River Notes Archive

• Shop at the Sierra South River Store! • Check which New Kayaks are on Sale! • Browse New & Used Kayaks, Rafts & Gear! • Kayak Comparison Chart • 2008 Raft Guide School Info • 2008 Class Info • 2008 Event Calendar • Kern Festival 2008 Photos & Results • "Around the Kern" Resource Guide • Employment Information • News from the Past...

Updated 4/23/08 o This summer, when you watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics Canoe/Kayak coverage on NBC, you may very well recognize a member of the broadcast team -- 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Jacobi. Joe is the co-founder of Gold Medal Connections, which just completed its 11th annual Gold Medal Kayaking Camp on the Kern River. For more on the Beijing Olympics and Joe's "thoughts, ideas, and life lessons from the outdoors" check out his blog Gold Medal Living. Also see Joe's WRCB TV Olympic Zone Profile of Eric Jackson o From farmers to fishermen, from the feds to the Yurok nation, all sides spent the past two years hammering out a deal that hinges on the destruction of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River. If those four dams come down, it would be the largest dam removal in U.S. history. More. o The Roadless Areas Conservation Rule is an administrative rule adopted by the U.S. Forest Service in January 2001 to protect the last remaining wildlands in our national forest system. It places about one-third of the national forest system's total acreage off-limits to virtually all road building and logging. (More than half of our national forest land is already open to such activity.) This protection is the only way to spare roadless areas from the severe damage that roads and intense development like clearcut logging have done to other parts of our national forests. More. o You can always tell a canoeist or kayaker from Ohio, that’s because they have been required to register their craft, pay a fee, and place big numbers on the side of their boats ever since the Ohio legislature figured out a way to “cheat” on their federal taxes and get more money from the federal government. The Ohio legislature figured that if they required all canoes, kayaks, and rafts to be registered along with motorboats as recreational watercraft, then they would be eligible for more Wallop-Breaux and other federal transportation funding. More. o One of the most hotly debated topics on Earth is the issue of climate change, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) data centers are central to answering some of the most pressing global change questions that remain unresolved. The National Climatic Data Center contains the instrumental records that can precisely define the nature of climatic fluctuations at time scales of a up to a century. Among the diverse kinds of data platforms whose data contribute to NCDC's armamentarium are: Ships, buoys, weather stations, balloons, satellites, and aircraft. More. o California is blessed with some of the most beautiful and diverse rivers in the world. From the steep creeks of the high Sierra to the broad and powerful rivers of the Central Valley, each river tells a personal story and provides a unique experience to the visitor. More. Splashes: Rolling - AW Safety Code - River Quotes - Foamies - Water Art

River Notes for Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Important information about River Notes.

Great news, we've extended our end of the season sale on in stock new and used kayaks until the end of September! This is your last chance for some killer deals. Check out our New Boat Barn and Used Boat Barn -- the boat inventory changes daily, so give us a call at 800-376-7303 or email 'paddle at sierrasouth.com' with any boat questions. We also seem to get a number of trade-in boats during this time so if you don’t see a particular model in the Boat Barn, ask for it by name.

The Jackson Kayak Star series won 10 out of 15 medals overall in the 2008 Freestyle World Cup. Beat the price increase -- 2009 prices on the fantastic line of boats from Jackson Kayaks will go into effect October 1, 2008. Prices will be roughly $100 more on Stars, Heroes, Funs and Rockers. What is cool for you is we will extend the ’08 prices on Jackson boats on hand and in stock until October 31, 2008. After that, prices will increase to the new 2009 prices. Please note this deal strictly applies to stock on hand only. Any special order boats will reflect the new 2009 price.

Two exciting new boats are coming from Jackson in 2009, the Little Hero and the 2-person Dynamic Duo. The Little Hero is much smaller than the regular Hero, but bigger than the kid’s Side Kick. It will be a great boat for the 120 lb and up teenager, and adults who are too small for the regular Hero. The 2 person Dynamic Duo should be a gas to paddle! An experienced paddler could show a beginning paddler how to ferry, catch eddies, and other basic skills, or take Class II-III paddlers down some harder runs. It is easy to tandem roll and very forgiving. We will let you know when we get our demo.

There are also still good deals to be had on paddling apparel and used fleet gear -- check out the items in the Sierra South River Store. To see what's on sale, use the Advanced Search page and click “Only Sale Items.” The Store is still being updated from the sale, so check back frequently.

Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine has selected Kernville as one of the 'Best Paddling Towns' in the U.S. The article rated Kernville a 5-star weekend destination and a 5-star 'Near Home' vacation destination. The 2009 Kern River Festival is April 18-19, make your plans now!

Our world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class 2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin? Try our new Upper Kern and Forks trips. Download our 2010 Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF) for more information! Reserve your 2009 trip now!

Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes!

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2008 season will mark our 23rd year on the Kern River!

We are always looking for staff members who are energetic, self-motivated, enjoy the out-of-doors, team players and above all else, willing to provide exceptional guest services. Employment opportunities typically include river guides, kayak instructors, seasonal office staff, reservationists, food service manager, retail sales associates, bus drivers and photographers. Please see our Employment Information page for more information.

We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

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