Kern River Outfitters Offers Wine Pairing Dinner, Fly Fishing and Family/Group Discount Rafting Trips.

WOFFORD HEIGHTS, Calif. -- Kern River Outfitters, now celebrating its 35th season rafting the Kern River in the Southern Sierra, will offer several specialty river rafting trips in the 2006 season, including a June 29 two-day Wine Pairing Dinner Trip on the Lower Kern, and a July 10 four-day Rafting/Fly Fishing Trip on the Class IV-V Forks of the Kern. Discounted two-day trips on the Lower Kern are also available for families and groups for trips departing Mondays and Wednesdays from June 19 through August 31.

Enjoy Buttonwood Farm Wines Paired with a Chef-Prepared Dinner Riverside, June 29-30

The June 29 Lower Kern overnight Wine Pairing Dinner Trip will feature a selection of varietals from Santa Ynez Valley's Buttonwood Farm Winery, including Sauvignon Blanc, double gold medal winning Merlot, Marsanne and Cabernets, paired with an exquisite gourmet dinner served riverside and prepared by Chef Steve Rasmussen, who trained under Harry Tober of Hubert's in Orange County and created a name for himself with his euro-style cuisine at Abruzzi in Arcata.

"There is nothing like sipping a fine wine paired with a gourmet meal, with the soothing cadence of a river rushing alongside," comments Keith "Luther" Stephens, general manager for Kern River Outfitters. "It's almost a surreal experience. This trip will be awesome, and I'm certain will book quickly."

The Lower Kern, an ideal river for families and first-timers, features Class III-IV rapids flowing through a beautiful, narrow canyon. Guests sleep on private redwood sleeping decks on thick mattress pads, with tents optional. The cost for the June 29 two-day Lower Kern trip is $425 per person. Trip capacity is 30 guests. To learn more about Buttonwood Farm Winery, visit www.buttonwoodwinery.com. For photos, e-mail [e-mail].

Fly Fish the Remote Forks of the Kern in the Golden Trout Wilderness, July 10-13

On July 10, Kern River Outfitters will run a special four-day river Rafting/Fly Fishing Trip in the Golden Trout Wilderness covering 18 miles, descending 1,000 vertical feet down the challenging Class IV-V Forks of the Kern. Few anglers have fished the Forks, as access here is a daunting challenge. Not only is the area remote, but the canyon walls are steep, there are only a few trails, and the river itself is extremely challenging.

Kern River Outfitters' "A-Team" of Class IV-V river guides will navigate you through this wilderness area, while top guides from Kern River Fly Fishing will help you find those Goldens, German Browns and Kern River Rainbows. When possible, anglers will fish two-to-an-oar boat, but given the nature of the rapids, most fishing will be from shore. The price for the July 10 Forks of the Kern River Rafting/Fly Fishing Trip is $1,495 per person and space is limited to 12 guests. Guests must be in good physical shape to participate. To learn more about Kern River Fly Fishing, visit www.kernriverflyfishing.com. For photos, e-mail [e-mail].

Lower Kern Discounts for Families and Groups

From June 19 through the end of August, Kern River Outfitters has special family rates for two-day Lower Kern trips departing on Mondays and Wednesdays. Discounts increase with the number of participants, and families may combine for the best rates as long as all spaces are booked at the same time. For details on Family and Group Discounts, visit http://kernrafting.com/familyrates.html.

Just a few hours outside of Los Angeles, the Kern serves up more stretches of exciting and challenging whitewater than any river in America. Kern River Outfitters, formerly Outdoor Adventures, runs trips for all ability levels from April through mid-September on the Lower Kern, the Upper Kern and the Forks of the Kern. Trips range in duration from one to three days, and in price from $148 to $998 per person, depending on the day of departure and length of trip. For details, visit www.kernrafting.com, or call 800-323-4234.