In another first for us and the purple kayak, the first paddle of 2010 was on a river. The Cosumnes River is reported to be the last unregulated river in California on the western slope of the Sierra. Rising in the El Dorado National Forest and ending at the Mokelumne River, it lies in the Central Valley between Sacramento and Stockton. In addition to being our first paddle on a river, it was also our first paddle with a group.
We found the river through one of our paddle books. In the description were warnings about floods in the winter and spring and low water in the summer and the directions, once on the water, seemed very complicated. Not wanting to get lost in the Delta in unfamiliar water conditions, we were happy to find the activity calendar for the Cosumnes River Preserve included a monthly guided paddle. The first one of the year was on Saturday (our preferred day for paddling) March 20. The catch was getting there for the 8:30 a.m. put-in. At practically the last minute we decided to head out the evening before and stay in a hotel nearby.
The drive took us through parts of California we had not been to before. During the first half of the drive Laura recognized a number of exit names from traffic reports which means we were still in the greater Bay Area as defined by commutes. The second half of the drive was done in late twilight and darkness. We could tell we were following along a river, actually crossing back and forth across it, but we could tell little about the landscape around us. As we approached the last bridge along our planned route, we learned that the bridge was closed. The detour continued along the river in a big loop until we finally hit Interstate 5. Unfortunately we had no sense of whether we were north or south of the communities for which we had identified hotels. After some wanderings we settled on heading north and found a hotel in Elk Grove which we figured was about 15 minutes away from the Preserve. Taking the risk that no one with an empty boat carrier would happen along to steal our boat, we checked in.
Getting up the next morning we found the hotel had a nice complimentary breakfast including hot items such as eggs, bacon, and biscuits in addition to the usual cereal and English muffins. After fortifying ourselves we headed out to find the Preserve. It was pretty easy to find several exits down I-5, arriving just as the guides were giving instructions. We had time to slather on the last bit of sunscreen and hit the pit toilets before borrowing a set of wheels to get the boat down the 200-yard paved path to the launch dock. The wheels were a great boon! Why haven’t we bought a set before?
Putting in we quickly paddled out, not realizing that everyone was simply gathering just around the bend. As we waited for the final boats, one of our guides spotted a great horned owl in a tree across the way. John saw it, but says it was very well camouflaged. We would never have seen it if the guide hadn’t seen it fly in, presumably after a night of hunting. Once everyone had gathered, the guides introduced themselves and explained the planned route. Our guides were Jeff, one of the few Preserve staff, and volunteers Jim, Tricia, Linda, and Lee. The group was a mix of kayaks and canoes with one to three people per boat ranging from kids to seniors.
We started in Middle Slough. If we had gone west we would have passed under a bridge into a tule marsh; bats live under the bridge. However our destination was Tihuechemne Slough and the riparian forest habitat, so we turned east. Despite being so far inland, the water is still influenced by the tide which was either coming in or slack so we were not trying to paddle against both the current and the tide.
Partway up the river to the next slough we passed under a railroad bridge. As we paddled up the next slough we startled a few large birds, but were unable to definitively identify them. We also saw numerous nest boxes which we later learned were for wood ducks, compensating for the lack of natural snags. At least one was probably an egret while the others may have been night herons or green herons. At the end of the slough the guides told us about the volunteer activities at the slough and the preservation activities as well as the agricultural uses of the area. Coming out of the Tihuechemne Slough we continued up river toward Tall Forest. The river narrows at this point so we had to paddle against the current. The guides recommended checking the river flow before heading out. We encountered about 500 cubic feet per secon; they recommended against anything over 1000. They said to use the measurement at Michigan Bar. We were to cautioned to keep the boat straight in the current and not get turned sideways and pushed into the strainers.
Tall Forest is one of two places you can pull out (the first being at the point at the entry to Tihuechemne Slough). None of the pull outs have facilities, they are simply places to stretch your legs and get a closer look at the variety of habitats. Rather than pull out with the group, we chose to turn around and head back to the dock and the facilities.
We had some moments of anxiety as we would turn a bend and not find the expected dock, but eventually we reached it. We did not have use of the wheels for the return portage as they had been locked up. When we got back to the parking lot we found a lot more people visiting both by car and bike, but the bathrooms were not too busy. After loading the boat and gear we went over to the visitors’ center where we picked up the paddling guide for our next visit and learned about the seasons at the preserve. In other seasons there are sand hill cranes. In the winter the preserve is allowed to flood, an aerial photo showed the visitors center and parking lot surrounded by floodwaters. One of the guides had mentioned paddling in the forest during the winter
On our return home we took a couple of detours to drive through the communities of Locke and Walnut Grove, historic communities of the Delta. We also learned that the night before we had driven between the river and orchards. We do not know what the trees were, but they were in bloom and very beautiful.
- Lesson learned: On the way home, we stopped at West Marine in Antioch and picked up a set of wheels.