Team Kettle Chips

A chance to reflect

2009-01-01T12:24:00.001-08:00

I don´t know who created the calendar we used, or why they chose to break things up the way they did. Not that I care, but placing the turnover to a new year where it is seems a little odd. Why isn´t it scheduled with a solstice or equinox somewhere along the line? Or perhaps the day Pangea finally split apart? That was certainly the dawning of a new era, eh? We could celebrate that annually with parades, fireworks, and belligerence. But most importantly, why is the new year scheduled so inconveniently that I have to take the time right now to do this? Reflect.

Ok, so what to reflect on. Well, guess. What am I completely obsessed with such that it consumes most of my time, money, creativity, and all my time to think freely? Boating, of course. As I hang out down here in Chile and the new year encroaches, I´ve taken a chance to look back at the year I´ve had. 2008 was by far my best season of whitewater yet. In fact, it´s quite possible that I´ll never again live up to the season I´ve had. At least statistically speaking.

The following post is really more for myself than anyone else. But if you´re interested in my quick little recap of a great season, join on in.

Saddle Creek, Grand Canyon

The year started out for me waking up somewhere around mile 238 in the Grand Canyon. We made mamosas. Not because we were hungover, just alcoholics. But the important thing was being down there for three and a half weeks with 15 other great people.

It really is a very grand canyon

After the trip, I returned to Corvallis for the winter. Boating there didn´t happen for me, but I made plenty of trips south to Ashland or north to Portland to visit friends and explore the local rain-fed runs. By the time the term ended at OSU, I was done. I left Corvallis with my car and savings from the winter, with my eyes on very little beyond new rivers.

Ready for some All-Tracking

Oregon Hole Gorge, MF Smith

Overnighting the lower McCloud

I spent much of my time in Northern California, but also paddled about some in Oregon and Washington, with trips on the Illinois, Rogue, Canyon Creek, Mollala and White Salmon.

Peter Gandesberry, NF Cal-Salmon

Big Kahuna on Canyon Creek, WA

Ryan Morgan, NF Molalla hike-in

Oregon Rafting Team in the Cal-Salmon Race

Darin on one of many, many Box Canyon laps

My favorite move on my favorite run: Upper Clear Creek

Green Wall Rapid, Illinois River

As May ground onward, I found myself enjoying hot, sunny days from the Cal-Salmon to Pauley Creek.

Darin McQuoid, Kidder Creek

Disneyland rapid, SF Cal-Salmon

But after an unfortunate swim in Federal Falls at flood, I decided to take a little break from boating. Afterall, it was only a couple weeks before the commercial season started for me in Idaho. And it started with a bang.

I was a little thrown off by the colder weather and water when I put in on Marsh Creek in late May without pogies. But a couple days later, I was no longer risking frostbite and was happy to be kayaking on the Middle Fork at 6 feet with the OARS training trip. Over the course of those 13 days, I strung together the entire Salmon sequence, from Marsh Creek above 6,000 feet to Heller Bar on the Snake below 1,000. Altogether, the trip was over 300 miles long. As the Salmon was where I got my start with whitewater, it has always been a dream of mine to run do all three popular wilderness runs as one trip. As an extra bonus, I got to see Devil´s Slide at 40,000 cfs and have a first-hand account of the rapid that keeps people off the river at half that flow!

Dropping into the Slide at high water

It was a busy work season for me with leading several trips and spending a little too much time on the Lower Salmon instead of the Main and Middle Fork. Luckily, I was able to maintain sanity on days off with trips on the South Fork Salmon, Lochsa, and Kootenai rivers.

At the beginning of Summer, very few of us had concrete plans for the fall. Throughout the season, we would discuss options over cocktails at the guide house and ultimately, Mike, Zak and I agreed on Peru after our work was done. So just before I launched on another Grand Canyon trip, we bought tickets.

Mike and I ran a couple laps on the Green Truss on our way to LAX to meet with Zak and fly out. Getting our boats on the plane was a bit of a struggle, but everything worked out in the end and by October 7th, we were happily moved into a hostal in Cusco looking for the next river. Over the course of the next two months, we found our way down ten different runs including five overnighters. We topped off our stint in Peru with the classic Colca-Cotahuasi circuit and made tracks for Chile.

Toothache rapid, Apurimac River

Beers under banana trees at the takeout

Black Canyon, Apurimac River

Peruvian children loved our boats

Locked in to the Lucumayo

Portaging through Ollantaytambo

Figuring out the Mapacho

One of countless good rapids on the best river anywhere: the Mapacho

Mike and Zak had been in Chile four years ago, so they had a good idea of where to go. The day after arriving in town, I met up with some locals for a morning run on the local classic, the upper Palguin. It´s a short-and-sweet run with three clean drops, and I ran my first 20-footer that day. It was the perfect place to get used to running waterfalls, which have been the focus of most of our travels around Pucon. After a couple weeks hanging out in town with more runs on the Palguin, we took off for our Christmas road trip.

Falling on the Fuy

Allen on the Llancahue

Zak, Upper Palguin, Drop 2

Blue Angels on the Fuy

Zak finishing off the best rapid I´ve ever run. Río Gol Gol

Christmas day was my last day on the water for the season, with a great warm day on the Fuy. In the week leading up to it, we also ran the Llancahue, Gol-Gol, and the Negro. I ran the first rapid on the Lizan, but don´t quite count that as a full day of boating. So here´s the count:

Total days on the water: 174
Unique runs: 52
Personal first descents: 36
Gear lost/broken: 1 paddle, 1 helmet, 1 mosquito net, 1 cotton sock, some foam blocks, a door on Tupper´s Subaru.
Degrees of lattitude covered: 93
Runs missed out on that I´ll get next time: MF Feather, Clear Creek Headwaters, Bridge Creek, Wooley Creek, NF Feather, SF Yuba

Thanks for reading!

I just love this picture too much to not post it again!

Come out and vote!

2008-12-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

The new poll on TeamKettle requires a bit of an explanation, so here´s the latest update on my travels in South America. My return flight is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I have decided to stay down here longer so I can run the legendary Futaleufu River in the southern part of the country. Now I´ve encountered some obstacles with returning home.

After severals hours of outrageously intimidating phone conversations in spanish, I was finally able to speak with the right person at the airlines and successfully communicate my desire to change the date of my ticket. Much to my dismay, the charge for such a simple maneuver turned out to be much more that I had anticipated: somewhere around $1,000. And then I would still have to spend $150 and four days getting to Lima, a city I have no desire to return to.

So now my search has begun to find an alternative way to get home. Here are the options that jump out at me immediately.

1) Get a new flight
After a few minutes online, I was able to find a more affordable ticket one-way from Santiago to LAX. This would be the easiest, but least adventurous option imaginable.

2) Take a boat
I don´t really know anything about this one, but the travels of my uncles Bob and Rob have gotten me thinking: it could be pretty neat to spend 10 days cruising back north via the great Pacific Ocean, with a few days in port at various cities. But I would imagine a cruise to be a tad cost-prohibitive.

3) Drive
How stupid of me would it be to spend a bunch of money on a truck, plan on driving it the 10,000 kilometers back to California, then have it break down in Colombia, if it even made it that far? But I really do want one of the pickups everyone down here has......

4) Ride
Perhaps it would be even stupider (though cheaper) to buy a motorcycle, learn how to ride it, and spend a few weeks on the saddle working my way through all of South and Central America.

5) Hitch
Alternately, I could stick my thumb out there on the Pan-American Highway and see who I meet. It could save me a lot of money unless I get into some real trouble. Like a kidnapping or something!

6) Give up
It sure would be convenient if I just fell in love with some beautiful Argentinean lady who loved cooking and wanted to take me and my friends kayaking on a regular basis. Then I wouldn´t have to worry about this travelling nonsense.

So look over the options, think about them, and cast a vote in the little box in the right-hand column of the blog homepage. If you have another idea I haven´t yet considered, leave a comment. Let´s see how creative everyone can get!

The New Flavor on the Block

2008-12-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

I was wondering through our local market the other day. It was a normal shopping experience. But, as I was perusing the beer and chip aisle I was struck by a huge surprise. Kettle came out with a new flavor! Sweet Onion! Oh momma I was excited. Of course I bought a bag to acompany my six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and headed home. The pairing was great.
The chips are definitely more sweet then oniony, but have a perfect onion finish. I ate the whole bag and drank the hole six pack in the one sitting. I was left wanting more!

(photo courtesy of Kettle Foods)

Sweet Onion is a great new addition from Kettle Foods and I look forward to eating another bag soon!

Smalls Portugal?

2008-11-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite young rippers studying abroad in Portugal for this school year. Ben Smalls is an up-and-coming snowboarder, kayaker, mountain biker, and awesome dude. While Ben is in Portugal he is maintaining a really cool blog, so we wanted everyone to check it out!

The link is: Ben in Portugal

We hope you enjoy!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you saw last year's Halloween post, then you already know that Halloween in Ashland is a BIG deal. If you didn't then take our word for it. Much of Ashland, and those from far and wide, pour into the city center for a huge party in the plaza. Around 2,000 people show for the festivities in the downtown of our small town. Every bar is packed to the brim and the bartenders can hardly keep up with the demand of libations. Of course, we celebrated in style. Travis dressed as Oscar the Grouch. Verelle dressed as Ursula.

Río Mapacho: V - Day 4

2008-10-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

The gettin´ gits good!

As we staggered into camp the previous afternoon exhausted from portaging half of the last three km, we were pretty unenthused to see the next rapid. Just below camp, the river divided around, under, and through more big boulders in a steep drop. It seemed like the seives of Orange Canyon continued for quite some distance. Upon closer inspection, however, the rapid looked very manageable. We got to start our day off with a steep class V, one of the best rapids of the trip.

The rapid, dubbed ¨Buenas Dias,¨ was particularly intimidating because our warm-up consisted of a dicy seal launch and paddling around in a 20-foot pool above the rapid. The twisting channel was only about 5 feet wide and required a couple boofs into cross-currents, the second one landing between a sticky hole and an undercut. In the end, we all made our way through the rapid unscathed with big smiles, and started looking forward to the day to come.

Peruvian topo maps are most widely available in the 30´quadrangle series. The entire run on the Río Mapacho spans five of these maps; we were able to get one of them. Conveniently, we arrived on the map the day before, around lunchtime. The map indicated that our gradient was tapering off from the afternoon before, but we still had five kilometers to Puente Sahuay, the landmark indicating the end of Orange Canyon. In spite of a great wake-up rapid, we were fearing a torturous morning of portages.

Below Buenas Dias, the river indeed opened up. We took turns leading through class III boulder gardens until a horizon line where one of us got out to scout. It turned out to be another clean class IV with a great boof. Such was the character of the river for the next several miles. The enormous orange boulders disappeared and gave way to black gorge walls. We saw fewer and fewer undercuts and, to our delight, not a single portage.

Mike and Kase below Orange Canyon. You can sort of make out the elevation drop of the rapid hidden behind the river-right wall

We had a few more scouts and plenty of good class III/IV whitewater leading up to the welcome sight of the Puente Sahuay bridge.

The road doesn´t cross here, but does come within a few hundred feet of the river on the left. From here it switchbacks up and out of the canyon, into the neighboring Yantile River valley which is more populated. This is an optional take-out/resupply/evacuation point, but traffic is non-existent and the hike out would be....long.

Zak at Puente Sahuay

Below Puente Sahuay, we enjoyed several more miles of continuous, mindless class III boogey water. We were all able to relax a bit and pound out some much needed miles (We were already a full day behind the 7-day schedule.) We left Puente Sahuay around 10:30 and by noon, we were cold, hungry, and opted for a long lunch break. It may not have been the best time to subject ourselves to food comas, because some of the biggest whitewater of the trip waited just downstream. Just before lunch we stopped briefly to talk with a local who was setting up his fishing lines. He gave us a bunch of fresh oranges and avocados. When we inquired about what lay downstream, ¨mas saltos,¨(more waterfalls) he said. ¨Mas saltos.¨

We didn´t really know what to expect, but the topo map indicated a single kilometer dropping 50m, a gradient of 250 fpm. Shortly after lunch we saw why. We arrived at a major horizon line, with no view of the river below, except for the huge boulders and narrow canyon. Scouting looked great on the left so I made my way over to an eddy. Kase and Dave on the other hand, seemed to be considering boat scouting. Kase hovered just above the lip of the drop giving it a close look, then looked at us with a big grin and disappeared over the edge with a right boof stroke.

I didn´t know what to think, but Kase seemed to feel it was good to go. One by one, Dave and Zak followed suit and vanished. I joined Mike in the ¨scouting¨eddy and was able to see the rest of the team down below. About 20 vertical feet below. Intimidating as the gradient was, we were getting hand signals that it was clean. Mike dropped off next leaving me separated from the group by a steep, unscouted class V drop.

Mike on the entrance ledge. The boulders obsure the view of the bottom half of this drop.

From the pool above I couldn´t see much of the first drop, but they said boof left. I could see that the second part was a slide with a tight line between piton rocks and the right wall. After that, no ideas. So I took a couple breaths and went for it. I got a running start towards the lip and launched off the ten-footer with a hard boof. I kept the boat flat in the air, landed with a loud splat and started driving right for the next slide.

