Kern River, A Mean Piece of Water

The past twenty-four hours have been very long. And not because it is the summer solstice. Yesterday afternoon I got a call from my cuzsis (cousin/sister) Pam. She is actually married to my cousin Ronnie, but we are like sisters. Anyhow, she told me she needed me to drive her to Bakersfield. She was at work in downtown LA and needed to go home to Whittier, which is probably twenty miles south of downtown. I live in Orange County which is 45 miles south of Whittier...Got all that? Lots of driving. During rush hour.....

My cuzbro (cousin/like a brother, just for clarification) Ronnie and their daughter Lindsay had gone river rafting with some friends in the Kern River. My whole life I have been told, as has Ronnie, to stay out of that river. It is beautiful and hundreds have died in there because it looks deceptively calm in spots. People go swimming and the under current takes them under. Very treacherous.

Since we had so much rain and snow this year, the river is flowing at a rate unseen for many years. It has become a favorite among white water rafters. Unknowing souls, who think it will be just another thrilling adventure. An e-ticket ride.

Ronnie and the others were forty-five minutes into their adventure, when the raft turned over. One friend, who actually took the guide course a couple of years ago, grabbed Lindsay and immediately pulled her to safety. Ronnie and his friend were tumbling under the water in the current. They were pulled out of the water by the guide and Ronnie was flown down to Bakersfield and his friend was taken by ambulance up to the local hospital in Lake Isabella. Both are okay, and as of this evening been released from their respective hospitals. We did find out that the friend did have a mild heart attack, but when is not known. He is going to see his own doctor, so they released him.

Pam and I got on the freeway near her house and not long after, we heard a pop and thought a tire had blown. We pulled over to the side of the freeway and the tires were fine. Once driving again it was uncomfortably obvious that the a/c had died. We were going to the central valley where it is ninety at night. We made the three and a half hour trip to Bakersfield and I saw a dealership off the freeway, so we decided would head back the few miles to find a motel later. Then we finally got to the hospital in downtown cowtown.

Ronnie had been in the ER for seven hours and was finally getting a room. Once in his room, Pam asked the nurse how many times this has happened, that people were brought in from the river. The nurse said, Twice I think. Most people don't make it." That was very telling and so true.

We cracked up the nurses who were trying to get his heart rate. One thought she should get my autograph, because she thought I was so funny. All the while her coworker was telling her to stop laughing. She finally told her coworker, "Hey, our jobs suck, we should laugh when we can." Smart woman! When Ronnie, Pam and I get together, alone or with others, it is one big laughfest. I get laughing headaches and as much as they hurt, they are worth it.

Pam and I got to a Motel 6, "We'll Keep the Lights On," at 11:00 and I asked the woman behind the bulletproof Plexiglas if they had air conditioning. She said, "No, you need to keep the windows open and every so often we come by and blow air at you." I cracked up and told her I loved her! I remembered how much I enjoy the people in Bakersfield. So friendly and funny. Then I asked if they had cable and she said, yes, but no remotes. I asked who would take remotes? I suggested perhaps I could sell some of mine to Motel 6. There turned out to be a remote.

The beds were so bad. Two tiny pillows that were creased from being folded in half. Pam was nice enough to give me one of hers. I like lots of pillows. These pillows combined, were close to being the size of a normal pillow. Last time Pam and I were together at a hotel/motel, we were in MO for a Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt and Keb Mo concert. Heavenly beds....Not unlike my own....Missed last night.

Then there were the birds. Loud enough to hear inside the room with the a/c rattling and the windows closed. I was unaware that birds made that much noise at night. I saw them this morning and decided they were scrubjays...I could be wrong...But not likely.

This morning I was looking at my car and thought, something looks different. The pads I had on the roof racks were missing. Three years old and easily identifiable in the land of black SUV's. Now gone. They were not kidding about people stealing things like remotes there. Unbelievable.

We were at the dealership at 8:00 and I told them I needed to drive back down to OC and needed the a/c fixed. They told me it would be a couple of hours before they would know what was wrong with it. While outside the hospital waiting for Ronnie, who was having tests taken, I was told that the compressor, blah blah blah, had gone out. They had the parts and could have it done by 1:00 and it was under warranty...Yehaw! At ten til, they called to say my car was done, and when I got there, it had been washed as well.

Getting to Bakersfield or back home for that matter, requires going thru the grapevine. Mountains tall enough to get snow on them and be the worst nightmare to truckers getting from point a to point b and back again. The road is very steep and the trucks go very slowly with their heavy loads. On the downside, literally, they have their brakes on most of the way down. The smell of burning brakes linger in the air. There is a runaway truck ramp as well. Filled with sand, on a short uphill road. I have never seen it used, but it is comforting to know that it is there. When it snows, the grapevine is shut down and ties up traffic, for hours or even days. I don't think this happens in Colorado, I could be wrong.

The grapevine is also full of wildflowers and spectacular in the spring. I was surprised to see a mountain of purple on my way home today. It was beautiful. Seems the north side of the mountains still have color.

Anyhow, Ronnie, Pam, Lindsay and their friends should be home soon. I have been home for a few hours and know that I am going for at least four hours in a row tonight......I am thankful that Ronnie and all are safe. I am very thankful for Pam, that she still has her family, after being in the Kern River.

Merle Haggard has a great song about the Kern River, See below. He used to have a house at the mouth of the canyon, right next to the Kern.

I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her.
It was there that I lost my best friend.
And now I live in the mountains.
I drifted up here with the wind.
And I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.

I grew up in an oil town,
But my gusher never came in.
And the river was a boundary,
Where my darlin' and I used to swim.
One night in the moonlight,
The swiftness swept her life away.
And now I live on Lake Shasta,
And Lake Shasta is where I will stay.

There's the South San Joaquin,
Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found.
And there's a place called Mount Whitney,
From where the mighty Kern River comes down.
Now, it's not deep nor wide,
But it's a mean piece of water, my friend.
And I may cross on the highway,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.

I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her.
It was there that I lost my best friend.
And now I live in the mountains.
I drifted up here with the wind.
And I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.