The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 39

Thursday February 25 2010 I The Sacramento Bee D3 ON THE GO f- i OUTBOUND ESCAPES Royal risks earthy rewards Climbing only road to adventure Bv Lisa Millegan Modesto Bee Royal risk-taking streak turned up early way before the Modestan gained fame as a rock-climbing pioneer According to his new autobiography Be he was jumping trains hitching rides and traveling hundreds of miles from home while still an elementary school student Also at that age he ran away from home for four days camping out happily in a Salvation Army warehouse While his mother Beulah adored him she able to keep young Royal in line think she lost a lot of sleep at Robbins now 75 said during a recent interview at his son Modesto wine cafe Camp 4 I care because I was so selfish that I would just do what I Robbins is making it up to her now with the dedication which reads my beloved mother who has taught me so much and who has stood by me all these She is 94 and lives in Garden Grove Be Brave" ($1995 Pink Moment Press 222 pages) is the first of a projected seven-volume series titled Although he said he believes that plan may be too ambitious Robbins decided on that number because he wanted to make each book relatively short His goal is to inspire people and show them what is possible are what we dream Robbins said choosing his words carefully you dream about things going well and things turning out well they tend to no guarantee but it tends to work that way If you take a negative view of life negative things will come your way If you take a positive view of life positive things will come your Robbins was known for his daring climbs in the 1950s through the on Yosemite National Half Dome and El Capitan He and his wife Liz founded the Royal Robbins Co an outdoor clothing store in 1968 and sold it 31 years later He wrote two major books and which together sold more than 400000 copies He is the subject of Pat biography Spirit of the He and his wife have two adult children Less about mountain climbing than about tumultuous upbringing in West Virginia and Los Angeles Be is an engaging and startling story that makes readers wonder how Robbins made it to adulthood With a womanizing father and an abusive drunken stepfather who once attacked his mother with a knife Robbins had no positive male role models in his household He found inspiration reading Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson and in leaders of the Boy Scouts the organization that introduced him to the joys of the outdoors FISHING LINE TOP PICKS AMERICAN RIVER Steelhead continued to be caught last week a mix of adults and half-pounders They're spread up and down the river with most of the brighter fish being caught below Sunrise Avenue Backtroll Wee Warts and Hot Shots and drift mghtcrawlers and roe Nimbus Basin also continued to be productive Flows have decreased to 1300 cfs SACRAMENTO RIVER Sacramento The river continued to drop and clear improving fishing conditions Anglers scored lots of sturgeon plus even a few stripers Lisbon Slough continued to be a sturgeon hot spot and Elverta and Beach produced some nice fish as well Some striped bass were also being caught at Bryte's Beach and in the Port of West Sacramento COLLINS LAKE The lake is now 22 V2 feet from full Last week's trophy trout planting triggered some good action with the improved weather Trout and bass are hitting in the top 10 feet Trout action is good for both trailers and shore anglers with rainbows running 2 to 3 pounds EEL RIVER South Fork -Excellent fishing last week with most boats averaging 3 to 5 fish a boat until Friday when the crowds hit and then the boats still did well as did bankies Most of the steelies average 8 or 9 pounds and guide Mark Nim-itz of Pipe Creek Outfitters put a client on a 17 pounder LAKE OROVILLE The Spillway ramp is now open in addition to the ramp at Bidwell giving boaters more launching choices Bass and coho action is still wide open according to all sources Lots of boats are on the lake pre-fishing for a big pro-am tournament this weekend Bass have been hitting drop-shot and split-shot worms and tubes in 20 to 30 feet of water all over the lake The better spots are running 3 to 4 pounds SACRAMENTO VALLEY FEATHER RIVER Low Flow Section Fishing pressure was almost nil in the Low Flow Section but Craig Bentley of Huntington Sports had a good day on the river hooking several steelies to 25 pounds on various Berkley Gulp worms and eggs FOLSOM LAKE Jerry Lamp-kin of TNG Motorsports Guide Service reported that fishing for trout and king salmon continued to be pretty good with the bite primarily by longlining in the top 20 feet Speedy Shiners in rainbow were still producing down around 20 feet but F7 and F9 Rapalas in Hot Steel were the hot ticket Most of the fish being caught in the 12- to 16-inch range but some kings to over 20 inches were being caught SACRAMENTO RIVER Knights Landing Meridian Landing Tisdale and Grimes were produced lots of sturgeon last week the best results of the year so far Both bankies and boaters scored on everything from eels to ghost shrimppile-worm combinations The Knights Landing and Tisdale ramps were still closed DELTA REGION SACRAMENTO RIVER side -From the Middle Ground Island to Isleton sturgeon were reportedly taken on the incoming tide which made late evening the best option for anglers Sturgeon are still holding in the deeper waters with a preference of eel over other baits and a generous portion of Pro-Cure scent in AmseKrill SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side -Stripers were taking cut bait at the Shoals but keepers were small In the Mokelumne River areas like Hog and Snodgrass sloughs had larger fish reported on both live bait and other tackle The only black bass bite has been with live baits everything was hard work with little rewards SIERRA LAKESRIVERS CAPLES LAKE Good weather this past week brought out lots of anglers with most catching limits at the dam and spillway on worms Power Bait and jigged spoons Fishermen are digging through 5 to 6 feet of snow and ice to