Boyd and Clay have a fun time Mud Kayaking in Salida!

July 10, 2006

I got this from Boyd and Clay…
Hey man!
I’m sitting here in Bongo Billy’s with Clay and Sam… we had a CRAZY afternoon
of flash flood surfing today in Salida. I attached some pictures… from Sam

Also, Had a great day on Bailey with Clay and Marty the other day…
Here’s the write up from Clay! …. I’ve attached the pics for it from Sam.

Boyd 🙂 Learn more about Boyd

————————– from Clay: Learn more about Clay.

Flash Flood Surfing in Salida

Here at Bongo Billy’s after one of the wierdest surf sessions ever.
First, it’s low and I’m surfing a low water hole with Huge
Experiences, Boyd and Sam, and others on a beautiful day. Then the
water comes up!

And keeps coming up . .from 900 cfs to around 1800 in minutes – no
more ‘watch the rocks’ and hello blunts and pistol-flip style Mcnasty’s!

But then some sticks come through. Then some logs. And within 15
minutes the entire surface of the water is covered with pine straw
and sticks and the hole is a frothing mass of black and brown
debris. We’ve got scouters on the bank yelling which side the next
log is coming down on and the whole line just keeps taking rides.
Now someone comes up with a stick through their PFD. Now sombody
takes a log to the helmet. Occasional break as a 10’+ tree or 4′
diameter stump comes through. And within 30 minutes the water starts
to drop again.

We stay in, energized by the novelty of the situation. but soon
everyone is tumbling around blind because the water itself is so full
of mud that you can barely tell the color of their kayaks . . .the
smell and taste goes from ‘Pine’ to ‘dirt’ and boat after boat heads
for the side to clear their eyes and pull sticks out of our helmets.

Showering off with the RMOC hose, the mud and sticks are in every
pocket, right down to our shorts. Now everyone is in line still, but
for the hose. The eddys are empty. The natural flash flood /
deluge finally hits town, and we are showered off properly with a
downpour that knocks the leaves off the trees and sends everything in
the parking lot draining towards the river. And 15 minutes later
it’s over.

The whole line-up now in Bongo-billys warming up to coffee, Tai food,
and thoughts of the hot-spring / showers up the road.

Crazy day in Salida!
Clay