4 Days Till Mom Visits, Kern River
The clock hands are literally flying around in circles and days of the calendar changing from one to the next while my back is turned. Plans of painting the rest of the inside of the house turned to a run to the dump and texturing the walls in
certain rooms today, then paint tomorrow.
Had to shock the pool with all kinds of chemicals last night because when the temps cooled down over the past few days after a warm spell light green sand-looking algea made it's home along the walls and bottom of the pool.
It is sad, really that had to do this because we like to swim in it. The dogs think it's their own private lake to swim in and drink out of too.
The action of the chemical treatment is supposed to be calmed down in a matter of 2 to 3 days, just in time for my Mom to arrive at the BFL (Bakersfield Airport).
Mom is missing the cool days all this week only to arrive as the thermometer begins to soar back upward to around the 90+ degree level once again. Locals tell me that once we get on a roll heat-wise here it won't stop, actually will soar up above 105 and stay there for months. 85 seems cool to me now 90 is comfort. For my Mom it is going to be dangerous. Dug around in our stuff and found a referigerated water mister for her, made sure the AC in my Jeep kicks a** and bought a few pairs of cool comfy all cotton drawstring shorts for her to wear around here.
Also made arrangments for an Escort for her during her travel. No she's not crippled, but at 73 she actually feared the changing plane connection...almost enough to cancel. Once she heard I had an escort set up to help her every step of the way she was elated and admitted that was nearly enough to override her wishes to come here for my daughter's graduation June 2nd.
More News on Kern River and Safety. Here's a story I found in the Bakersfield Californian. Gee, how many people are going to have to drown before they take the warnings seriously? Anyway, first a link to a video Clip kernrivervid.wmv. Check it out. Then the actual article from The Bakersfield Californian.
Rivergoers unfazed by flooding on Kern
BY JASON KOTOWSKI, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jkotowski@bakersfield.com | Thursday, May 25 2006 9:40 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 25 2006 9:44 PM
Increased water levels and a rapid current aren't enough to deter bicyclists and swimmers from their usual recreation spots near the Kern River.
Photo:
Photo by Casey Christie
A cyclist rides down the bike path near The Park at River Walk along the Kern River. Cyclists are slowing for flooded paths, but it's recreation as usual for most Kern River users.
Video:
* Staying safe on the Kern River (1:59)
Nicole Sampson swam out to the middle of the river Tuesday evening from the bank in Yokuts Park. It was the first time she'd been in the river this year, she said.
"It's cold, but it's cleaner than usual," Sampson, 24, said after wrapping a towel around her waist. "The current is insane."
Despite the rapidity of the current, Sampson said the portion of the river that travels along Yokuts Park is calm compared to other areas.
Ruben Martinez also wasn't concerned. He sat on the riverbank while his 10-year-old son, Cesar, splashed around in waist-high water.
"I think we're fine," Ruben Martinez said. "This is a quiet place."
But J.C. Plank, a sergeant and backup search and rescue coordinator in the Kern County Sheriff's Department, said residents must use good judgment and be cautious when they're on the river. Guided rafting tours are one thing, but drinking a few beers and wading into the river without a life vest is a recipe for disaster, he said.
Last year, 11 people drowned in the river, and 16-year-old Chris Isola nearly became the Kern's first 2006 victim after entering the river on an inner tube in early May. Isola was rescued, but Plank said it was a close call.
Isola, who said he also nearly drowned in the river last summer, said his days of swimming in the Kern are over.
"If you're foolhardy enough to go into the river, at least wear a life vest," Plank said. "At least that way we'll have a chance of saving you."
Part of the reason for the river's increased levels is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lowering of water levels in Isabella Lake to reduce pressure on the auxiliary dam. Their goal is to get the reservoir's volume down to 63 percent of capacity.
To reduce the lake depth, the outflow of Kern River has been tripled, causing increased levels of water and leaving some paths underwater.
The bike path underneath Calloway Bridge, located at Stockdale Highway and Calloway Drive, was under a couple of inches of water Tuesday. Instead of turning back, bicyclists just slowed down and coasted along the path, sending small plumes of water rippling along each side of their bikes.
Merlin Frasch, biking to his grandson's baseball game, said the last time he saw the river this high was in 1949 before the dam was built.
"I just drive through the path real slow," said the 71-year-old Frasch. "It's enjoyable to me."
Larry Drennan said he has been biking for the past 10 years and has never seen water reach these levels along the path. Although his bike gets a little wet, he's also finding some pleasure in riding along the path.
"It's kind of fun," Drennan said. "It's like being a kid."
Aaron Jacobson, 33, said he usually doesn't take the route under the bridge, and he was a little surprised to see water covering the path. But he just slowed down like the other bicyclists and made his way across with a minimum of trouble.
On Thursday, bicyclists were reporting that the water on the path had mostly receded. Fluctuations in the Kern River's water levels are likely to occur for at least the next month and a half, said Florn Core, the city's water resources manager.
The levels will vary depending on how much water is diverted for irrigation and how much is flowing into the river from the Friant-Kern Canal, Core said.
Water levels should drop dramatically when Isabella Lake reaches 360,000 acre feet. At that time, which Core guessed would occur in mid-July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will turn over control of the dam to Kern River interests.
Core said that even if water levels weren't regularly changing, swimming in the Kern isn't the best idea.
