Saturday 7 December 2013


The Dirt Bag Guide To America!
(Where showering is optional and the white water makes it worth it)

This last season Greg, Maritjn, Jake, Phil and I flew into Cali with not a whole lot of knowledge about the place. Just that we wanted to super-size our Macca’s meal and do some big slides.
Little did we know that you spend most of the time driving, it can be hard to figure out what run to do next and you better get use to a self-deflating thema rest! But….. it’s so worth it. The gas, beer, spirits and food is cheap! Oh did I mention the KAYAKING and the weather!

Feeling inspired I thought I would share my learnings and best tips.
On the road. Photo// Jacob Schrama
How much Moolah do you need?
Simple… the more the better. A money tree works wonders.
The more in your team the cheaper it is.
Learning:
$1500 USA a month and you would be feeling pretty good. Having a backup of $500 for the car each will take the stress out of things too.

What I did:
I had $5000 for four months, we never had to eat rice but we also traded our health for cheap fast food and sleeping on the side of the road.
On the road. Photo// Jacob Schrama
Car:
A car is a must!
Craigslist is the best place to find a second hand car. In California you don’t need a warrant of fitness, but if you have a car crash, you may be prosecuted if your car wasn’t safe.
The seller needs to smog the car for you (The amount of emissions your car releases). This can be very expensive if it fails!
Air con! If you can get a wagon with AC the quality of your life will improve dramatically.
Road side dirt bags  Photo// Jacob Schrama
Internet:
An iphone or a smart phone will make logistics so much easier!!
By having internet on the go you can be driving and finding out information on your next run!
iphones also have the ability to ‘hotspot’ allowing others to use your ph as an internet connection.
Free internet!  Photo// Jacob Schrama
 Insurance:
No one wants to be sued. So get car insurance!
The hard part is finding an address…

Travel Insurance:
There’s lots of them, shop around. We went with World Nomads and they cover White Water Kayaking.
Hot pools! Photo// Jacob Schrama
Beta:
To get the best information ask around and use a combination of these web sites and the California guide book.
Dreaming of White Water often have write ups in their free online mag.
Darin Mcquoids blog is hands down the best way to find out information on rivers in California.
A Wet State is worth checking out too
By using Dream Flows real time report you can find out where to go and what’s flowing…..
American Whitewater has flow information and river descriptions.
Tip:
Get yourself a gazetteer and a GPS trust me.
Where to next???  Photo// Jacob Schrama

Showering:
Take it when you can, it may be a while till your next one.
You can take a shower at Loves or Flying Jays (Gas stations) or camp grounds.

Sleeping:
Save money, get out of the town.
Forestry roads are good.
Rest areas are good but definitely dirt bag.
Home for the night Photo// Rata Lovell-Smith
Alcohol:
Limes make all cheap beer better.
Always have beer, trust us.
Buy a chilly bin with a bung and buy ice whenever you can.
Weed: Its California baby, make your own mind up.

Photo// Jacob Schrama



If in doubt head to Coloma you’re bound to find someone with good info.

Make the most of it, go hard, then fly home while you’re still stoked on it all.

See you there,

Cheers, Rata

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