Putah and Cache: Upper Cache Creek

Whitewater Trespassing

Joe Krovoza

Kayaking was my first bioregional experience on Cache Creek. I always wanted to get onto true whitewater, and Robert Canning one day said to me, "Let's get some inflatables and we'll take you down the wilderness run." We put in our kayaks and we went down 17 miles of Cache Creek on a beautiful sun-baked day. This was three or four years ago, probably in May. There are some bouncing rapids, but I think anybody who got hold of an inflatable kayak and went down with somebody familiar with the terrain would be fine—it's just a wonderful way to work your way through the territory.

One inescapable impression was that I was trespassing, and of course I wasn't—it's the state's water and you have a right to be there—but you are truly in the world of the wilderness, and seeing the bald eagles . . .

The first glorious feeling I had was this. You get down about a mile and there are swallow nests covering a cliff on the left, and as we approached they were perfectly still, but when we arrived, just two of us floating by brought all the swallows out. There were thousands. It's great water.

Putah and Cache

Clear Lake

Wilson Valley to Cache Creek

Different Views

Birds of Putah-Cache

Capay Valley

The structure and design of the Putah and Cache website is copyright © 2001 University of California.

The material on this page is from a conversation with Joe Krovoza.