Oregon Geocaching Challenge

Get your GPS out and get ready to do some treasure hunting during Oregon's Adventure Coast Geocaching Challenge. Coos Bay, North Bend, and Charleston play host to the challenge January 1 - April 30, 2011 with caches located throughout the area. Those who complete the challenge receive a myrtlewood geocoin, locally made by The Oregon Connection/House of Myrtlewood. Myrtlewood has a rich history on the South Coast. North Bend was the first and only town to actually use myrtlewood coins as currency during the Great Depression.

For those who don't know the sport, geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, that have been placed outdoors.

The Adventure Coast Challenge invites players to find a number of interesting and historical locations by coordinates throughout the south coast area and answer specific questions about each location. Stop by The Oregon Connection in Coos Bay and ask for a list of coordinates. Once players have successfully answered all the questions, return the card and receive a one-of-a-kind, numbered myrtlewood geocoin.

Questions? Call the friendly staff at Oregon's Adventure Coast: 1-800-824-8486

Let's Go Birding in Southern Oregon!

The southern Oregon coast is the perfect location to do a little birding with its mix of terrestrial, shorebird, and the occasional pelagic bird present at any given time. Join the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society (KAC) on a bird-watching outing to view some of the amazing variety of birds on the south coast. According to their most recent checklist, 396 species have been spotted within the confines of Curry County and extending 60 miles out to sea.

Organized walks are conducted monthly. There is no cost to participate and no birding experience is required. Experts are welcome to come share their knowledge. Trips are weather dependent and usually wrapped up by lunchtime. Binoculars are recommended, however, for those in need, a few pairs are available to borrow.

For more birding information, calendar, and car pooling locations from Port Orford, Gold Beach, and Brookings, Oregon visit the KAC website.

If you are a true bird lover, there is even an Oregon Shore Bird Festival each August. The festival is located in Charleston, Oregon...on the southern Oregon coast.

Whitewater Rafting - Winter Style

You probably never even thought about it. But we did. We wondered, "what do folks who are rafting fanatics do differently during the holidays than city folks?"
What we found might surprise you...ever heard of "snow rafting...?" No? Well, check this out...

Bald Eagle Viewing in Southern Oregon

Maybe with all the craziness of the holiday season, it's time to take a break and visit the majestic birds of southern Oregon. From November through February over 500 Bald Eagles -- the largest concentration in the lower 48 states -- winter near Bear Valley Roost in the Klamath Basin.


Just as sure as the leaves fall and ice begins to coat basin wetlands, they will arrive. Each year during the month of November, bald eagles begin to appear en masse on their Klamath Basin wintering grounds. Having traveled from as far away as Northwest Territories in Canada and Glacier National Park, these birds quickly settle into a daily routine of waterfowl scavenging throughout the Basin's marshes by day and locating sheltered roosts at night. The best viewing occurs during late December and February when numbers may peak at over 500 birds. During this time, an observant visitor should be able to easily spot dozens of these majestic raptors along the Tulelake and Lower Klamath auto tours. It is not uncommon to see over 50 eagles in one spot!

Remember your warm gear, hot cocoa, binoculars and camera!

If you are a true bird lover, plan to attend the 2011 Winter Wings Festival scheduled for February 18 - 20.

Gluten Free Vacations

We kinda get our hands into a lot of subjects here at Whitewater Warehouse. And, because more and more of our clients were telling us they had gluten intolerant food issues, we decided to come up with a gluten free vacation that would give them, "good clean food and good clean fun." Thus, the idea of an Oregon Rogue River rafting and kayaking trip (with a gluten free food focus) was born!

To make sure that we are offering our guests the highest assurance of gluten free food, we've enlisted the help of Nadine Grzeshowiak, better known as the Gluten Free RN.
Nadine invited us to a gluten free cooking demonstration at Bob's Red Mill (you can see Nadine above in the beautiful green sweater) with Shauna James Ahern and her husband, Daniel Ahern. Shauna has a well read blog called gluten free girl and the chef. She and her chef husband, Daniel, demonstrated fabulous foods that we don't really think of as gluten free. Breads, pizza dough, cookies, even doughnuts! We watched and we sampled and can tell you first hand that ALL the gluten free foods prepared by Shauna and Daniel were delicious.

Here's a video of Shauna and Daniel talking about one of their many food demonstrations that night at Bob's Red Mill in Milwaukie Oregon. Bob's Red Mill carries lots of "flour" options for the gluten intolerant and Shauna really helps you understand how to dissolve the mystery of cooking for celiac disease. Exciting news! Shauna and Daniel latest cookbook, "gluten free girl and the chef" just was listed by the New York Times as one of their "Year's Best Cookbooks." Congrats!

Girlfriend Getaways

Girlfriends' getaways - where women travel with other women and leave the menfolk home -- are booming. And the phenomenon is not just about bachelerotte parties or 20-somethings on spring break. This is real gal-pal time. Hiking and rafting together. Hanging out at night while chatting in a scenic riverside lodge over a nice glass of Northwest wine.



An interesting fact; most of the hikers that trek the Rogue River trail with Whitewater Warehouse are women. In 2011, the company has already booked two Oregon hiking trips that are all-women. The need for speed isn't present on these trips. But observing, photographing, and learning the history of the area is certainly high on all these gal friends' lists.



2011 will also find two all-women's Rogue River rafting trips with Whitewater Warehouse. Ratchet up the fun because these woman like their whitewater wild. The first late June trip is filled already with a group of seasoned whitewater rafters that know each other. But, another Rogue River rafting trip, July 3 - 5 still has openings for one up to twelve more women...

Data shows that since 1993, there has been a 230 percent increase in the number of women-only travel trips. Whitewater Warehouse is seeing more time-pressed career women in their 30s and 40s taking girlfriends' getaways. Another interesting statistic is that about 35% of the women booking these Rogue River hiking and rafting trips are booking a solo trip. And there are also more multigenerational women traveling with their daughters and daughters-in-law.

Traditionally, women planned family vacations where they were the ones making every decision. Now women are saying, "It's my turn." Because so many women work these days, they can afford to travel. At the same time, they've moved away from childhood friends and college roommates and they see travel as a way to reconnect with each other. At Whitewater Warehouse we feel these gal-pal getaways are a way to recharge these fantastic womens' batteries.

Interested in learning more about these southern Oregon all women outdoor adventures? Call Whitewater Warehouse at 1-800-214-0579 or email the friendly staff at fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com