I'm surprised it never won a design award. Beautiful to look at, simple and functional. Easy to start, warm hands, or even a match will pressurize the tank, then prime and you're good to go. I did finally replace the cap, just because I thought I should. In 1996 I pulled it out again and it fired right up, even with old gas. I used it for all my climbing and hiking trips until about 1990, when I stopped camping for few years because of kids. Could it really be late fall? Most of our paddlers have already shed jackets and weekday cares.I've had my 123R since about 1972. A few turtles sun themselves on snags near the bank. Canada geese patrol the riverbanks and fly overhead in formation. Someone should open a dockside coffee bar here.Īt this point, the river begins to widen and slow like a western replica of the Mississippi. Only two minutes from downtown Sacramento, it’s the perfect urban hideaway. Most of the residences are mobile homes, though by the look of things they’re not moving anywhere. Nearby, tucked into the shadows of the busy 16th and 12th street bridges, is a little riverfront neighborhood complete with docks, decks, solar panels and a houseboat or two. A fact probably lost on graffiti artists who have decorated the foundations more recently. It was an electric railroad that once ran all the way to Chico, say transit historians, who note these rail lines created the first permanent crossings of the American in the early 20th century. But any mythical monsters must have been snoozing on the Saturday morning when we quietly glided by.įurther downstream, past the Capital City (I-80 Business) freeway bridge, are three railway crossings – the old Southern Pacific and Western Pacific lines, plus a pedestrian/bike bridge that once carried the Sacramento Northern. Old concrete abutments under the bridge look ominous – like the lairs of river trolls. Today it’s a four-lane span to upscale suburbs. According to a recent article in The Sacramento Bee, this was roughly the spot where Gold Rush-era folks forded a shallow spot in the river. It wasn’t built until 1932, though other spans preceded it. Back then, folks paddled this river out of necessity, not for recreation.įor example, take the H Street Bridge (also called the J Street Bridge and the American River Bridge at H Street). Before then, the American River was more of an obstacle than an urban playground. Looking up from the water at Guy West and the nine remaining spans, it’s amazing to realize that all were built within the last century or so. It’s the smallest span on this trip and the most elegant by far. This pedestrian bridge (below) is a real gem, a one-tenth scale model of the famed Golden Gate. You’ll want the companionship anyway, since a vehicle shuttle is required if you can’t arrange for pickup at the Discovery Park pullout.Īfter passing under the Howe Avenue bridge and past a futuristic-looking water treatment plant, we floated under the Guy West Bridge at California State University, Sacramento. So wear a personal flotation device, as always, and go with a group – preferably including someone who’s paddled this stretch of the American before. Not to mention that late-autumn air temps in the 50s to low 60s seem fine for paddling but feel much colder after a flip-and-dip in the river. But snags and shallows and a few good-sized riffles could take an unwary kayaker by surprise. River current on this stretch tends to be more leisurely in November than at some other times. (NorCal Yak plans to include a full-length paddle of the American River Parkway as a future “top ten” paddle trip.) Our November paddle began near Howe Avenue and ended 11 bridges, 8.5 miles, and three hours later at Discovery Park, where the American converges with the Sacramento River.Īs a bonus, we enjoyed an “underview” of 11 bridges while paddling the final stretch of one of the finest urban parkways in California, if not the West. Little do they know about the environment that lies just below the stream of urban traffic.Ī short, easy kayak trip along the American near downtown Sacramento is perfect for that sunny, late-season weekend when you have a few hours to spare. Every day, tens of thousands of people in Sacramento drive over the American River.
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