{"id":9903,"date":"2021-10-05T12:00:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T19:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/?p=9903"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:14:54","slug":"my-goodness-goodwin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/my-goodness-goodwin\/","title":{"rendered":"My Goodness, Goodwin\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Looking out over the whitewater in Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride Rapid for the first time was\u2026.well, wild. The whole day had been surprising thus far, really. Having driven Highway 120 to Yosemite countless times, I\u2019d never before realized such an awesome volcanic canyon was so close – to the Bay Area and to 120 – hidden in the lowest foothills just past the flat Central Valley. Let me fill you in on what it\u2019s like to raft Goodwin Canyon<\/a>…<\/p>\n\n\n

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Surprise No 1: The River Itself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So the first surprise of the day was the river itself. Soon after put-in, we were rafting through<\/em> trees. What\u2019s up with this? The higher water flows that allow us to raft each fall are released from the upstream dam for only a short period of time. This leaves the majority of the year for vegetation to grow freely along the normal, lower river banks. It\u2019s one thing to encounter an occasional tree along the shoreline while rafting in California, but it is quite different to be ducking branches during a Jungle Cruise!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Surprise No 2: Whitewater Ruckus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And then you get to Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride<\/a>. The roar precedes the rapid and builds anticipation as you pull over to scout the chaos from above. A rafter will look at any flowing water and mentally map their way downstream, but looking at Mr. Toad\u2019s had me scratching my head. We drop in where? Then aim for what? And end up where?! While most of the whitewater we run in California<\/a> is done with precision and a good amount of predictability, Mr. Toad\u2019s is a reminder that we can have a plan, but can\u2019t always control everything. It\u2019s important to bring an adventurous spirit and your back-paddle A-game, because it\u2019s a wild ride, indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Surprise No 3: \u201cDarn Flipping\u201d Excitement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The surprises keep coming through the fascinating canyon, peaking at Haunted House. It\u2019s short, it\u2019s sweet, it\u2019s steep, and the river basically TWISTS BACK ON ITSELF. It looks different at each water level, but will always end with an interesting story. Seeing it for the first time makes you wonder how the boat will get through it, and, spoiler alert, it’s not<\/em> always right-side-up!<\/p>\n\n\n

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