The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog

Boat Flipping Practice

Class of 2009

If life is a river then the 2013 rafting season is just around the bend. That means we have the Cal Salmon, the Merced, spring flows, 100 degree heat, Poppy Hill and Guide School not so far off in the not-so-distant future. Guide School this year will be offered twice: once in April, April 11-14 and 19-21, and once in June, June 18-24.

People join Guide School for various reasons.  Some want to improve their skills as private rafters, others are looking for 7 adventuresome days of rafting and camaraderie, while others fully intend to become full-time hardcore river raft guides. While that process can be challenging and arduous, full of flips, swims, knots, and gear shuffles, there is no doubt that the journey begins at Guide School and that it will change you.  Guide School is open to all over 16 though most of our students are 18 and over.  It is an intense week of early mornings, variable conditions, heart-pumping moments, laughs for your six-pack, aaaaaaand pretty much the best time you will have with a bunch random people. Join us, if you dare! For more info see our Guide School Page where you will find a link to the Guide School Questionnaire. And, if you want to work as a guide this season you should also check out our Employment Page where you read about the hiring process and find a link to our application. Hope to see you ’round the bend.

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Dave and Jason, Playa Uvita, Costa Rica

Seems we may have a migratory pattern evolving with our AO staff.  Ever since Pam, former guide and manager of AO’s Merced operation, established a unique beach-side hostel in Playa Uvita, Costa Rica the AO migration has only increased. It’s no coincidence she calls it The Flutterby House. We’ve got AO guides migrating there like a bunch of Monarchs.

While many AO folks of past and present have visited, two of AO’s favorites are spending their winters “working” at Pam’s brain child. In the Spring Dave manages the North Stanislaus River and in the hot summer months he’ll guide you down Clavey Falls on the T or drive you up the narrow Middle Fork take-out road (beads of sweat dripping from his brow!). But today, my friends, he is on a much-deserved stay-cation. He is reported to be as  giddy as a carefree 12 year old whose biggest concern is fitting in surf sessions in between fresh ceviche, karaoke en español, and a little “work”.  Seems Dave has really taken to heart the local saying in Costa Rica, “Pura vida” (pure life).

Dave and Jason donning AO threads!

Also roughing it the tropics is Jason, one of our favorite South Fork/Middle Fork  guides. Armed with some Rosetta Stone Spanish lessons and a smile  Jason is learning about toros, purrujas, and surfing(ocean-style).

We miss them both and can’t wait to see them in April for early season rafting.

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That’s right folks – the Pre-Season Sale ends today at 5pm.

Don’t let the sun set without taking advantage of it.

 1(800) 247-2387  /  rivers@aorafting.com

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by Sarah diVittorio, Dec 2012, Sierra at Tahoe

Well, (knock on wood) 2013 is off to a fabulous start thanks to a remarkable hand-off in the final stretches from 2012. The six weeks of wet, cold storms in December covered the Sierra Nevadas with a brilliant blanket of snow. We water sport enthusiasts are delighted to be skiing on that snow today and, before you know it, we’ll be rafting on it.

Now my mother says not to count your chickens before they hatch but, a wee winter storm update couldn’t hurt, right? According to blogger Bryan Allegretto of The Tahoe Daily Snow we have already received 55% of the seasonal average and we have a lot of winter ahead (not to mention we got several inches last night). Below average temperatures and intermittent snow are keeping conditions ideal in the mountains. The California Department of Water Resources reports that the Folsom, New Melones, and Don Pedro reservoirs are at or above 100% of historical averages. This means that upstream reservoirs on rivers like the South and Middle Forks of the American, the Tuolumne, and the North Stanislaus are likely to be full and ready to spill in the Spring. At this point we are looking at similar conditions to 2010 (yes, my fingers are crossed).

So, if you were wondering if you should take advantage of our Pre-Season Sale, I think the answer is clear. But, wait! Maybe you don’t know when you want to raft. Maybe you don’t know where you want to raft. Eh, no worries… with the Pre-Season Sale you can purchase a certificate in January, get 25% more for money and use it like a credit toward the AO trip you choose. This is the best promotion we do all year because it allows you to save some of those hard-earned dollars and raft on your own schedule. Remember, the sale ends at 5pm on January 31^st. After that, new 2013 rates go into effect. Carpe Diem or forever hold your peace.

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Top Five Reasons to Give the Gift of Rafting to the Ones You Love
#5 Treats are tasty, but sometimes we need something Healthier and More Exhilarating.
#4 A family trip to a theme park is great, but a rafting Mini-Vacation is better.
#3 Reality TV is not Real Adventure.
#2 Video games are fun, but Experiences Last a Lifetime.
#1 Photos are pretty, but Being There is Better.

Yep, I know it may sound little wacky to discount all trips and gift certificates by 25% but that is in fact what we are doing. You don’t even have to know when you will raft, just that you will raft.  So for any rafter types out there this is bar none the best deal of the year. You get 25% more for your money and you can pick the date later (who can plan that far ahead anyway!).  It’s like getting 133 cents on the dollar.  Let me explain; you can spend your budget, um let’s say it’s $100, and you get $133 dollars to spend on the AO trip of your choice.  And, there are no black-out days, no hitches. Spend it on a gift certificate, spend it on yourself – it doesn’t matter because you still get 25% off the face value. That’s the Pre-Season Sale and it ends Jan. 31, 2013 at 5 pm.

