I always like rafting down white water and decided to try it out with the Adventure Connection company near Placerville, CA. A good deal was published on Travelzoo - $79 per ticket, so I decided to give it a shot.
The trip is scheduled to start at 10:00 and end at 16:00 with lunch in between, covering 13 miles of class 1-3 rapids in the South Fork of the American River.
The drive from San Jose to Coloma was surprisingly short - I thought it would take 3 or more hours, but I arrived in 2.5 hours. Adventure Connection is near the Hwy 49 intersection with Lotus Road, but I had to carefully look for their sign to find it.
After signing all the waivers, we picked up our life preservers and helmets and walked onto the bus, driving us to the launch site.
The trip was divided into two sections. During the morning phase, we rafted down 1-2 class rapids, followed by lunch. During this time, we learned to follow our leader, "Sam," as she commanded us to paddle forward or backward. Many river sections were very calm, and we went for a nice, cold swim in the clear river waters. Alex initially did not want to go for a swim but eventually succumbed to peer pressure. The water was chilly, but it was an excellent relief from the 100 Fahrenheit heat.
We had 7 people in our 14-foot boat, plus our guide "Sam." Grandpa, Alex, and I sat on the port side while the other 4 paddlers sat on the starboard side. Our guide "Sam" mainly sat on the starboard side, steering the boat with her wooden paddle and shouting commands.
Here is a short GoPro3 Black video clip of us just starting out on the American River:
During our ride, we had an opportunity to swim down the river. It was very refreshing.
For lunch, the guides cooked hamburgers. As I was hungry after paddling, I ate two burgers while Grandpa and Alex ate one each.
After lunch, we continued our white water rafting to the more intense sections of the American River. I was happy to have Sam as our guide, as she has guided the American River for many years and was experienced in class 5 rapids in Colorado and West Virginia.
Here is another GoPro3 Black video clip of rafting through multiple rapids of the American River:
The trip is scheduled to start at 10:00 and end at 16:00 with lunch in between, covering 13 miles of class 1-3 rapids in the South Fork of the American River.
The drive from San Jose to Coloma was surprisingly short - I thought it would take 3 or more hours, but I arrived in 2.5 hours. Adventure Connection is near the Hwy 49 intersection with Lotus Road, but I had to carefully look for their sign to find it.
After signing all the waivers, we picked up our life preservers and helmets and walked onto the bus, driving us to the launch site.
The trip was divided into two sections. During the morning phase, we rafted down 1-2 class rapids, followed by lunch. During this time, we learned to follow our leader, "Sam," as she commanded us to paddle forward or backward. Many river sections were very calm, and we went for a nice, cold swim in the clear river waters. Alex initially did not want to go for a swim but eventually succumbed to peer pressure. The water was chilly, but it was an excellent relief from the 100 Fahrenheit heat.
We had 7 people in our 14-foot boat, plus our guide "Sam." Grandpa, Alex, and I sat on the port side while the other 4 paddlers sat on the starboard side. Our guide "Sam" mainly sat on the starboard side, steering the boat with her wooden paddle and shouting commands.
Here is a short GoPro3 Black video clip of us just starting out on the American River:
During our ride, we had an opportunity to swim down the river. It was very refreshing.
For lunch, the guides cooked hamburgers. As I was hungry after paddling, I ate two burgers while Grandpa and Alex ate one each.
After lunch, we continued our white water rafting to the more intense sections of the American River. I was happy to have Sam as our guide, as she has guided the American River for many years and was experienced in class 5 rapids in Colorado and West Virginia.
Here is another GoPro3 Black video clip of rafting through multiple rapids of the American River:
During one part of our trip, Grandpa decided to try sitting in the "bull" position of the boat - right at the front, while holding a rope (like bull riding). As he climbed the front, he kept falling back. He tried again and, for the 4th time, succeeded. However, a minute later, he fell off the boat. I was able to pull him in, and the fun continued.
The final GoPro3 Black video clip is here:
The final GoPro3 Black video clip is here:
I recorded a lot of the rafting using my GoPro 3 Black. However, the best photos came from professional photographers at two significant rapids: Satan's Cesspool and Hospital Bar.
Here are the professional photos for the Hospital Bar rapids:
For Satan's Cesspool, the photos are below:
We had a fantastic time rafting the South Fork of the American River and hope to do it again.
Here are the professional photos for the Hospital Bar rapids:
For Satan's Cesspool, the photos are below:
We had a fantastic time rafting the South Fork of the American River and hope to do it again.
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