{"id":18506,"date":"2016-01-15T20:51:05","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T20:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/?p=18506"},"modified":"2016-01-15T20:51:05","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T20:51:05","slug":"thanksgiving-in-san-luis-potosi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/thanksgiving-in-san-luis-potosi\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving in San Luis Potosi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Below: Adam Goshorn approaching Cascada de Tamul, which is the take-out for the classic day-run section\u00a0of the Rio Santa Maria. \u00a0Photo by Vitaly Prikhodko.<\/p>\n

\"AG<\/p>\n

For more than a decade I have been traveling to Mexico most winters to enjoy the warm water and great paddling\u00a0in the states of San Luis Potosi and Veracruz. \u00a0This year, Mexico was not in\u00a0my\u00a0travel\u00a0plans and I had\u00a0committed to a trip to the Dominican Republic for much of December. \u00a0However, it turned out that my work schedule created the possibility of being off-work for the whole week of the Thanksgiving holiday, which created an opportunity for a quick trip to San Luis Potosi that I couldn’t resist.<\/p>\n

Below: Vitaly Prikhodko running a picturesque drop on the Salto section of the Rio Valles in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Photo by Adam Goshorn<\/p>\n

\"VP<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Below: John Kern on the Rio Tampaon, which is really the 5th canyon of the Rio Santa Maria, but the river changes names after the confluence with the Rio Gallines at Cascada de Tamul. \u00a0Photo by Adam Goshorn<\/p>\n

\"JK<\/p>\n

Although the state of Veracruz has been getting much more attention from kayakers in recent years, the state of San Luis Potosi is closer (for those driving from the United States) and offers up some of the most beautiful and fun\u00a0\u00a0class III-IV paddling anywhere. \u00a0With our limited time window and desire to keep the trip as cheap as possible (because we where driving, closer is inherently cheaper), San Luis Potosi was the obvious choice. \u00a0Vitaly Prikhodko and Judd James had both been talking to me about wanting to get a trip together to go down there, but they had never been able to go. \u00a0Both of them only had enough time off from work for a shorter trip than what I usually planned for, so they had never been able to join me in the past. \u00a0With the two of them chomping at the bit to get down there, soon as I knew I could be off work for the whole week, I knew we already had the basis for a crew in place!<\/p>\n

Below: Vitaly Prikhodko seal launching back into the Rio Tampaon after portaging a section where the whole river goes underground, through a cave for a distance of about 200 feet. \u00a0Photo by Adam Goshorn<\/p>\n

\"VP<\/p>\n

Below: Adam Goshorn on the final drop of the Cascadas Micos section of the Rio Valles. \u00a0Photo by John Kern.<\/p>\n

\"AG<\/p>\n

For paddlers driving to Mexico from the United States, the ideal situation is to have around six people and to take two vehicles. \u00a0Traveling in a two vehicle convoy and having a bigger group in general adds a margin of safety to the trip and allows for running shuttle, as needed. \u00a0In hopes of reaching the magical number of six people, I contacted a few more friends and suddenly we had two vehicles and a crew of seven ready to go! \u00a0John Kern, Jenny Leaderer, Jerrod Jones, and Claire Zollondz agreed to\u00a0joined\u00a0Vitaly, Judd, and I for the trip. \u00a0We would have six paddlers and although she doesn’t paddle, my friend Claire agreed to come along to help us with shuttles.<\/p>\n

Below:\u00a0Everyday awesomeness! \u00a0Photo by John Kern.<\/p>\n

\"Crew<\/p>\n

Below: Vitaly Prikhodko running the largest drop of the Salto section of the Rio Valles. \u00a0Photo by Adam Goshorn.<\/p>\n

\"VP<\/p>\n

With the crew in place, we rendezvoused at Jerrod’s house in\u00a0Fort Payne, Alabama on Saturday morning before the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. \u00a0We loaded up and knocked out the 27-hour drive to San Luis Potosi straight through, only making stops for food and fuel. \u00a0We arrived at the Aldea Huesteca campground Sunday afternoon, quickly set up our tents, and headed up for a quick run on the Cascadas Micos section of the Rio Valles. \u00a0Over the rest of the \u00a0week we had a great time paddling multiple sections of multiple rivers in the area, with extra laps on the short and sweet sections of the Rio Valles, the Cascadas Micos and the Salto sections.<\/p>\n

Below: \u00a0Here is a little completion video I put together from our trip. \u00a0Be sure to set the quality to 720HD to get the best resolution.<\/p>\n