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Nothing is better than coffee.  Ask this pregnant lady who went cold-turkey because she doesn’t want to get the baby all hopped up or encourage more kicking of the bladder than is strictly necessary: nothing is better than coffee!  It smells so good…..it’s another way to eat high-fat dairy products.  It sets you up for the day.  It gets you past 3pm with a smile on your face.  It’s the best ice cream in the world.  I’m not having any of this for a few more weeks, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited when I found out we switched to Fair Trade and Organic coffee this year.  We’ve been ordering from California roasters Capricorn Coffee for years now, which is cool, but now we’re even cooler.  Their coffee is not only Fair Trade but is also anti-fracking,  gives you better gas mileage, brings Republicans and Democrats in Congress together for lunch, and reduces stress in lab mice!   Right.  But it does taste even better knowing people got paid fairly for it and that we’re doing our part one coffee break and one multi-day river trip breakfast at a time!  Now if our beloved leaders up on the Hill could only get with that program……….then AO Rafting would really be impressive.  For now, our coffee is good.

(Above:  Where did Jonny B get that tan??  On a rafting trip perhaps?  Hmm……probably not. But a multi-day river trip might do a lot of these guys some good. )

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“July 4th’s coming up
I know, it’s crazy
Here’s AO’s number
Go rafting, maybe”

1 (800) 247-2387

Don’t let tired social conventions get in the way of a truly memorable 4th of July celebration. You can accomplish all your favorite Independence Day traditions and so much more with us on (where else?) the American River.

So let’s break it down. What are the traditions, tied and true, to celebrate the ol’ red, white and blue?

The Parade: Instead of sitting on the hot concrete watching marching bands and paper mâché presidents loll down the street, picture yourself on raft parading down the river, splashing and laughing with your fellow whitewater paraders. It’s a tradition as old as George Washington crossing the Delaware.

The Picnic/Barbecue: AO’s got you covered, a deli spread to match any egg salad sandwich you’ve ever had on a picnic. Or how about deciding that independence is worth at least two days of celebrating. We’ll break out the BBQ equipment to grill up some tasty tri-tip on a 2-day rafting trip.

The Fireworks: How about the original fireworks? Yes, I’m talking about the stars. But seriously, without being cheesy, the stars are a brilliant spectacle to behold, looking up from the banks of the river. Or, if you’re sold on the kind of fireworks that make a boom, you can stop at the Eldorado County Family Blast on your way home.

And did I mention that there’s whitewater rafting involved too? We’d love to share the holiday with you!!!

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We don’t typically get too political here at AO, but when it comes to the rivers we raft, watch out for the Mama Grizzly in us to make an appearence!  The deal right now is that the Merced River–which has been designated a Wild and Scenic River and is therefore supposed to be protected long-term from development/meddling–is under attack.   What Congress wants to do is raise the water level in Lake McClure.  The problem is that by doing that, several miles of the protected section of the Merced River will get buried and drowned.  We realize we have water management issues in California, but the problem here is that such an action renders the Wild and Scenic protection currently enjoyed by the Merced–and other rivers like the Tuolumne–meaningless.  This is legislation that has been around since 1968 and we’re afraid that if the Merced takes a hit it will set a serious and dangerous precident.  The House has already approved this action.  The Senate is next.  If you care about this issue an easy thing for you to do is write to or call Dianne Fienstein or Barbara Boxer and let them know you disapprove of gutting Wild and Scenic protection for California–or any American–rivers.

Want to learn more about this issue before you act?  Good call.  Start here, and read the Fresno Bee article on the matter.  Or, go the official governement website detailing the Wild and Scenic Act.   Friends of the River also has lots of information.

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Ok, the Coloma-Lotus Farmer’s Market’s not really on the banks of the river, but it’s pretty dang close.  Couple hundred feet.  Does that count?  What I’m thinking is you come up to raft the South Fork on Saturday, stay overnight in the valley, and then head over to the market in the morning before you start for home or go wine tasting or whatever else you have planned for the day.  There are locally grown and organic cherries…….fresh goat cheeses……..tasty cookies……handmade soaps…….beautiful salad greens…….olive oil ….native California Plants . . . (that’s local nursery Lotus Valley Natives pictured above–they are literally 5 minutes from our meet spot, so take note plant enthusiasts!) . . . .

The market is in Lotus in the same little center as Hotshot Imaging and Sierra Rizing Bakery.  The address is 7312 Hwy 49, Lotus Ca 95651.

PS:  Where to stay you ask?  Lots of options from the cheap (car camping at Camp Lotus) to the totally lux (rooms with private hot tubs at Eden Vale Inn) in this area . . .

PPSS: Where to wine taste?  You could  just go to Apple Hill and start driving around. Or, stay local and visit David Girard and Gold Hill Winery.

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Yes yes, there are the obvious draws to the South Fork of the American–the whitewater rafting (duh), the lovely scenery, the chance to work on your tan and tone those triceps…………but there’s also history!  And culture!  And not just of the Gold Rush, although of course that’s here too.  A lesser-known fact is that just up the road from our base of operations is the historic site of the Wakamatsu Tea Colony!  The waka-what you ask?  A tea and silk colony from Japan established in the 1800s!  Seriously–isn’t that interesting?  Today the site is being preserved by the American River Conservancy and they’re offering a guided tour this Sunday, June 24th, of the property.  What a cool–and cheap at 5 bucks for kids and 10 bucks for adults–way to extend your weekend on the South Fork of the American.  Raft with us on Saturday, have a mellow informative Sunday before heading home! 

The tour is from 9-11am this Sunday, June 24, 2012.  Call Julie at 530 621 1224 for more info or email her at julie@arconservancy.org .

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