Hot Summer Days

[Morgan7782]

So yesterday it was pretty warm here in Sacramento, and I decided to go to the river with some friends. It was 5 of us crammed into this Chevy Malibu (5 BIG girls) lol, and my friend's a/c doesn't work, so it was TOASTY! We do have a lake nearby, Folsom, but the water is warm like a hot tub! Noooo thanks lol. Plus it costs like 10 or 15 bucks to park, and is only open till 9pm. Nah. I will take the American River ANYDAY. The water is ICE cold from snowmelt, and the current is pretttty darn strong plus it's only 5 bucks parking and you can stay till 10pm.

When we got there a few people still hung out on the beach, but then we saw like 2-3 beer cans floating down the river from a bag these folks had tossed out. After griping loudly about them, we walked over and intentfully picked up the garbage and tossed it in a nearby can, making sure the litterbugs watched the entire time. The water was totally clear, and there were a ton of skipping rocks. Reeds came out from either side of the beach, which blocked the current so kids could play as well. Once you passed the reeds, the current was definately there!

I had been having a rollercoaster sort of weekend, so this was a good break. Although the entire time I kept checking my cell phone to see if my Wyandotte Lady had called. No such luck..

I snapped some pictures, enjoy! Also respond here with what YOU do in the summer for fun. Camping? Lake? River? Hunting? Anything really flies.

View from the bridge

Bridge

View from our beach

This is my house that I want sooo badly

Probably shouldn't have chickens here though lol!

 

[Mattemma]

Nice pics.Looks like a good place to spend the day.Hopefully the trash folks respect the area better enxt time.Twits.

 

[Morgan7782]

I know it..! We always bring a garbage bag with us to the river/lake, and certainly don't litter beer bottles and cans. It's usually a nice clean beach, so I hope it was a fluke thing and not planning on sticking around. I love Sacramento because it has rivers, lakes, just about any body of water. It's such a nice balance of country and city

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Morgan, just be thankful they banned drinking on the river on big holiday weekends, a few beer cans is nothing . . .

Looks like the Sunrise bridge in the pics, and the little footbridge downstream from Sunrise.

I bring my dogs to Sailor Bar almost everyday, there is a great lagoon there with no current.
Garbage is just a part of going to the river these days, it sucks.
I try to clean up what I can also, but theres way more people dumping than picking up.

I love the American River, like you said the water is ice-cold and prolly the best escape from the heat here.
I also been known to pull some nice stripers and steelhead out of that river.

The best is floatin down on a raft from about sailor bar to at least Watt, sometimes Disco Bay.


Wherever you go and park on that river, make sure you lock your car and dont leave valuables in sight inside, littering aint the only crime out there.

 

[Morgan7782]

I saw a "Alcohol Prohibited on July 2/3/4th" sign, but was confused. I thought alcohol was prohibited at the river ALL the time! Guess not. I sure wouldn't mix drinking and swimming heh.

You got the bridge exactly right, Sunrise and Fair Oaks. There used to be free parking right on the other side of that bridge, but they closed that off so there is no way to get around the parking fee. But 5 bucks per car is not too bad!!

Where is Sailor Bar? I have a water loving dog and would love to bring him, but a lot of people at fair oaks/sunrise let their dogs off leash. My dog has to be on a leash because he wanders lol. I am fairly new to Sacramento, only been here about 2 years, but I am glad to have found some good swimming spots.

I've thrown the idea of a raft around a lot lately.. I've been to.. Shoot I can't remember the name. It starts with an M and is down near Howe Ave and that sort of thing. A LOT of current down there, rapids even. When you go on a raft do you go through some tough rapids? I would love to do something like that, and I have some water loving friends who would too.

I usually pick up any trash I see around where I am hanging out, just for the sake of not having to look at it. The river is so beautiful, why waste there? I guess that's how the Sacramento River went totally downhill huh? No good.

We actually got stopped by a highway patrol on the way out, he wanted to see if we had been drinking which I totally appreciate. We had not, but he did a test and everything on my friend who was driving. Totally fine with me, rather safe then sorry. I had NO clue HP patrolled the rivers though! I went home and was like "Man these cop cuts must be hurting them, we got pulled over by a highway patrol and I doubt that's their jurisdiction". My mom was quick to point out HP usually handle rivers, which I did not know.

I am glad though, and hope he ended up catching some drunk drivers for sure.

 

[gryeyes]

The CHP has jurisdiction over all unincorporated roads, in addition to highways. So, anything not within a city's limits is their primary jurisdiction to patrol.

And because it's the CALIFORNIA Highway Patrol, not Sacramento HP, or San Jose HP, or Los Angeles HP, they have state-wide legal authority to enforce laws. (But it IS considered "poaching" by hot dog officers in other agencies who sometimes feel they'd have caught the miscreant/felon if only the CHP hadn't been there first.....)

Just thought I'd 'splain it.

Oh! Absolutely great photos! I love the Sacramento and American rivers, too. And the Delta, and the Deep Water Channel. I moved here, myself, in September 2007, thought I'd hate it... but have been very pleasantly surprised at how much I like it here.

Well, except for the heat.

 

[Morgan7782]

Amen about the heat.. I moved to Grass Valley/Auburn area from Oakland, CA. It rarely got hot in Oakland so Sacramento and Auburn were quite a change!

I live right near Freeport Blvd right around Meadowview area where Freeport Blvd goes along the delta. It is beautiful there! I am a water hound so anything is good by me.

I am glad the rivers are patrolled so well, I know a lot of people drink at them and head home, so better safe then sorry. Thank you for explaining it! Now I am a bit more educated lol I was confused at first.