Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2019/2020

2019-2020 Scenic 395 21 Kern River Valley Kern River rafting is a hidden gem By Andrew Salmi Reprinted by permission of The Daily Independent T he sound of water calmly flowing downstream is one of the more peaceful things we as humans can enjoy as a way to help escape from our chaotic daily lives. However, there are also some of us who enjoy that chaos of the rough current that is brought with whitewater rafting down the Kern River. Living in the High Desert in the summer can be daunting for anyone, bringing the all-impor- tant question: How do we all beat the heat? One way lurks a bit more than an hour to the west of Ridgecrest and the 395, as in the Sierras re- sides a hidden gem: whitewater rafting along the Kern River. Now, as someone who has gone river rafting plenty of times be- fore up near Lake Tahoe down the Truckee River, I was able to simply able to pump up my own inner tube and coast down that river peacefully with a cold beer in hand. As for the Kern River, being able to relax while the rapid cur- rent carries me down stream was hardly an option for a vast major- ity of this day. Upon getting to the Kern River Outfitters building by Lake Is- abella to meet up with my rafting instructors and group, I equipped myself with a personal floatation device, a helmet, and sprayed on as much sunblock as I could be- fore jumping on the bus to the launch site. I was pumped but definitely had some butterflies, as well. Following a safety lecture by our great group of rafting instruc- tors, it was finally time to split into our four rafts and get into the water. The Kern River cur- rent was moving pretty fast right from the get go, but it still wasn’t anything compared to what was up ahead. While going down some of the more mellow rapids at the begin- ning of the route, I took notice of the towering rock structures along the edges of the Kern River. On the rocks, there were lines marked on the rocks indicating that the water level used to be considerably higher in previous years compared to present day. This was confirmed to me by my rafting instructor, Matt Volpert, who was an absolute pleasure to be around and taught me all sorts of interesting factoids about the river. On the patches of whitewater rapids, it was of utmost impor- Continued on Page 22 PHOTO COURTESY KERN RIVER OUTFITTERS /WWW.KERNRIVEROUTFITTERS.COM Whitewater rafting on the Kern River is one great way to beat the heat this summer. 7013 Wofford Blvd. Wofford Heights, CA. 93285 Phone: (760) 376-1910 Toll Free: (888) 734-3344 Fax: (760) 376-193 info@kernrivervalleymotels.com • All properties non-smoking • Pet friendly • Satellite TVs • Nominal fee & deposit • Refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker in most rooms. Kern River Valley M O T E L S Operating the Lakeshore Lodge and Barewood Inn & Suites On the North Shore of Lake Isabella See us on Expedia.com & Booking.com