credit card & you don't have any info over a thousand dollar charge... sure.

6) I put the wrong date on my calendar.

this is actually a common error... double check peeps!

5) I got up too late, realized it was too late; so I went back to sleep.

WHA? this one was amazingly arrogant... couldn't they at least call us...

4) We got drunk last night and we were hung-over.

our fav excuse of all time! so honest and candid... we rescheduled them.

3) My grandmother is dying in the hospital.

this same guest used this excuse 4 years in a row... hmmm...

2) My grandmother died.

and the same guest used this excuse in between those years... 2nd or 3rd year...

and... TA DA-A-A-A... the top #1 excuse in the last few years...

1) I have to go to my grandmother's funeral.

and finally, the same guest used this one for a reschedule in another year... when we could not reschedule him due to a sold out date; he kept his original date and told us his grandmother was dead anyway and probably would not want him to miss his trip... hmmm... she probably would also wish he didn't use her as an excuse! Poor grandma...

Ok. For those who really did have the grandmother excuse, our prayers are with you. For those who used their grandparent for an excuse... well, I hope nothing ever happens to grandma. She deserves better respect than that!

We discussed this phenomenon and we all agree. The best excuse is this, "We have to cancel due to personal/work reasons." It really is none of our business why you didn't show up. It is only our business if you demand a reschedule.

Memorial Day weekend is coming up next. Saturday is packed and there is still some room on Sunday. Do us a favor and try... oh please, try... to book your reservations early next week. We want to make sure everyone is reserved in a timely fashion!

See you on the river,

WET Reservations

W.E.T. River Trips

RAFTWET.com

raftwet-store.com

Note from the editor: ...sounds like the office staff needs to go on a whitewater rafting trip...

All blog content including photos are the property of W.E.T. River Trips and related sites and networks.

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.

All About the Attitude - WET River Trips

WET River Trips March 19 - 20, 2011 a photo by W.E.T. River Trips on Flickr.



No matter what you do in life, it all boils down to your attitude. A sour attitude with a big fat chip on the shoulder is a proven ground for a sad life of bitterness and dour relationships. An attitude born in enthusiasm, wide-eyed thirst for the unknown and a smile from ear to ear is proven to be a recipe for a happy life and fulfilling life.



Last weekend, we had those guests that come into life's hardships with a smile and a reverence for all things good. The flows were high... beyond 5,000 cfs. The rain came pouring down and the wind blew hard. But, the entire crew and the guests were pumped up and paid their dues to Mother Nature. And, Mom rewarded them all with an incredible day of whitewater rafting in the solitude of the river canyon.



Together, they were celebrating their best buddy's upcoming wedding nuptials. A group of old friends getting together for a memorable time on the river while challenging themselves to a taste of adventure in the outdoors. They were celebrating life and all the good things that go with a good life... friends, food, nature and adventure. A whitewater rafting trip to remember their last bachelor days together.



The accolades came in on Monday from the bachelor group. They had great things to say...

"Just wanted to send a follow up email to our trip this past weekend... We spent 2 nights and 2 days, surviving the elements of wind and rain, and conquering the high water... We all had an awesome time and will have plenty of memories to share for a long time. Our bachelor, J., especially had a good time. I wanted to give a special thanks to our guides Justin and Steve... We could not have asked for better guides to introduce us to whitewater rapids. These guys are the best and deserve some recognition! From cooking up our meals, to guiding us on the river, and just plain showing us a good time, Steve and Justin did a fantastic job. We hope to organize another trip during the summer, and will definitely recommend WET to all our friends. Many thanks again!

Joel B., trip organizer"



And this is why we do what we do... whitewater trips for our guests!



It's all about the attitude.



All photos and content belong to WET River Trips. Blog and pictures uploaded by WET blogging staff. All photos also uploaded to WET Flickr site. Visit W.E.T. on Facebook.

North Fork American - March 4, 2011

Well, W.E.T. started with quite a bang last weekend. The day was sunny, blue skies and the people were great. A couple from the local area, some trainee guides and guests from past trips were all there to start the official first day on the river.

There was a relaxed feeling about that day, too. No stressful late arrivals or surprise add-ons at the last minute. Everyone was prepared and ready to roll onto the Class 4+ whitewater on the North Fork American. Chamberlain Falls is the big rapid there and most had seen it before, so the day was like a reunion of W.E.T., the guides and the guest all paying homage to this most wonderful river trip.

Big Poppah was there, too with a big smile as he waved off the crew as they snaked down the river bobbing and drifting into the big rapids ahead. 2011 rafting season is here, and it seems we just put the last river season to sleep in a blanket of paperwork and file folders.

Flowers are blooming, red bud is starting it's color change to magenta and chrome yellow daffodils are starting to poke their heads out of the ground. Spring in California! Nothing is better than that... absolutely nothing!

Video slide show by: Big Poppah

Blog written and upload by: WET River Trips blogging staff

More videos: http://youtube.com/wetrivertrips

Check WET Flickr photos

North Fork American starts March 2011

On my way down Hwy 80 after a day of snowboarding to enjoy the fresh powder of "Snowmagedon" (the latest and most amazing snow storm in a decade that dropped 2 feet of snow at 3,000 ft. and over 10 ft. on the Sierra summit), I drove down to the Iowa Hill bridge to check out the flows on the North Fork American River.

I found snow at the put-in and a rising river that will be more than ready to deliver solid class 4 whitewater that should easily last through May.

Information on the beautiful North Fork American can be found at several resources including:

• C-W-R (California Whitewater Rafting) info site
• RAFTWET (W.E.T. River Trips) WET's official website
• CACreeks (All kinds of creeks and rivers) private rafters and kayak site
• Rafting Online Store (Buy Now!) for WET River Trips

Get your friends together and come on out for California's best river trips this spring. The river is ready and so are we as we start our whitewater trips starting this weekend on March 5, 2011!

All photos by Poppah Jah from his Picasa album and uploaded from W.E.T. River Trips blogging staff for this blog, the official California Whitewater Rafting blog for our company.

RAFTING : middle fork guests at safety talk

middle fork guests at safety talk
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

New Video! ~~~ group rafting trips!

Time for whitewater rafting!

Get your groups together and give us a call to plan for a whitewater trip this season. You can have your friends reserve online or by phone. Make it easy!

Looking over the top of Rucka-Chucky Falls; the portage on the Middle Fork American.

Middle Fork American is a wilderness rafting trip in California. We pull over onto the beach and make camp there. Peaceful and quiet, the canyon's only sound is our laughter.

W.E.T. River Trips has two wilderness trips on the American River: South Fork American and Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run. Are you surprised that we said the South Fork? YES! Both rivers have a wilderness camp and both have an ambiance like no other.

Group rafting trips: Reserve them now!

All photos by W.E.T. River Trips for the oldest rafting blog in the world! California whitewater rafting is a must-do. Join us for 2011!