March 13th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
Scott Armstrong, Owner and Operations Manager here at All-Outdoors, is temporarily trading in the logistics and adventure of a rafting company for the bifocals, slide projectors, and esteem of the intellectual community. In a slightly hurtful statement the other day, he informed us that “you can only teach a river guide so much,” and that he was therefore leaving us in order to pursue his much loftier dream of becomming a college professor.Â
OK so he didn’t really say any of that. But he is toting projector and notecards to Sierra College this Friday to give a slide presentation of his latest international adventure, on which he and All-Outdoors guide Adam Walker joined an international team of boaters and explorers in Ethiopia last winter to lead the whitewater portion of the first source-to-sea decent of Africa’s Nile River.
Read more…
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March 10th, 2006 Malina
Naomi was raised on river rafting and began learning to guide from her dad as a kid. Even with this pedigree, however, her first year at AO wasn’t very auspicious, starting with her living under a bush at a local campground as it did. But she has since graduated to a real-life platform (and even a tent!) and has become one of our most dedicated and focused guides. Her commitment to her craft and her creativity and intelligence make her a favorite with her guests.
Naomi’s talents don’t stop with her ability on the river–she also paints, goes to school and just recently started “tearing it up” on a snowboard.
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March 10th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
Yesterday, at 12 noon, they were finally revealed… Mark Reiner’s collection of photos from the 2005 rafting season! All of us guides and some of our guests from this last summer may have noticed that Mark Reiner, a fellow guide and professional photographer, was working hard all season to document rafting trips on all the rivers that All Outdoors runs. (A few people took so much notice, in fact, that they completely forgot about paddling in order to model the perfect smile or paddle-in-the-air-wahoooo… Mark did a great job of catching their ensuing swims.) Ever since then, we’ve all been waiting with much anticipation to see the final product.
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Posted in AO Weekly: Company News and Entertaining Stories, North Fork American | 3 Comments »
March 9th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
Over the last 15 years, the American River Conservancy has worked hard to aquire the funding and land necessary to make a trail system along the South Fork American River a reality. (See recent post, American River Trail- A New Way to Access the South Fork American River.)
Part of these efforts was the recent acquisition of Cronin Ranch; a large piece of property along the Lower South Fork which the Bureau of Land Management has since turned into a public trail system for use by hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. On my last trip out to Coloma, I took some time to go check it out and get some pictures of the park.
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Posted in California Rivers- Flows, News, and Events, South Fork American | No Comments »
March 8th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
Who knew that our prayers, dances for the snow gods, and luck would all pay off?! March has started out exactly like we all hoped it would– with lots of snow and cold weather! In the immediate future, we’re all excited about finally getting some powder days in at our favorite Sierra Nevada ski resorts. But this is even better news for rafting season a few months from now.
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March 8th, 2006 Malina
After graduating from Vasser at the tender age of 14, Nunes became the youngest ivy-leaguer in over fifty years. He made an excellent living on Wall Street, retiring at a mere 25. His life then took an unexpected turn: he had it all—money, fast cars, women. But there was a void, an emptiness. As Matt says, “it was passion, man—passion that I was missing.” So he joined the WWF, performing regularly in fabulous costumes until a groin injury forced him to take off his face paint, furry tail, and cape. He recovered in a spa by a river and heard about AO from the cleaning staff.
Even though that’s a total crock, Matt is still one of our favorite guides, beloved by guests and guides alike. AO hearts Nooney even without the cape.
Posted in Guide Bios | 3 Comments »
March 5th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
What do you get when you mix a quirky artist with an even quirkier idea, a janitor in search of treasure, a store owner with a knack for business, and the federal government? Apparently something akin to a Shakespeare comedy in which even the most honorably-motivated characters turn out fools, and mischief is an entity with motivation and momentum all its own.
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March 3rd, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
When I was a kid, my German mother asked me once, “Do you think you’ll be an American citizen your whole life or do you think you’ll want to move to Germany or somewhere else?” I looked at her incredulously, and with that exhasperated sigh that only a ten year old can perfect, I replied, “Mom, I’m not an American, I’m a Californian!” Considering that at that time, California in my mind still only consisted of warm weather, sunny beaches, milk shakes and swim team, it’s amusing how strongly I felt about my citizenship.
Included in the many things I had yet to discover about my beloved state was the California Poppy. (At that time I would have been surprised to find out we had a state flower, much less know what it was.) Not wanting to dissappoint that proud little ten-year-old in me, however, whose self-image would apparently be traumatized should she not be a true “Californian”, I’ve since gotten to know my home state much better. I am happy to report that not only can I now identify a poppy, but would even claim to know some of the better places for fellow Californians to go see them.
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Posted in California Rivers- Flows, News, and Events, South Fork American | No Comments »
February 27th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
An article in the Sacramento Bee last Sunday reported that a proposed Auburn Dam on the American River “could be an expensive mistake.” This article couldn’t have come at a better time, considering all the renewed momentum that dam proponents gained from fears sparked by New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina, and Rep. John Doolittle’s recent attachment to an energy and water appropriations bill calling for a new 1 million dollar dam study. (See earlier post about Katrina Drawing Ill-Founded Support For the Auburn Dam.)
The Bee article, titled ‘Tempting Fate: A Torrent of Doubts,’ pointed out some very important myths and inherent inefficiencies in the dam’s location and design with regards to its supposed purpose as a multiuse dam. Among these are the limited amount of water the dam would have available to sell, the high price that this water would cost, the structure’s dangerous location on a fault line, and the liklihood that it would decrease, rather than increase, area recreational usage.
If all of this is true, then why is the Auburn Dam still on the table? And why do Doolittle and other dam proponents still have such a large base of support? Read more…
Posted in Auburn Dam, River Conservation and California Water Politics | 1 Comment »
February 24th, 2006 Robyn Suddeth
There are all sorts of happenings going on right now at the All Outdoors Property on the South Fork of the American… a new parking lot, check-in center, strawbale construction…(To read the post I wrote describing these developments in more detail, go to: Alternative and Recycled Building Efforts On the All Outdoors Property.) As stated in that earlier post, one of the main goals of this project is to showcase alternative and conservation-driven construction and landscaping. As a part of fulfilling this goal, owner Scott Armstrong organized several outings to old barns scheduled for demolition, and salvaged whatever wood and material he could to be used on the All Outdoors property. This may sound like a fairly simple endeavor, but it can actually be a grueling, long, and sometimes humorous, day. (All worth it of course!) Following is an account of one of those “epic” barn missions…
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