get to the water though there are plenty ot old holes to use once cleaned out Western Outdoor News xiwwwonewscom sacbeecom NATURE CENTER BENEFIT The Esquire Imax showing of Canyon 3D" at 6 pm today will benefit the Effie Yeaw Nature Center and includes a raffle and a chance to meet a nature center resident The Esquire is at 1211 St Sacramento Tickets are $15 including a small popcorn and a drink For more information: (916) 489-4918 HOW THEY ROLL Cage fighter Urijah Faber and Olympic gold medal swimmer Jeff Float will try out the competitive sport of logrolling at Rolling for a Cure a benefit for the Disease Society of America Also scheduled to appear are world champion logrollers Shana Martin and Jamie Fischer The free event will be held 10 am-2 pm Saturday at the Swimstitute 11335 Folsom Blvd Suite Rancho Cordova For more information: wwwswimstitutecom buimi HEIDI DOYLE California State Parks Ranger Brian Barton leads a full-moon snowshoe hike FULL-MOON HIKE Snowshoe by the light of the full moon with California State Parks rangers and explore the Hellman-Ehrman estate and Lake Tahoe shoreline A beginner's clinic will be held at 6:30 pm Saturday and March 27 followed by hikes at 7 pm both nights Cost is $12 general free for children 12 and younger (includes snowshoe rentals if needed) For reservations: (530) 525-9920 WILD ABOUT ART The work of more than 20 visual literary and performing artists will be featured in "Forever Free: Interactions of the American River Canyons" a group show to celebrate the spirit of the river The exhibit will showcase artwork along with related outdoor events such as river outings and hikes It opens with a reception at 7 pm Saturday with Flow" a water blessing by Nisenan spiritual leader Rick Adams: and continues 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays-Fridays noon-4 pm Saturdays through March 27 at Arts Building Gallery 808 Lincoln Way Auburn For more information: (530) 885-2787 Works by students from Yolo County high schools are on display at the California Duck Days Wildlife Art Show at the Davis Art Center (Covell Boulevard and Street Davis) Included in the 218-piece wildlife theme exhibit is a traveling display featuring California Junior Duck Stamp art It's open 9:30 am-7 pm today and 9:30 am-5 pm Friday For more information: 530) 756-4100 HOW TO REACH OUTBOUND CM Anderson Features editor (916) 321-1193 candersonsacbeecom Genny Howe Features editorial assistant (916) 321-1150 ghowesacbeecom To submit events or news about recreational sports water sports hiking biking camping fishing rock climbing or four-wheeling please send information at least two weeks in advance to Outbound The Sacramento Bee PO Box 15779 Sacramento CA 95852: fax (915) 556-5625: or e-mail outdoorssacbeecom BRIAN RAMSAY bramsaymodbee com After writing technical books about rock climbing mountaineer Royal Robbins of Modesto has published the first volume of a projected seven-volume autobiography A latter-day Huckleberry Finn young Robbins enjoyed his freedom doing pretty much whatever he wanted when he wanted He has no regrets about his childhood rambles and thinks parents often set too many rules want everything sterile and safe and not so sure a good he said it softens us not sure If it does watch Robbins thrived on the physical risks that came with his passion of rock climbing he said need it good for you It makes you more He hopes his story is inspiring to those who have had a rough start in' life He do well in his studies and dropped out of high school He attended a couple of semesters at Los Angeles City College but is mostly self-educated In future books he intends to write more about rock climbing his adventurous half-sister his marriage his experiences with kayaking and his clothing business He has worked hard to make his writing as crisp and engaging as possible honest and Robbins said a writer you become very conscious of asking the reader to read words that necessary so I tried to cut that out asking a lot for someone to put out money for a book and then read it Boy nice if they do it but sure asking a New signs on parkway remind folks to be courteous 4 Bee Staff sure signs that spring is fast approaching: A dozen new courtesy signs are being installed along the American River Parkway officially the Jede-diah Smith Memorial Trail by Sacramento County Regional Parks workers Steve Flannery the chief park ranger said the new signs which cost a total of $400 are easier TIDE TABLES walking on the left side facing bike traffic Cyclists: Ride single file when busy and stay in your lane There is a 15 mph speed limit Dog owners: Keep pets on a leash and keep them away from traffic A dog without a leash gets a $90 ticket Familieswalking groupspeople with strollers: Stay on the left side facing traffic Go single file whenever possible I STREET BRIDGE to read than the existing ones old signs also had a lot more he said in a statement because we realized that most trail users reasonably take the time to read the entire sign we cut the words by But why wait to read the signs? Here are the parkway rules: Runnerswalkers: Walk on the left dirt shoulder facing traffic whenever possible That means always PORT OF WEST SACRAMENTO These tables are provided by the Califomia-Nevada River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service and are based on normal dry-season meteorological and river-release conditions These conditions may change and affect both the magnitude and timing of the tidal stages in the Delta As a result various tide forecasts are updated daily in river bulletins to account for these effects These bulletins are issued jointly by the Califorma-Nevada River Forecast Center and the California Department of Water Resources at cdecwatercagovrivforecastshtml Times below are Pacific Standard Time Add one hour to the time during daylight saving time Tides and their heights are forecast for three locations in Northern California Fishermen boaters and others can determine high and low water times for other areas with the aid of 2010 tables available in tackle shops RIO VISTA sacbeecom.