I don´t even remember the rest of the rapid. I went screaming past the other guys in an eddy below the slide and I vaguely recollect going deep into a pillow and resurfacing like a breaching whale, only upright. Or perhaps it was more like a dolphin saying ¨so long and thanks for all the fish.¨ Anyway, I kept the upside up and parked in a pool below feeling elated with what was by far the largest drop I´d ever run blind.

Mike on a rapid shortly below the big one

For the next half-mile or so, we continued to run class IV+ and V rapids without scouting, thanks to incredible probe work and good communication from Kase. Eventually the class V´s vanished and we kept momentum going through several miles of good class IV whitewater.

Mike evading focus but nailing a boof

Around three in the afternoon, we started looking for a camp and quickly stumbled upon a great beach hidden by boulders. We lost a lot of elevation today, and the canyon was starting to show signs of the jungle. Namely, a banana tree in camp, a small plot of coca (as in cocaine) plants, and spiders the size of my hand.

Río Paucartambo/Mapacho: V - Day 2

2008-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

The Fun Begins.........Then Ends Abruptly

If you haven´t read it, start with day 1.

We woke up in the morning, did our morning business, and eventually had our boats loaded up and on the water. Right out of camp we rounded a corner, passed under a swinging footbridge, and left the arid braided river valley for good. The vegetation turned distinctly greener, but was of course nothing compared to the jungle to come.

The river flowing through a greener canyon

We also got to some of our first rapids. The morning was mostly manky class III/IV with a few fun moves and no scouts. It proved perfect for our team to learn to paddle with each other and get used to the heavy boats. Since all the weight was in my stern, my Hero actually boofed pretty well several times, so I had that going for me.

One of the earlier boulder gardens

The day wore on slowly with more boulder gardens toward the afternoon. The whitewater already didn´t match the description we brought with us at all, but around 2 pm we arrived at what we presumed was the ¨first class V.¨

At our flow it wasn´t too difficult, but extra manky. The river divided and dropped steeply through a boulder garden with tight channels. We started boat-scouting through the first few meters. Kase and I went for a channel on the right while the other boys went left. I hung out in an eddy while Kase probed and soon he was out of sight.

I never saw him again to get beta and couldn´t tell if he was safely through the rapid. Dave on the other hand, was through and Mike gave me a signal that his side was fine, so I made my way back left. When I got there, Mike was out of his boat scouting. Zak seemed to be portaging. Dave and Kase were out of sight. Mike told me the line was scrapy, but fine and pointed me through a good channel to the next eddy.

Mike finishing off the steep rapid

I hopped out to scout the next drop while Zak continued dragging his boat around the drop. When Mike caught up to me, he filled me in on the situation. Zak had probed, gotten pinned, and dropped his paddle. It had taken off downstream so Dave and Kase had given chase looking for it.

Mike and I finished off the rapid, met Zak below, and got out Mike´s breakdown for him. The three of us then charged ahead, running one more scrapy class IV rapid before catching Dave and Kase. They hadn´t seen the paddle either. We doubted it could have stayed far ahead of us and imagined it was upstream still: in an eddy or pinned under a rock.

It was already 3:00 so we decided to camp there and search for the paddle for the rest of the afternoon. We split up to both sides of the river, leaving one person at camp to watch the river, and hiked back upstream. It was only a half-mile back up to the rapid, but still took us over an hour to scour the eddies. After thorough searching, we ultimately returned to camp defeated and prepared another dinner.

Gearing down at the end of the day

So there we were. After only eight days of paddling in Peru, we had already broken/lost two paddles between the four of us. Both of our breakdowns were now in use and we still had eight more days of reportedly difficult whitewater ahead of us with only a couple of known bail-out options. Kase still had a spare paddle, but I still went to sleep that night wondering if this Paucartambo mission was really such a great idea.......

on to day 3

Río Paucartambo/Mapacho: V - Day 1

2008-10-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

A Grand Farewell

It´s not like we knew any of them, but we seemed to be pretty big news for the residents of the colonial pueblo of Paucartambo. Hundreds of people gathered on the historic stone bridge and the village flood walls to watch our departure, ignoring the local parade a couple blocks over. Here were five gringos sitting in colorful plastic potatoes talking about travelling by river from their mountain town to the jungle 8,000 feet below. Since its first descent in 1986, there have likely only been about ten complete descents of the Paucartambo River, several of which have started further downstream and the end of the valley. It´s entirely possible that many of these locals have never seen kayakers before, hence their excitement to play with our equipment and wave us off into the canyon.

Anticipation for this trip had been building for over a month when we first discussed this run amongst other Peruvian destinations. Initially, I was only moderately serious about considering the Paucartambo. The three pictures I´d seen looked pretty, but write-ups warned of strenuous portaging over unstable landslides, continuous class V dropping 250 feet/mile, and something about an unscoutable, unportageable class VI gorge. However, as our team assembled and we acquired more beta, our hopes rose and we started planning our entire trip around running the Paucartambo before the rainy season hit.

This river goes by many names. Road maps and kayakers refer to it as the Paucartambo. Locally, it´s known as the Mapacho for much of its length until the final stretches where it winds through the jungle under the name Yavero. Our put-in was at nearly 10,000 feet above sea-level and over the course of 230 km (140 miles) the river drops to around 1,500 feet near the edge of the Amazonian Rainforest. Other teams had completed the run in five to eight days with full days on the water and strong teams. This is a full-on expedition with some fairly daunting statistics indeed.

Zak marvels at a trash avalanche into the river, reminding us that we´re still roadside

With our group of five, we chose to pack for ten days, nine nights on the water and take it slow, especially the first couple of days. The quantity of food in addition to our camping and emergency gear meant the heaviest boat I´d ever paddled. I had a trash bag full of bread sitting in my lap just to make everything fit in. Fortunately, the first day didn´t challenge us with any real whitewater.

Mike draws the attention of more locals downstream in the valley

After leaving the crowded bridge at Paucartambo, we started working our way through the 15 miles of braided channels and gravel bars in the lower end of this agricultural valley. After an hour or so, a local farmer waved us down to chat. We told him what we were up to and he offered us some of the hot boiled potatoes he was having for lunch.

Around 3:00, we had passed the town of Challabamba and the end of the real road, so we decided to call it a day. We found plenty of firewood to cook up our no-frills meal of soup and lentils, then got some rest for the next day´s whitewater.

on to day 2

Week 2: So far so good!

2008-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

We´ve been so busy getting used to Peru for the last couple weeks that I don´t even know where to begin. Our biggest obstacle with this entire expedition so far was just getting our boats down here. Most airlines accept large, fragile packages as excess baggage, but explicitly refuse to take kayaks. And as such we spent several hours at LAX trying to get around the regulations. Ultimately, after going through four levels of upper management, one mighty strong cocktail, plenty of sweet talking and much demonstrative boat kicking, we got on the plane.

Upon arriving in Lima, we were pleased to see that our boats had made it on the plane too. We were quite displeased, however, to see Lima. After we the plane decended through the clouds but before touching down, we all agreed that we needed to leave that city!

The climax of our time spent in Lima

We spent the day enriching ourselves in the culture with some Dominos Pizza, sprite, and scotch. The following morning, we were in the air again and bound for Cusco, one of the whitewater (and as it turns out, tourist) capitals of the country.

Cusco was much more in line with what we wanted out of a town. The hostels are abundant, restaurants cheap, and it has been easy to move around on foot. The local economy is also quite used to gringos and most people speak slowly and simply. Not that it helps me understand them, but is certainly an endearing gesture.

Mike and Zak enjoying the view of Cusco

By our second day in Cusco, Mike, Zak and I were packing for a three-day trip on the Rió Apurímac, one of the classic Peruvian whitewater trips. We were treated to excellent food courtesy of Mayuc Expeditions and had a terrific introduction to paddling in Peru with loaded boats.

A typical view on the drive to the put-in

Upon returning to Cusco, we were joined by Dave Kashinski, a friend of Mike and Zak´s from their previous trip to Chile in ´05. We quickly put together a day trip on the upper section of the Apurímac, known as Black Canyon. Our beta was limited on this section, but we scouted lots and had another great day on the water.

Plenty of good boating down here!

After our Apurímac exploits, we were invited back with Mayuc for the Tambopata river, a 6-day trip through the jungle. The Tambopata is a logistical nightmare and a terrific wildlife trip with minimal whitewater. Unfortunately, the aforementioned nightmare got in the way and we never got the opportunity to see said river. Instead we grabbed a cab to the Sacred Valley for a couple days of boating on the Urubamba.

A roadside view into the sacred Urubamba Valley

Somewhere along the line here, I looked up at the night sky and realized that every single star is new to my eyes. Still, the stars are about the most familiar sight down here. The change of scenery has been more than refreshing and the spirit of vacation has taken over. I´ve lost track of days of the week and even how long I´ve been here. Half the time we´re on the river. The other half, we´re figuring out how to get back on the river. Cusco has been a fun town to hang out in, but we´re all just about ready to leave.

Packing boats for overnighters

The entire gringo culture here is about going to Machu Picchu and the local culture is all about selling us things. The ¨handmade 100% alpaca¨ blankets are obviously fabricated. One woman sits on the stairs with the same half-knit sock each day to make it look like she´s making what she sells. Every ten steps someone is heckling us: selling paintings or weed or massages or suggesting the best bar for the night. But I don´t intend to trash talk Cusco. As I mentioned earlier, it has been very approachable for us. I´m just tired of explaining that I don´t want my shoes shined. They´re flip flops for god´s sake!

Zak getting ready for another day on the river

As I write, the other boys are back at the room packing for our next adventure, which may turn out to be the climax of our entire trip down south. Tomorrow we launch on the Río Paucartambo. The Paucartambo drops 8,000 feet of elevation over the course of 230 kilometers. It is likely that fewer than 20 teams of kayakers have ever completed this run. It´s not epically difficult, but has its fair share of challenges. We are planning on a 9 to 11 day trip, which is more than twice what any of us have done without raft support.

More beautiful and comitting canyon country

So for the next two weeks, no news is good news for us. We have spent lots of time preparing for this expedition and it promises to be one of my most memorable adventures. And on a completely different subject, no wonder south american teams always kick our asses at soccer:

This field is in the middle of nowhere at 14,000 feet. It looks like you could kick a ball off the edge of the world from here.

Spreading the Kettle love near and far

2008-09-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

The All-Trac in prime form

It feels like now is a pretty appropriate time to check back in and start blogging again. I keep hearing "Dan, why haven't you been posting on TeamKettle lately?", so there are two answers: 1) I just haven't had any big adventures lately that justify posting; or 2) I've been so busy doing super-cool exciting things that I just can't decide on one thing to write about. So here's the short version of my Spring/Summer. Check The Water Cycle for more detailed reports.

In March, I finished/dropped out of school and move back in with Travis & Verelle in Ashland. I spent the following two months driving the All-Trac around Califoregon with kayak on the roof and Kettle chips in the trunk. I got on several classic rivers this spring including the Smith rivers, NF Yuba, Pauley Creek, Kidder Creek, Clear Creek, and the Cal-Salmon. Additionally, I spent two days on a self-support trip down the Lower McCloud.

My new favorite move on Upper Clear Creek

Once late May rolled around, it was time to venture back to Idaho. I started the season off with a high-water 350-mile decent of the Salmon River. I launched on Marsh Creek with four other paddlers and ran down to Indian Creek Guard Station on the Middle Fork. There we joined the pre-season OARS-Dories training trip which ran for the next 11 days onto the main Salmon and down past Riggins. At the entrance to the Lower Gorge, all the rafts took off and my brother Mike and I self-supported in our kayaks running 75 miles in less than a day. With the river flowing 40,000 cfs, we were running the river higher than most people will ever see it: twice the flow where commercial outfits call off trips as a safety precaution.

About to get swallowed by Devil's Slide, 40,000 cfs

For the rest of the season, I guided a variety of oar rafts, paddle boats, and dories on the Snake and Salmon Rivers. It's my job, but I hate to call it work when summers are so much fun! The season was highlighted by several adventures such as safety kayaking for ROW on the Lochsa River, running the class IV South fork of the Salmon as a three-day self-support trip with other guides, and hiking in the Wallowa mountains of northeastern Oregon.

Lightweight Kettle Chips are crucial on overnight kayak trips

I am now back home in La Grande making final preparations for my next big adventure: Peru. My brother Mike, our friend/co-worker Zak, and myself are traveling to the Southern Hemisphere on October 5, where we'll spend the next three months with our kayaks searching out new rivers to explore. We don't yet have a very concrete itinerary, but several rivers are on our to-do list, including the Cotahuasi, Colca, Urubamba, Apurimac, and Paucartambo.

While down south, we will be facing many challenges including language, transportation, disease, and whitewater. For now, however, our big challenge is just getting down there. We have plane tickets for ourselves. Our boats are another story......Stay tuned for updates on the travel debacle!

