Cali Paddlers are known for their passion of exploration. A desire to paddle our waters, and pay respects to the amazing wildlife and nature that lives in our waterways. Thank you to Bret Warner from Stand up to Alzheimer’s for exploring this great state and sharing new areas to paddle. -C.P.If you live in Southern California then chances are you have been stuck in afternoon traffic on the 210 and passed by the massive Miller/Coors factory. It is, after all, hard to miss its mammoth containers lining the freeway that proudly bear the companies name and logo. Regardless of any possible beer snobbery, I could see how this factory typifies the urban sprawl that lies east of LA. What also typifies inland SoCal, however, is that there is a nature escape right behind the factory where you can easily forget that you are in the middle of the city.
“Who would want to paddle in a swamp?” was apparently a common jeer sent in his direction. Now it’s almost impossible to drive that section of Highway 1 and not see numerous paddlers heading in and out of the slough. Having paddled there many times both on my own and leading tours I don’t know how anyone could not be entranced by it. It is miles of flat, and depending on the wind, calm water, abundant seals and sea otters, hundreds of species of birds, and that serenity you get when you venture out on glassy water far enough away from roads and people that the loudest sound is your paddle in the water. 
Nestled Northeast of the 10 and 57 junction Bonelli Park serves as an excellent escape from the inland urban sprawl, even though it is in the middle of all of it. Join us on this Cali Paddler Exploration with Bret as he finds a little inland piece of magic and shares with us all the ins and outs, tips and tricks, and whatever else you might need to know before pushing off.
