Floatin' the Owyhee in southeast Oregon
Courtesy of: David Chauvin http://www.pbase.com/dgc_arts/owyhee_river
Courtesy of: Ouzel Outfitters http://www.oregonrafting.com/The time has finally arrived! Tomorrow begins another adventure. This time into the desert of southeast Oregon. The photos above were stolen from two websites, but I hope the disclaimer and link quells any animosity that arises if for some reason they check this random blog.
The plan, now updated via a call from Zach...is to meet up with Paul and Zach in Rome, Oregon sometime between 1900 and 2200. Paul's Mapquest inquiry said one thing, Zach's said another. SO, we'll see. I'm planning on getting there around 1900 or 2000 and finding the BLM campground at the put-in and hopefully finding a place to camp for the night. Our fail safe will be calling each other while we're still in cell phone range (who knows what Rome has for reception) and setting a meeting place of the ONE cafe in town at a particular time. Otherwise, since it's such a small location...I think we'll all just drive around until they spot my white Chevy with Idaho plates.
Paul arranged a shuttle, so his rig will be moved to the take out. I just found out that instead of a MONDAY take out, it'll be a TUESDAY takeout. Which means a camp at the put-in again, then driving back north to CDA on Wednesday. Back to work Thursday.
It's supposed to be a pretty darn scenic little stretch of water. Cliffs, desert, hot springs, hiking opportunities, and some class III rapids. The river gauges down there aren't showing the insane flooding we're getting here right now, so it should be fairly mellow. We end up coming out on a 10-miles stretch of slackwater at the head of a reservoir...it should be a fair amount of paddling....let's just hope the wind doesn't blow the "wrong" way. But how often does the wind blow from the north in that country? Alright, now that I said that...it probably blows that way all the time.
I've been baffled by what to pack. And so consequently, I know I've packed too much. And shoot, just talking to Zach, the the absolute king of "light and fast" it makes me reconsider my choices. He did bring up a good point though. Leaving a fresh change of clothes in the truck for use on the return home. That way you don't stink TOO much when encountering other people less knowledgeable about camping and the odors that tend to arise. He also spoke true of what usually happens when camping. You tend to wear the same thing the entire time. Which is always correct...but for some reason I ALWAYS pack more clothes. Perhaps I will dump some of my changes and force myself to be realistic. One pair of clothes for the potentially wet ride all day, and one pair of dry clothes for the camp. Well, maybe two pairs for the camp. (Even now, I try to second guess myself.)
Paul does this sort of thing all the time and is known to have everything we'll ever need besides personal stuff. That in itself is weird to me, because I'm used to backpacking. Standard gear, standard pack, then add more food as needed. With him doing a lot of the preparation and leg-work for this trip (thanks again Paul), it's thrown a kink in my chain. I'm all of a sudden not the one in charge of the situation and planning effort! I should relax and take that as a good thing, but, I am a planner by birth. No denying that.
As it is with all trips, it's tough to foresee what will happen. It's best to wing it when you can, plan when you can, and let the rest just work itself out. That's what makes it an adventure right?
Anywho, I shall have numerous photos and hopefully some good stories when I get back.
Here we go!
