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Rafting video from the South Fork American, Chili Bar Section, on July 14, 2007.
Music: Complications by Kevin Misajon
Videographer: B. Zupo Photography
A few weekends ago we hosted our first whitewater and wine tasting trip on the South Fork of the American River and I’m happy to report it was fabulous!. We were joined by some of the lovely ladies of Boeger Winery’s tasting room staff as well as members of the Armstrong family.
The day started with a rafting trip on the Upper section of the South Fork. After negotiotiating the rapids of the Upper, guests hopped out of their
boats at Mother Lode River Center where a bucket of chilled wines and a delicious (if I do say so myself) lunch was waiting for them. The Boeger Girls poured (more…)
All-Outdoors’ Spring Whitewater Guide School commenced just a few weeks ago at Motherlode Campground on the South Fork American River. I was lucky enough to get to ride along with them for their last day on the river. After an impressive breakfast (guide school doubles as wilderness chef school) and brief introductions to all the new students, we started getting ready to get on the water. At that point, Noah (one of our instructors) pulled me aside and said we had a very important, and secret, mission. I accompanied him to his hideout spot behind the bathrooms and found a colorful assortment of pool toys sitting on the ground, just waiting for air. After a few minutes of pumping, we ended up with a huge lobster, a shark and a beach ball, all cheerily ready for duty. Their purpose? Swimmers in need of rescue, of course! Before going further in my description of the day, I want to stop for a minute to introduce the instructors and students who made up Guide School 07.The Instructors:
Noah Nash
Although he has a strange affinity for lobsters and had more fun with pool toys than any six year old I’ve seen on the sea shore, Noah is in fact one of our most wise and experienced guides. Having been with the company for over ten years, he brings a ton of knowledge and some good stories to guide school. And, as is pretty obvious from this picture, he has no problem goofing around and having a good time.
Rafting video from the South Fork American on June 2, 2007.
Guides: Brad Riley, Beth, Andrew, Joe Marshall. Training Guides: Elizabeth Indart, Maureen.
Music: Complications by Kevin Misajon
Videographer: B. Zupo Photography
This past weekend, on June 2, All-Outdoors participated in the El Dorado County Whitewater Media Day on the American River. Media Day which is organized by El Dorado County and the Coloma-Lotus Chamber of Commerce, is a great opportunity for members of Northern California media and their families to come experience all the outdoor recreation El Dorado County offers.
The American River was alive with the hustle and bustle of summer rafting. Perfect weather on the first weekend in June brought hundreds of rafters and kayakers to the South Fork of the American River to enjoy the most reliable whitewater in California this summer. Several companies donated boats, gear, guides, and lunch to help spread the word about rafting the American River and be part of the flotilla that rafted through the Class III Lower “Gorge” Section on the South Fork of the American. (more…)
We have teamed up with award-wining Boeger Winery this year and are excited to announce a unique trip we’re offering this June in conjunction with them—a day of whitewater followed by wine tasting and lunch along the river.
The Trip: Our Water and Wine trip is June 10th. Your day will start with an exciting whitewater trip on the Upper Section of the South Fork, where Class III whitewater rushes through a beautiful canyon before the river slows down as it meanders through
historic Coloma Valley, site of the 49er Gold Rush. When we reach the private Mother Lode Campground you’ll have time to change into dry clothes while your hosts prepare a ploughman-style lunch featuring vibrant Mediterranean flavors and set out the flight of wines you’ll be tasting.
(more…)
With our first two weekends of rafting rapidly approaching (no pun intended), I thought I would look in to what other fun events are going on around town to herald in Spring. So far we’ve got rafting trips scheduled on the South Fork American, Middle Fork American, and the Tuolumne, so I’ve focused on their surrounding areas. Why not make a weekend out of it? Rafting one day and fly-fishing the next, or maybe wine tasting, or …
IN PLACERVILLE (15 minutes from the South Fork meet spot):
1. Kid’s Expo, April 14
Free event featuring hands-on activities for children (including candle-making, seed-planting and spin art), education demonstrations, and performances. 10 am to 3 pm at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville
We’ve talked about it for years, saying what a shame it was that “Bob” and “Joe” have never been on the same trip together, because they’re both pretty neat guys and apparently love rafting almost as much as we do. But the trip just never materialized. Until this year. We finally got it together, and invited all of our most-frequent floaters along on a special river trip and barbeque… our way of saying thanks for rafting with us so
many times and for giving all those fellow enthusiasts a chance to finally meet each other. Some of the guys and gals that joined us on this trip are folks who came rafting 15 to 20 times, just this year! Incredible. Others have come on trips consistently over the past 20 years. Either way, we figured they already were a de facto part of the AO community, so why not welcome them in and celebrate it?
Someone told me a while ago about a great idea for school river trips: Give each student a necklace with one bead to start out with. Each guide then has their own stash of beads on them, and whenever a student does something helpful, or shows enthusiasm, a guide can reward them with a bead. The idea is that by the end of the trip, each student will leave with a unique bead necklace all their own that symbolizes their contribution to the trip.
I wasn’t sure, however, how well this would actually all play out in real life. I mean, kids are much more up with current trends than I am. It could be that bead necklaces are, like, totally last year. Or the kids think the beads are ugly, or aren’t interested in necklaces, and the whole thing falls apart.
But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out a good idea, especially since All Outdoors just recently finished putting together a formalized program for middle schools, named, (in a stroke of genious by Gregg Armstrong), the All Outdoors Floating Classroom.
We were having lunch at Marshall Gold Discovery State Park last week, in the middle of an Upper South Fork American rafting trip, when the father of the family on my boat that day asked me, “So is this place kind of boring for you because you also guide on more challenging rivers?” I had been zoning out, staring at the serene, slow-moving currents with golden hillsides mirrored on their surface. His question snapped me out of it, and without even having to think I immediately replied, “No… I love the South Fork.”
As if on cue, his three kids ran by right as I said that, soaking wet from their latest jump in to the water. He had two boys, thirteen and eleven, and a little girl of ten named Katie. She paused to look up and smile at us before passing by, so much more confident and exhuberant than in the morning. I told her father that getting to share the river with kids like her is a big part of what makes the South Fork so fun for me.
Just a few hours before, Katie - so energetic and excited at lunch - had been in tears, (more…)
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