A Gluten-free Culinary Adventure on the Rogue River
It wasn’t until we moved to Oregon that we became friends with someone who was allergic to wheat gluten, and it wasn’t until we attended the Internation Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle last year that we discovered how widespread gluten intolerance is in the U.S. According to Celiac.com, celiac disease is one of the most common chronic health disorders in western countries. It is also one of the most under-diagnosed. Up until ten years ago, medical schools taught that celiac disease was relatively rare and affected only about 1 in 2,500 people. It was also thought to be a disease that primarily affected children and young people. Recent studies and advances in diagnosis show that at least 3 million Americans, or about 1 in 133 people have celiac disease (according to the National Institutes of Health), but only 1 in 4,700 is ever diagnosed.
But celiac disease and gluten allergies don’t have to limit you from enjoying the outdoors and camping. One outdoor adventure company, ROW, has created a special culinary Rogue River rafting trip that provides gluten-free meals during the three-day rafting adventure.
The Rogue River, winding its way from the Cascade Mountains through Southern Oregon to the Pacific, is one of the gems of our state. The Rogue flows past some of our most spectacular scenery: high rocky canyons, Douglas fir forests, buttes and mountains, and, if you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of some of the state’s notable wildlife, including bald eagles, osprey, deer, elk and bears.
The rafting trip takes place on the most scenic section flowing through the heart of the Rogue River Wilderness, with intermediate-level rapids. ROW’s lodge trips are unique because each night you stay at a remote riverside lodge where you enjoy a wonderfully prepared dinner and your own room with private bath. During the day you have an adventure rafting through the river’s rapids and then get to relax and enjoy the scenery in the calm pools and stretches in between, while keeping your eyes open for wildlife.
For the gluten-free trip (August 21-23), ROW is working with gluten-free RN Nadine Grzeskowiak and a gluten-free chef to make sure that your meals are not only gluten-free but also delicious. This is a vacation where you can have true peace of mind — no worries about the food being served you, just focus on the fun. ROW says Nadine is confident that this trip will address almost any food allergy because the food will be fresh, organic, and free of allergy-triggering substances. So the added benefit is that if you have food allergies other than gluten, this Oregon rafting trip will also be the perfect vacation.
Although Charles and I haven’t been on one of ROW’s trips yet, we spoke with Brad Moss, the Director of Marketing for ROW Adventures. Brad said the trips, which carry a maximum of 23 persons each, have guaranteed departures. Guests meet at the Morrison Lodge in Merlin, Oregon, the night before each trip to get an orientation and be fitted for their flotation devices. Guests gather in the parking lot at the lodge the next morning, where they leave their cars and are transported to the river to begin their adventure.
Guests are required to sign a release of liability and fill out some forms before the trip regarding dietary restrictions, beverage preferences, and which type of river craft they prefer, along with some other important information.
We asked Brad whether or not the trip was too strenuous for guests with pacemakers or guests who are older. Brad said that some of their rafts have seats where the guests don’t have to paddle; they can simply be a passenger. On one of their trips, a guest in his 70s thoroughly enjoyed the adventure, he said. As with any activity, if you have a medical condition, it’s advisable to consult with your physician before taking a trip like this. All guides are equipped with satellite phones in case of emergencies.
Meals and drinks are provided from lunch on the first day to lunch on the last day.
ROW is an established business with more than 30 years of experience focused on adventure trips. Some of their other trips can be as exotic as tours of the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu; fly-fishing tours of the Coeur d’Alene River and the Salmon River in Idaho; and adventure cruises of the Nile River in Egypt, Patagonia, and Alaska. ROW also provides trips tailored for guest niches such as yoga trips, all-women departures, gay and lesbian trips, and culinary trips to other locations. They’ve received several honors, including National Geographic Adventure magazine’s “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth,” National Geographic Adventure’s 2010 “25 Best New Trips in the World,” National Geographic Travelers “Tours of a Lifetime” for four years in a row, Outside magazine’s “2010 Best New Trips” and “2009 Trip of the Year,” and Every Day with Rachel Ray “Best Way to See Lake Coeur d’Alene.”
So if you’re interested in the Rogue trips, you can book with confidence that you’re going to enjoy yourself. Brad provided us with a sample of what to expect on the Rogue River trips:
Day 1
You’ll meet at Morrison Lodge at 9 a.m. and load into vans to be taken to the put-in point of the river. The river starts off gently, but it isn’t long before you come to your first rapids. Sometime before noon, you enter the Congressionally designated Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River at a rapid called Grave Creek. Generally, lunch is served the first day around the Class 5 rafting rapid called Rainie Falls (guests walk around this rapid). The afternoon is filled with several Class 2 and 3 rapids and you arrive at Black Bar Lodge around 4:30 p.m. While you’re being assigned to your cabin to clean up, the chefs prepare the evening hors d’oeuvres as well as complimentary regional wine, beer and sodas for you to enjoy before dinner. You can also take a short hike around the lodge or just lounge around and visit with your fellow travelers. Around 7 p.m. dinner is served and at 10 p.m., the generator is shut down, so guests are encouraged to bring flashlights.
Day 2
Coffee and tea are served around 7 a.m., and breakfast around 7:30 a.m. After breakfast, you pack up and carry your gear back to the river rafts, which launch around 9 a.m. On this day, you will bounce through some Class 2 and 3 rapids, stop for lunch along the way, and arrive at Rogue River Ranch sometime in the afternoon. Rogue River Ranch is a fascinating place to visit, and a vivid example of early pioneer history. Later in the afternoon, you’ll arrive at Marial Lodge. Guests are assigned cabins and you will have time again to clean up. Then relax on the deck with views of the river canyon before hors d’oeuvres and dinner around 6:30 p.m. After dinner, you’ll have enough time to enjoy a short hike down a trail to a spectacular waterfall.
Day 3
Breakfast is served around 8 a.m., and guests pack up and head back to the rafts around 9 a.m. You’ll raft over the most spectacular rapids today, including Mule Creek Canyon, Blossom Bar, and Devil’s Staircase, all of which are Class 4 rapids. After those rapids, the rest of the trip is relatively easy Class 2 and 3 rapids. Along the way, you’ll stop for lunch before reaching the take-out at Foster Bar around 3 p.m., where you’ll load into vans and head on a two-hour drive over the mountains and back to your cars at Morrison Lodge between 5 and 6 p.m.
Cost for trip:
Gluten-free trip — $1,140 adults, $1,080 for youths ages 17 and under. (Minimum age is 5.)
If you want more details, here are some links from ROW Adventures:
ROW Adventures Rogue River trips
You can also call ROW for more information: 800-451-6034
—Vic
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About the Author (Author Profile)
Victor Panichkul is a journalist and writer by training; a cook, wine lover and photographer by passion; and a lover of the outdoors since moving to Oregon more than 10 years ago. He is a native of Bangkok, Thailand.
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I don’t need gluten-free, but this sounds like my kind of camping: sleeping in a lodge with a private bath every night, with gourmet meals. I don’t know about those rapids, but the scenery sounds spectacular.