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Rogue River Campsite Reservation System

PLEASE, it will take two minutes to fill out this survey! The Rogue River needs a campsite reservation system. Now is the time to let your voice be heard.

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Dude, where's my water?

Man, we should have checked the flows:


Dropping into the White Salmon below Lower Zig-Zag involves a somewhat brutal carry for a raft.

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The Three Greatest River Beers

One of the challenges of multi-day rafting trips is finding a good beer to float with. With space sometimes an issue, glass bottles can take up too much room. Cans are the obvious choice when it comes to beverages, however, your options of beer shrink considerably when you go that route.

Through careful experimentation, I have narrowed down the three best beers to take on the river with you - and they are all in cans! No more bad beer! No more King! From here forward, it is your own darn fault if you bring bad beer with you on the river.

First Place: Caldera IPA, brewed by Caldera Brewing

The IPA is not the only excellent micro brew these guys make. They have a killer Amber and last year made a special addition "Smoker Stout" in appreciation of Smoker Oars made my Sawyer in Talent, OR. Caldera Brewing is based in Ashland, OR. Dock sales every Tuesday. A lot of the bars in Ashland carry their Amber as well.

A Caldera IPA scouts Green Wall rapid on the Illinois River in Oregon:

Second Place: Dale's Pale Ale, brewed by Oskar Blues

This excellent Pale Ale comes from Lyons, Colorado. Quotes from their website:

"Why cans? We thought the idea of our bold, hoppy pale ale squeezed into a little can was hilarious."

"At Oskar Blues, we dig bodacious beer."

Third Place: Pabst Blue Ribbon

Duh. Who could argue with that? There's a reason it's called the Blue Ribbon... Oh, it says on the can: "Selected as America's best in 1893." And, besides, at least you'll be able to find this one.

Honorary Mention: Red Dog, brewed by Miller Brewing Company

At least you don't see it every day. In fact, its rarity creates an artificial "freshness" that fends off the bad taste. This one gets props because of three things: 1) It is in a can, 2) Cases are normally on sale (if they're not, start off a conversation with the cashier by going "Hey man, it's Red Dog for christ's sake..." and, 3) Dogs are cool and man's best friend, right?

That is way too much Red Dog. The inside of Dan Thurber's (Team Kettle Chips Member) car.
This was his packing for a 25-day Grand Canyon Trip. Notice the lack of... um, food?

Wake me up when September ends...

For many, September marks the end of a great summer of boating. For others, the eyes turn to fish and snow. For a few folks who can't get enough rafting, the coastal river gauges start seeing a bunch more hits and traffic. Rain - and lots of it - is the catalyst for some of the best rafting in the West.

Rivers that are too low elevation-wise for snow or just have too small of a drainage for snow-runoff have a special aura to them. Predictability is pretty much non-existent for many rivers and creeks. The obvious is nearly always true: When it rains rivers will rise and when it is dry these same rivers will fall. The window of opportunity is wide for some and narrow for many more. The sense of calculation adds to the adventure and the feeling of success when all that you have planned comes true.

There are a lot of great websites that can help you find these special rivers and creeks.

Punching through on a big water trip (11,000 CFS at the mouth) at
Oregon Hole Rapid on the Smith's Oregon Hole Gorge (courtesy of OregonRafting.org):

PNWwhitewater.org is a website designed specifically for boaters in the Pacific Northwest. It features a forum page, photo gallery, and member profiles. Lots of great information can be obtained from this site via the forum (member input) and the river gauges displayed on the home page.

Yahoo has a section designed for groups of people with the same interest. The best Yahoo group for boating that I've found is RiverTraders. Lots of stuff comes up for sale and it's an easy place to find a buyer for your river jang as well. Other whitewater groups include PNW, Idaho Whitewater, and PDX Kayaker. These three groups are region-specific to help stay on topic, but rarely do. If you don't like getting a lot of mail, just sign up for the "daily digest."

Another excellent use of Yahoo Groups is organizing your own private trips. If you have people all over the place and need a central location to post messages / files, Yahoo Groups is a good way of doing it. Just start a new group, set it to "private," and then invite the trip participants. When the trip is over you can delete the group or use it for corresponding with each other.

When it comes to specific rivers, the best websites for each one are the following:
* Smith River (CA) - Kevsmom.com and OregonRafting.org
* Tuolumne and Cherry Creek (CA) - CaliRiver.com and C-W-R.com
* Rogue (OR) - OregonRafting.org
* Illinois (OR) - OregonRafting.org
* Wind (WA) - PNWwhitewater.org and CaliRiver.com
* Washougal (WA) - molallakayaker.blogspot.com
* Clackamas (OR) - molallakayaker.blogspot.com
* Scott (CA) - OregonRafting.org
* Box Canyon of the Sacramento - OregonRafting.org

The best site for flows in the Pacific Northwest is Pat Welch's.
Oh, DreamFlows.com kicks butt as well!

Happy Boating!