How many of us grew up near the Lower American River?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I grew up in south Sacramento in South Land Park a block from the big Sacramento River.

I worked my entire life in sporting goods /tackle shops/fly shops near the American river for 50 years.


One of my mentors Al Perryman grew up near the river.

Mike McCune, Jeff Putnam and Charlie Gonzales grew up near the river.

Mark Kranhold and his brothers grew up near the river.

High school buddies Galen Geller, Paul Keel and Phil Romig all grew up near the river.

Teenagers Kyle Keaton and Stu Health grew up near the river.


I wish I had grown up near the river............did you?

[Mr T]

I grew up right near Cal Expo and spent a huge amount of time as a kid running up and down the river-
Many good times on the black train bridge, rope swings that the rangers kept cutting down, lots of fun.

[wineslob]

I spent many summers in the YMCA going to Ancil Hoffman Park and running around the river there, plus all the trails that are now "off limits" in the park.
Also rafted the River many, many times, before they blew up San Juan Rapids.

[Tony Buzolich]

Geez, I've talked about growing up around there several times. My home was in the Woodlake area of North Sac and barely a mile from that black RR bridge. I've spent many days climbing and jumping from it. My dad and I would walk the levee behind Cal Expo BEFORE there was a Cal EXPO. We watched the Business 80 get built and the new bridge it supported. Carrying a fishing rod and a .22 was standard equipment. We often shot coyotes and squirrels, and even a bobcat once.

After my dad passed away my friends and I still carried on the routine. Once we built a rick-shaw type thing and took our 12' plywood boat over the levee and launched at the RR bridge. Fully intending on making it all the way to Nimbus Dam we carried two outboard motors, a 5hp and a 7hp Johnson. Loaded to the max with fishing rods, .22's, and even an old 16 ga. shotgun, we headed out and upstream until we got to Paradise Beach. I told my buddy to watch out for rocks as it got shallow, but too late. Wham! We hit bottom and blew out the side of the engine case. Fortunately, having an extra engine saved the day,,,,, briefly. We changed engines and headed up stream again but only got a short ways farther till we hit another rock and that was enough and we rowed back to that black RR bridge.

Now dark, the rick-shaw also broken in pieces, my buddys talks me into walking home and getting my folks old DeSoto so we could get back. I'm only 14 at the time, and nobody is home, so I grab the DeSoto keys and head back to the bridge. Now at the bridge, we don't have a car rack or trailer, and have to push the boat onto the roof of the car. Scrape, scratch, and uugh as we push the oar locks into the paint. But, we finally make it home and all is well.

Growing up back then was fun. And living close to the river always provided for great adventures. I could go on, but enough for now.

Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I was in the Fruitridge area for a while and we went to Elder Creek with pellet and BB guns. We made a raft out of logs.

At around 13 we moved to South Land Park south of the Zoo on the Sacramento River.

South of our house was little farms and the Clay Pit Lake.

We road our bikes down to Snodgrass Slough to fish and shot our 22 rifles.


I would have loved to have grow up near the Lower American river.

[yubaman]

In college at Sac State we lived just off the AR for 3 years. We had a house off La Riviera between Howe and Watt Avenues. There were far too many social distractions in those days to put much fishing on the calendar. About the only fishing we did back then was when it was over 105 degrees. We'd take our Ultralights out, grab a 6 pack and walk down to the river in the evening. We couldn't get in the water fast enough to cool off and sink our 6 packs at our feet.

I don't think we had much of a clue what we were doing, but it was refreshing. I do recall, somehow managing to catch a couple of smolts here and there. We did however raft the river quite a bit. It did not take us long to figure out that an inflated inner tube fit perfectly around a keg, and could be towed along the raft!

[Tony Buzolich]

It seems "Mr.T" and I are old neighbors, went to the same schools and messed around a lot in the same areas. Talking old times brought up another story about the American I had to share.

After graduating high school at Norte Del Rio, the last thing I wanted to do was go to Viet Nam. A lot of my buddies did and several came home in body bags. I stayed in school and went to American River JC and graduated with an AA in Advertising. I then transferred to Sac State and went in as a junior and only had to complete two more years to graduate (or so I thought).

As most of you know, that are familiar with Sac State, it's located RIGHT ON the river. Paradise Beach was only a couple of blocks downstream, and Howe Ave. was the same upstream and there was tons of great fishing in between.

Well, my first year at Sac I had a math teacher I couldn't stand. He had large Coke bottle glasses, barely spoke English, and spit as he tried to talk. I missed a lot of his classes, but the fishing was great when I cut class. Sometimes I'd fish before going to classes and if they were biting I'd stay and fish most of the day. Salmon, steelhead, even small mouth bass where everywhere then.

So the inevitable happened and I got thrown out. Still not wanting to go to Viet Nam, I pleaded my case and the school let me back in and put me on academic probation and I had to make up all those lost classes before going on. I did, and graduated in 1971 before starting my Masters and then my teaching credential.

That lower American was a great place then, and still is now.
Tony

[Mr T]

Spent a few hours out yesterday for the spey class, forgot how nice and CLOSE the river is to home. I gotta spend more time there again.

[Scott V]

I grew up roughly 429 miles away from the American River.

[Darian]

OK Scott,.... You got me beat. I grew up 417 miles from the river....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

OK Darian and Scott......."What high school did you go to?" Must have both been in Southern Cal?



My staff had a running joke about me asking new customers that question.

It tells you where someone grew up.

[Darian]

Inglewood High School, class of 1958.... :cool:

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Have you been back down there to any HS class reunions Darian?

[Darian]

Only one, about 11 years ago. Not many classmates left....

[yubaman]

I imagine Inglewood was much different then than it became in the 80's?

[Darian]

YUP!!! It suffered the fate of a lot of cities around L.A. Diverse population, economically challenged. Still, a couple of people/classmates still live there. During my 28 years in that area, I lived in Morningside Park, Gardena, Downey, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach. That whole area changed after the 1965 Watts Riots....

[yubaman]

I worked in Carson from 1985 - 1988. The area was undergoing pretty radical demographic change even at that time. Even more so in Paramount and Compton. I had a painting contractor who I dealt with, tell me how he and his wife were unable to afford a house in Inglewood in 1963, so the realtor took them over to "this ratty little beach community" called Redondo Beach and sold them a house for less money there!!! Imagine that today.

[Darian]

In 1965, I lived on Catalina Ave in Redondo. A one bedroom, furnished apartment, 200 yards from the Esplanade/beach and a quarter mile from the pier. Paid $107.00 monthly. I went by the location while down there for the reunion; all of the buildings were replaced by high rise condos selling at over $500,000.00 apiece. Too bad that I didn't buy some property down there in '65.... Hindsight is always 20/20.... :cool:

[Scott V]

OK Darian and Scott......."What high school did you go to?" Must have both been in Southern Cal?



My staff had a running joke about me asking new customers that question.

It tells you where someone grew up.

Multiple high schools in Orange County. I was a "bad" boy.

[Tony Buzolich]

My dad always used to kick himself for not buying some property over by the American. What is now Arden Fair Shopping Center and Cal-Expo was selling at the time for $7.00 / acre. Yep, that's a $7.00 per acre. Not $700, or $7000.

He always blamed my mom because she said that it was nothing but sheep and grass fields out there.

Uugh, like Darian's comment "Hind-sight is always 20/20".
Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think hind site is 20/200?