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 • 2009 Raft Guide School Info • 2009 Class Info • 2009 Event Calendar • Kern Festival 2008 Photos & Results • "Around the Kern" Resource Guide • Employment Information • News from the Past...

Updated 10/03/08 o The first serious cloud seeding program in California began in 1948 on Bishop Creek in the Owens River basin for California Electric Power Co. Precipitation enhancement in the form of cloud seeding has been practiced continuously in several California river basins since the early 1950s. Most projects are along the central and southern Sierra Nevada with some in the coast ranges. More. o Spectacular mountains, rivers and open spaces in California’s Eastern Sierra and San Gabriel Mountains are closer to gaining permanent protection today after a hearing in the Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee. More. 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 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 Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Important information about River Notes.

Make your plans now! The 24th annual Sierra South Sizzlin' Summer Sale is August 8-9. We'll have more than 180 new and used boats on sale, including kayaks from Jackson, Liquidlogic, Wave Sport, Pyranha, and Wilderness Systems; and inflatable kayaks and rafts from Hyside. Nearly all in-stock boats, paddling apparel and gear, and store merchandise will be priced at 10%-70% off. Don't miss out -- take advantage of our low Sale prices -- you'll be paddling in Sizzlin' style!

With the excellent flows on the Lower Kern, Evan Moore and Spencer Josif have been giving their new 2010 All Stars a good workout at the KRT and Royal Flush playspots. Check out their Lower Kern Playboating video on YouTube.

This fantastic mountain scenery is on the Tyndall Plateau, west of Shepherd Pass. The photo was taken by Gene (Geno) Hacker, who along with Cory Tucker and Alex Wolfgram spent the July 4th holidays paddling one of the premiere wilderness kayak runs in the country -- the Headwaters of the Kern. Getting to the put-in at Junction Meadow is a challenge of its own, and the paddlers carried 80-90 lbs (each) of boat, gear and food over notorious Shepherd Pass and then down to the river. The peaks in the background are Mt. Stanford and other peaks of the Kings-Kern Divide.

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!

Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine 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!

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2009 season will mark our 24th year on the Kern River!

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.

River Notes for Thursday, July 16, 2009

Important information about River Notes.

Make your plans now! The 24th annual Sierra South Sizzlin' Summer Sale is August 8-9. We'll have more than 180 new and used boats on sale, including kayaks from Jackson, Liquidlogic, Wave Sport, Pyranha, and Wilderness Systems; and inflatable kayaks and rafts from Hyside. Nearly all in-stock boats, paddling apparel and gear, and store merchandise will be priced at 10%-70% off. Don't miss out -- take advantage of our low Sale prices -- you'll be paddling in Sizzlin' style!

Today's River Photo is of fantastic scenery on the Tyndall Plateau, west of Shepherd Pass. It was taken by Gene (Geno) Hacker, who along with Cory Tucker and Alex Wolfgram spent the July 4th holidays paddling one of the best wilderness kayak runs in the country -- the Headwaters of the Kern. Getting to the put-in at Junction Meadow is a challenge of its own, and the paddlers carried 80-90 lbs (each) of boat, gear and food over notorious Shepherd Pass and then down to the river. The peaks in the background are Mt. Stanford and other peaks of the Kings-Kern Divide.

The new 2010 Jackson Kayak All-Star swept the Men's Freestyle class in its competition debut at the Teva Mountains Games in Vail, Colorado. Stephen Wright's tallied up a record freestyle score of 1310 points to take first, with Nick Troutman and Dustin Urban a close second and third. In addition to its record freestyle performance, the boat was tested on the Colorado River at 12,000 cfs. How did it do? Accord ing to JK the increased volume made it easier to keep the ends out of the water, improving river running. “The new All-Star series caters to the paddler who wants World Championship performance in their playboat, even if they are learning the most basic of moves like the front surf,” Jackson said. Evan Moore and Paul Armes have already ordered their All Stars. For more info, or to order yours, call 1-800-376-7303.

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!

Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine 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!

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2009 season will mark our 24th year on the Kern River!

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.

River Notes for Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Important information about River Notes.

Many of the faces in the photo above may be familiar to you as some of the “girls” that work in the store at Sierra South. You probably didn't know they all kayak! “We are a kayak shop so it is important to us, our whole staff knows how to kayak”, said Marianne Moore-DeChant, co-owner of Sierra South. “During the week when it is not quite as busy we try to get out on the water as much as possible. The weather is hot and the river is lower, which makes for a great learning environment. As you can see, we usually don’t have to twist our instructor’s arm (Marc Vernon) to teach employee classes. To help Marc out, we also brought along his mother Christine who happened to be in Kernville visiting from Australia.

In case you do a double take while visiting the Kern River Brewery -- owned and operated by our very own kayak Olympians, Rebecca and Eric Giddens -- you may see Andrea and Brenna working there in the evenings. “It’s fun to see people at the Brewery that I took down the river during the day,” chuckled Andrea. “So far, I have been lucky not to have had anyone at the Brewery that I dumped while rafting. Double tips are very cool too.”

The 6th Annual Lower Kern River Cleanup is this Saturday, July 11th. Meet at the Miracle Hot Springs lower parking lot at 8:30 a.m. We'll be taking out at Democrat or Delonega Bridge, depending on the time. There will be a BBQ Dinner after the cleanup at Miracle. Prizes and awards (donated by local businesses and persons) will be given out at the dinner. Bring your own boat and/or bring boating clothing to join in on a raft. Since many rafts are personally-owned boats, you should bring your own PFD and helmet. Some will be provided, but not enough for everyone. For those who do not want to go on the water, buses will be provided for traveling down the river. Bring gloves for the cleanup and chairs for the dinner. Sponsored by Kern Valley River Council. For more information contact Brian Cosgrove at 760-549-3760, or kerncleanup@gmail.com.

Make your plans now! The 24th annual Sierra South Sizzlin' Summer Sale is August 8-9. We'll have more than 150 new and used boats on sale, including kayaks from Jackson, Liquidlogic, Wave Sport, Pyranha, and Wilderness Systems; and inflatable kayaks and rafts from Hyside. Nearly all in-stock boats, paddling apparel and gear, and store merchandise will be priced at 10%-70% off. Don't miss out -- take advantage of our low Sale prices -- you'll be paddling in Sizzlin' style!

The new 2010 Jackson Kayak All-Star swept the Men's Freestyle class in its competition debut at the Teva Mountains Games in Vail, Colorado. Stephen Wright's tallied up a record freestyle score of 1310 points to take first, with Nick Troutman and Dustin Urban a close second and third. In addition to its record freestyle performance, the boat was tested on the Colorado River at 12,000 cfs. How did it do? Accord ing to JK the increased volume made it easier to keep the ends out of the water, improving river running. “The new All-Star series caters to the paddler who wants World Championship performance in their playboat, even if they are learning the most basic of moves like the front surf,” Jackson said. Evan Moore and Paul Armes have already ordered their All Stars. For more info, or to order yours, call 1-800-376-7303.

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!

Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine 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!

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2009 season will mark our 24th year on the Kern River!

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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