American River

I've always liked slow-moving rivers - mirrors to moonlight and literature, our first and best interstates, running over rocks, as Norman Maclean so deftly put it, "from the basement of time. " So what am I doing in the San Fernando Valley, a mile from the junction of the 405 and 101? Running a river, baby. Wall of trees to my left. Wall of trees to my right. Dozens of species of chattering birds. Minnows doing button-hooks beneath a ribbon of urban drool. Honestly, if someone blindfolded and plopped you down here, without your having chugged the freeways, without your kicking up a stampede of dust when you parked along Woodley Avenue, you might think you're in Idaho.

Despite the drought that plagued Southern California last winter, river rafters can still get their paddles wet: Parts of Northern California and other Western states got the rain and show that missed SoCal. California's Kings, Kern, Kaweah, Merced and Tuolumne rivers have shortened or nonexistent rafting seasons this year, thanks to the drought, but many rivers in the West have plenty of water for rafting, kayaking and tubing. Here's a sampling of outfitters that are running rafting trips on rivers in Northern California and the West as well as on other rivers predicted to have good flows through August and maybe even September.

There are plenty of licensed companies to choose from. Just be sure to find a trip that matches your adventure and experience levels. We went with Whitewater Excitement, (800) 750-2386, http://www.whitewaterexcitement.com . Cost for the one-day trip is $129 on weekdays, $159 on Saturdays and $149 on Sundays. This trip is not suggested for children younger than 13 or for those who do not swim. Rafting trips will run this year through at least Sept. 19.

I've always liked slow-moving rivers - mirrors to moonlight and literature, our first and best interstates, running over rocks, as Norman Maclean so deftly put it, "from the basement of time. " So what am I doing in the San Fernando Valley, a mile from the junction of the 405 and 101? Running a river, baby. Wall of trees to my left. Wall of trees to my right. Dozens of species of chattering birds. Minnows doing button-hooks beneath a ribbon of urban drool. Honestly, if someone blindfolded and plopped you down here, without your having chugged the freeways, without your kicking up a stampede of dust when you parked along Woodley Avenue, you might think you're in Idaho.

The reasons for American River College's 76-70 upset of Golden West in a womens' state basketball semifinal at Cypress College were simple. American River outrebounded the Rustlers, 51-39. Golden West had 21 turnovers; the Beavers had 14. Golden West shot 36% (26-72) and American River shot 44% (31-71). The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for Golden West, the South Coast Conference champion.

Amid the granite and pines of the American River's south fork is a feisty rapid called Troublemaker. Raft-snaring Double Trouble lies in the right channel, but the left slot is a new source of grief for the tight-knit boating community in nearby Coloma, Calif. Nearly two weeks ago, local paddlers apparently rearranged rocks near the rapid to make it more exciting, El Dorado County officials say. They also made it more hazardous and roiled the ethos of kayakers and river guides.

A huge gate at Folsom Dam broke open Monday, spilling enough water each second to supply a family of five for a year. The break forced evacuation of boaters, hikers and anglers along the American River, but posed no immediate danger to communities downstream. Dam operators said they may not be able to stop the water roaring out of the broken gate for up to a week, until the water level drops 40 feet to the top of the spillway.

This is the story of a bridge that left town but came home again. Back in 1931, the old Folsom Bridge was deemed expendable, its job undercut by a new concrete span erected just down the American River. Sold for $250, the 330-foot steel structure was plucked from its perch and moved half a state away, to the Klamath River near the Oregon border. The bridge performed ably there for decades, but then history did a rerun: A new span was erected nearby.

Just outside town, the steep walls of the American River canyon are stripped to bedrock. Gaping holes in the earth are plugged with tons of concrete. The river, diverted from its natural course, flows beneath it all through a tunnel half a mile long. This is the massive foundation of the Auburn Dam, completed 13 years ago and left behind in defeat as an intended monument to the rising power of the environmental movement. Over time, tall poplar and willow trees have grown out of crevices in the foundation as nature strives to reclaim the scarred terrain.

Sacramento -- A story in Sunday's Travel section on the state capital incorrectly said the Rio City Cafe overlooks the American River. It overlooks the Sacramento River. The Jedediah Smith Bicycle Trail, also listed in the story, is on the American River. Also, the "thrifty 30s" and "fabulous 40s" housing areas are in East Sacramento, not South Sacramento.

I recently returned from a hair-raising day of rafting on the Middle Fork of the American River, which the outfitter's website bills as "one of California's premier adventures. " And it is: Eighteen miles of it in an isolated, 2,000-foot-deep canyon in Gold Country, dotted with Class III and IV rapids, the latter defined as difficult to very difficult. For good measure, the descriptions often include such words as "turbulent" and "powerful" and "obstacles. " Thousands of people do these trips every year, so it isn't pioneering.

Thomas J. Graff Lawyer shaped state water policy Thomas J. Graff, 65, a lawyer and environmentalist who helped influence California water policy as regional director of the Environmental Defense Fund for 37 years, died Thursday at an Oakland hospital of complications from thyroid cancer. Graff, of Oakland, opened the California office of the Environmental Defense Fund in 1971 and helped it become one of the most powerful voices on environmental issues such as climate change, oceans and water policy.

Oh, the places to never go Travel can be like visiting your opinionated mother-in-law. You're hesitant about the trip but feel duty-bound to go. It may be a city known for its beauty and history that nonetheless evokes dread because of its crowds and cost. Or maybe it's a world-famous amusement park where the lines are long and the people are pushy. Tell us about a place you weren't thrilled about visiting but went to anyway. Did it live down to its potential? The best suggestions will appear in print Dec. 6, and all will be posted online.

As summer looms and you're in a panic about what to do with the kids (an all-too-familiar scenario at my house), allow me to throw out an idea: Instead of sending them off for expensive weeks away, consider taking them, and yourself, to the greatest science camp on Earth -- the Amazon. That's what I did last summer with Indigo, my 10-year-old daughter, and it was a roaring success.

The capital's tent city sprawls messily on a grassed-over landfill beneath power lines, home to some 200 men and women with nowhere else to go. It has been here for more than a year, but in the last three weeks it has transformed into a vivid symbol of a financial crisis otherwise invisible to most Americans. The Depression had Hoovervilles. The energy crisis had snaking gas lines. The state's droughts have empty reservoirs and brown lawns.

A southern Orange County toll road extension would virtually destroy a section of San Mateo Creek, a national conservation group said Monday. The group, American Rivers, announced it was adding the creek to its annual list of endangered waterways to be published online today. In addition to endangering the creek, the group said, the proposed extension of the Foothill South toll road would "plow over" a state campground and wipe out the famous Trestles surfing beach in northern San Diego County.

Cypress, after trailing by as many as 18 in the second half, cut the lead to three before falling to American River, 61-57, Sunday in the final of the Cypress women's basketball tournament. American River led, 46-28, with 12 minutes 30 seconds left, but Cypress rallied. The Chargers' Mary Perry made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 60-57 with eight seconds left. Sharee Robinson of American River (4-3), however, made one of two free throws with four seconds left to clinch the victory.

THE finish line is close. It's 30 miles away, but 30 miles isn't far when you've already run 70. Jorge Pacheco's arms pump in rhythm with his legs. His feet don't disturb the ground. They barely leave footprints in the snow; they hardly disturb dust on the trail or rearrange the fallen leaves. It is a gift, Pacheco says, this ability to run forever.