Light Canoe

Russia trip ideal for families of the Canoe River
People of all ages will enjoy a canoe trip on the river's fresh Russia, one of the most scenic bodies of water in California.

The river flowing through Russia over the famous Wine Country destinations in Geyserville and Healdsburg before it makes its way to the sea through gentle hills covered with thick redwood forests and teaming with rare birds and other wildlife. Almost a 10 mile stretch of the river from Forestville to Guerneville is ideal for flatwater canoe or kayak and a local company called Burke's Canoe helps make it even easier by providing canoes, kayaks and a service shuttle which takes you back to your car near Forestville.

The Russian River, in this case, is not exactly the "Rushin 'River. If you are looking for a lot of fast water and rapids of the river, there are other California rivers that will fill the bill, but not this one. In fact, water is so docile that it's really not good for room air because in some regions can not keep enough forward motion without much paddling. For this reason, canoes and kayaks - which seem to glide over the water with little effort - are ideal.

Not that you will not get a little thrill. Like people Burkes canoes told us, there is just enough fast water to make things interesting. There are some points in the river where channels of current can carry you into tree branches along the shore, or get your canoe back into a vortex if you do not guide your canoe in the right area . But the good news is that even if you return, relatively warm water, not very deep and you'll be carried to an area of calm in the letter a few seconds.

We opted for a canoe on our trip down the river and were advised to keep all our cameras or anything that could be damaged by water in a plastic bag securely watertight. We also had been told to wear our bathing suits, and were required to wear life vests light. Looking calm water near the launch area, it seemed almost ridiculous to worry about turning over and wondered why there was so much emphasis on preparing to get wet.

We put a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches in our canoe and started off tentatively on our way. The boats are inherently unstable - at least if you have not been around them for some time - and it took us a few minutes to familiarize themselves with our balance and gain confidence that you can operate properly. But alas, our Boy Scout training soon kicked in property, even if it had been for decades - and probably a gain of 20 percent by weight - since we had last put paddle to water.

In about two minutes we faced our first challenge - avoiding a river running fast enough while pushing the right bank woodlands. We searched our boat on the left bank, paddled quickly and managed to coordinate our front and rear paddles just enough to avoid the danger. It was not a perfect approach, but it was a confidence builder. We look forward to refining our skills as we paddle was facing new challenges in the river downstream.

Soon we were in a stretch of flat water, barely moving but only requiring a gentle paddle to keep making good progress before. Then we really started to take in the natural beauty of the river - the thick forests of giant trees and the continuous ballet performed by the birds and the Russian River as the great blue heron and osprey. En route, we would see turtles and deer as well. We also liked the pool Charming vacation cabins that are perched above the river in many strategic locations along this stretch of the Russian Federation. Spectacular bridges span the river at various points although most of this float was away from the highway, making it feel even more distant than it actually is.

We spent the next four hours or so alternating between negotiating a part of.