Heading further south, beyond the town of Colusa, we leave behind any vestiges of a wild river. This is a plumbing system, the river contained behind a giant earthwork barrier of levees. It is a system designed to move the water off the land as fast as possible, open up acreage to farming and control the regular and highly destructive floods that plagued the early settlers of the valley.
We spend the night on clean sheets in Sacramento, in the old Delta King river boat, now a floating hotel. Then we venture into the Delta, dubbed California’s ‘Holland’, not because of tulips, but because of rising sea levels and subsiding farms. Some places, the river we travel is 15 feet above the surrounding pear orchards. Controlling nature is not cheap. A massive project is underway to drill under the levees and insert clay to stabilize and block the ocean. The “Stop the Tunnels” signs remind us that this river is the front lines for some of the most contentious problems facing us as Californians. Drought and floods. Last summers wildfires. Endangered species. Fish vs. farms. These last miles the current slows and we are met with a steady upstream wind. This area is a mecca for windsurfers, but not so good for rowing. We have plenty of time for reflection on our trip as we battle 20 mile per hour headwinds below Rio Vista.
In spite of everything, I found that floating the Sacramento was at it’s core a hopeful experience. We got to see first-hand examples of how we can undo some of the worst damage we have inflicted on a natural system, and still serve our human needs. Setting back levees, widening channels, restoring habitat, re-energizing old wetlands. What it boils down to is ‘letting the river act more like a river.’
Intrigued? The Sacramento from Redding all the way down to Colusa offers recreational boating for anyone with Class II skillset and the appropriate gear. There are numerous places to launch and take out. www.sacramentoriver.org
is a good resource. Use good river etiquette on hygiene, respect property rights, and this will be a great resource for years to come.
Photo by Tom Bartels