Maybe you just hear about the spring/summer California whitewater. Maybe you think California turns paddlers into soft , fair-weather namby-pambies. Maybe we all live in the sweaty asphalt oceans of suburban sprawl outside Sacramento or San Francisco or (save me sweet jesus)Fresno*. We all have to drive hours and hours away from our vast condos in Downtown to reach the pristine, unadulterated watersheds of the Sierra Mountains. We don’t really appreciate them, anyway, and drag our boats if we have no choice but to hike the wheelchair accessible trails. Mostly though, we just have our surfer girlfriends drive us to the put-in bridge then wait, bikini-laden, beers in hand, at the take-out.

Example # 1: Big Kimshew Creek. Spring classic, predictable mid-80’s days and great sun-bathing for the girls at take-out.

Photo: Dave Fusilli

Example #2: Royal Gorge of the North Fork American. Early summer multi-day, but make sure the lady doesn’t blast her blingin Escalade sound system on the way out of the put-in.

Photo: (unknown; let me know who you are)

Photo: (unknown; let me know who you are)

Example #3: Yuba Gap of the South Fork Yuba. Maybe I need to use the thesaurus. Classic. All stereotypes hold true.

Photo: Taylor Cavin

Here, Taylor Cavin, currently of Coloma, goes with the flow, bro.

Here, Taylor Cavin rolls a fat one after the boof.

Taylor Cavin was once heard saying, “Holy F-ing Shit! That was the coolest rapid I’ve ever run!”

(Not actually in reference to background rapid, but to first rapid on ‘The Gap’)

Sometimes we Oregonians who consider ourselves for honorable Californian-ship have to go to places like eastern Nevada to work so we can keep kayaking in California. Or India. Or Brazil.

It’s mountaineering! It’s skiing! It’s the Middle Kings in October!

Tehipite is a place where dreams come true. A nap definitely becomes reality.

(Ben Stookesberry, Darin McQuoid, and Rush Sturges bask in the October sunshine)

You know, I guess Californians really are soft. As an Oregonian I can say that about all those lazy, sun-baked, (insert derogatory term for Californian).

But really, some of those guys(and girls) are pretty tough and are some of the best kayakers in the world. I’ve seen one or two of them tear up a dance floor too though, so don’t count ‘em out when D.A.N.C.E. comes on the radio.

They’re from all over. Siskiyou, Mendocino, Humboldt, Shasta, and Butte counties are represented by a ton of good paddlers and rivers and towns you’ve never heard of or seen on a map. Summertime is the right time, but the other seasons are a fine time too.

* I am terribly sorry if you are from Fresno.

** www.samedeepwater.blogspot.com