I could wax eloquent about the pleasure of taking a ‘back to nature’ holiday. Or how living in the Bay Area allows me the freedom to execute on it at the drop of a hat. The mountains, the desert, a thousand rivers and lakes, a national park, the ocean, I just have to wish it and I’m there within a few hours.

A couple of weeks ago we were reminiscing about one of the best trips we ever took – river rafting in the Ganga from Shivpuri to Rishikesh. The thrill of riding some of the most ferocious rapids in the world, the excitement of sleeping on the banks of the river, the fun of camping in the wild outdoors – my son was most envious of our nostalgia. We wanted to treat him to the same experience, and both California and Google came through   dependably. An hour of research, a couple of phone calls and we were all set for a weekend rafting expedition on the American River less than an hour from Sacramento, in the heart of  Gold Country.

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