DROUGHT DOESN’T STOP A 35-YEAR TRADITION
What do you get when you combine 20 people and four dogs riding in tubes, rafts, kayaks and….the big piece that holds it all together?
A float consisting of a couch attached to a wooden platform with foam packing material underneath, a canopy, an ice chest, an American flag and a pirate flag, all floating down the Sacramento River?
A soaking wet, good ol’ time. Ron Martine first made the river excursion with the couch float 35 years ago with his friend Alvin Rowe. Back then, it was assembled from a broken gate and some barn materials and had the couch and a toilet on top. Building and designing the float was Martine’s idea.
His daughter expressed interest in going down the river with him, so Martine rekindled the
trip four years ago, making it an annual event.
“It will be a good time,” Martine said Sunday. “We wanted to continue the fun of floating down the river.”
Martine gathered family members, friends and neighbors for the excursion. They had purchased the couch for $20 at a secondhand store.
“It’s beautiful redneck ingenuity,” said Trinity Harmon, Martine’s niece, regarding the float. “I’m happy I’m related.”
Martine’s cousin Megan and her husband were the lucky passengers who sat on the couch.
The group launched their caravan at Irvine Finch River Access and floated down to Beer Can Beach for a barbecue and then ended up at Washout, which is the end of the line. The river was a little low Sunday.
Makenna Markey, Martine’s neighbor, came out to tube for the first time.
“Ron invited us,” she said. “I’ve never done this before.” Markey towed along her puppy, Calamity, who looked excited for the adventure.
Martine’s son, Grant, was also looking forward to the excursion.
“We’ve done this for a couple of years,” he said. “We have fun doing it with close friends.”
When it was first assembled, the float was stacked on inner tubes to keep it riding high in
the water, but then Martine re-designed it, attaching packing foam material to keep it afloat and balanced.
“It’s a lot more stable now,” he said.
Martine, dressed in shorts, a long-sleeved black T-shirt and a sun hat, announced the “rules” before the group headed out. “If you need water, help yourself,” he said. “And make sure you have a buddy.”
Later in the day, Martine said the river trip was successful. “Everything went really well,” he said. “Everyone was safe and we had a nice barbecue and were socializing.”
Tyler Fought, Ron’s uncle, enjoyed his time on the river.
“It was a really fun trip,” Fought said. “We’ve been doing this for a few years now. “We get the family to come up and we have a really good time.”