A long time on the way to my first kayaking in the U.S

When I lived in Japan, I enjoyed river kayaking every week throughout the year. I lived in a suburb of Tokyo. It was a 30-minute drive from my house to a nice kayaking spot. I have been kayaking for more than 10 years. Kayaking has been part of the fabric of my life.

In May 2010, I was transferred to the U.S branch of my company in San Jose. In the beginning, I had a lot of things to do to get settled. This was no time for kayaking. After I got things sorted out, I realized I was frustrated, and I could not resist the feeling that I wanted to kayak. It was the first time that I had not gone kayaking for such a long time in over ten years. Now I enjoy river kayaking in the U.S, but getting to the first day of kayaking here was not easy.

I didn’t have any clue about kayaking in the Bay Area or any acquaintances in the Bay Area kayaking community. I went to REI first. I could not find a river kayak, but I found a lot of brochures for rafting companies and free papers describing outdoor activities. From the brochures and papers, I found that there are a bunch of rafting companies around Lake Tahoe and that there is a whitewater park in Reno, Nevada.

I decided to go see them. First, I went to the whitewater park in Reno at the end of July, and the first thing I saw in the river was that a lot of people were swimming and enjoying body boarding. I was disappointed at that time because there were no kayakers and the water level was too low for kayaking. Besides, I felt that it would be out of place if a full-geared kayaker were there. The people who are equipped in kayaking gear look like they are overdoing it, with a helmet, a personal floatation device, spray skirt and so on. I stayed in Reno that day. I didn’t want to believe that there are no kayakers. I went to the whitewater park again the next day. I ran into some good luck because I found two guys who were talking in front of a truck loaded with kayaks. I had the courage to speak to them. They told me some information about kayaking, and I got a key word, “Chili Bar”, I didn’t understand this word at the time.

Next, I found out that there are a lot of kayakers in California and Nevada. It was time to get my kayak. I’d been to 3 local retail outdoor stores, but I didn’t get enough information about river kayaking. They were focusing on sea kayaking in their businesses. Then I got a kayak at California Canoe and Kayak in Rancho Cordova. Fortunately, I had a mutual friend with a staff member and he gave me a lot of information and direction to the river. At this time, I found out that “Chili Bar” is the name of a spot in the South Fork American River.

When the time had come, my wife and I got our kayaks. We had learned about a nice place for kayaking but didn’t have any information about the South Fork American River. Also, I had no idea how to drive back to the start spot from the finish point after my river run. So, I decided to ask a local river trip company, Current Adventures, to guide me at the river.

August 29, 2010. It was a great day. I finally kayaked in the U.S. Current Adventures introduced me to Taylor who is an extreme kayaker. He guided me to Chili Bar in the Coloma section and gave me tips about the South Fork American River. He also took me to a nice play spot called “Barking Dog”.

Finally, I’d returned to kayaking life. Now I mostly enjoy kayak “park and play” at Barking Dog in Lotus. I have much to be thankful for. All the kayakers I have met, especially Shane, whom I met in Nevada and who gave me a lot of information; Boomer, a staff member at California Canoe and Kayak who gave me information about the South Fork American River; Heather, a staff member at Current Adventures who kept talking to me with great patience on the phone; Dan, the owner of Current Adventures who arranged a guide for me; and Taylor, who is a great and awesome kayaker.

The problem is my English skills. I really want to talk more with awesome local kayakers. I need much more improvement in my English.