The
Bob Thomas Eddy Hop is an exciting race that is put on every September
by KRA. It is located at Rancheria rapid, and is fun
for paddlers of all skill levels and ages.
The
Eddy Hop is named to acknowledge the
contributions and accomplishments of Bob Thomas to the sport
of slalom kayaking. Mr. Thomas was the
recipient of the first annual Slalom Contributor Award which
recognized the efforts of those who volunteer to promote the sport of
slalom in the Sierra Cup region.
The Beach Ball race:
Balls can be purchased for $5 each on Saturday or on Sunday morning.
Before the race on Sunday, everyone throws their beach balls off of
the bridge up river from the course. The owner of the ball that reaches
the finish line first wins half of the money collected for the beach
balls. The other half goes to benefit KRA.EVENTS:
Class II+/-III Slalom course. Saturday
is set aside for slalom practice with the race beginning Sunday morning:
Practice:
Saturday
Downriver
Race: Saturday
Slalom
Boater’s Meeting: Sunday
Beach
Ball Race: Sunday
Slalom
Race: Sunday
DIRECTIONS: Travel the 99 to Bakersfield
exiting at highway 178. Head
east through Bakersfield on the 178 (approximately 13 miles) to
Rancheria Road. Turn
left on Rancheria and travel 1 mile to the site parking lot (on the
left). Park in the
lower parking lot, the gates are approximately 100 yards west of the
parking lot.
LODGING: Kern River Campground is
the closest campground (approximately 3 miles from race site. The campground sites are
offered first come, first serve. For
directions and information visit: http://www.co.kern.ca.us/parks/krcamp.htm.
More camping is available in the Kern River
Canyon, some (ie Hobo) take reservations: http://www.reserveusa.com/jsp/commonpage.jsp?goto=/nrrs/ca/hobo/newindex.html.
Also, there are many hotels located in Bakersfield,
a short drive from the race.
