Rogue River Gluten Free Rafting and Kayaking Trip

Whitewater Warehouse (WWW) and the Gluten Free RN (Nadine Grzeskowiak) are combining resources to offer gluten intolerant folks a safe and secure vacation option. This is a rafting adventure in which you spend no time worried about the meals that are being served and all your time having fun!

During the course of each summer, WWW often answers guests' questions about food allergies; with more and more folks concerned about severe gluten issues. We are happy to announce that not only will Nadine be rafting with you making sure that all the foods offered are tasty and gluten free but the trip also heralds a chef that is skilled in gluten free cooking techniques.

Cost is $1140/adult and $1080/youth (double occupancy). This is an all-inclusive rafting and kayaking vacation. During the course of this adventure, you will spend three days rafting and kayaking the beautiful Rogue River (in the protected section) and two nights in different, rustic riverside lodges that afford visitors private cabins and showers. All food from lunch the first day through lunch the last day, 2 nights lodging, guides, gear, government fees, shuttle back over the mountain at the trip's end, Nadine's expertise and the gluten free chef's expertise/food is included in the price. The date of the rafting and kayaking adventure is August 21 - 23, 2010.


Always worried about whether or not you are being served truly gluten free meals? Not to fear on this trip. We have your dietary concerns and your fun covered! For more information, call the friendly folks at Whitewater Warehouse 1-800-214-0579or email them at fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com or click here for more details.

Chronicles of a Woman Enjoying Beer and Whitewater (Day 3)….

This Whitewater Warehouse guest blog is written by Ginger Johnson, owner of Women Enjoying Beer and craft beer specialist. She has chronicled in the last two blogs her Oregon Rogue River rafting and craft beer adventure. Here is her third and final installment about the trip.
Interested in joining us on an Oregon Rogue River Raft and Craft trip in 2011? Just click here for more details: 2011 Oregon Raft and Craft Trip.

July 20, 2010 – Day 3 and the final day of our inaugural Raft and Craft trip.
Dawn came again gently after a full nights sleep at Marial Lodge. We were at breakfast by 8 for a day of about 16 miles, through a canyon and much sunshine. Good bacon at breakfast only enhanced the day!
Off we went to get on the river by 9 am. The day felt chilly to start as we went through some striking narrow canyons for the first while. Completely different and we heard some good stories as we all rode. There are pretty of serious rapids, Blossom and Coffee Pot among them, which has WWW making sure everyone is safely on board the pontoon rafts. No sense taking foolish chances with Mother Nature.

 

Rogue River 

This re-solidified the excellent and wise experience of Bob & Guy for the benefit of their guests. We all felt safe the whole time – which of course only makes the trip that much more enjoyable (and recommendable).
By midday lunch stop, we’d seen lots of turtles, plenty of other traffic including the jet boats on tour, and several other rafting parties. A few areas of still(er) water had Bob and Guy using the oars more to move us along.
Lunch was generous again with BLT’s – mmmmm! – and more fresh fruit and veggies. On the river again after a bite to finish the float.
Landing safely around 145ish (no watch on), Bob & Guy easily navigated us to a ramp, where we all proceeded to unload and unpack. After all the fanfare of that, the rafts were loaded on the trailer,

 

pontoon rafts safely loaded up 

some of the guests said goodbye and headed off, and we climbed into the truck to drive back over the pass to Galice, where cars were parked upon our launching.
The road over the pass is rather dramatic and closed in the winter for good reason – it rises from 90 feet above sea level to over 5000! And I couldn’t help but think - “what a great ride this’d be on a snowmobile!” Anyway, just shy of 2 hours later, we slid into Galice, gathered gear and bid adieu.
What a spectacular trip! Ultra hospitable, safe, fun, refreshing, tasty, energizing and now I can’t wait for next year.

Thanks to Ninkasi & Russian River for great beers

Chronicles of a Woman Enjoying Beer and Whitewater (Day 2)…

This is day two of Ginger Johnson's (owner of the website/blog Women Enjoying Beer) famous Rogue River rafting and Ninkasi craft beer vacation. In her previous guest blog she wrote, in a very "Gingerish" way, about her first day on the Rogue River with Whitewater Warehouse. This blog details what happened on the second day of the whitewater rafting and craft beer adventure.
Interested in a similar trip in 2011? Click on this link...Oregon Raft and Craft trip.