Oregon's Top Ten Adventures

2008-09-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hello blog readers. I'm sure that we, Team Kettle has already made it painfully obvious that we love adventure. And while we still have considerably more journeying to do, we figured it was about time to create a post of our top ten adventures in the beautiful state of Oregon. We are not trying to be partial to the beaver state, it just happens to be the one in which we reside and play the most.
So, although these are not all adventures which we have participated in, YET, we believe that they are all worthy of being on our top ten.
Listed in no particular order, here they are:

#1 Kiteboarding the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River
If you are one of those individuals that enjoys being a trendsetter, get to your local water sport dealer and buy yourself a brand new kiteboard. Kiteboarding is a young sport, but is quickly growing in popularity. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, the kiteboarder straps a board to their feet, not unlike a wakeboard. The kiteboarder also holds a large kite, which they control, to propel themselves across the water.
According to nwkite.com, "the Hood River Sandbar is the only sandy kiteboarding launch in the Gorge, it is also one of the most consistently windy spots in the entire country." And who can resist an excuse to visit Hood River anyways. With their local breweries, Big Horse Brewing and Full Sail Brewing, and their conveniently close location to such beautiful orchards, Hood River is the ideal place to strap on a kiteboard, eat a bag of Sea Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips, and wash them down with a cold pint of local brew.
Kiteboarding instruction and gear is available from Big Winds.

#2 Rafting the Illinois River

With two members of our team being trained rafting guides, there was little question as to the best river to raft in Oregon. The Illinois is incredibly scenic and has fantastic rapids. And, according to our very own Dan, rafting the Illinois is "the most remote overnight rafting trip in the lower 48. For 33 miles, the river carves a steep canyon through the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area in southwestern Oregon before meeting with the Rogue. The 'river trail' is high up on the north rim and only comes down to water level once. The only way to see this canyon is from a boat. There are no roads, no houses, no damn jet boats, no hikers and, because the flow window is so narrow, usually no other boaters."
Sounds like an exciting and intimate rafting trip!
Of course, while rafting with a local guide company, like Momentum River Expeditions, we recommend warming up around your campfire with a bag of Death Valley Chipotle. Spicy!

#3 Cycling the Vineyards of Willamette Valley - The Vine Ride

Any avid cyclist in the Portland area can attest to the beauty of seeing beautiful, rolling hills, blanketed in row upon row of fertile grape vines around every winding corner.

You can go for an intense century ride that includes a hilly loop around Henry Hagg Lake. Or opt for a more leisurely ride through some of Willamette Valley's small communities, like Dundee, Carlton, and Yamhill, being sure to stop at some of the wine studios for tastes of their world-class wine. Wether you are a dedicated cyclist, or just looking for a relaxed and scenic cruise, the Willamette Valley has something to offer everybody.

You can participate in the Vine Ride that happens each August, or plan a route of your own (Willamette Valley Wineries Association is helpful). Either way, if you pack a bag of Tuscan Three Cheese chips to munch on, you will surely feel as though you are gliding through the hills of Burgundy, France.

#4 Climbing Smith Rock

Just north of Redmond in Central Oregon is world-class climbing at Smith Rock.

With more than 1500 routes, Smith Rock State Park offers beginning through advanced climbing routes. Even if you don't climb, the park is a beautiful place and worth a stop.

There are also too many other attractions near the park to even mention, but if you are fortunate enough to also see a concert at Bend's Les Schwab Amphitheater while on your climbing trip, then you are really in for a treat.

If you do climb Smith Rock, we highly recommend that you bring along a bag of Cheddar Beer chips. Savor the view, savor the flavor!

#5 Fly Fishing the Deschutes River

About 2 hours west and slightly south of Portland is the small town of Maupin. The town is a bueaty, and people come from all over to fly fish near the portion of the Deschutes river that runs through the town. The trout and steelhead fishing is world-class.

The river also has something to offer rafters: class I-IV rapids!

The town is also very quiet and relaxing; so a trip to the Deschutes, wether for fly fishing, rafting, or nibbling a bag of Sour Cream Onion & Chive potato chips, is always worth the drive.

If you are looking for a great guide, we recommend Charles "Chuck" Gehr or any of the other helpful folks at Deschutes Angler.

#6 Mountaineering Mount Hood

If you are looking for some real, hardcore adventure, consider summiting Mount Hood.

At 11,249 feet tall, Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon and is home to twelve glaciers. About 10,000 people attempt the climb each year.

The best time to climb Hood is in April, May and June. It is necessary to be in great physical condition to do the climb. For those who are not experienced mountaineers, it is crucial to hire a guiding service. They can provide you with necessary equipment and skills, and even a ride halfway up the mountain. The Mazamas Organization has a lot of great information.

Wether you pack it to the top, or enjoy it afterwards, a bag of Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper chips is absolutely necessary to reward yourself.

#7 Surfing at Otter Rock

Most folks don't typically think of the Oregon Coast when they think of hanging ten. But as long as you are outfitted with a proper wetsuit and booties (and maybe even gloves and a hood), the Oregon Coast is a great place to catch a few waves. Typically, even the hotspots are not too crowded, and the other surfers tend to be far friendlier than those found in other surfing Meccas around the world.

Otter Rock State Park is located south of Lincoln City, and north of Newport. It is about 2 hours from Portland, and well worth the drive.

If you are just getting started surfing (or even if you've been doing it for years), the dudes and dudettes at the Oregon Surf Shop have always been incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. They can help you with gear rentals or purchases, and they provide lessons. Bring them a bag of Spicy Thai chips, and they might be your friend for ever (just don't forget to bring a bag for yourself as well). They are also a great place to stop and get a picture of yourself riding the giant fiberglass wave that sits next to the store.

#8 Snowboarding/Skiing Willamette Pass

You might have expected to see snowboarding or skiing on the list of Top Oregon Adventures, given that all members of Team Kettle are ski bums. But you may not have expected us to choose one of Oregon's smaller mountains for the list.

We chose Willamette Pass because, while it is a smaller mountain, they do have a six-person chair lift, along with four tripples, a tube lift, and a magic carpet. They have a small, cozy lodge and the very friendly staff is certainly worth mentioning. Day passes are also very inexpensive at $40 for an adult day pass (compare to Meadows on Mt. Hood at $54-$69!).

Willamette Pass is a great choice for families, college students, or anybody looking to make some turns and avoid the big mountain crowds and mentality. It is 70 miles east of Eugene on Highway 58, almost halfway to Bend. Bring two bags of New York Cheddar with Herbs, one for the ride up, and one for the ride down.

#9 Hiking at Crater Lake

Going for a hike at Crater Lake National Park is for EVERYONE! The trails around this gem range from very easy to difficult.

You could begin with hikes Annie's Creek Trail or Castle Crest Wildflower Garden (1.5 hours and 45 minutes, respectively); each offer gorgeous views of wildflowers and butterflies in the late spring and early summer.

Next, step it up a notch with a necessary hike: Garfield Peak. The hike begins at the historic and majestic Crater Lake Lodge, and offers some of the best views of the deepest lake in the U.S.

If you are feeling ambitious then hiking Mount Scott is recommended. The summit, also the highest point at Crater Lake National Park, offers views of the lake, the east side of the park, and the Klamath Basin. There is also a fire lookout at the summit.

Crater Lake is AMAZING. And we could go on and on about it, but you really should just see it for yourself. Pack up the hiking shoes, a day's supply of Buffalo Bleu chips, and your friends or family, and spend at least a whole day taking in the views of this incredible park.

#10 Crane Hot Springs in Burns

Most people think of the lush forests, mountain peaks, and abundant streams and rivers when they think of Oregon. But often overlooked and forgotten is Eastern Oregon's high deserts, that make up a very large portion of the state.

Hot Springs are very abundant in Eastern Oregon. And since this part of the state IS so often overlooked, it is also a great place for a quiet, often secluded, and inexpensive trip. One of the best places to begin that trip is Burns, Oregon.

After hiking Steens Mountain above the Alvord Desert, relax in the natural and soothing hot springs at Crane Hot Springs. Swim in the natural outdoor spring reservoir and take in the sensational desert scenery. Or opt for the private and enclosed soaking tubs to enjoy the mineral-rich waters.

Cabins and camping are available for this retreat, but BYOCBPC (Bring Your Own Classic Barbeque Potato Chips), because unfortunately, they do not keep them on hand.

There are so many more Oregon Adventures, like mountain biking Mount Ashaland, dog sledding in Bend or horseback riding on the coast; obviously too many to mention. We recommend trying a few, on the list or others, and letting us know which ones you think are the best.

Canada in Seattle?

2008-09-09T17:23:00.001-07:00

Teamkettle has been nervous lately about the current state of things within the government. One particular concern has been over the presidential elections that is currently going on. So, we decided to set up a back up plan just in case McCain wins the election. Travis is a first generation descendant of a Canadian citizen, therefore he is eligible for Canadian citizenship. However, in order to gain his citizenship there was a lot of paperwork and applications to be completed, and in order to get everything completed he and his brother made a trip to Seattle.

Why Seattle? Because Seattle is the nearest location with a Canadian Consulate. Since they were going to one of the premier cities in the Pacific Northwest they had to stay true to form and do some playing.

The first activity on the docket was America's past time. A baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics. The discovery of how expensive a pint is at a baseball game was quickly discovered, but that didn't slow down the fun. After a few pints and a basket of fish-n-chips (complimentary from the extremely intelligent staff at the concessions stand) the game was under way, and at the end of the nine innings the Mariners were victorious and Travis and Brad were ready for their next portion of adventure.

Next on the agenda was going to the Pike Street Market. Pike Street is famous for it's fish markets along with an array of other fresh produce, flowers and hand made products. Pike Street Market is a must see place if you are going to Seattle. Remember to watch out for flying fish.

With the buzz from the game wearing off and with hunger setting in Travis and Brad had to find a place to eat and grab another classic pacific northwest pint of beer. The Pike Brewing Company it was!

The Pike Brewing Company has some of the friendliest staff around, and that doesn't even begin to compare to how good their beers are. There was no bar hopping to be done because Travis and Brad could not imagine any place being more fun or having better beer. Knowing that the next day was going to consist of paperwork and playing the waiting game at the consulate the boys made sure to play it up.
The next day feeling a little bit tired from the fun the night before they set out to make their Canadian Citizenship official. Thanks to help from the Constable their paperwork along with baby nephew Jonah's paperwork was complete and submitted. Knowing that they would be receiving their citizenship card in about nine months made both of them, along with the rest of Teamkettle, very happy!

Hopefully they can still get enough Kettle Foods products to satisfy them if they have to make the great migration north!

Will!!!

2008-09-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Will came back to the pacific north west recently under the premise he had to work a trip, but we know that it was really to visit Teamkettle!

Will has been having another great summer guiding rafts in Idaho for Idaho River Journeys (IRJ). We can't wait for him to come back again.

We Love Will!

Crater Lake Part 2

2008-08-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

...we continue our saga of the 50th Anniversary trip to Crater Lake on Saturday, August 9th.

Several members of the Caldwell clan woke up bright and early. Was it because they are crazy? Partly. And they had 6.7 miles to run/walk. This is an organized event: The Crater Lake Rim Run. Participants may run 6.7, 13, or 26.2 (marathon) miles, or walk 6.7 miles.

All five Caldwell family members that participated received a medal for finishing in the top three in their age group for their respective events. Congratulations!

Later Saturday, after some wonderful family photographs by Joe Ramos from Beyond Images Photography, we all went to dinner together at the lodge. The lodge does a fantastic job of utilizing local and natural ingredients. All of the dinners we tasted were very tasty.

After dinner we were treated to celebratory cake, one carrot and one chocolate. Yum!

Cakes made by Shanon Rodrigues.

The long and happily married couple share a smooch before cake.

Before departing the next morning, we all gathered once more for another hike. This time down to the lake.

There is only one way to get down to the actual lake. Cleetwood Cove is a steep (11% grade) and dusty 2.2 mile (round trip) hike.

The trip is WELL worth it. The views from the bottom are fantastic, and the opportunity to swim in a lake with some of the cleanest and clearest water in the world is not one to be missed!

Just don't forget to pack down a bag of Kettle Chips. You'll be chilly after jumping into that icy water!

What a fantastic way to end such a fun weekend!

Crater Lake Part 1

2008-08-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Travis and Verelle made their way to Crater Lake for the celebration of Travis' grandparent's 50th Anniversary. This was truly an epic trip thanks to Travis' father, Bob, for planning the trip, and Kettle Foods, for very generously providing sufficient supplies of Kettle Chips!

The weekend started out beautifully on thursday with a hike on Annie's Creek Trail, just inside the south entrance of Crater Lake Park. The trail has a steep descent to the creek, then follows the creek, allowing for spectacular views of wildflowers and tumbling brooks. The entire trail is an easy 1.7 miles, round trip.

The Caldwells are a competitive bunch. Here they are competing in the cold foot contest!

Next on the itinerary was a picnic in Goodbye Campground. We munched on Kettle Chips and finger foods. Here is the happy couple posed with their favorite flavors.

With a little exercise in our legs and food in our belly, we were more than ready for a little rest. We stayed at the lodge at Crater Lake, which is perched right on the rim of the lake, and is spectacular both inside and out.

Thanks to Kara Caldwell for this photo!

