Towards the middle of July we went on our second camping trip
of the summer. Once again, we
drove east. This time to the Yuba
River, and while it was another triple digit weekend in Central California, we made it without any car related incidents.
There were 11 of us on the trip—eight people and three dogs. The
campsites were shaded and the North Yuba River was just through some trees and down a path. Upon arriving, we immediately changed
into our suits and made a beeline to the river.
We unfolded chairs on the water’s edge and slipped our feet beneath its
surface. Some of us waded out and submerged ourselves in its waters. Others wandered down river to search out its fish.
The water was cool and clear. It contained tadpoles and frogs and snakes(!) and bugs and
little fish (and presumably, also, some larger fish who were just not fooled by the
casts and flies of our fly fishermen). The bottom of the Yuba was covered in smooth rocks and silty sands worn down by the flow of the river's waters.
Parts of the river ran fast and made you spin around and laugh in your
inner tube. Other parts ran slow
and pooled in swimming holes that were perfect for reclining back, closing your eyes and just drifting ...
The camping trip was passed with hiking, swimming, fly fishing, gold panning, shade sitting, trail running, shore talking, chair lounging,
rock hopping, doggy paddling and inner tube floating. Our
first full day, we carried our inflatables and chairs and towels to a little
swimming hole and spent most of our day around there: exploring its shores,
paddling across its width in various floaties and plunging beneath its waters to
escape the day's heat.
On our second day we headed to the South Yuba River. To get there, we drove down a dusty, narrow road that kept winding and going down and winding and going down and winding until . . . it reached a dead end lined on both sides with parked cars. From there, we hiked (I did a little falling) down a shady path and then scrambled over rocks and rocks until we found another swimming hole suitable for passing an entire afternoon.
After a couple hours on the South Fork, C and I had to head home (I had to work the next day) . . . but I think we probably both left a little part of our hearts on the Yuba.
Some photos our trip:
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| Up River. |
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| Rapids and Rocks. |
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| Lil Froggie Friend. |
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| Straight Down. |
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| River Gradients. |
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| Friends Floating the River. |
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| Spinning By. |
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| Buckwheat and C on Float the Yuba. |
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| Buckwheat Would Rather Brave the River than be Separated from C. |
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| Back to the Swimming Hole. |
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| In the Sun. |
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| Lounging. |
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| And Drifting . . . |
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| Crossing the Swimming Hole. |
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| Shore Exploration. |
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| Darwin in the Shade. |
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| Views from the Shade. |
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| Dexter in the Shade. |
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| Camouflage. |
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| Back at Camp. |
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| The Bird's Nest. |
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| Buckwheat at Camp. |
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| Evening Light. |
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| Camping is Tuckering. |
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| But it Also Makes You Smile. |
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| Buckwheat Dons Crown. |
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| Views of the South Yuba River. |
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| River Activities. |
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| Departing Views. |
It took me awhile to get this up--mostly because I feel my photos and words don't do it justice. It was an amazing camping trip with some really good friends. But I have a feeling will be back ... Until next time, Yuba!
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