He goes on to say that over the 20 years he has guided Cache Creek, the worst accident is a sprained ankle that happened in camp. By the end of the first day, we have learned to handle our raft well enough to confidently attack anything the river has to offer. We pull in to the base camp where steak, chicken, giant baked potatoes, corn on the cob and tables of hors d'oeuvres are ready to eat. We spend the evening talking under Tiki lights, playing volleyball, basketball and horseshoes. The next day, after a breakfast of scrambled eggs,ham and fried potatoes, we launch our raft to finish the last eight miles of the two-day trip.
Cache Creek is located north of the Bay Area, below Clear Lake.
For North Bay residents, it's only 65 miles from Napa. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen to the northeast, and to the west sits the Coast Range. You camp at stream's edge at Buck Island, where rafting techniques are reviewed, and you can also watch wildlife or fish. Turtles, tule elk and even eagles are common sightings, and for fisherman, catfish seem to come in one size - big. A 30-pounder was caught earlier this year and is on display in a little tackle shop in the town of Guinda.