Early the next morning the whole crew gathered for a hike to Garfield Peak. The trail begins at the lodge and finishes at a crest that overlooks the lake. Round-trip, this trail is 3 miles and a moderate climb.

The views from the top are spectacular. Just don't forget to bring some Kettle Chips to snack on at the top.

After finishing the hike on Friday, we had plenty of time to unwind and enjoy lake, lodge, and all that surrounds it. Travis rode from the lodge to the north entrance of the park. Verelle enjoyed the views and played an eventful game of Cranium with other Caldwell's.

To be continued...

Bend, Greg & Heidi's Wedding, and Cascade Classic Bike Race

2008-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since Travis and Verelle had taken Scarlet out for her birthday instead of celebrating their anniversary, they now had to decide what to do to celebrate the fact that their marriage had lasted a whole year. Wow!

Idea's were not lacking, but the decision was made to celebrate the successful first year in Bend. The decision was made because Verelle was photographing the wedding of Greg and Heidi Wacker. And Travis and Verelle believe that you CAN mix business with pleasure. The Mill Inn Bed and Breakfast was booked and the fun was to begin.

Travis later found out that Levi Leipheimer was going to be racing in the Cascade Classic Bike race, scheduled to take place while the happy couple were in Bend. The anniversary trip would be spent much the same way that the honeymoon was (i.e. Travis worrying about men in lycra shorts and Verelle reading!). Despite this fact the weekend was not a loss.

The wedding was a blast with the Moon Mountain Ramblers, a bluegrass/folk band, playing into the wee hours of the night.

Travis managed to take Verelle out to a nice restaurant every night, do some shopping with her, and even enjoy a nightcap bag of Kettle Chips next to Mirror Pond in downtown Bend.

And, Verelle managed to allow Travis to watch some bike racing.

Bend is one of the many gems of Oregon. It is abundant with hiking, biking, paddling, and skiing opportunities. Bend is also home to Deschutes Brewery, Bend Brewing Company, McMenamins, Silver Moon Brewing Company, and Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, all of which brew up a mighty fine drink. Most of them even have restaurants to accompany them, with local fare. For beer outdoor enthusiasts, beer lovers, and even foodies, this town is heaven!

Happy Anniversary!

Scarlet't Birthday! oh yeah, and Travis & Verelle's 1 year anniversary

2008-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, last year Travis and Verelle got married. The date that they had picked happened to be Scarlet's Birthday. Scarlet very politely put the wedding ahead of her birthday and did not celebrate it. Team Kettle has felt very indebted to Scarlet for her roll in the wedding and have been very great full to her for sacrificing for the team.

Therefore, the decision was made to delay celebrating the anniversary of the wedding and to make Scarlet's birthday the concentration of the day. Travis and Verelle started the day by taking Scarlet to Water Works Park in Redding California.

After Water Works Park the crew went and ate at the In & Out Burger joint and made the drive back to Ashland where they went out to Thai Pepper for dinner with Travis's work crew. After the very tasty dinner the threesome, and a few new recruits continued the fun at Standing Stone. With the night progression being fairly typical the group then ended up at the Hong Kong for Mojito's! The group and severally shrank, but the enthusiasm had not. But, all good things must come to and end, and eventually the group had to split up and go to their respective homes. Despite the evening being complete a good time had been had by all and all had a good time!

Happy Birthday Scarlet! Oh yeah, and happy anniversary Travis & Verelle.

Grad Weekend Epic's

2008-06-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

For Travis's graduation we had two adventures occurring simultaneously. One, was a weekend of cycling that he had planned, and the second was the bbq/party the day of the ceremony.

Travis went on a bike ride Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On his ride on Friday he was joined by his dad (Bob), his uncle (Greg), Cullen, Tim, Bob, and Gary. The seven of them set off at a screaming pace where the covered their first three miles in forty five minutes. Tim got a flat in the first mile and it took twenty minutes to fix it. Then, Gary ran into the entrance barrier of the bike path. Luckily the 3 foot tall post didn't damage Gary or his bike. After the group finally got rocking and rolling they covered 70 miles and climbed over 4000 feet.

Saturday was the day of fun. Travis's ceremony went from 9 am until 11:30am. Right after the ceremony he set out on his bike again. This time he was accompanied by his dad, Cullen, Tim, and Richard. The did a shorter ride but still a solid ride of two hours, 30 miles, and over 2000 feet of climbing. Directly upon their return the BBQ/Party was under way. Everyone who was anyone was at the party. There was even a piñata at the party.

(Video Credit: Nina Caldwell)

Sorry about your 5 iron Dan!

After a long day and night of fun Travis was up early at 5 am to cook breakfast before his third and final bike ride of the weekend. The Sunday ride was probably the most difficult of the weekend. The group consisted of his dad, his uncle, Cullen, Tim, and Caleb. The ride was a 55 mile ride where the group climbed almost 5000 feet.

All-in-all the graduation weekend was as epic as you would come to expect from Team Kettle. Now there is only one member of Team Kettle left to graduate and we will be looking forward to next year when we can celebrate her graduation.

Graduation '08

2008-06-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

A post by Travis:

Graduating has stirred a long time love-hate relationship within me. I have wanted to graduate for quite some time. Of course, that is to be expected when it took me six years to complete my degree. However, I cannot say that I was excited about the ceremony of graduation. Graduation ceremonies have seemed like a pointless tradition that was outdated, overrated, and awkward.

As I stood in alphabetical order within my major before we were escorted into the football stadium awkward was the best way to describe how I felt. Hot might be a better adjective, but that was more due to the black robes. But once I was sitting out in the field with the rest of my graduating class I felt more pride then I had expected to. As the guest and student speakers gave their spiels I couldn't help but feel proud for myself and all the other graduates that day.

As much as I had been dreading going through the ceremony I ended up enjoying it that much more. Now, don't get me wrong, the ceremony was long, hot, and I wanted to be somewhere else. However, I could not be happier that I sat through the speeches and then walked across the stage to receive the piece of paper that says "this is not your diploma."

Lava Beds National Monument

2008-05-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Team Kettle made a quick trip this weekend to Lava Beds National Monument along with our friend Emilie. Lava Beds National Monument is in Northern California and Southern Oregon. It is about two and a half hours from I-5, just about an hour outside of Klamath Falls in Southern Oregon.
The first stop in our trip was at Petroglyph Point. This is where the Modoc Indians, that once inhabited the land, paddled out in boats on the lake that used to exist to a volcanic tuff island, and carved symbols into the soft rock.

We also stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this area.

Next we arrived at our camp site. For only $10 a night this place is a steal, and has a truly incredible view.

Finally we got to explore the caves. The caves vary greatly in difficulty, from a cave with a lighted path to those where you must duck and crawl.

This was a fantastic overnight trip for Team Kettle. The geology is stunning. The history is fascinating. The views are breathtaking. We strongly recommend this trip. And we strongly endorse enhancing the trip with a bag of Death Valley Chipotle chips!

sustainable |səˈstānəbəl|

2008-05-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Team Kettle wants to be more like Kettle Foods: sustainable (and awesome, but we’ll get to that later). Kettle Foods is all about conserving our natural resources by using renewable energy and putting the less-than-perfect potato chips and potatoes back to work on farms. We thought it would be great if we tried just a little harder to be a more sustainable ourselves.
Our first step in this quest was to start using a clothesline. This cuts way back on energy used by a regular tumble dryer. It is also probably one of the easiest ways to conserve energy and dramatically reduce your electricity bill (or save your laundromat quarters). Plus your laundry will smell like “spring breeze”.
Our next step was to start a compost. We just happened to have this wonderful compost bin in our yard, but you can build your own or use numerous other recycled materials for your container. Like us, you will quickly be amazed at how much food waste your household produces, and eventually, what beautiful soil all that waste produces. There are many online guides to help get your compost going, and many more friendly people at your local grange or growers market that would be more than happy to help.

Team Kettle’s next and most important step in our tiny mission to help save the planet was to plant a mini garden. Dan and Travis built 3 small (about 2’ x 2’) raised beds. Verelle added the soil and plants. Herbs, flowers and veggies were planted. Starters were bought at the weekly growers market and more starters and soil were purchased from the local grange co-op. We were all surprised at how simple and fun the whole process has been so far.

Growing your own food is one of the best things that we all can do for the planet, no matter how small of a space you have. Lots of food can be grown even in the smallest containers. Just imagine if everybody grew their own tomatoes. Think of all the fuel that would be saved transporting the tomatoes from the farm to the grocery store to your home! More importantly, think of the tasty bags of Backyard Barbeque chips that you could eat while working in the yard!

This is what happens when you grow catnip.

If anyone figures out how to grow a bag of Kettle Chips, please contact us IMMEDIATELY! We have a generous cash reward awaiting you.
This is our now-more-sustainable little urban yard.

Team Kettle Gets Recognized

2008-04-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

We're a shy bunch here on Garfield Street in Ashland and have been too timid to tell the folks at Kettle how we feel. I guess we were worried they wouldn't reciprocate our love. That was all proven wrong when we received an e-mail the other day from Kettle Foods Brand Ambassador Jim Green saying Kettle Foods loves Team Kettle!

Evidently, Kettle Foods discovered us with a little aid from our friend Wes Barnhart, and as a token of their love, sent us a few bags of assorted chip flavors. As a token of ours, we're eating them, raving about all of their great flavors, and continuing to be their biggest fans.

Here at Team Kettle, we'd like to thank Jim and the rest of Kettle Foods for their recognition and making wholesome, delicious snacks, and Wes for spreading the word.

Have your chips and eat 'em too!

2008-03-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Kettle chips aren't just for snacking. They are for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the most important part of the food pyramid. We played around in the kitchen and came up with a couple recipes that include our favorite ingredients: Kettle chips!

Not yo' Mamas Tuna Casserole

2-6 oz cans tuna
2-14 oz cans kernal corn, drained
2 cans mushroom soup
1-9 0z bag Buffalo Bleu Krinkle Cut Kettle chips

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Next, cover the bottom of a 9x12 casserole dish with broken chips, about half of the bag.
Cover with the tuna mixture.
Top with the remaining chips, broken.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit.
Serve with Standing Stone's Common Sense, or your favorite local brew.
Serves 6, or 4 really hungry college students.

"Breakfast" Cookies

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup crushed Lightly Salted Kettle chips

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Mix in the vanilla, flour and chips.
Drop small balls onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 7-12 minutes (depending on cookie size)
Pretend like cookies are nutritionally sufficient and enjoy for breakfast.
Best served with a glass of chocolate milk.

Spring Break at Timberline

2008-03-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Once again Team Kettle members were blest with late season powder. We, Verelle and Travis rode at Timberline ski resort on Mount Hood for our spring break vacation. We were able to ride for two days. With 13 inches of freshy on Thursday and 3 (a lot more during the day) on Friday we had endless runs of untracked lines.

We did our usual late night drive from Ashland on Wednesday and stayed at our Aunt and Uncle's house in Newberg. Kyle, Verelle's step-brother, met up with us for our first day of riding. Kyle is new to the sport of snowboarding and this was only his second time riding a lift, but he is picking it up quickly and by the end of the day was flying down the hill and having a blast. We primarily rode the newest lift at Timberline, which is also the longest lift in the state. Jeff Flood offers access to the largest portion of terrain on the mountain and we tried to ride all of it. We got hooked on one run and completed it a good 10 times. After riding Mt. Ashland it is a treat to ride long runs that offer so much variety in terrain.

Snow so deep he can't see his feet!

Hoodoo

2008-03-29T19:22:00.001-07:00

Hoodoo! Hoodoo!! Hoodoo!!! Incredible snow, terrain, and a friendly ski/board patrol are the memories we will retain from this small Oregon ski resort.

We got lucky again with late season fresh snow. This team trip included Cullen, Brad, Steph, and baby ninja Jonah! We were stoked to have them join the team for some turns. After eating an unpleasant breakfast in Sweet Home we journeyed out Santiam Pass to the ski resort. We were all excited to see the parking lot practically empty and a lot of fresh snow on the ground.

With a high speed quad chair that allows for access to whole mountain it was easy to quickly learn our around. The views from the summit are indescribable.

Dan and Travis taking in the views at the summit.

Cullen and Dan taking a break in the basin.

Cullen goes for a little air.

Travis taking on a cliff.

Dan looks rad on his skis.

Willamette Pass

2008-03-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday March 13th Team Kettle went on a team trip to Willamette Pass Ski Resort . We were accompanied by our good friend Angela Bombacci on this trip, and it was the first time riding at Willamette Pass for all of us.
Angela, Verelle, and I left Ashland around 10 pm and arrived in Corvallis at Dan and Cullen's place around 1:30 am. Going to bed right away was not an option because Thursday was the fourth annual Irish Car Bomb night. After a couple beers and a Car Bomb we all crashed on the living room floor.
We had a late start to the day due to the late night we had, we managed to be at the ski resort by 11:30 am. Even still there was plenty of fresh powder to spare.
The snow was amazing. It was very light and plenty deep. The forest that Willamette Pass is in is very mature and had little to no underbrush which meant amazing tree runs for us. The tree's are spaced out perfectly and we got some of the best tree runs we have ever had. Willamette Pass is also home of the steepest run in the state of Oregon. Dan and I ventured down the 52 degree slope, and it was definitely steep.
We rode hard until 4 pm and then jammed it back to Corvallis and dinner at Mcmenamins. The combination of good snow, good friends, and awesome hosts (thank you Cullen and Dan!) made for an awesome trip. Willamette Pass is a resort we will definitely ride again soon!

