Cosumnes River Preserve
On a crisp fall morning before the sun rises, we load up a tandem kayak and head for a wildlife preserve along the only river watershed in the western Sierra that has no major dam. (Wiki) Over 46,000 acres, it’s a jewel of protection, about 30 minutes south of Sacramento. Two rivers meet here, the Cosumnes and the Mokelumne. More accurately, a branch of the Cosumnes joins a branch of the Mokelumne which in turns joins the San Joaquin and eventually, the Delta, San Francisco Bay and finally the Pacific Ocean.
Cosumnes: “Cos” perhaps the Miwok word “kosum,” or salmon, and “umne” meaning “people of.” Today, along overhanging habitat and the gentle pull of tides, we see no salmon, and of course, the “people of” have moved elsewhere.
It’s an eerie landscape devoid of all but a few humans. We see plenty of herons, blue and white, some turtles as the sun warms, and a few turkey vultures.
Today it’s the water views that dominate. As sun rises, dark shadows recede from across the river. Colors brighten, but only along the tops of trees: in early November, winter sun is already low in the sky. Once, the sounds of Sandhill cranes drift across the fields. They appear briefly above, in route to their timeless primordial dance.
The surface of turbid water is as deceptive as usual, hiding minnows, grasses, a shy beaver or otter. Entangled sunken branches wait to entrap the unwary paddler.
This river is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a vital California estuary. An area that only appears to be far from the sea, ocean tides influence. High tide was at 5:08am. We see the mark of water on banks and fallen trees. As we paddle, the ebb tide is in concert with the river’s flow. Not in concert with the paddler upstream, only on the return.
On this windless day, bridges create abstract images across a surface agitated only by the paddles. Mesmerized, we pause and appreciate. In the distance, a white egret lands.
Low tide is at 2:51pm. We return to the dock at 2. After 6 hours in a kayak, I could have driven to LA, but I’d ever so much rather be on this river. On this day.
It’s a day that I can only describe with that rarest of words: sublime.
