Whitewater kayakers debate the West’s
wildest run—is it “Royal Flush” on the lower Kern, “Silver
Creek” of the American, or “Lava Falls” of the Colorado?
Personally, I think the strangest rapid of them all was the
tailgate of a Ford pickup. You can imagine my amazement upon
seeing my son, Barry, on a California State Route 395
billboard. There was no mistaking the grin, his relaxed
“ride-’emkayaker” surfing posture, nor the dark blue Prijon
Hurricane kayak. It was 1998 and I was on my way to visit
Barry, Joy, and their new daughter, Ellie Rose.
That night, I asked about the billboard art. It seems Barry had
been surfing a legendary Kern River wave
(now called “Barry’s Wave”) just above his home when a stranger
asked to take his picture. Barry, himself
a highly successful professional photographer, agreed, and rode the
big wave several times for the guy.
A couple of weeks later, to his amazement, he received a photo-model
release form and a $2000 check
from Ford Motors. A little computer work transposed Barry, his
Hurricane, the big surfing wave, and a Ford
Ranger onto Western billboards—as well as advertising in several
magazines.
Surfing is one of the true joys of moving water kayaking, and Barry
was a master of the art. He would
scold me for heavy handedly punching through river waves—I should
“Pull along side the feature, and slide
over onto it like parallel parking” or, “Daad, work your paddle
blade like a rudder!” I was also guilty of
leaning forward so the boat’s nose dug into the pillow of moving
water -
“Lean back and find the balance point!” That’s pretty good advice, I
think, whatever you paddle.