Enjoying a lunch break.

The lodge at Willamette Pass.

One of the many beautiful trails.

Washougal River: III (IV)

2008-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jan. 11th, it rained. It rained a lot in the Columbia Gorge region. It rained enough for the Washougal river in southern Washington to get pretty high. What is normally a class II/III- residential run had turned into a fast big-water section. Even with the extra water, the run was mostly class II with a couple III's and one class four: Big eddy. The one rapid was fun with big waves and holes scattered across the river for a few hundred yards. Other than that, the most difficult part was the put-in.
Ryan convinced us to launch on the NF of the Washougal, which would add an extra mile of river and some excellent play waves. The access here is decent for kayaks, but challenging for rafts. We ended up belaying the boat down a hillside until it got stuck. From there we played around with throw ropes off the bridge for a while until we could finally board the raft.

Once we launched, the river was very fast. In the first mile we encountered several outstanding surf waves. Unfortunately, I was in my creekboat and couldn't take full advantage of the playboating all down this run. I was able to surf my Huka on some of the longer, faster waves however where displacement hull got up on plane.

Ryan enjoying one of the smaller features.

Further downstream, there were many more small surf waves with great eddy service, such as the one pictured above. I had trouble staying on the waves with my sluggish boat, but Will and Danielle in the raft did just fine.
We made our way to the take-out without incident, other than me flailing through some of the big water in a boat designed for steep creeks. Damn, I shoulda brought a playboat! As per usual, beer and kettle chips awaited us at the take-out and we gladly indulged.

I would consider this run fairly comparable to Lake Creek into the Siuslaw River, only without the world-class playspots. It's best when it's high, the rapids are all pretty easy with one big class IV, the river is littered with surfing waves, but consequences are fairly high. With the wide, fast river, a swim could easily mean a lost boat. This is not a run for kayakers with unpredictable rolls. Be careful out there and have fun!

Bavarian Night!

2008-02-06T20:41:00.001-08:00

You all voted on where Dan would sleep on Bavarian. The majority of you voted on Dan sleeping in Jail, but he out foxed you again. Dan did sleep in a tent, with two other, not so stranger, people from the Mt. A ski school. Zana brought so many blankets she could have survived a night on Everest, and Colin well Colin made it into the tent mostly. Colin decided it would be best for him to sleep half-way in the tent and with his goggles on. Good decision Colin.

The two main highlights of Bavarian night are the Torch Light Parade (drunk skiers and riders are entrusted with roadside flares that have ski-poles attached to them) and the fireworks that proceed it. Mount A Ski School Director Robert directed the parade this year, and while it was not as organized as it has been in the past it still wound its way majestically down the mountain. The fireworks went off in a big bang. The fireworks almost didn't happen this year due to the high wends experienced earlier in the day.

After the "official" festivities were over the majority of the participants still hanging out went to the back side of the mountain where a bomfire lite up the nights ski. The party went deep into the night and the hangovers went through the next day.

Well see you again next year Bavarian night!

Big water on the Smith River, CA

2008-01-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend of January 12th and 13th, we had another marvelous SOU Whitewater Club event. Will and Leland came up from Ashland, Tanner, Johnny and I came down from Corvallis, and we met up in the Smith River drainage. The Smith lies is the far northwestern corner of California near Crescent City and Jedidiah Smith State Park. It is the longest free-flowing river system the the state and has beautiful pristine water, even when it gets high.

On Saturday, we left early and ran the North Fork, a 14-mile wilderness run with a 2-hour shuttle drive in. We had fantastic flows on this run and everything went extremely well. We were joined for the day by Todd Merrill, a fellow kayaker from Grant's Pass. The North Fork was running almost 14 feet on the pipe gauge in Gasquet, making it extremely continuous with tons of big holes, crashing waves, and amazing surf. We scouted a couple of the drops and had an altogether beautiful day on the river.

That night we stayed in Gasquet at a friend's house (you rock, Tom!) and woke up early for another run the next day. Sunday Todd came back out and brought his girlfriend Sasha to paddle in the raft. We scouted the roadside run on the Middle Fork and made ambitious plans to combine three separate runs for a total of 14 miles. The gauge at the the river's mouth was reading around 13,000 cfs, so we had plenty of water to make things exciting!

We started things off with the Patrick's Creek run, a six-mile stretch of class II-III with one class IV rapid near the beginning called Cal-Trans. At our higher flows, there were several more class IV rapids we ran without scouting and the run got very continuous!

Will and the raft crew running Cal-Trans rapid

It was super fun and we avoided any carnage. If you wander down here at high flows, be extremely cautious: there are lots of willows growing in the river channel that create strainers. Don't be afraid to scout.

Will punching a hole

As a heads up, the biggest rapids occur just below the first bridge, just above the third bridge, and right after the highway gets cantilevered out over the river for the second time.

The Patrick's Creek run ends at the confluence with the North Fork at Gasquet, where the Gasquet/Mary Adams run begins. These six miles are pretty slow overall with the only flatwater on the whole stretch. Still, a couple rapids kept us all entertained. The calmer nature made for a good rest before we dropped into Oregon Hole Gorge.

The gorge is the final flush of the Middle Fork before it joins the South Fork and meanders its way to the ocean. The canyon gets sheer and narrow and gradient steepens dramatically. We had scouted the run from the highway earlier that day and determined that it was runnable, but looking at it from 200 feet above the river doesn't really do justice to the size of features in there. At this point, our flow was probably between 6000 and 7500 cfs. The run is generally rated class IV, but one guidebook calls it class V above two grand...

The entry rapids to the gorge are normally insignificant, but transformed into long monstrous wave trains with our stout flows. The gorge itself is very short and only contains a half mile of serious whitewater, but four class IV rapids are jammed into that stretch after the aforementioned entrance waves. We pulled over to scout the first rapid and discovered that the first three rapids were virtually indistinguishable from one another. It was now just a single 300-yard long class V cataract with big lateral waves exploding off each bank. the best line involved avoiding a few laterals, punching others, and using the rest to surf you from side to side.

I led the charge and lost track of which lateral I was in halfway through the rapid and got slammed by an unexpected feature. I went over and swirled around for a bit, rolling up just in time to recognize a big feature off the right wall. I avoided it and caught an eddy before the last two holes of the rapid. I looked upstream and, to my horror, saw Todd's boat bobbing along with him swimming 20 yards away. Thinking "people first, gear second," I watched his kayak bob past me knowing we may never see it again. Todd was able to make it to shore himself and I plucked his paddle out of the current. Soaked and exhausted, Todd crawled out of the water on to the bank. Will came down with the raft after a clean run and eddied out just below us.

We were really lucky here, as Todd's boat went about 50 feet further downstream and got stuck in a little pocket against the wall, right below where Will's raft was. With a little rope work and the help of the raft crew, I got a line on Todd's boat and extracted it. No gear was lost in the rescue and once Todd was recuperated, we continued to downstream to face the final drop.

Oregon Hole rapid is the namesake of the gorge and creates a very intimidating horizon line. The scout provides an even more intimidating view. The rapid starts with a river-wide six-foot ledge with massive holes. From there most of the water pushes left into a retentive hole backed up by a rock. Todd was the least excited to see this drop after his swim and none of us saw any particularly inviting lines. After a little pondering, I decided to gamble with a narrow seam that split the two worst holes in the ledge, but would likely flush and position me well to avoid the big hole at the bottom. Once in my boat again, I was reminded of the sharpness of the drop. I couldn't see any features on the ledge, so I went upstream, peeled out, and lined up off the right bank where I guessed the seam to be.

As I gathered downstream momentum and committed to the drop, I picked out a tiny breaking wave that was my marker. One draw stroke later, I was looking down at the deep seam and hauling ass into it. I pulled a delayed boof stroke and dug deep on landing. I came flying out of the ledge barely getting my head wet and traveling toward the lower hole. I turned quickly and paddled hard to make it through the rapid unscathed. Todd followed suit with a great line.

Will loaded up his crew and had a different route. He punched the softest part of the ledge on the far left, then pulled hard back right to avoid carnage at the bottom.
Everyone stepped up for this last rapid and we congratulated each other in the eddy below before paddling the last half-mile to the take out. Another great weekend on the river!

Enjoy the video:

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River

2008-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

25 days
300 miles
a couple thousand feet of elevation drop
1.6 billion years of preserved rock record.
The Grand Canyon. Most boaters regard this as the ultimate rafting trip in the world. I've been hearing about the canyon for over ten years now from friends, family, and co-workers. Most of what I hear about is the whitewater. There are plenty of stories about different hikes, side canyons, overlooks, campsites, caverns, wildlife, and geology, but mostly the rapids. Just before I left, someone gave me the best advice yet: This is not a whitewater trip. Sure, the rapids are huge and powerful and exhilarating, but there just aren't that many of them. It's really about being one of the only places in the country where you can float the river in one of the most spectacular places in the world for such a long period of time. For us, it was just that.

First off, here's a quick run-down of the crew:
Keith and D Bond and their two children: Eric (15) and Laura (17). Keith was the permit holder and the kind gentleman who invited all us strangers to join him. Dee was a blast to be around and had great positive energy. The kids skipped 10 days of school for the trip and had homework to catch up on. Laura will be a guide in Idaho soon, I just know it.

Randy, a.k.a. The Crippler, is a retired Marine vet who's sole purpose seemed to get us young men f***ed up every night, day and morning. He did well.

Keith A. had run the canyon once before and flipped four times. We all learned that second part on day 3.

Ryan and Danielle have been married about a year and are super fun! We'll see more of these two on the river for sure. Both are avid photographers.

Dan and Sherri have never been rafting before and bought a 16' cataraft for this trip. Dan (Danielle's father) was learning how to row, or at least how to run big holes sideways.

Scott just got married to the owner of Galice Resort a month ago, then bought a brand new raft and took off to Arizona for the month with us. He likes things that are red and likes to talk (smack).

Alan is a solo traveler of about 50 paddling an old-school kayak with an old-school helmet and PFD. But don't be misled, he's a bad-ass.

Andrew and Kyle are students in Moscow, ID. Andrew guides on the Main Salmon and Middle Fork. Kyle guides on the Kern and is learning to kayak.

Will is one of my best friends and roommate of two years. He's my connection to the trip and probably the best oarsman I know.

And then me, a worthless piece of kayak scum who just gets in the way.

The people were great, weather was fabulous (60's in the sun), hiking conditions were ideal, we had a white (day after) Christmas and were never short of beer or liquor (or Kettle Chips, but I rationed those big time). I was bracing myself for a fair helping of misery and it never came. On top of everything else, the whitewater turned out to be pretty damn fun, especially after I dropped my expectations.

In the early to mid 1900's, the recreational value of the canyon was not fully appreciated. Explorers of the time were more interested in fully utilizing natural resources instead of just enjoying their splendor. But the Grand Canyon doesn't have much to offer in that respect. The rocks have very little economic value and the cost of extraction far outweighs the potential revenue. Damming the river appeared to be the only way to get anything out of it, particularly since it's about the only major water source in the Southwest, where everyone seems to want to live. Fortunately, environmentalists of the day were able to save the Grand Canyon from damnation. It has come to the attention of everyone that the beauty of the Grand Canyon is not in how we can change it, but in how it can change us.

Everyone has been asking me about the trip. I don't know how to describe it. Spending 25 days on a river trip is a pretty surreal experience. After about day four, I hit a whole new level of "river time:" I forgot the day of the week, the day of the month, and even the day of the trip most of the time. I quit looking forward to any of the sites and was simply pleasantly surprised when I'd wake up to learn that we were running Crystal that day, exploring the Matkatamiba Narrows, or having a lay-over at Bass Camp near Shinomu Creek. I quickly fell behind in my river journal and forgot what we did on what days, but a few highlights still stand out for me. So, in no particular order:

Clear Creek was a fun hike, wading up through a sinuous slot canyon cut through the Vishnu Schist to a lush waterfall.

Poor old Keith A. with his heavy boat got tossed out and nearly flipped in House Rock. Fortunately we got video footage of it from two angles. Oh, and he was OK. That's good too.

The Chicken and dumplings meal was delicious. We had a great cook crew and I got too drunk to remember anything after I finished eating.

Tapeats Creek is definitely not runnable with the flows we saw. More water might make it doable, but there would be no eddies.

Smitty and I had pretty good elf impressions when we excitedly returned to our chasm.

I went big in Horn and plugged through the folding wave train down the right side. It was outrageously huge and I went from underwater to airborne several times.

Below Redwall Cavern, we strapped three rafts together and slowly barged our way to camp with music playing, cocktails circling, and the best of company.

Scotty spent an hour around the campfire asking everyone to describe Hance and was trying to plan out his run even before he saw the damn rapid. Then the next day, he was so focused on the big one downstream that he flipped in an innocent little class 2.