July 19, 2010
Yaaaaaawn…smack smack….waking up with the natural light is a treat. That’s how day 2 came about on our Raft and Craft Trip. After a fantastic first day, we’re all all-ready for another one.
Everybody rousted out and up to breakfast at 8, with one slow riser who came happily and sleepily in a bit into the meal. No real big deal…we’re on relaxed mode. After a brief good morning and a warm breakfast, we returned to our cabins to pack and be at the river for day 2 by 9:30 to set out.
So we were. Loaded up, ready to go and off we went at about 945ish – another blue sky sunny day ahead of us on the Rogue.

 

View from the pontoon style raft 

I kayaked again for a short bit then was happy to give it to a guest for the rest of the day. I tell you what – I honestly don’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed and alert at the same time! Riding on the raft, soaking up the sun like a sunflower, and feeling so well taken care of.
The morning was smooth again with a variety of rapids as well as an opportunity to jump into the river and float along with the rafts with a life jacket – very refreshing. One of the other kayakers joined the Dunkers Club too!
We stopped for lunch for more fresh tasty fare with a cliff high view of the river. After we were full we set out for the Rogue River Lodge, an historic stop along the river with a colorful history including past visits to some Hollywood celebs years back.

 

Historic Rogue River Lodge 

We meandered around, taking in the museum, a few of us jumped into a crystal clear swimming hole (COLD – whew!), and then headed back to our rafts.
It was only a short bit downriver till our nightly lodging – Marial Lodge - which was entirely lovely and comfortable. The crew proceeded to group unpack again – many hands, you know – and took to assigned cabin rooms. As I offered up to meet in one hour later for the beer tasting upon our arrival, several of the goers said “We have to wait an hour?!”. Good response….and it told me the guests were thoroughly enjoying a great combination trip.
After everyone was once again showered up and had wandered back to the lodge, I had the table set

 

Tasting night 2 

and ready for the 2nd night of beer tasting and pairing. Here’s the menu we enjoyed:

• Ninkasi Double Red Believer with molasses ginger cookies – also paired with the smoked salmon and Oregon Hazelnuts
• Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout with Dagoba chocolates (milk & dark)
• Russian River Temptation with tangy chevre on water crackers

MMMMMMMMM! Again, met with happy enthusiasm and ‘mmm-ing’ all around.
Dinner in the adjacent dining room followed our tasting on the deck and we all savored a dinner and good company, including 2 other guests staying at the lodge. One of the very unique things about Marial Lodge is the turn tables at the tables - space saver, serving genius. Our host Lori told me her uncle, who had the lodge previous, hated wasted or unused space.

 

Marial Lodge on the Rogue 

The rest of the troop bug doped up and went for a walk. I stayed in and lazily read a few of the books on the coffee tables in the lodge – history, stories, nature.
One can only take so much stress, so I headed to bed as the sun went down. Ready to get an abundance of sleep again before day 3.
‘Night!

Next Blog – Day 3

Chronicles of a Woman Enjoying Beer and Whitewater….

This is a Whitewater Warehouse "guest blog" written by the famous Ginger Johnson owner of the website Women Enjoying Beer. In the next several blogs, Ginger chronicles her 2010 Oregon Rogue River rafting and craft beer trip. Ginger will also be our resident craft beer specialist on Whitewater Warehouse's 2011 Raft & Craft trip....this blog is part one of her 2010 Craft & Raft Rogue River adventure....

July 18, 2010
Gorgeous day dawns in Southern Oregon. Okay, well, it was really beautiful – partially because we were all looking forward to it as well. Funny how it’s as ‘nice’ as you want it to be.
I got up and drove to meet Bob and Guy at the Rand boat launch for the inaugural White Water Warehouse and Women Enjoying Beer Raft & Craft Trip. When I arrived they were both occupied preparing the 2 pontoon rafts, setting up equipment, gear, coolers, and so on. Practiced hands to be sure – they’ve been at this since 1983.
The guests began arriving at 9 am and everyone exchanged introductions. After our own bags were dry bagged and packed on board, Bob gave us a safety talk and we were off!

Lunching it up - Day 1

Down the lovely and very scenic Rogue River. That first morning, 3 of us experienced the trip at water level in inflatable kayaks. All life jacketed up, we floated along and had an ideal first morning.
Oh – and I started the trip Dunkers Club, going over twice – kerplunk! The key to kayaking, I learned, is to head straight into waves; being 90 degrees to them is how you’ll make it through them. The water, I’m here to tell you, was lovely and felt great in combination with a strong sun.
The river was also deep enough in most places to safely be in the river, legs dangling below you, with no fear of scraping. The tough part is getting back into the kayaks with a bulky (and important) life jacket. Once again, Bob & Guy are smart veterans who help guide you the entire trip so you are totally at ease and able to fully enjoy the adventure.

