The 2010 Snow Pack is Building

The high country in the Southern Sierra took a pounding last week as three moisture laden storms slammed into the areas comprising the Kern River snow pack. These photos were provide by Dwight and Trudy Pascoe. In the summertime, Dwight is one of our key drivers. In the winter, he drives a snowplow keeping the roads passable around the Kern Valley. His work has been cut out for him this winter and we expect he'll be busy moving snow until the spring.

These past storms and the systems promised to come this winter should make for yet another stellar season rafting the Kern River. We are all hunkered down and waiting for a spring run off that will again prove that Kern River rafting is the best part of a summer vacation.

We will keep you posted as the storms roll in.

Until then, stay warm and keep your paddles crossed for summer fun in 2010.

Friend of KRO: Dave Derr

This is a time of transition for Dave. On Monday after 30 years of service he retired from the fire department. Dave is married to Dawn Jordan, KRO’s top notch Office Manager.

Dave was 21 years old and working as a union carpenter in Los Angeles when his family moved to the Kern Valley. He’d come up and visit them on weekends and enjoy the outdoor activities and natural beauty of the area. When the weekends kept getting longer, he realized it was time to get a job in the area and move to the Kern River. Firefighting appealed to him because you have the opportunity on your calls to make a bad situation better for people.

Over the years Dave has boated the different sections of the Kern River many times. His favorite trip is the 2 -Day Lower Kern because it has a little bit of everything. As Dave says "You have your “woohoo time” interspersed with quiet sections. And then of course there is the KRO Lower Camp which is set up with a buffed out river kitchen." And it is tough to keep Dave out of the kitchen.

After seeing him at work in the kitchen and tasting his dishes at a couple of bbq’s he was recruited to make the ribs for our Annual Pub & Grub trip. These mouthwatering morsels have just the right combo of heat and sweet and unbelievably he has offered to share the recipe with us. Of course if you’d like to stay out of the kitchen just sign up for next year’s Pub & Grub on July 8-9, 2010 where Dave’s Ribs are paired with cold steins of frosty brew!

In a recent intra-company Rib Cookoff, Dave’s ribs were the clear winner over Jim Ritter of Rogue River Journeys. While accepting his 1st Place Ribbon, Dave graciously commented “I just want to say that Jim’s recipe was excellent. It’s too bad that his long drive to the cook-off put time constraints on his preparation and he had to use canned sauce.” Dawn, Dave’s assistant rib maker, sighed and added “Jim had to use Larrapins”.

Dave’s summary of life:

Favorite rapid on the Kern River: “Pinball, I enjoy its technical aspects”.
Favorite part of the rafting company: “Socializing and meeting new people”
Dave’s favorite person in the world: “ I am married to her, Dawn Jordan”.
Quote from Dave: “When Dawn is happy, I am happy.”

Everyone at KRO congratulates Dave on his retirement!



Dave's Ribs

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash ribs and pat dry. Season well with black pepper and garlic powder. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.
Remove from oven. Mix 2 parts soy to 1 part worcestershire sauce and pour liberally all over ribs, making sure that liquid comes up at least _” on sides of roasting pan. Seal pan with aluminum foil and return to oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and cut into chunks of 2 or 3 ribs. Brush on your favorite sauce and finish on the barbecue.

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

The Flag Flies

This year, we unveiled our flag to signify the opening of the Kern River rafting season. The flag will fly proudly throughout the 2008 season, which this year should be through the weekend of August 23rd. Come join us on the river while the flag and the water are unfurled and running strong this year. The weather is beautiful and the water is simply outstanding!

KernRafting.com Rafting Center renovation plans

For those of you who have been rafting with us on the Kern River, you've enjoyed our comfortable Rafting Center in Wofford Heights, CA. The center serves as our base of operations and meeting place for our guests, for all of our Kern River trips. At the conclusion of our 2007 season, we plan to renovate and update our Rafting Center for your comfort. If you have any ideas about what improvements we should make during this renovation, please let me know. Post your suggestions here at our blog, or send me an email to: Jim@RogueRiverTrips.com Thanks very much. Jim Ritter