Our enormous 9-person, 160-square foot tent held up well and was kind of a pain in the ass to set up, but great living space once we had it.

Something unknown compelled me to surf the hole at Crystal. I dropped into the world-famous boat muncher and had about two seconds of an amazing surf followed by a severe beatdown.

The canyon is really big.

The wall behind camp at Grapevine offered great bouldering. It would be fun to come back down here with the intention of doing some rock climbing.

Alan is the shit. He is one of the most impressive people I've ever met. He lives simply but well, stays fit, works hard, packs light, helps everyone, demands nothing, has wisdom few will ever match, and all with the utmost humility. He's my hero.

Somewhere in the roaring twenties I found a couple of caves at river level that went way back. I kayaked back into one and got far enough from the river that I needed a headlamp. There was a nice little private beach at the back and the cave kept going.

For the first time ever, I saw preserved dune stratification in the Coconino Sandstone. On the hike up North Canyon, I gleefully traipsed about on the dune slip faces as little critters had done 300 million years ago.
Cacti are neat and make it feel warmer than it is.

I almost drowned when we encountered an major unexpected rapid on the motor out. We narrowly avoided a disastrous wrap only to run a huge lateral sideways with all the rafts strapped together.

After hours of hiking, scrambling, creek crossing and route finding, I spent Christmas Day with Alan squeezing leftover enchiladas out of a ziplock deep in a cave at the headwaters of Tapeats Creek.

Saddle may have been my favorite hike, where we had a mile on the trail and then a quick technical scramble in the slot canyon to reach a gorgeous waterfall

I picked up a star guide before the trip and managed to learn 15 new stars, clusters, and constellations along with a little bit of the mythology behind them.

Smitty learned to shred on this trip. He swam every rapid on the first couple days and then rafted for a while, but got back in for the gems and was nailing tough combat rolls in Emerald, Bedrock, Serpentine, and Upset, then he aced Deubendorf and fired up Lava Falls with a big grin.

Speaking of Lava, I got a pretty good workout there. I ran it once, got stuffed and Smitty swam. I finally towed him into an eddy halfway through lower Lava. Then we both shouldered our boats and hiked a quarter mile back upstream through a jungle of reeds to run it again. Smitty rowed a raft for round two and I got another spanking.

Here are a few more pictures I might as well share:

I'll be coming back for sure!

Christmas, epic as ever!

2008-01-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Verelle and I gave each other the gift of snowboarding this Christmas. However, that entailed what turned out to be an epic adventure.

I got off work on Christmas eve at 4:30pm. Verelle had loaded up the car with gear, kettle chips, and the ever important gas while I was at work. We left right from the store. We were headed to Bend, Or. which is normaly a three hour drive from Ashland. That night it was not. By the time we were in the little town of Prospect, an hour out of Ashland, we were driving on icy and snowy roads. The road conditions did not improve. All the way over the Diamond Lake pass, past Crater Lake, and even on Hwy 97 we were cruising along on ice and snow covered roads. Add all of that to being in the dark equalled us driving for four and a half hours to get to Bend.

The drive was worth it! We checked into the Old Saint Francis McMennemins Hotel around 10pm, and went directly to the restaurant because we were starving. Verelle had salmon and I had a burger. The food at McMennamin's is always good, but this time we were more impressed witht the service and the fact that McMennamins is the fourth largest wine producer in the state of Oregon. After stuffing ourselves and indulging in a bottle of wine we found our way to the Turkish Soaking tube. With its dark steamy atmosphere and its warm water Verelle and I found ourselves soaking for quite a while. It was a perfect Christmas eve and precurser to a day of snowboarding.

We didn't wake up or get going perticularly early on Christmas, because, well, it was Christmas. We were up at on Mount Bachelor by 10am. It had been 9 years since I had ridden Bachelor and Verelle had never, so needless to say we were excited to do some exploring. The first thing I have to say is that their runs are really long. We are not used to having to stop half way down the hill to rest, but we did. There was so much terrain to ride and so much untouched powder easily accessed on the sides of the runs. We managed to get lost almost every run and not be sure exactly how we ended up where we did, but man we had a blast, and by 2pm we were ready to call it a day.

The next leg of our trip took us to McMinnville. We made it quickly out of Bend, but by the time we were in the town of Sisters the roads had gone to crap again and it was snowing heavily. From Sisters all the way to Salem we averaged 25 miles per hour. It made the drive over six hours long. It was brutal. Luckily, it was only dark for the last two hours. At last we made it to McMinnville and to Verelle's mom's house for holiday celebration. Unfortunatly, we were not done driving yet. After being with Verelle's family for a couple of hours we made last portion of our driving for Christmas day to my brother and sister-in-law's place. Once there, it wasn't long till we were sound asleep.

While in Portland, we had a chance to visit the Henry's 12th Street Tavern. It is located in the trendy little section of Portland known as the Pearl District and is certainly worth the stop if you are in the area. The place is huge, complete with the full restaurant, large bar, and even an entire billiards room. There is also a beautiful deck that would be a great for socializing on summer evenings. But what struck us most was the beer list. Henry's has 100 beers and hard ciders on tap! AMAZING!

After hanging out in the Portland area for a couple of days, and doing a lot more driving we made the return drive home south. Finally we made it home to Ashland signalling the finish to an epic Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Team Kettle!

2007-12-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Dan was not available for the Christmas picture this year. I guess preparing for a rafting trip on the Grand Canyon is more important. I am sure he will have plenty of photos from that trip!

Snowboard Video Review

2007-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of the team's favorite snowboard video's so far of the 07/08 season complete with teasers. We have had a lot of time to spend watching video's because we have not received enough snow yet for our local knob (aka Mt. A or Mt. Ashland Ski Park) to open for operation. A signifigant storm system is moving through over the next two days with another one on it's hells, so hopefully we will be shreding before Christmas.

If you don't think chicks can rip check out Float the all girls video.

#6. Capita's First Kiss

#5. Mac Dog's Picture This

#4. Were People Too

#3. Mountain Labs 1.5

#2. Think Tank

#1. Child Support

Illinois River Trip

2007-11-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

Dan and I rafted the Illinois River on November 17th and 18th. Rogue River Journeys, SOU White Water Club, SOU Outdoor Program, and the Galice Resort made this trip possible. This trip was my first down the Illinois River, and we were expecting a lot of precipitation. The flow of the river can spike quickly on the Illinois, so I found myself with some apprehension when we showed up to the put-in and it was pouring down rain. The level was already close to 3,000 cfs and rising quickly. I, personally, was not sure if we should continue on with trip, however Dan and Will have been on the river several times (Will alone has rafted the Illinois 11 times), so I put my trust in them and their judgment. We rigged our boats quickly in an attempt to stay ahead of the rising water.

There were five rafts and five kayakers on the trip. I was going to be paddle assist with Leland Fulton in Will’s raft. I was happy to be in a boat with Will because of his experience in boating and on this river. We had a long distance to go on Saturday so we didn’t mess around a whole lot for the first few hours. Our time was spent reading and running most of the class IV rapids and one of the rafts almost flipped three times, causing the guide to swim a rapid and his passenger to swim another rapid. I was extremely impressed with the beauty of the canyon, the speed of the water, and the giant waves and holes in the first six miles.

The first rapid where I really started to understand how powerful this river was is called York Creek Rapid. York Creek Rapid is an s-curve rapid and our boat was the lead boat so we got through the rapid first. Once through the rapid we eddied out and set up safety. Watching the other four boats come through the rapid was the first time I realized how fast the river was moving. The 18 miles leading up to the Green Wall Rapid went by very quickly due to the speed of the river.

At Green Wall, we stopped to scout. Scouting took about an hour because of the long hike to get to a location we could scout from. Once back in our boat, we ran the rapid as the second boat. Chip’s boat ran lead and while they plunged into a big hole, they had a really solid line. As we entered into the rapid we were aiming to run the left side of the monster whole which would take us right over a rock and then would allow us to hug the left side of the rapid the rest of the way down. However, instead of flowing right over the rock, we got hung up and spun around 180 degrees, dropping into the big hole backwards. Leland almost got sucked out of the boat, but somehow managed to stay in. Will recovered quickly and spun the boat back around.

However, a few seconds later we got hung up on another rock and were facing upstream dropping into another hole. Somehow we all stayed in the boat and Will got us facing downstream in time to miss the big flip rock on river right. Exhausted, we caught an eddy on the left and set up for safety. We watched every other boat have a clean solid run through Green Wall. After Green Wall is a three-mile gorge that is consistent and fast with big waves, holes and countless class IV rapids. The wave trains in this gorge section were the biggest waves I have ever seen. We camped below Collier Creek at a camp framed by waterfalls.

The camp is the best river camp I have stayed at. After setting up the kitchen and some tarps, Dan and I set up our tent and devoured some Kettle Chips. The Chips were the all new Organic Chipotle and they were amazing!!!

Day two started slowly as people worked off their hangovers and then moved quickly once we were on the water. It took us only an hour to travel eight river miles to the take-out. At the take-out, Dan and I shared some Sour-Cream and Dill Kettle chips and then settled down in the shuttle van and began the long drive back to the Selma House. A few hours latter and a rescue lock-smith we were all safely back in Ashland.

This was my best river trip ever!

Halloween in Ashland

2007-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Halloween in Ashland is an important event every year. The festivities bring in people from near and far, and it is an extraordinary experience.

The festivities begin with a parade through downtown Ashland. Children watch the parade of incredibly costumed people, then trick-or-treat at the stores.

As the evening closes in, the older (and what I mean by older is a more college-aged crowd) begins to overtake the plaza. It is a crowd large enough to close down the entire plaza. It is really just a big public party filled with drunk adults dressed in elaborate costumes. Of course the bars around town are happening as well. Most charge a $5-10 cover fee to get inside and warm up with a drink or two.

Travis "Cheddar Beer" and Verelle "Tuscan Three Cheese" began their Halloween festivities at their home with Buffalo Bleu Kettle Chips (we think there should be a pumpkin flavor!), pumpkin flavored beer, and a photo shoot. Travis dressed as a hot air balloon. Verelle dressed as a disgruntled housewife.
Click on the photo to see it larger.

Even the cat got dressed up.
Then they headed with their posse downtown. Photos of this would be posted, but unfortunately their camera was stolen. Boo!

A Wedding: Team Kettle Style

2007-11-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

On June 30th of this year, Travis "Cheddar Beer" Caldwell was married to Verelle "Tuscan Three Cheese" Stuck by their pastor Dan "Buffalo Bleu" Thurber. The wedding took place at Red Ridge Farms, an herb farm, in the beautiful Willamette Valley. It is located in the heart of wine country, not far from Verelle's hometown of Carlton. The farm is gorgeous, abundant with lavender fields, vineyard views and even complete with an elegant guest room for the newlyweds to stay in on their wedding night.
It was a beautiful ceremony. Dan was ordained online just for the occasion, and he did a wonderful job. Of course Kettle Chips and plenty of Talledega Nights movie jokes were mentioned. Surrounded by less than fifty of Travis and Verelle's close family and friends, it was a very intimate.
The reception that followed included lots of champagne and wonderful organic food provided by Whole Foods catering service.
There was a dance lesson given by a couple of excellent dance instructors from Arthur Murray Dance Studio to the wedding party and all of the guests. They taught east coast swing and the box step. It was a hit, and by the end of the lesson, everybody was gettin' down.

Of course, the night had to include a marriage certificate signing/Kettle Chips photo shoot! By this time we had all consumed a sufficient amount of champagne and were having a great time!
To top off the night, the wedding party watched fireworks from the St. Paul Rodeo that was taking place a few miles away amidst the glowing full moon. Truly, it was a perfect evening!

Upper Quartzville Creek - IV+

2007-10-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Creeking season is here! These last few days it rained a lot in western Oregon. Kayakers across the state were getting online and drooling over the hydrographs for local creeks and river. The Smith probably wins the flood contest with flows going from below a grand to floodstage of over 80,000 cfs in only a day. That's a 10,000% increase in just a few hours!

Needless to say, we didn't get on that river, but I did meet up with some fellow paddlers in Eugene and Corvallis for a mission out to Upper Quartzville Creek. UQ is a tributary to the Middle Fork of the Santiam River and is one of the northwest classics. The four-mile run drops around 500 feet with a pretty healthy flow, providing some excellent runnable class IV+ slides and boulder gardens. There was one easy portage around a log-jam and two river-wide logs we were able to duck under next to the left bank. UQ is loaded with excellent rapids and is very do-able for a class IV boater, so I felt right at home. The run is pure fun!

Almost as fun as this:

In The Know: Situation In Nigeria Seems Pretty Complex

We ran two laps for a total of 1,000 feet of elevation in 8 miles. We were moving too fast to take pictures on this run, but an excellent write-up with pictures is posted on Oregon Kayaking. We didn't even stop to scout! The highlight of my day was paddling up to the lip of Grocker, which turned out to be a 20-foot horizon line, and I couldn't see where to go until I was rocketing down the waterslide! This was the first creeking trip of the season for many of the paddlers, and out of our group of twelve, one never got on the water because of forgotten gear and three swam. I might have swam in the last rapid, but as I was getting worked in a hole, another boater came in and landed on me, knocking me downriver.

