Gourmet Rafting Trips

Why is it that the June 2010 Whitewater Warehouse gourmet wine, food and rafting trip sold out in less than two months? The company had offered these gourmet Rogue River rafting trips several times over the last decade but none had ever sold out this quickly. The trip was so popular, Whitewater Warehouse had to open up a second 2010 gourmet rafting and kayaking trip to satisfy the appetites of their valued customers! This second trip has a bit of a twist to it. Whitewater Warehouse's friends, Dave and Diane who own southern Oregon-based Organic Nation Spirits, have agreed to serve signature martinis made with their organic Gin and Vodkas before dinner each evening.

This second trip is scheduled for August 29 - 31, 2010 and is a lodge-to-lodge rafting and kayaking adventure. "Lodge trips" simply means guests stay in rustic cabins each evening (the cabins have private, attached bathrooms/showers). Besides those yummy martinis, travelers will be served gourmet dinners paired with complementary wines by chef Matt Morse. Matt is an interesting fellow. Over his lifetime, he has been a rafting guide, owned upscale restaurants, owned a large-selection wine shop, and traveled extensively through Europe...searching for recipes, foods, and wines that tickled his taste buds.

This August 29 - 31, 2010 "Martini Madness" and gourmet food and wine trip is already 3/4 full (we have room for 24 guests) so don't hesitate to call Whitewater Warehouse or email them for further information. Email is: fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com  or call their friendly staff at:  1-800-214-0579.

Rogue River Rafting, Kayaking & Hiking Photos

Photos of Rogue River fun! See folks on some of Whitewater Warehouse's late May/early June 2010 Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips enjoying their adventure vacations on Oregon's spectacular Rogue River.


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic...

There's something indescribably delicious about the toffee, peanut brittle, and chocolates made by southern Oregon's Homemade Confections. Owner Judith Galindo thinks it starts with personal passion. "I love to cook. For over 20 years I made chocolates, peanut brittle and toffees and gave them as gifts to friends and family. In January 2009, I decided to create a company from this passion I had for making confections. I focus on small batch candies using only fresh, local ingredients. Even my labels are made locally," says the bubbly candy maker.

How good are her confections? Well, in 2009 AND 2010, Judith's company beat out several higher profile Oregon chocolatiers to take home the title of Oregon Chocolate Festival Winner! While showing at that event, Marilyn Hill, president of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association was taken by the quality and yumminess of Judith's confections. So impressed was Marilyn that she recommended Homemade Confections be included in the one-of-a-kind gift baskets at this year's Tony Awards!

Judith gives much of the credit for her success to the quality of her products and her huge support base of folks who think "every little thing she does is magic" especially when it comes to those award winning confections. "I feel really humbled when I think of the incredible food artisans (and artisan chocolatiers) who live here in southern Oregon. I am fortunate to learn from many different mentors. And the premium, local-sourced ingredients that are available to me here enable me to create a product that is not only made from the heart but has my integrity "cooked" into the process as well," says Judith.

You can order Homemade Confections goodies on-line by clicking here. Or, give them a call at 541-690-9751.






About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com  Or visit Whitewater Warehouse's FaceBook page.

Whitewater Warehouse celebrates Craft Beer Month!

July is Oregon craft beer month and Whitewater Warehouse is making merry with a very special Rogue River whitewater rafting trip scheduled for July 18 - 20. Cost is $880 per adult and participants will raft and/or kayak Oregon's protected Rogue River canyon during the day. Each evening will be set aside for craft beer tastings paired with complementary hors d'oeuvre's followed by wonderful lodge dinners. Folks who decide to join this incredible trip will enjoy private cabins (and private, attached bathrooms with showers) because this is a lodge to lodge trip. The price of $880 (double occupancy) includes everything--from lunch the first day through lunch the last day, lodging, guides, gear, shuttle back over the mountain at the trip's end, government fees and, of course, those yummy Oregon craft beer tastings each night.

One of the rising stars of Oregon's craft beer industry has agreed to offer tastings of their innovative beverages. Ninkasi Brewing Co., a brewer out of Eugene, Oregon will be offering tastings of several of their brews each evening. Southern Oregon beer specialist, Ginger Johnson, of Women Enjoying Beer fame, will also be on hand to add commentary each night!

To learn more, call the friendly folks at White Water Warehouse:  1-800-214-0579 or visit their website.

About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com  Or visit Whitewater Warehouse's FaceBook page.

The Look of Decadence

Southern Oregon artist Gabriel Mark Lipper describes his recent works as paintings that seduce viewers into an opulent world of decadence and longing. The strength of his colors, textures, and even the positions in which he paints his subjects echos his artistic passions and fresh perspectives. "I like to play with color and I understand the power of color," says Gabriel. "I studied a painting technique called alla prima which simply means that you paint 'in one go'--mixing colors and values and place color where you want it once--and quickly. This technique creates a very intimate, vibrant canvas."

Gabriel's latest series, "Urban Legends," embodies his masterful techniques. Looking at his art, it is  powerful and yet at the same time, subtle. There is no mistaking Gabriel Mark Lipper's artwork. He truly needs no signature.

So what's next for this young, accomplished southern Oregon artist? Gabriel tells us his pursuit of the decadent will take him outdoors to a Polo tournament where he will be painting the tournament's observers. In Gabriel's own words, "I am excited by this project. To paint the faces of people who have attained everything so nothing looks good to them will be exciting for me. Capturing this excess of contemporary culture is the perfect subject matter for me at this time."

