The Rogue, Portrait of a River

Roger Dorband's life is much like the river he loves so much--through all kinds of conditions, each keeps flowing forward. In 2006, Roger self-published a remarkable book entitled "The Rogue, Portrait of a River." This talented artist/author filled his book with beautifully written text, local lore and history, and incredible photos of southern Oregon's Rogue River.

"While serving in the South Seas between the World Wars, my father read of the fabulous sport fishing on the Rogue in the writings of Zane Grey. Nurturing dreams engendered by Grey, he decided to retire to southern Oregon in 1939. A city boy from Chicago, world weary from 20 years in the Navy, he moved to the Rogue Valley for three things: the mild climate, the simple life, and the fishing.

"When I think river, I am thinking Rogue. It is the first and the last, the one that flows through my dreams and imagination. I spent my early, most impressionable years growing up in the Rogue Valley.

"Getting to know a river can be a lifelong journey. Like the ever-changing background of an epic story, in my life the Rogue has been a place to gather with others, a fortress of solitude, an aid to memory, a song, a quality of light, a cradle of dreams, a resting place, a source of energy, a giver of joy, and a receptacle of sorrow," writes Dorband in his book.

Little did Roger know how true those words would ring. On Thanksgiving Day 2008, Roger's commercial studio--filled with 1,000 copies of his book and countless photographic images--was caught in an epic fire that raged through several buildings and finally licked at his. "I thought I could save the books that I had stored in my studio but the smoke and water damage was pervasive. It was devastating...something that still haunts me. Through the grief, I slowly began working my way forward."
Roger has reprinted 2,500 copies of his incredible book. You can order The Rogue, Portrait of a River from his website at: www.rogueriverimages.com or visit him in his new Astoria, Oregon studio in the Copeland Building on Commercial Street. Borders or Barnes & Noble bookstores also carry the book. Several small, independent bookstores in southern Oregon stock the book as well.

Roger wrote this beautiful line about the Rogue in his book and we think it parallels his own persistent life journey: "Like the Rogue, a river may change its course many times, hide itself underground during a series of drought years, be dammed, dynamited, bulldozed, channeled, and piped miles from its natural bed. Still it persists, expressing a power that is the very essence of life."

All photos and graphics copyrighted by Roger Dorband.

Oregon Rafting Vacation Spices Up Lives!

"What is in this dish you are serving for lunch?!?" is a question our White Water Warehouse rafting/hiking guides often hear from WWW's guests. For us, cooking and serving yummy, local-sourced foods on our Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips is simply a matter of pride. And to get the highest degree of yum-factor in our foods, we often turn to the sultan of spices--Penzeys Spices.

So when the folks at Penzeys recently emailed us to ask us about how we use their spices in our river rafting dishes, it got us thinking. Here's another quality company (Penzeys) whose spices allow us to really enhance our river rafting trips for our guests. So why not share our "little secret" with the world (or at least the folks that visit this blog!!!)

Penzeys Spices has been around for 23 years. Started in Wisconsin, the company now has storefronts in 18 different states (including Portland, Oregon). The company has a fascinating history--built on hard work, a clear vision, and quality products. Here at White Water Warehouse, we immediately recognized a like-minded company. With that said, we have been purchasing most of the spices we use on our trips from Penzeys for the last 13 years.

OK, enough chatter...lets get down to the food. The following is a recipe that folks really love at this time of year when fresh broccoli is maturing in our organic Willamette Valley gardens.

Broccolicious Salad
1.) Take 2 big heads of broccoli & cut up into bite size pieces
2.) Crisp fry 8 pieces of bacon and break up into small pieces
3.) 1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
4.) 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
5.) 3/4 cup chopped cashews or slivered almonds
6.) Mix together these ingredients for the dressing: 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/8 cup white sugar or honey, 2 tablespoons Penzeys Buttermilk dressing mix, 2/3 cup mayonnaise,
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Mix the first 5 ingredients with the dressing and you have a delicious, nutritious salad!

2009 Rogue River Trail Hiking Videos

White Water Warehouse's owner, Bob Meister, just returned from several late May/early June hiking trips on Oregon's historic Rogue River trail. He shares a couple videos in this blog of his adventures with the hikers. The first hiking video shows a view of the historic Whiskey Creek cabin (an old miner's cabin) located near the Rogue River trail. The second video show Bob and hikers pausing to see the Rogue River Ranch vegetable and flower gardens. These gardens are designed, planted, and maintained each year by the caretakers who live at the Ranch during the spring/summer/fall months. The Ranch can be accessed by river or trail.

Southern Oregon's Covered Bridges: A Step Through Time

Oregon's Covered Bridges:  Spread over three southern Oregon counties, road trip vacationers can still view today 10 historic covered bridges. While not all 10 bridges are in excellent condition or even able to support vehicle traffic, each one has its own unique and interesting story to tell. For the visitors to our blog, we chronicle two of these bridges which were born and built in a bygone era. Both bridges support vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

First is Cavitt Creek Covered Bridge located in southern Oregon's Douglas County. Built in 1943 by renowned bridge builder, Floyd C. Frear, the bridge's 70-foot span crosses the Little River at the junction with Cavitt Creek. The design features Tudor arch portals to accommodate heavy log truck usage, and the upper and lower chords utilize raw logs as its support. Each side of the roofed structure sports three windows, and long narrow slits above each truss allow "daylighting" as well as ventilation for the bridge's interior. 

