Thursday, February 26, 2009

Dwight and Trudy Pascoe

Dwight and Trudy Pascoe are two treasures whose contributions help make Kern River Outfitters one of the best whitewater rafting outfits in the business.

Dwight is a genuine Kern River native. He was born in Bakersfield (by the way, yesterday just happens to be Dwights birthday) and raised in the Kern River Valley. He spent a good portion of his formative years on a cattle ranch in the South Fork country.

He attended high school in Bakersfield. In those days, the bus ride to high school was a little more complicated that it is today. In fact, he would leave Sunday evening and return Friday evening, spending the entire school week in Bakersfield. When he wasn't in school, he was busy fishing, hiking, riding horses and punching cattle all throughout the Southern Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley. In the midst of all of this, Dwight managed to log in 30 years with Cal Trans. He still operates snow plows in the winter keeping the roads open and safe for all of us here in the Kern Valley. Dwight is a fountain of local and regional historical knowledge. Ask him about the days prior to the Isabella Dam or driving cattle to market on horseback and he will gladly dispense all kinds of fun historical tidbits.

Trudy hails from Tulare, California and has operated a number of successful businesses including a busy photography studio. Here at Kern River Outfitters, she manages our Rafting Center making sure our guests arrive with a smile on their face, have a hot cup of coffee in their hands, and questions and last minute concerns addressed. She also looks after the guides offering sage advice when the need arises.

Trudy found Dwight 22 years ago and they've been happily riding the range ever since. We all hope they will be saddling up with Kern River Outfitters for many years to come.

Monday, February 16, 2009

The Fifty First Annual Whiskey Flat Celebration on the Kern River

This past weekend the Kern River Valley celebrated the fifty first anniversary of Whiskey Flat Days. Friday, February thirteenth, presented a less than ideal weather scenario with a veritable blizzard descending on the Kern River Valley. By noon, the snow was accumulating rapidly throughout the entire region. The following Saturday morning however, the sun rescued the event from the frigid grasp of the hovering winter storm and the scenery was spectacular.

A parade of participants in period costumes filled the streets of Kernville. Gunslingers, stagecoaches, and mountain men brought the old west to life complete with staged shoot-outs and an old fashioned western jail set up to house the bad guys.

If you have ever wondered whether there are fun things to do in the Kern River Valley in the whitewater rafting off-season, this annual event surely answers that question. Here at Kern River Outfitters, we think the Kern River offers the best California rafting available. We are grateful Mother Nature provided a brief respite from the latest winter storm for the event, but we are ecstatic that she is busy laying the base for yet another wonderful summer filled with endless Kern River rafting opportunities.

Here are a few photos of the fun event complete with our Kern Rafting Center bracing for the onslaught of snow this past Friday morning.



















The Rafting Center Bracing for the Storm
Friday Morning
















Whiskey Flat Days Banner Proudly Flying Over the Event



















The Stagecoach is On Time

















Mountain Guys Looking for Easy Game
















Smokey Bear Keeping an Eye on Things