"I’ve always been a bit of a voyeur.  I travel to paint people and places I don’t know yet. I try to look closely and find out how much I can glean from their surfaces.  Hopefully that opens up a door to understanding what’s inside.”


You can view for yourself this incredible talent by visiting his website, Art of Gabriel.

New Hiking Book: Trails of Crater Lake Park & Oregon Caves

Oregon hiking writer and guru, Bill Sullivan has done it again. His newest book, "Trails of Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument," has recently been published and is ready for purchase. The guide includes detailed descriptions of every trail in the two areas, sightseeing suggestions, tips on where to stay, as well as full color photos, history, and geology. Visit the Crater lake Natural History Association's website or stop by the Crater Lake National Park visitor center to purchase your copy and plan your southern Oregon summer hiking adventures.

About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com  Or visit Whitewater Warehouse's FaceBook page.

Women Enjoying Beer (WEB)

 We keep shaking our heads at the fascinating people that live and work in southern Oregon. Ginger Johnson is one of them. Business woman, dreamer and organizer for her Women Enjoying Beer  (WEB) business, her energy, smarts, and authentic personality just reel you in. You can't help but want to sit down with her and discuss whatever over a beer or two.

We asked Ginger why she started her WEB business and here's how she answered. "In late 2008, the Craft Brewers Convention invited me to submit a discussion proposal on women and beer. What I discovered is that very little research had been done in this area. Honestly, every beer brewer in the world should be interested in this subject since women represent at least 50% of the potential marketplace. And, I believe, this is a marketplace that has been largely untapped. All this led up to designing the WEB website so I could engage with and secure legitimate focus group research for the beer industry. I've been able to talk to a large universe of women about why they do or don't drink beer. For me, this has been a fascinating journey."

Ginger's business focuses on much more than just women drinking and enjoying beer. She has an updated blog that goes into subjects like how beer is crafted, an insider's view as to which breweries (with a focus on southern Oregon craft breweries) are producing provocative beer, and even thought-provoking subjects like comments on the latest excise tax issue.

Interested in knowing more about WEB? You can reach Ginger by dialing 515-450-7757 or contacting her off the WEB site. She also invites you to join the Women Enjoying Beer club...

New News: Ginger and White Water Warehouse are organizing a Rogue River rafting and kayaking trip that will feature different Oregon craft beer samples each evening. Interested? Cost is $880 per person (double occupancy) and the trip is scheduled for July 18 - 20, 2010. Call Whitewater Warehouse at 1-800-214-0579 for more details. Or check out the trip online. The trip is open to men and women.

About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com  Or visit Whitewater Warehouse's FaceBook page.

Rogue River Painter & Photographer: Rob Robinson

For years Rob Robinson has been Whitewater Warehouse's webmaster. Because of our close working relationship, we are lucky enough to get to know Rob's uber-creative sides. First, he is a painter who loves variety. He paints beautiful watercolor landscapes (like his Rogue River collection, see one example above) but he also enjoys painting abstracts. "Oregon's natural beauty inspires me," says Rob. "And because Oregon is so diverse, I think my outdoor experiences push me to experiment with many different types of media--both with the canvases I choose and the art mediums I choose to use. One day I could be painting watercolors on paper and the next acrylics on wooden boards. It seems that the subject matter often times dictates what art medium I use."

Recently, Rob has also focused on photography, and, like everything Rob does, he is excelling in this medium as well. To showcase his photography, he just started a very interesting blog called Image Odysseys. Here is how Rob describes his emerging blog:  "The Image Odysseys are trips through very scenic sections of Oregon. The first of the odysseys is along the southern Oregon coast. Others will include places like the incredible Columbia River Gorge with its plummeting waterfalls, the interesting and varied volcanic region of central Oregon and many others. Posts will include photos and paintings of these amazing locations."

Rob's newest "baby" is his Canon 7D, which he loves to use. "I like both painting and photography but with the newer digital camera I can take hundreds of photos--and erase those that I don't like. Painting is very different in that you spend days, sometimes weeks, capturing a single image."

Rob's other interests include a 5-year stint as webmaster for the Watercolor Society of Oregon. He has also tackled carving wooden animals for a classic carousal and is a gourmet cook.

About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com Or visit Whitewater Warehouse's FaceBook page.

Roasting Oregon Hazelnuts

Roasting Oregon hazelnuts for our upcoming Rogue River rafting, kayaking and hiking trips. Yum. Straight from the mid-Willamette Valley's Chamber family hazelnut orchards.  In this blog, we'll show you how we roast and prepare our Oregon hazelnuts (also known as filberts) for our Rogue River rafting, kayaking & hiking guests. We serve these before dinner to guests on our Rogue River trips! The photo (above) shows the nuts in raw form.

The photo above shows the nuts after roasting in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. The husks are starting to split.

 We use a clean tea towel to gently massage the skins off the nuts. This part takes patience but most of the skins will come off. We use the skins for a bit of mulch in our gardens (reuse, recycle!)

Once the skins are mostly off, take the best quality olive oil that you can afford and drizzle the nuts with the oil...not too much.

Next, we like to sprinkle the nut/olive oil mixture with a fine Mediterranean Sea Salt. Actually, any sea salt will do. If you like bigger pieces of salt, you can use a bigger grain sea salt.

Last we sprinkle with a "Garlic Lover's Garlic" which is all natural and salt free. This is a fantastic product make by Oregon Flavor Rack out of Eugene, Oregon. Check out their website at: http://www.spiceman.com

Once all this is done, we vacuum-seal the nuts and stick them in our freezer until the Rogue River trip begins. YUM-A-LICIOUS!

About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com