Last week, on July 1, my partner and I decided to spend a relaxing day floating down the American River. We paddled into the river at Sailor Bar Park on two tubes connected together. Prior to our trip, I was told that this section of the river was calm. So, off we went — without life jackets.
Our first hint of trouble was the roar of the river and the sight of tiny white caps around one of the bends. We held our tubes together and laughed as we experienced a bouncy ride.
We spent hours floating and paddling out of eddies that pushed us toward shore. Floating on the river’s wide, flat surface just before the River Bend Park exit, the current began to pick up. Before we knew it, we had sailed past our exit as well as the next sand bar. We paddled hard to attempt to reach shore…