Summer is nearer and for many of us, this means some time off: time off from packing lunches for the kids, or time off of work, or time off of carpool or simply some time off from the daily punch card that is our routine.

If you can’t plan that dream getaway this year, worry not, for there are many fun and mind freeing getaways right here in our own backyards.

Isn’t it always so that we forget how incredible the place we live? To remember can also remind us not to take for granted those who support and love us; too often we can take them for granted as well.

Think about it, many people flock to Northern California for their vacation! Here we have a gorgeous mountain range, The Sierra Nevada, we have some of the best wine country in the entire world, we have coastal hideaways and tourist oriented cities, the great redwood forest, world class resorts and restaurants.

In this series we’ll look at an area and explore some of the experiences awaiting you and your short trip to Northern California.

Let’s begin with the area most near and dear our hearts here at Action Whitewater Adventures, the foothills of Northern California.

Summer Camp AWA El Dorado County hosts some of the best getaway vacation spots in all the state. Located just 2-hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and between both major access roads to North Shore and South Shore Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County is an excellent choice for an affordable break from it all filled with variety. It’s an excellent choice for its relatively easy commute from anywhere in the State and it boasts some of the richest history in all the United States.

Let’s begin with the history:
“James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in the valley the Nisenan Indians knew as Cullumah. This event led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere and was the spark that ignited the spectacular growth of the West during the ensuing decades. The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill, in present day Coloma California, is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation.” Excerpted from the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park website. AWA Summer Camp

So often it’s easy to overlook what’s right here in our backyard, but truly, the epic Gold Rush took place right here. The park is a good place to start a visit in Northern California. Onsite are many artifacts from the Gold Rush era, including a replica of the mill, still standing buildings from the day, a museum and a nature trail wherein you can have a park ranger lead walk through history. The attendees of the Action Whitewater Summer Camp, as seen in these photos, will attest to the interest of strolling Marshall Gold.

Before you make your way to Coloma and the Gold Rush site, you have a decision to make: are you making a day of this? Is it just you and the family coming into town for a little history and picnic on the banks of the South Fork of the American River (map) or are you planning a big family get together, reunion style and you’re planning to employ some of the built in barbeques they have available for your use. Is the family going to stay a day or multiple days.

There are campgrounds in the Coloma/Lotus area that you can stay at, perhaps a historic hotel suits your needs better or a bed and breakfast. Once you stay, are you looking for a day trip, such as wine tasting?

El Dorado County, not Napa as so many think, has the perfect land for certain varietals. Thus, some of the best wineries can be visited and tasted while you’re right here. Our personal favorites are Oakstone and Windwalker wineries!

Maybe you want more than wine tasting, maybe you want wine tasting AND something else… there is so much to do but one of the greatest, most fulfilling options you can chose is whitewater rafting.

Action Whitewater Adventures prides itself on being a guest oriented company. Our “large” trips are “small” trips for some of the bigger companies on the river. This smaller size (though we’re not “small”) allows us to work on your experience versus huge overhead costs to meet. This means we have some of the most fun equipment on the river, some of the most competent and excited guides and we have some of the most flexibility in our trip packages.

Come whitewater rafting, raft a day or two. Mix us in with your family get together or plan an excursion just with us, we can make anything happen, well almost.

Picture this… you make the day drive to Lotus California, our base camp, arriving Friday evening. You set up your tent, take a nice hot shower (free), use our free facilities: toilets that flush, wifi internet, volleyball court, campsite (we need to book, so contact us) and fire pit and just relax.

Come morning time, we’ll set you up with a continental breakfast, get you shuttled to the river, climb into a raft and tackle 10-miles of whitewater with class I, II & III rapids. Our staff will prepare an AMAZING lunch spread good for meat lovers to vegans and ending right back at camp.

Here, you’re free to enjoy all the amenities camp has… many find themselves in need of a nap!

Near dusk you’ll be served a wonderful meal of steak, chicken, gourmet salad, breads and a wide array of veggie options. Too, we’ll mix up a secret desert cooked right there in the dirt! The evening winds down with a fire and chatter of the day.

The next morning, Sunday, you awake to the full on breakfast spread: bacon, eggs, doughnuts, fruits, granola, yogurts, pancakes, juice, Coffee!

Pack up your gear and saunter to the river for a much later start this day. Climb on in your rafts, being 12-miles of rafting, another gourmet lunch and a shuttle when it’s all over back to camp.

