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For years Vic Giacalone has provided San Joseans brown water thrills. His canoe excursions down the mighty Guadalupe River and into the Alviso Slough are the stuff of local legend. The adventure begins near The Children's Discovery Museum and ends at the Alviso Yacht Club, where Mint Juleps are served by former yacht club Commodores and shapely Alviso women.

I have been on two of these trips and it is well worth the fifty bucks. The ride can be particularly gut-wrenching when negotiating drainage-pipes, concrete reinforced abutments, and medical waste. And if a storm brews up, Katy bar the door. The placid waters soon whip into frenzied torrents, creating ominous whirlpools, and swells capable of overpowering the sturdiest vessel.

Discouraging aspects of the trip would be the large amount of garbage and old grocery carts along the river.

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