Greetings From California! –by Ben Stanistreet

Our East to West adventure has moved west as we start 4th quarter in California. I cannot even describe how unique and valuable our trip to China was. We are very fortunate to have experienced a part of the world that very few Americans have actually seen. When I asked George Milheim, a sophomore here at WCKA, about the differences of traveling with World Class in China and in the US he said, “In China we really made an impact on the local communities, here we are just like everyone else.” We were probably as foreign and interesting to the Chinese communities as they were to us. “I have gained so much by visiting the Yunnan province rather then the cities of eastern China”, says Kristi Murrin. This was her second time to China with World Class and she was just as amazed by the culture and customs as she was the first time. Our experiences in Yunnan have left us all with life long memories.

After a ten-day spring break students reunited in Portland Oregon for a long and grueling drive south to the Kaweah River. “The drive was long but well worth it” says Eric Parker. Long days in the vans are common when traveling with WCKA in the US. We take advantage of the time by doing homework, watching movies, or catching up on sleep. I enjoyed staying in California over spring break and visiting my sister in Santa Cruz before meeting up with World Class at the Kaweah in the town of Three Rivers. Everyone seems to have really enjoyed some relaxation time over break, but we are all stoked to be back, living the World Class life on the west coast!

Looking down on our camp site at Three Rivers Hideaway - Photo by Ben Stanistreet

Schedule:

April 4-6 – Feather River
April 7-10 – Paddling on the Trinity River
April 11 – Surf Crescent City and Camp at Jedediah Smith Redwoods National Park
April 12 – Paddle Upper South Fork of the Smith River
April 13 – Surf Oregon Coast and drive to Florence, OR
April 14-16 – Surfing and Paddling Sweet Creek in Florence
April 16 – Drive to Eugene, OR
April 17-18 – Paddle the McKenzie River
April 19 – Paddle the Miracle Mile on the Willamette River
April 20 – Paddle then Drive to the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River, OR
April 21-30 – Camp at BZ Corner in Washington and paddle rivers in the Columbia River Gorge
May 1 – Drive to the Payette River, Idaho
May 2-7 – Paddle various forks of the Payette River
May 8 – Drive to Crystal Springs, MT
May 9-13 – Paddle Alberton Gorge
May 14-15 – Surf Brennan's Wave
May 16 – GRADUATION!!!