Within a few hours drive from your door, you can have an amazing adventure, be cater to by a world class staff, be fed top of the line meals and forget about the daily grind, the daily routine.

Rafting is fun AND beautiful! This is truly an incredible trip. There is a reason why the South Fork of the American River is so popular.

There is a reason why Karen H. went home after her rafting trip and wrote this note to me by hand…
“Chris, Thanks again for a truly great experience… we want to go again, and again…” For other responses to our trips, click here.

Look for the next installment of what to do in Northern California when we leave the foothills, their wine-grapes, rivers and rafting, history and bed and breakfasts and head to the summit and what to do atop the mountain.

See you in '08! Chris n' D

Action Whitewater Adventures Whitewater Rafting South Fork of the American

In This Post
Super Snow Pack
50-years of Water
The Importance of You
The Not So Nice

2008 is Lookin' GREAT!

Super Snow Pack
The snow hasn't been non-stop, but when it has hit, it's been awesome! Per a SFGate.Com article the Jan. 31st results were excellent. "...The average depth of the snow was 73.1 inches and the water content was 23.6 inches. That's 23 percent above average for the site. Last year at this time, the depth was 23.2 and the water content was 7.3 inches at Phillips, only 38 percent of the average." Considering we had an awesome year last year (2007) on the river, we can expect even better water this year. Check out your trip photos & video here: Our TV Channel

50-Years of Water
Through many years of dialogue and often chest thumping ego laden profession, a new agreement has been reached between two competing power companies. These companies control our river along with the local, State and Federal governments. The agreement negotiates 50-years of guaranteed water on the South Fork of the American River!! What does this mean for you? A reliable source of fun and adventure season after season!

As always there is a chance there won't be water for some unknown or unpredictable reason but in general these forces are working together to provide us with a predictable water flow!

Please note: Wednesdays are NO water days, it used to be Monday, now it's WEDNESDAY.

Check out some cool California rafting right here: Our TV Channel

The Importance of You
I'm ever grateful for you and your choice of AWA. When I purchased AWA, the office staff had lost the mailing list unbeknownst to the owners or me. By the time we figured it out the deal was near done.

I wanted back on the river so badly I went through with the purchase anyhow. I figured I could make up for this with energy and effort. This has proven more difficult than I thought. YOU keep me going. You encourage my perseverance. I love the look of enthusiasm and joy in your photos and when you get off the river!
I literally count on your stories when you return home to help me re-build AWA: to build the best of the best. I try to share with you my thanks and gratitude. I'm committed to excellence in every way and have had an enormously positive response to our way of doing things. So, again THANK YOU. And again I urge you to forward these emails to your friends, co-workers & family. I count on your forwards. I count on your referrals.

Wanna See Those Smiles and Looks of Joy? Our TV Channel

You may copy and print any photo you like from this site, it's my gift to you. Every trip from 2007 will be loaded onto this site for your viewing pleasure.

The Not So Nice
Without great detail, we had a 'friend' of many years... Well, let's just say somehow near $100,000 left us. We were so overwhelmed by the deceit, it's still tough to put into words. This 'friend' was deeply involved in our off-season plans to grow AWA, to get us closer to our goals.

The long and the short of this experience, we're still here and the ‘friend’ is out of business, again! Our plans were greatly delayed and working through last season was tremendously difficult with all cash drained out of the business. Your visits drive me onward.

So, as we head into this year I ask you to share this experience with as many people as you can.

You can help by:
Forwarding our emails, share our web page with your friends, co-workers and family.
Telling people, schools, groups, and clubs that work with or have kids about our summer camp. Last year was a great success! Check out our site for testimonials and Our TV Channel for videos and photos.

Dylan, my daughter many of you met, is amped to begin 2008 and her second-year of management training as she prepares to take over the business in the not too distant future. I'm committed to making this THE place to be.
Upcoming Dates to Note:

Season Runs May 30th – October 1st

We’re Can Do?
Summer Camp? Yes! July 20th – August 1st
Top of the Line Equipment? Yes! Newest Equipment on River!
Charter Trips? Yes! Reserve your private trip today!
Family Reunions? Yes!
Group Get Together? Yes!
Buss Trips from Southern California or Bay Area? Yes
Male or Female Club Trips? Yes!
Military Training? Yes!

Living Where We Work and Loving It, We're Action Whitewater Adventures!