Sorry again for the lack of pictures, but I'll try to get some good shots next time!

Honeymoon

2007-10-21T18:49:00.003-07:00

After all of the work, stress, and fun of the wedding was over we were off to Spain for our Honeymoon.

The location of the Honeymoon was not easy to pick, and after some persuading I talked Verelle into allowing me the freedom to plan the Honeymoon and surprise her with my decision close to our departure. Spain was not the most obvious choice for me, but the more I thought about it the more it fit.

On our way to Spain we flew Portland to LA, LA to London, and London to Madrid. It was not a short flight by any means, and we were not excited when our luggage did not show in Madrid. We did not let the loss of our luggage slow us down.

We quickly made our way to our hotel downtown Madrid. The beauty, age, and history of the city was more then we could have dreamed. Shortly after checking in we mosied down the streets looking for the best place to have our first meal in Spain. The perfect street side cafe came on a quaint ally. With our first bottle of wine and fresh sea-food dinner we were in heaven.

The next morning we strolled back down the street and picked up the bicycles I had reserved for us. Something you should know about Spain is that nothing is that easy to find because the old allies are not labeled and they wind from street to street in obscure angles. Now armed with bikes we were unstoppable. The bikes let us see more of Madrid then any other form of transportation would have and we took advantage of them. That day we saw the historical bull fighting arena, the Real Madrid Soccer stadium, and rode past countless other historical sites. While we got around quickly on our bikes we did not move to fast that we could not still enjoy good tapas and wine, and before we knew it was time for us to return our bikes and get ready to head to our next Honeymoon destination.

On our last day in Madrid our luggage showed up, which was a huge relief. We took a train from Madrid to the city of Barcelona. The train ride was one of my favorite experiences. The mass transit system in European countries in incredible and the Spanish country side is as beautiful as it gets. The plains, sharp cliffs, and rolling hills rival in other country side I have ever seen for beauty.

Barcelona is a lot different then Madrid. Madrid's beauty comes from its age, but Barcelona's beauty comes from its blend of age and modernism. Barcelona is the best example of how street art can coexist with museums, and how old building can be taught new decor.

Our first day in Barcelona we tried to do a lot, but then we slowed down. We started drinking and eating more, and going to less museums. The food, wine, and cheese quality in Barcelona was more then we could have ever wished for. With Verelle prodding me we spent more time laying in the sun on the beach and less time walking around. But, we still managed to see a lot of sites and experience the best of what Barcelona had to offer.

The next thing we new our 10 day Honeymoon was concluding and we were making our way back across the Atlantic via London a night in LAX and then Portland.

I could not have asked for a better trip to start our married life together!

Dan's Birthday

2007-10-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

Join us February 16 at Scarlet's house for Dan's 22 Birthday Day party! Its going to be a good time so don't forget.

Oh, and don't forget to bring Dan a present.

Willamette Pass

2007-10-21T18:48:00.008-07:00

Verelle and I will leave Ashland around 9 pm on Thursday March 13th and drive to Corvallis where we will stay at Dan and Cullen's house. Friday March 14th we will go ride at Willamette Pass Ski Resort. It will be the teams first visit to this Oregon Ski Resort. Verelle and I will crash (aka drink) back at Dan and Cullen's Friday night and the drive back to Ashland on Saturday.

Hoodoo!

2007-10-21T18:48:00.007-07:00

Verelle and I will leave Ashland around 9 pm on Thursday March 20th and drive to Corvallis where we will stay at Dan and Cullen's house. Friday March 21st we will go ride at Hoodoo Ski Resort. It will be the teams first visit to this Oregon Ski Resort. Verelle and I will crash (aka drink) back at Dan and Cullen's Friday night and the drive back to Ashland on Saturday.

Summer Job Opp

2007-10-21T18:48:00.005-07:00

Barbarian Night at Mt. Ashland

2007-10-21T18:44:00.001-07:00

Ah, the middle of the ski season approaches, which is celebrated in Southern Oregon by what is legally considered a fund raiser. Bavarian Night is an annual event at Mt. Ashland where a few people buy raffle tickets and the ski patrol gets to buy a new wool hat. The true purpose of the event is to throw a party and attract OLCC officers to keep people from drinking in the parking lot. So how do we avoid them? Go ride! A chairlift ride is just long enough to drink a nice beer and fill up the trash can atop the mountain, and night skiing is the perfect setting to pee in the woods.

We always stop by the car every few runs to fill up our mugs and stomachs, then hit the slopes again. When 8 o'clock rolls around, the ski patrol is crazy enough to trust everyone with emergency torches duct taped to our poles, so the result is a couple hundred drunk snowsports enthusiasts skiing a steep, icy run in the dark while carrying fire. They call it a "torchlight parade."

The parade is customarily followed by a great fireworks display, lots of cheering, and a little more dancing before the bar closes down for the night and people are herded outside by their designated drivers.

This event has a tendency to be very epic. In the past, Dan has spent the night hidden the the Mt. Ashland lodge, curled up in the All-Trac, and on his front porch. Keep posted for updates on this year's mistakes!

The Mighty Illinois

2007-10-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Along with the Southern Oregon University Whitewater Club, we will be running the Illinois River on November 16, 17, and 18. The Illinois River is arguably the most beautiful multi-day raft trip on the west coast and in North America.

We will be running the usual 32-mile section from Miami Bar to to Oak Flat.

Will in the thick of it. Green Wall Rapid

Planing a trip on the Illinois this early in the season slightly optimistic because the low elevation of the watershed. The flow can change rapidly with a quick shift in the weather. After a nine trips down the river in the last few years, SOU Whitewater Club president "Illy Willy" has gotten pretty darn good at predicting flows.

Dan in a very small boat in a very big rapid on the Illinois

Cycling

2007-10-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is how we burn off all the potato chips we eat!

Dan's ancient Bianchi that he is in love with!

Verelle's rides a Cannondale!

Travis's Cervelo that is wicked awesome!

There is a new bike in the picture now. I recently inhairited my Dad's old 10 speed Nashiki that he bought before moving to Oregon in Kansas City Mo. Which make the bike about 35 years old. I striped all the components off the bike, flipped the handle bars upside down and cut them in down, and put the brakes back on. What I am left with is a single speed commuter bike that has orange handlebar tap.

Climbing

2007-10-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Climbing is fun. Fun is good. Here are some good places.

SOU Rock Gym - Built by the students for the students. The SOU Rock Climbing Gym is volunteer ran by the SOU Rock Climbing Club members.

OSU Rock Gym

Smith Rock State Park - SRSP is the birthplace of Sport Climbing in the United States. We are lucky living in Oregon to have SRSP within a four hour drive from any one location. That being said we still don't get to go climbing there often enough. When we do make it there we make the best of it and usually stay for at least three days.

Rattlesnake Crags

Greensprings

The Grand Canyon

Boating

2007-10-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the favorite rafting and kayaking spots of ours:

Cal-Salmon

Cal-Salmon - South Fork

Clear Creek - Upper

Illinois River

Klamath River - Upper(Hell's Corner Gorge)

Quartzville Creek - Upper

Rogue River - Wild and Scenic

Rogue River - Nugget/Powerhouse

Rogue River - N.F. (Mill Creek Falls)

N. Santiam River - Dead Cow Wave

Scott River

Trinity River - Burnt Ranch Gorge

North Santiam River: Dead Cow Wave

2007-10-16T16:55:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday (Oct. 14) I met up with some folks from The Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club (WKCC) for a paddling session near town. With the current flows on the N. Santiam between 2500 and 3000 at Mehama, a great little surf wave is in. Unfortunately, most of the riverfront property is privately owned, so we couldn’t just drive to the spot. Rather, we had about 7 miles of flatwater paddling altogether to get to the wave and paddle down to the next river access point. These guys were well-prepared though, and brought a barbeque, lots of food, and sunshine.

Here's a shot Kate took of a double surf. I'm in the green boat trying out the new '07 Jackson All-star. Jesse is on the wave in my '06

We had 15 people altogether and took turns riding the wave and enjoying the picnic. The wave was worth the effort and I got a chance to try out several different boats. The downside of paddling different boats is that you find yourself wanting a new kayak. I would share some pictures of my own, but I still don’t have a camera since Pentax won’t honor their warranty. I’ll just have to get a new one and do some more boating!

Tuscan Three Cheese

2007-10-16T14:38:00.003-07:00

Chedder Beer

2007-10-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Buffalo Bleu

2007-10-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

Rogue River in October

2007-10-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Rogue River Journeys was kind enough to invite us on a rafting trip on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River in Southwestern Oregon. The trip was a huge success thanks to the cooperation of RRJ, Team Kettle, the SOU Whitewater Club, and Rockstar energy drinks.

The trip roster wasn't finalized until Thursday morning, then Thursday evening I met up with Angela, Johnny, and Tanner. The four of us loaded up in the All-Trac and rallied down to Selma, OR for our rendezvous with Travis, Will, Leland, and Julia. We got the gear ready and tried to get some sleep before hitting the water. Travis snores pretty loudly,

Travis snores unless he uses Rockstar to stay awake

but after beaning him with six shoes, two life jackets, and a tent, he finally quieted down and the rest of us could sleep too.

We drove to Graves Creek Boat Launch, loaded up the gear raft, and hit the water. Loaded up with a cooler full of food, three gallons of drinking water, and 48 cans of Rockstar (yes, we actually had twice as much Rockstar as water),

Enjoying the (de)hydrating effects of Rockstar Juiced, Guava flavor

we made good time downstream and were extremely energetic. The Rogue doesn't have much big whitewater, and we skirted the biggest rapid (Rainie Falls) down the fish ladder on the right. Nonetheless, we found plenty of good waves to hit and even a couple surf spots.

We didn't see many rafters, but each pool was littered with driftboats full of steelhead fishermen. Everyone was friendly and thanks to a suggestion from one fishing guide, we found ourselves a nice camp for the evening just below Mule Creek. The weather kept clearing up all day and that night we got to eat a delicious dinner with fresh-baked cake for dessert under the stars. We spent several hours around the big campfire that evening enjoying good company and solitude.

Drying out around the fire

The next day we had a hearty breakfast and got back on the water early. Our wake-up call was the squirrely water of Mule Creek Canyon and Blossom Bar Rapid.

Me rowing through Blossom Bar

We made it downriver without incidence other that me pinballing the raft off the canyon walls a few times.

Many a bear wanted our food

At Tate Creek, we pulled over and some of the more adventurous sorts went up to the natural waterslide despite the cold water. Tanner, Johnny, Leland, and Julia each did a lap on the slide. Our sympathy goes out to Johnny, who had to do it without a wetsuit.

Johnny on the natural waterslide au natural

After our delicious lunch of leftover pasta, bagels, and bleu cheese dressing, we encountered a black bear cub as we were getting ready to depart. Knowing mama bear must not be far, I ushered everyone onto the raft hastily and got out into the river. The cub was particularly curious and followed us, probably hoping we'd feed him. In spite of how outrageously cute the little guy was, we resisted the urge to take him home and continued downstream, ultimately reaching the take out around 3:30. By this time we were all outrageously dehydrated and Rockstars just weren't cutting it. We barely managed to get into dry clothes, load up the rigs, and get to the Agness Store before crashing. When we got to the store we were treated to water, ice cream, cold beer, and the other necessity Travis and I both forgot: Kettle Chips. We cleaned them out on the Kettle Chip selection and devoured them as we drove off on our way. It was a long drive back to Corvallis, but we took shifts behind the wheel and rolled in around 10.

Aside from having no kettle chips and substituting water with Rockstar, this was a great trip. The Rogue is a beautiful river and is a great place to relax and get away on a weekend. After spending my summer running commercial trips and having to do everything, it felt great to lie back and let Travis row the raft for me. I'm blessed to be able to see these kinds of places as often as I do, and it's always rewarding to share the river with other people and make some new friends.

Celebrating warm clothes at the take-out

Scoggins Triathlon

2007-09-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

The Scoggins Valley Triathlon race went amazingly well. I was not able to train a lot for the race, so I didn't have my hopes set to high for my performance.
I got off work from the Outdoor Store at 2pm and I left Ashland around 3pm which allowed me to be in Newberg by 7:30pm. The morning of the event I woke up at 5:30 am. I had my cup of coffee and began preparing for the race. I was hoping to be able to eat a bagel before I left my parents home, but I had no appitiete for food and grabbed another cup of coffee for the drive to the race site. The temperature was pleasant at the lake and I quickly made my way to the transition area where I was body marked with my age and race number. Once in the transition area I set up my transition area and met up with my dad, Bob, and my Uncle, Greg, who were also competing.
They were competing in the Olympic distance Triathlon so their start was 20 minutes before mine. I did not start to get nervous until they started their swim, because at that point I was already in my wet suit and knew their was no turning back.

