Reminiscing about the Rogue with Scott Saulsbury of Southern Oregon Brewing Company

Scott Saulsbury, head brewer for Southern Oregon Brewing Company, grew up rafting portions of the Rogue River, but never had the chance to take a multi-day trip until last year with O.A.R.S.  Even better, he got to bring along 10 kegs of beer and a chef to help make the experience unforgettable.

Cari Morgan talks beer, steak and “football” on the river with Scott below.

Written by Cari Morgan

Cari Morgan is a freelance writer and founder of Evoke PR. She currently lives and plays in the Sierra Foothills.

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You’d Hardly Call One Of These River Trips ‘Roughing It’

My mother is not at all what you’d call the “outdoorsy type.” Yet, at 65 years old, she spent 8 days rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

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Written by Reid Williams

Reid has guided whitewater and taught swiftwater rescue in the U.S. and Central America on 13 different rivers, after brief turns as a chemistry teacher and a newspaper journalist. These days, he tries to turn people on to active, outdoor lifestyles as an executive at WELD.

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There’s always room on the raft for more wine…

With eight rafting trips under his belt last year alone, you could say that Matt Hatcher of Hatcher Winery has uncorked more wine riverside than any other winemaker. For the past six years, he has been a familiar face on O.A.R.S.’ Wine on the River trips where fine wine and gourmet food are as big of a draw as the paddling action.  I sat down with Matt at his winery in Murphys, CA to talk about what makes Wine on the River trips so special.

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Written by Cari Morgan

Cari Morgan is a freelance writer and founder of Evoke PR. She currently lives and plays in the Sierra Foothills.

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Bringing flambe and ice cream to the great outdoors!

On a summer afternoon, you’ll find Bob Anderson, Chef at the Boulder Ridge Golf Club* in San Jose, CA, sporting a white chef coat and a pair of Chaco river sandals. Chef Bob, who trained at the CIA and spent 20 years at the famed Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, is no stranger to cooking at obscure locations like Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps or Glacier Point in the winter. That’s exactly why he was the perfect person to help O.A.R.S. bring gourmet grub to the river.

Cari Morgan caught up with Chef Bob to find out how he’s able to pull off restaurant quality meals on the river with O.A.R.S.

Written by Cari Morgan

Cari Morgan is a freelance writer and founder of Evoke PR. She currently lives and plays in the Sierra Foothills.

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Wondering where to start? Perhaps you've done a one-day rafting trip and you are looking to extend the excitement. Or, you want to get back to nature–maybe reconnect with family or friends. Here are our top multi-day trips for first-time adventurers.

Why not try…

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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THERE'S ARGUABLY NOTHING BETTER THAN A COLD BEER AFTER A DAY ON THE RIVER.

Until recently, that meant reaching into the cooler or drag bag for a can of Bud, Coors, or Miller. Today, cans are becoming the preferred vessel for a range of tasty American craft beers. We asked Mutineer Magazine’s online editor, Brian Kropf, to share his thoughts on the virtues of canned beer.

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Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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Lower Klamath River, CA

Families love O.A.R.S. Lower Klamath River rafting trips. This scenic, forested river trip features beach campsites and rafting and inflatable kayaking in warm gentle water.

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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Advice for Planning Your Next Family Adventure Vacation

    At one point during our five-day rafting trip down Oregon’s wild and impossibly scenic Rogue River, my 10-year-old daughter, Markie, became obsessed with the notion of catching a rough-skinned newt. This was after a day during which we had leapt from 15-foot-tall cliffs, swum through trains of standing waves, and negotiated scream-inducing rapids mined with boulders, huge suckholes, and raft-swamping ledge drops. The sun had just slipped behind the rim of the gorge and our party of 11 had emptied a gigantic Dutch oven of its chicken-chili-cornbread contents. We’d drawn our camp chairs close as the conversation turned to old college stories and river stories and assorted misadventures endured in the pursuit of adventure.

Written by T. Edward Nickens

Field & Stream editor-at-large T. Edward Nickens is known for do-it-yourself wilderness adventures and profiles about people and places where hunting and fishing are the heart and soul of a community. He has chased ptarmigan and char north of the Arctic Circle, antelope in Wyoming, and striped marlin from a kayak in Baja California. Author of Field & Stream's "Total Outdoorsman" skills features, he is also host, writer, and coproducer for a number of Field & Stream's television and web shows, among them The Total Outdoorsman Challenge and Heroes of Conservation. Nickens has been a National Magazine Award finalist, and has won more than thirty writing awards, including three "Best of the Best" top honors awards from the Outdoors Writers Association of America. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, within striking distance of mountain trout, saltwater flyfishing, and a beloved 450-acre hunting lease that has been the cause of many a tardy slip for his two school-age children.

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“When I get back home, I can’t wait to book my next rafting trip,” Tracey told me. This was her first rafting and camping trip, and despite being a busy professional, hyper-connected to technology, and separated from her business, her experience on the incredible Rogue River in Oregon was amazing enough to inspire her to do it all over again. After five days and four nights of rugged luxury rafting with O.A.R.S., she changed from an apprehensive first-time rafter, to a wilderness enthusiast.

I completely understood her enthusiasm. This was my first rafting trip, too. I loved the idea of spending more time in the mountains, but with two small children at home and a fear of adrenaline-rushing experiences; I put off the idea as too risky and hoped to do it “someday.”

Written by Kristin Mastre

Kristin Mastre is a professional blogger, freelance writer, and premier restaurant critic in Fort Collins, CO specializing in craft beer and pairing dinners on FeastingFortCollins.com. She has been blogging for six years with three different blogs: a parenting blog, a fitness blog and a restaurant review blog, all of which receive worldwide recognition with works published by NewParent.com, Fox News, Reuters, USA Today, iVillage.com, and a multitude of other media outlets.

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*As we reach the end of our season, keep in mind that due to water flows some of our rivers are no longer run-able. If you don’t see a river listed below, we have stopped running it for the season!

California

Lower Klamath River – CFS: 1,100-1,800 Minimum Age: 4 Weather: Partly cloudy this week followed by sunshine with highs in the low 90’s to lows in the mid 50's! This scenic three-day trip runs every Tuesday and Friday through the end of August, with plenty of room for more!

Written by Brita Olson

Raised on a small island in Northern Michigan, Olson's love for running water developed at an early age. This love drove her away from the Midwest to California to begin work preserving sustainability and delving into the O.A.R.S. segment of adventure travel. Brita enjoys learning about other people, spending time on the water, excursions on her road bike and - when at all possible - combining the three.

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