RUSSIAN RIVER CLEANUP IN 2007

THREE YEARS AGO I BROUGHT MY TEENAGE SON TO HELP CLEAN UP THE RUSSIAN RIVER. WE STARTED EARLY ON SATURDAY WE WERE ASSIGNED A SOAR INFLATABLE. THESE BOATS ARE TRICKY TO NAVIGATE.. LUCKILY I HAD SOME EXPERIENCE IN PADDLING BUT IT HAD BEEN AWHILE AGO. THIS SATURDAY IT LOOKED LIKE RAIN AND WAS CLOUDY. WE BROUGHT OUR WARM HATS, RAINCOATS AND SOME LAYERED CLOTHING AS WELL AS AN ICE CHEST FOR FOOD. THIS WAS AN ALL DAY EFFORT AS WE STARTED IN ASTI WHERE WE WERE SHUTTLED. ABOUT 10 CANOES TOOK OFF TO COLLECT TRASH. IT IS AN ANNUAL EVENT AND THAT YEAR THE WATER WAS RATHER LOW AND WE MANAGED TO NOT GET TURNED OVER, HOWEVER WE GOT OUR LEGS WET BY GETTING OUT AND COLLECTING TRASH. WE DID HAVE TO DUCK UNDER SOME LARGE TREE BRANCHES ON THE TURNS IN THE RIVER AS THE BRUSH HAD NOT BEEN CUT!

WE MANAGED TO COLLECT ALL KINDS OF METAL, GLASS, BOTTLES, TIRES, AND WOODEN DEBRIS. WE ALL STAYED TOGETHER AND IT TOOK MOST OF THE DAY AS THE WIND WAS BLOWING AGAINST US AND IT STARTED TO RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. OUR CAPTAIN DECIDED TO CALL IN FOR HELP FOR A FROGMAN AND HE CAME WITH A JET SKI AND A WETSUIT. HE ATTACHED ALL OF OUR BOATS TOGETHER AND HE PULLED US ABOUT 3 MILES UP TO HEALDSBURG. WE WERE RELIEVED AS IT STARTED TO GET CHILLY AND WET. WE WERE THANKFUL TO GET INTO THE VAN AND GET WARM AND TO GET INTO OUR CARS. WITH THE WIND AND RAIN IT BECAME QUITE AN EVENT.. MANY TEENS HAD NEVER DONE THIS, BUT WE MET SOME OF OUR FRIENDS AT THE MAIN MEETING PLACE. IT WAS DEFINITELY A MEMORABLE EVENT. THE TRIP TOOK US INTO A WILDERNESS WHERE FEW PEOPLE BOAT OR SWIM OR FISH. IT WAS A GOOD OCCASION TO OBSERVE WILDLIFE, STILLNESS, VARIOUS OSPREY, BIRDS, AND TURTLES!