Tumultuous Rainey Falls

We put in at Rainey Falls for lunch where Bob and Guy proceeded to efficiently unpack and set up. It was obvious right away no would go hungry unless they simply didn’t eat! Fresh foods and plenty of it - cucumbers, hummus, blueberries, cherries, sandwiches (meat, tomatoes, trimmings, PBJ), pasta salad and lots of other stuffs. Lemonade and water to quench our thirst and restock the water bottles, a nice view to enjoy during the midday meal and a cloudless sky to gaze at. Tough job….
After repacking up and heading into the current again, we traveled a while more, with a stop at a water fall with a spot deep enough to cannon ball into – which some of us did following Bob’s lead!
Back into the current we go towards Black Bar Lodge, our accommodations for the night. We landed peacefully, everyone happily intact, around 5pm. After a quick group unload, we headed to our charming cabins, showered up and met in the lodge for the first beer tasting and pairing - 1 of 2 for the trip.

Craft Beer - the "Craft" part of the trip

This being the first time WWW & WEB have collaborated, it went off with much success. The lodge is comfortable, we had three courses and the very happy guests and gracious hosts all had a good time.
Ninkasi was our featured beer partner. And I couldn’t resist also featuring a Russian River beer each night too.
The menu the first night looked like this:

• Ninkasi Total Domination IPA paired with a robust blue cheese
• Ninkasi Radiant Ale with fresh mangoes and deep red plums
• Russian River Consecration paired with Dagoba chocolates (super fruit and Roseberry)

Mmmmmmmm! Lots of great questions and comments came from the group, we all polished off a few (taster) glasses of the beers and savored the foods.

Inside my Black Bar Lodge cabin

Needless to say, they were then really excited about the next nights treats!
After dinner, Bob shared some entertaining stories about the river, lodge and area folk which was totally relaxing. As if we weren’t relaxed enough! A little more conversation flowed and with the sun going slowly down, we all bade good night to each other after given our time to regroup for tomorrow and headed out to our cabins.
It didn’t take long for camp to be silent save for the deer and birds settling in around us. Lights out at 10 as the generators got turned off for the night.
To bed. Ahhhhh….

Next Blog:  Day 2 on the Rogue River

Gingerbread Competition Could Net You $1000 Prize

The GingerBread Jubilee is one of southern Oregon's Rogue Valley's most unique benefit auctions and favorite holiday celebrations. Proceeds from the auction makes it possible for the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre to bring national and international performing artists to our community and to provide our stage as a one-of-a-kind resource for countless organizations and individuals in our community. Your support of the GingerBread Jubilee will make the holiday spirit last year 'round.

Benefit Auction
Friday, November 19, 5:00pm, 2010
An assortment of private parties, great getaways, extraordinary experiences and marvelous merchandise, as well as priceless gingerbread creations, will be up for bid in a spirited on-stage auction while guests enjoy tantalizing food, wine and holiday desserts.

Community Tour
Saturday, November 20 - Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 10am - 4pm
Wednesday, November 21, 10am - 2pm
In the days following the auction, bring your family, friends and neighbors to the public viewing of the fantastical gingerbread creations. It's a festive way to launch the holiday season and you might even be inspired to begin your own gingerbread family tradition!


Gingerbread Contest
Anyone and everyone is invited to impress our judges by using gingerbread and all-edible materials to create architectural wonders and fantastical objects. The contest is open to all ages and cash prizes are awarded in multiple categories. All creations are featured in the community tour and sold at the auction to benefit the Craterian.

Calling all creative bakers
Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 GingerBread Jubilee Baking contest.
$1000 Grand Prize for Best in Show
3 categories, Adult, Student and Group
1st Place $500 - 2nd Place $250 - 3rd Place $100
Additional Exhibition category is not judged for cash prizes
2010 Theme: Gingerbread Around The World

Call the Development office at (541) 779-8195 ext. 303 for entry forms, class registration and any other information.

