The Kern seemed too ambitious after a long rough week but a quick getaway to the San Gabriel for a paddle seemed about right. The drizzly rain cleared with just about perfect timing as we reached the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead at about 9:30am. The parking lot (as well as the many parking along the side of the road) was packed which initially surprised me. We got our stuff ready to go while I illegally parked. When we were just about ready to go a space freed up and I snagged it. We carried our boats down the familiar switchbacked road down to the modest river. We paddled past the walls of graffiti and past the Cattle Canyon bridge without incident. Just below however was a sizable river-wide logjam that we had to pull over for and we worked to remove. Onward I was surprised at the many large gatherings of people on such a dreary day, only halfway through the run realizing it was Cinco de Mayo which would seem to explain the crowds. At one point we had a rope strung across the river we had to deal with. The river was notably bumpier and scrapier than our last trip a few weeks before, seeming to signal the beginning of the end of the season. It took us about an hour to reach the takeout at Graveyard, and another 40 minutes for me to run the highway to close the shuttle. Despite the early point in the day we both decided the run wasn't worth a second lap and headed for home.
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