For our friends who rely on GPS coordinates, the location is:  Latitude: N43 14.65  Longitude: W123 01.32

Because of its proximity to Oregon's Interstate 5, Grave Creek Bridge is Oregon's most viewed covered bridge. Originally built on Highway 99 in 1920, the structure was built by the State Highway department and is a standardized state covered bridge. The housed Howe truss is 105-feet long. The original semi-elliptical portal arches have been reshaped to provide increased height clearance. Architectural features include false end heads. The Grave Creek bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in southern Oregon's Josephine County. 

GPS coordinates for the bridge are: Latitude:  N42 38.17  Longtitude:  W123 22.66

Rogue River's Blossom Bar: Rafting it Stroke by Stroke

Whitewater Warehouse early June hikers watch as the raft which carries all their heavy gear and food moves to the river left eddy above the Rogue River's infamous Blossom Bar rapids.

Bob Meister, White Water Warehouse owner and lead guide on this early June hiking trip, positions the raft above Blossom Bar to begin his descent through the rapid. You can see the "boulder garden" that he must maneuver around before he faces the actual beginning of the rapid.

Bob begins to row the raft back into the boulders on his river right. This allows him to set up to miss the "Picket Fence"--a portion of rocks/boulders at the top of this rapid on river left.

Bob rows the boat away from the "Picket Fence" and perfectly down the appropriate slot. At this water level in June, not much of the actual "Fence" is showing above water. However, you can see some of the rocks that make up the Picket Fence in the middle of the photo. When the water levels drop in later summer, many more rocks/boulders will be exposed.

Bob and raft make it safely downriver...showing what 30-plus years of boating skills offer to our clients! How many rafting companies can actually say that the owner guides on many of the trips!

Great downriver shot through the remaining portion of Blossom Bar rapid.

Hikers move off after viewing "the show"...back on the trail for another fun day of hiking--without heavy backpacks! Bob's got all of their gear in the raft!

Soft & Sweet & Salty: Cary's of Oregon

Southern Oregon Artisan Candies: Oh, my! Do we ever love our sweets here at White Water Warehouse! A couple years ago our owner, Joy Henkle, happened to be on a WWW river trip with about 20 guests on southern Oregon's beautiful Rogue River. The group had stopped for a wonderful riverside picnic lunch. Along the shoreline drifts a raft carrying two smiling faces. Arms extended, the two folks offered Joy and WWW's clients a taste of something uber-incredible. That treat was a soft toffee "finger" made by Cary's of Oregon. It was dreamland from the first incredible bite. Not too sweet--in fact, the discerning palate can taste the tiniest amount of salt from the salt butter, which provides a good counterpoint for the sweetness.

Cary's of Oregon makes its toffee creations daily, with much of the candy-making still done by hand. Ingredients are top quality (you can taste the difference), including creamery butter and superb Guittard chocolate. Wild creations like Chai Tea, Mango Tea, and Trail Toffee (chunks of plain toffee mixed with toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and raisins) satisfy even the most hard to please candyholics.

Located in the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, Cary's of Oregon has an observation area at their factory. After you watch the soft/sweet/salty goodness being made, the toffee will taste even better! The location is: 413 Union Ave, Grants Pass OR. Store hours are: M-F 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

For more information, call Cary's at 1-888-822-9300 or purchase the delectable delights online at CarysofOregon.com

Gary West Smoked Meats

Southern Oregon Specialty Foods: Sometimes a retailer just gets "it right." We happened upon Gary West Smoked Meats located in the cuter-than-cute town of Jacksonville, Oregon, on one of our southern Oregon exploration trips. What a unique treat! While the company specializes in smoked meats, it also offers up to customers a range of local-sourced food that would yummily stuff a Sunday picnic basket. (Yes, we made up the word "yummily" but it fits!) The quaint shop hosts a surprising number of southern Oregon wines which are featured along-side locally made chips, dips, breads, cheeses, and, of course, those wonderful smoked meats and jerky.

Staff even tempts buyers with a full case of incredible candy fudge choices!

But the real stars of this show/shop are the jerky varieties that you will find no where else...like their certified Angus Beef, Buffalo, and Elk jerky varieties. They even make a jerky for man's best friend...the Gus Dog Jerky! Now, our shop dog, Sparky, would be wild-eyed for that one!!

You might want to sign up for their mailing list. Periodically, the company posts specials...like its current "Dads & Grads" sale which offers you free ground shipping for a limited time. Gary West's retail outlet is located at 690 North 5th St in Jacksonville, Oregon. Open 7 days a week, shoppers can reach them by dialing 1-800-833-1820 or check out their website at: www.garywest.com

If you happen to be in the southern Oregon area rafting with us at White Water Warehouse, make sure to put this store on your "must visit" list. The friendly staff offers free samples of all their smoked meat products and their pastrami sandwiches are simply out-of-this-world. Oh-my-gosh, my dog's and my mouth are watering....

Golf's Ultimate Water Hazard

Southern Oregon Golf Courses: Do you love water and golf---just not your golf ball IN the water? Well, that rings true for many of our White Water Warehouse clients. They book their 3-day, 2-night lodge-to-lodge Rogue River rafting adventure with us and then head out afterward to experience their next spectacular southern Oregon adventure--golfing. The difficulty levels of southern Oregon golf courses really run the gamut. From the newly touted 18-hole Bandon Crossings Golf Course located on the south coast in Bandon, Oregon, to the challenging 9-hole Quail Point Golf Course located in Medford, Oregon. The area really offers golfers of all levels an opportunity to challenge themselves and play in the sun...at reasonable rates!

Other southern Oregon golf courses worth noting are the now world famous 36-hole Bandon Dunes golf course, and Running Y Ranch, and Eagle Point golf courses. The Southern Oregon Visitors Association has a dynamite website page where you can review most of these courses and target their locations.