Clayfolk, Oregon's Rogue Valley Potters

In 1976 a small group of potters in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley got together to share ideas, experiences, and pot luck dinners. Today Clayfolk is organized as a non-profit educational organization and has a membership of over 135 potters mostly from southern Oregon, but including other parts of Oregon and northern California. The range of styles, artistic vision and experience is broad, ranging from hobbyist to professional and from sculptor to functional potter. All enjoy sharing their fascination with clay!


The major funding for the group's educational endeavors comes from the annual Clayfolk Pottery Show and Sale (November 19 - 21, 2010). Clayfolk purchases books about ceramics for our local library system, offers a time and place for glaze study, sponsors workshops with knowledgeable ceramic artists, supports the Empty Bowls project to help local hunger programs and awards an annual Ellice T. Johnston Scholarship which honors one of Clayfolk's founding members by assisting students of the ceramic arts.

The Pottery Show and Sale will feature ceramic works by over 60 artists, including dinnerware, jewelry, tiles, fountains, sculptures and more. Live pottery-making demonstrations and hands-on activities for the whole family. Check out the Clayfolk's member gallery for a better idea of the high quality of these varied artists.

Live entertainment Friday night, November 19, 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday hours: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday hours: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Medford Armory, 1701 S Pacific Hwy, Medford, OR.
Photos copywrited by Clayfolk - Southern Oregon Potter's Association, PO Box 274, Talent OR 97540

Southern Oregon is a Golfer's Paradise

The most intriguing thing about southern Oregon's 30 or so golf courses is that they run the entire gamet of a golfer's skill set. Are you a beginner interested in playing a public course to test your newly honed abilities? Got it. Are you a weekend warrior who has played for a number of years and wants to challenge yourself with a tougher-than-average course? Got it. Or, do you want to play on one of the world's premier "Scottish style" golf courses? Yep, got that too. You will be amazed and delighted once you begin researching your southern Oregon golfing options. There truly is something for everyone who loves this sport.
This course is the world-renown Bandon Dunes golf course located outside the southern Oregon town of Bandon. This "Scottish-style" golf course is attracting folks from all over the world to play its challenging courses (yes, there are multiple courses here to play). Players also enjoy views of the beautiful Oregon coast which is located just off several of the playing areas.

But besides world-class golfing options like Bandon Dunes, there are plenty of fun, low-key golf courses located throughout the southern Oregon area. These courses really speak to every level of player and each golf course makes it easy to secure tee-times without planning months in advance.

Southern Oregon Book & Author Fair

The 2010 Southern Oregon Book & Author Fair is being held on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at the Ashland Springs Hotel in Ashland, Oregon. This annual Northwest author book fair has become a regional favorite over the years. It is also the perfect holiday opportunity for Pacific Northwest authors, particularly Oregon authors, to promote, display and sell their books, meet readers, and network with other regional authors. For readers, this is the perfect opportunity to meet regional Northwest authors, and kickoff your holiday fair gift shopping with books, AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS, and m-o-r-e BOOKS!

There is always a featured author in attendance who is nominated and selected based on criteria that: the author is a Northwest author whose book are either nationally known or are well-known within its genre, and the author has received an award(s) for one or more books.

The 2010 Southern Oregon Book & Author Fair will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event takes place on  the 2nd floor Ballroom and Conservatory of the famous, historical Ashland Springs Hotel, located at 212 E. Main Street in beautiful downtown Ashland, Oregon. Click here for directions.

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.

Gourmet Rafting Trip Gets Press

Delighted that folks are noticing what we've been up to for the last 10 years! Executive Travel magazine just highlighted Whitewater Warehouse's lodge-to-lodge gourmet wine & food trips as "an epicurean rafting vacation that will leave you hungry for adventure!" And we couldn't agree more!

We've slated our 2011 gourmet wine & food trip for Saturday, June 25 - Monday, June 27. Price is $1140/guest (double occupancy). This is an all-inclusive trip and, therefore includes three days on the wild and scenic Rogue River with professional outfitter, Whitewater Warehouse; 2 nights in different, rustic lodges along the river's edge; all food from lunch the first day through lunch the last day; government fees; use of all the outfitter's equipment (dry bags, inflatable kayaks, rafts); shuttle back over the mountain at trip's end; and, of course, fabulous dinners paired with interesting wines prepared by a master chef.

If you are interested in booking this gourmet rafting adventure, move quickly. There are only 20 spaces available on the trip. The gourmet trip in June of 2010 filled to capacity within a couple months of release so don't delay. Call the friendly folks at Whitewater Warehouse: 1-800-214-0579 to ask questions or reserve your space(s) today!