Rafting on the American River in Sacramento
SacTV.com "Video of the Day" review by
Alex Cosper on July 4, 2013
The American River was full of rafters celebrating the 4th of July in incredibly normal hot summer weather
for Sacramento County. Temperature reached as high as 110 degrees at by 4:45 pm, which was exactly when
these SacTV video interviews with local rafters were conducted. Local rafters included Mac Gridz, "Little" Jimmy Hyman,
Buster Hyman and Matt Davis, who each shared reasons why they love to raft in super hot weather. They each enjoy
the San Juan rapids. The interviews were done at River Bend Park in Rancho Cordova, where a festive crowd
celebrated the holiday.
Each of the rafters traveled from River Bend Park to Sunrise Boulevard and back, which is about a five hour
journey. None of them seemed to mind the heat, which tied a record set in 1991 for July 4 historic temperatures,
according to SacBee.com. July 4 also marked the seventh straight day of temperatures over 105 degrees, which also
tied a record, set in 1990. Folsom reported temperatures as hot as 113 degrees. The river itself did not look
that crowded by 5pm, but the shady park remained full of picnics and barbecues. On the other side of the river
was a thinner crowd at William Pond Park, yet the river was more crowded.
Rafting is one of the most popular activities in the summertime, especially between River Bend Park and
Sunrise Boulevard. In between these two locations is Hagan Park, which featured the band Starship. The show
only cost $2 admission and parking was $10, as Chase Drive was shut off except for concert goers. Fireworks
followed the concert around 9pm. Traditionally, the July 4 celebration is Rancho Cordova's biggest event
each year at Hagan Park, which is located near Cordova High School.
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