Cache Flow

Fancy yourself a rafting guide? Test your mettle with other amateurs on Cali’s only do-it-yourself whitewater adventure. Just two hours from the city, Cache Creek is rated Class III, and with a limit of two people per raft you get to choose the captain and first mate. The eight-mile-long rafting stretch begins with a 15-minute dry-land lesson from resident expert Rick Wilson. After the (very brief) briefing, grab your paddle and a raft and drop into the swiftly moving current of Cache Creek. During your self-guided journey, you’ll be introduced to more than a dozen rapids, one of them a Class III named Mother…(you fill in the blank). If you happen to get ejected, take heart—the water’s warm. The route has diverse scenery, from rolling hills to volcanic-born canyon walls. Keep your eyes peeled for tule elk, black bears, and bald eagles. After the trip, you can hang around the "Cottonwood Bar" (read: picnic table and ice cooler), chugging lemonade or Budweisers and deciding when you’ll run the river next. The waters of Cache Creek are guaranteed to flow all season.

Cache Canyon Whitewater River Trips, (530) 796-3091. Weekend day trips start at $40 per person. Pack food in a small ice chest and don’t bring anything in the raft that you don’t want to get wet. Secure glasses and hats and leave the not-so-waterproof camera in the car.

Directions: From San Francisco, take I-80 east to Vacaville, then I-505 north for approximately 23 miles. Take Hwy. 16 west (turn left from the off-ramp stoplight). You’ll need specific directions from the outfitter about which launch site to park at based on your trip selection.