"I'd suggest most people stay out of the river anyway," Core said.
certain rooms today, then paint tomorrow.
Had to shock the pool with all kinds of chemicals last night because when the temps cooled down over the past few days after a warm spell light green sand-looking algea made it's home along the walls and bottom of the pool.
It is sad, really that had to do this because we like to swim in it. The dogs think it's their own private lake to swim in and drink out of too.
The action of the chemical treatment is supposed to be calmed down in a matter of 2 to 3 days, just in time for my Mom to arrive at the BFL (Bakersfield Airport).
Mom is missing the cool days all this week only to arrive as the thermometer begins to soar back upward to around the 90+ degree level once again. Locals tell me that once we get on a roll heat-wise here it won't stop, actually will soar up above 105 and stay there for months. 85 seems cool to me now 90 is comfort. For my Mom it is going to be dangerous. Dug around in our stuff and found a referigerated water mister for her, made sure the AC in my Jeep kicks a** and bought a few pairs of cool comfy all cotton drawstring shorts for her to wear around here.
Also made arrangments for an Escort for her during her travel. No she's not crippled, but at 73 she actually feared the changing plane connection...almost enough to cancel. Once she heard I had an escort set up to help her every step of the way she was elated and admitted that was nearly enough to override her wishes to come here for my daughter's graduation June 2nd.
More News on Kern River and Safety. Here's a story I found in the Bakersfield Californian. Gee, how many people are going to have to drown before they take the warnings seriously? Anyway, first a link to a video Clip kernrivervid.wmv. Check it out. Then the actual article from The Bakersfield Californian.
Rivergoers unfazed by flooding on Kern
BY JASON KOTOWSKI, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jkotowski@bakersfield.com | Thursday, May 25 2006 9:40 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 25 2006 9:44 PM
Increased water levels and a rapid current aren't enough to deter bicyclists and swimmers from their usual recreation spots near the Kern River.
Photo:
Photo by Casey Christie
A cyclist rides down the bike path near The Park at River Walk along the Kern River. Cyclists are slowing for flooded paths, but it's recreation as usual for most Kern River users.
Video:
* Staying safe on the Kern River (1:59)
Nicole Sampson swam out to the middle of the river Tuesday evening from the bank in Yokuts Park. It was the first time she'd been in the river this year, she said.
"It's cold, but it's cleaner than usual," Sampson, 24, said after wrapping a towel around her waist. "The current is insane."
Despite the rapidity of the current, Sampson said the portion of the river that travels along Yokuts Park is calm compared to other areas.
Ruben Martinez also wasn't concerned. He sat on the riverbank while his 10-year-old son, Cesar, splashed around in waist-high water.
"I think we're fine," Ruben Martinez said. "This is a quiet place."
But J.C. Plank, a sergeant and backup search and rescue coordinator in the Kern County Sheriff's Department, said residents must use good judgment and be cautious when they're on the river. Guided rafting tours are one thing, but drinking a few beers and wading into the river without a life vest is a recipe for disaster, he said.
Last year, 11 people drowned in the river, and 16-year-old Chris Isola nearly became the Kern's first 2006 victim after entering the river on an inner tube in early May. Isola was rescued, but Plank said it was a close call.
Isola, who said he also nearly drowned in the river last summer, said his days of swimming in the Kern are over.
"If you're foolhardy enough to go into the river, at least wear a life vest," Plank said. "At least that way we'll have a chance of saving you."
Part of the reason for the river's increased levels is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lowering of water levels in Isabella Lake to reduce pressure on the auxiliary dam. Their goal is to get the reservoir's volume down to 63 percent of capacity.
To reduce the lake depth, the outflow of Kern River has been tripled, causing increased levels of water and leaving some paths underwater.
The bike path underneath Calloway Bridge, located at Stockdale Highway and Calloway Drive, was under a couple of inches of water Tuesday. Instead of turning back, bicyclists just slowed down and coasted along the path, sending small plumes of water rippling along each side of their bikes.
Merlin Frasch, biking to his grandson's baseball game, said the last time he saw the river this high was in 1949 before the dam was built.
"I just drive through the path real slow," said the 71-year-old Frasch. "It's enjoyable to me."
Larry Drennan said he has been biking for the past 10 years and has never seen water reach these levels along the path. Although his bike gets a little wet, he's also finding some pleasure in riding along the path.
"It's kind of fun," Drennan said. "It's like being a kid."
Aaron Jacobson, 33, said he usually doesn't take the route under the bridge, and he was a little surprised to see water covering the path. But he just slowed down like the other bicyclists and made his way across with a minimum of trouble.
On Thursday, bicyclists were reporting that the water on the path had mostly receded. Fluctuations in the Kern River's water levels are likely to occur for at least the next month and a half, said Florn Core, the city's water resources manager.
The levels will vary depending on how much water is diverted for irrigation and how much is flowing into the river from the Friant-Kern Canal, Core said.
Water levels should drop dramatically when Isabella Lake reaches 360,000 acre feet. At that time, which Core guessed would occur in mid-July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will turn over control of the dam to Kern River interests.
Core said that even if water levels weren't regularly changing, swimming in the Kern isn't the best idea.
"I'd suggest most people stay out of the river anyway," Core said.
posted by Susan R Allen | 8:17 AM
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