The Swim - 800 meters
One of my favorite legs of a Triathlon is the swim. It is the first leg, so you are surrounded by your competitors and there is a lot of physical contact. As a swimmer you are get kicked, smacked, or someone is swimming over the top of you. It is also the leg that I did the least training in and I payed for it. After rounding the first buoy the sun was in my eyes and spotting the second buoy was dam near impossible. I managed to track a descent line to the second buoy, but only to be faced with another obstacle with the sun afterwards. I had been breathing on my right side and when I came around the second buoy the sun was shinning down on my right side, so every time I took a breath I was completely blinded. I was not able to spot the third buoy because of this. Therefore, switch to breathing on my left side and this eliminated the problem of being blinded but gave me a nasty case of vertigo. I rally thought that I was going to vomit during the swim, but by the time I rounded the third and final buoy I knew that I was going to finish the swim without loosing to much energy and time, so I dug deep and finished strong. I finished the swim in 13:35 (27th overall) and my average heart rate was 163 bets per minute.

Transition #1
The beach were the swim finish was to the transition area was a long ways, but my T1 was a solid 2:26.

The Bike - 13.1 miles
Cycling is the leg that I was the least concerned about going into the race. I knew that I had done a concederable amount of cycling and I knew my power on the uphills would be solid, which would allow me to gain time back on my competitors. I was passed three times on the bike. The first guy flew passed me and I never saw him again. The second and third guys never got out of my sight. Four mile into the bike leg there is a big hill approximatly one mile long and gains almost 1000 feet. It is a hill that puts some hurt on competitors. I was able to catch both guys by the top of the climb, and one of the guys I never saw again but the other guy and I played leap frog for the rest of the bike leg. In Triathlons you are not allowed to draft, so we never drafted each other but he would pass me on the down hills and I would pass him on the uphills.
I finished the bike leg in 38:04 averaging 20.41 miles per hour and had an average heart rate of 173 bets per minute. The bike time/pace was 15th fastest overall.

Transition #2
I had another solid transition with a time of 0:48.

The Run - 3.1 miles
The running leg has been, traditionally, my achilles heel but I don't feel that was the case this race. I did not have an exceptional run but I didn't have a horrible run either. The first mile was definitely painful. My cadence was still really high from the bike and my heart rate was threw the roof. I tried to not worry about my pace or heart rate too much and just let my body settle down. I felt pretty solid once I was a mile or so in and then the last mile I felt really good and picked my pace up. I was only passed four or five times and caught all but two of the competitors that passed me. One of the guys that I didn't catch was the same guy who I had been playing leap frog with during the bike.
I finished the run in a blistering 25:48 (59th best time overall) which is an 8:18 minute per mile pace.

Post Race
Immediately following the race my brother held a barbecue at his house to celebrate the finishing of the race. We grilled up some burgers (vegetarian of course) as well as some corn on the cob. Since my brother new that I had some serious recovering to do and that I had to drive back down to Ashland he bought me the only recovery meal items that truly gets it done. We had Buffalo Bleu, Jamaican Jerk, and New York Cheddar Kettle Chips! The Kettle Chips were truly a life safer and powered me all the way back down to Ashland, and to a quick recovery.

Thank you Kettle Foods!

After Thoughts
I knew going into the race if I finished with a time under 1:45:00 I would be happy with my performance. My expectations were destroyed when I finished with an overall time of 1:20:42. My time was good enough for 18th overall out of 172 competitors which puts me in right at the top 10% of the competitors. I cannot believe how well I did with how little I was able to train after the wedding and honeymoon.
The race has definitely inspired me to peruse my goal of completing two half-iron man triathlons next summer in preparation to secure a spot in the Kona Ironman Triathlon in two years.

P.S. I would like to thank Cullen (aka the guy who yelled "shit") for being my cheer leading section due to the fact that my wife could not.

Travis (Cheddar Beer) Caldwell

Team Kettle Gets New Equipment

2007-08-29T23:11:00.001-07:00

Verelle and I have been acquiring quite a lot of new gear. Some of the new gear is in preparation for the upcoming winter, and the rest is for the current activities we are participating in. Below is a list, description, and photograph of all the new gear we have acquired over the last couple of months.

Verelle has been without cycling sunglasses all summer and with the upcoming ride the rogue event that we are doing it was time for a serious cyclist to get some serious cycling sunglasses. The Smith V-Ti were the selection that Verelle decided on. She choose the Team CSC edition of the V-Ti by Smith Optics. This particular pair of shades comes with on three lenses, one of which is a polarized lens. Verelle has been very satisfied by her new shades.
We have used a garage sale tent for the last three years. It has served us well enough, but was never big enough, and always a pain in the butt to put up. Which, turned us away from going camping. Therefore, this summer we got a new tent. The tent we chose is the the Big Agnes seedhouse 3. We have used it several times now and are still impressed with its size, weight, and the ease of pitching. We would recommend this tent to anyone.

ent

5lb 6oz

5lb 13oz

3lb 11oz

8" x 20"

39 sq ft

14 sq ft

$239

Over the last two winters I have ridden my snowboard almost 200 days. If you combine those days of use with the previous two years of I put over 300 days on my snowboard. The majority of my days on the snow have been spent teaching snowboarding lessons or coaching for the Ashland High School snowboard team. With how many days I had put on my board it was no longer, well, any good. To put it mildly it was dead. And since I will be coaching again this year and will hopefully be on the snow 100 days it was finally time for me to get a new board. I picked up my new board at Hot Skates in Medford because Aaron (the owner) is awesome! It was a tough decision for me to make, but I decided on the black death speed tribe:

156	1221	24.5	29.04	8.3>7.78	24"

156

1221

24.5

29.04

8.3>7.78

24"

Verelle has ridden two seasons on one of my old boards. A board that is almost seven years old. So, it was also time for her to get her very first brand new board. She also got her board at Hot Skates and she chose the midlife theory:

158	1235	25.9	30.5	7.78	25"

158

1235

25.9

30.5

7.78

25"

Another one of my favorite activities is rock climbing. I have climbed a lot over the last couple of years in the same pair of shoes, and while they have never let me down it was time to follow our current trend of with the old and in with the new. I got the the scarpa mago:
Upper: Suede/Lorica
Closure: Lace-up
Midsole: X-tensionTM system
Sole: Vibram® XS Grip; 3.5 mm
Last: FH
Sizes: 33-45 (half sizes)
Weight: 450g (40.5)
Color: Apple Green
Product Code: 70011

There are certain things in a gear junkies life that you can never have to much of. And I recently picked up more of it:
the webbing

and the tie downs:

...more gear coming soon???

Travis (Cheddar Beer) Caldwell

Idaho rivers update

2007-08-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

The season at OARS-Dories in Idaho is starting to wind down. Major forest fires in the Frank Church Wilderness Area have forced closures of over 200 miles of river we regularly run trips on. We've been limited to the Lower Salmon and Hell's Canyon for rafting and dory vacations.

With the late start I got to this season, I only get to do a total of 6 trips. The first was a Hell's Canyon for five days, followed by three consecutive trips down the Lower Salmon. In a couple days I head out on the Lower once again.

Trips on the Lower and Hell's Canyon are generally low-maintenance and stress-free. My most eventful and exciting trip was a 7-day kayak school, the third trip of my season. Two bond traders from Chicago, a health care policy worker from DC and a documentary producer from Manhattan came out to Idaho to explore the world of whitewater kayaking. Along with my friend Zak Sears, I had the privelage of coaching them for a week.

Unfortunately, on the third day Zak discolated his shoulder in a relatively calm section of water. He was throwing some massive flatwater loops (read frontflips in a kayak) when it happened. He swam himself to shore and was able to reduce it himself while in the water. Later that night, we evacuated him before we got too deep into the wilderness.

Short one crew member, we had a little extra work on our hands with setting up camp and cooking all our meals. Fortunately, everyone on the trip (guests included) really stepped up and got it done so we could still have a great time out there. The youthful energy everyone brought with them was great, and the combination of liquor, mixers, ice, and a hand-crank blender for frozen cocktails helped group morale undeniably. Here are a few pictures from the kayak school trip before the rest of them come out.

sorry, pictures coming soon.....

Scoggins Valley Triathlon

2007-08-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

September 1st 2007 I will be competing in the Scoggins Valley Sprint Triathlon. The distances for a Sprint Triathlon are an 800 meter swim, 13.1 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. The Scoggins Valley Triathlon is held at Henry Hagg Lake in Scoggins Valley, which is located 7 mile south of Forest Grove Oregon. The altitude is low, but the bike course has a solid amount of climbing. The run will also be fairly hilly and challenging.

I am nervous about competing in this event because it will be my first Triathlon in over two years. I am not in the shape that I used to be (god, that comment makes me sound old), and my training for this event has been inconsistent due to working two jobs. My goal is to go out and have fun, but I am also interested in pushing myself. I have done this event several times now and I will be discouraged if I am extremely slower then I was in the past.

Stay tuned for the full details on my performance.

Travis (Cheddar Beer) Caldwell

Tastes like.... Kettle Chips!!!

2007-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Is there anything that tastes better than a bag of Kettle chips with a locally brewed beer? No. And although it is hard to go wrong pairing any Kettle product with a micro brewskie, we have come up with a well tested guide to pairing beers brewed in or around our backyard with yummy Kettle products.

Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR
Mirror Pond - a classic, and very popular, refreshing pale ale that is very well balanced
Pairs best with Cheddar Beer
The hoppy flavors of Mirror Pond compliment Cheddar Beer's tangy cheesiness and should be a regular part of any Kettle-head's diet.

Caldera Brewing Company, Ashland OR
IPA - well bodied with a strong hops flavor
Pairs best with Yogurt & Green Onion
These two work as a team, convincing your taste buds not to let your hands put them down. You will devour until you finish the entire bag, or six-pack, or both.

Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River OR
Pale Ale - fresh hoppy aroma with a mild sweetness and clean finish
Pairs best with New York Cheddar with Herbs
Both of these flavors are classic and homey. The Pale Ale compliments the cheesy flavors of New York Cheddar with Herbs without overpowering them.

Rogue Ales, Newport OR
Dead Guy Ale - malty aroma with a rich hearty flavor
Pairs best with Spicy Thai
Both of these flavors are INTENSE! A hardy beer like Dead Guy is necessary to balance the taste buds after the super spicy flavors of Spicy Thai.

The Ascent

2007-08-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Early Monday morning two parts of Team Kettle, Travis "Cheddar Beer", and I, Verelle "Tuscan Three Cheese" went for what has been my longest and hardest bike ride thus far. We began the ride from our home in Ashland, Oregon, with friends Tim and Kara.

First we rode to the south end of town via Siskiyou Street. We then rode down Crowson Street to Highway 66, where our ascent began. Highway 66, also known as Greensprings Highway, is a steep and winding historic highway that connects Ashland to Klamath Falls. The highway winds by Emigrant Reservoir before ascending into the mountains that connect these two towns. The summit of this highway is at 4,551 feet!

We began the trek up to the summit. At about 10 miles in all was going well, but being the easily distracted and often clumsy one that I am, I became caught up in conversation with Kara, and lost sight of the roads small shoulder that I had been hugging. Thankfully the fall was not too bad, and I had only minor injuries: a scraped up knee, a bruised and bleeding chin and a sore jaw. I could have easily turned back at this point and gone home to clean myself up, but I decided that having made the commitment to finish this ride was important, so I continued upward.

Once we reached the summit (which can be difficult even in a car!), we took a left onto East Hyatt Lake Road. The climb isn't as steep, but can be frustrating nonetheless. We continued down Hyatt Prarie Road to the lodge at Hyatt Reservoir. Then we took an impromptu lunch break! It was certainly unplanned, but we ended up visiting for an hour over pizza, breadsticks, coffee and coke! Mmmmm.... gotta love those carbs!!!

We finally continued down Hyatt Prarie Road, which was relatively flat, winding past Howard Prairie Lake, to Dead Indian Memorial Road. I thought that we would be begining our downhill soon, but I was very wrong. We had to ascend four (!!!) more miles of UPHILL!!! By this point I was just moving my legs, trying to make sure my pretty little bike didn't fall over.

We did finally reach the top, despite my complaining that we never would. The downhill of Dead Indian Memorial Highway is perhaps even more steep (and dangerous) than that of Highway 66, but after all the climbing it is FUN!!! Just a few miles in my toes were numb but the little kid in me was as alive as ever! It was amazing, and worth all of the climbing! And the sights: a hundred times better when you are on a bike!

So, on this ride we:

Rode 53.4 miles
Ascended 4,800 feet in elevation
and
Burned 3,052 calories

all in a total riding time of 4 hours and 6 minutes!

Here is a topo of the ride profile:

The entire ride down, all I could think was: what will I be eating later to reward myself for all this grueling work?
First: Kettle Chips! I had a bag of Honey Dijon with my name on it at home.
Second: Beer! This is actually an excellent recovery drink (or so I hear).
Third: Chocolate ice cream! No explanation needed.

And here we are, 53.4 miles later!:

Team Manager Needed!

2007-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Team Kettle is in need of a team manager.

The responsibilities of the team manager will include but not be limited to:
Eating kettle products,
Attending family dinner night,
Coordinating press releases and photo shoots,
Editing the blog for spelling and grammer errors that Travis "Chedder Beer" makes,
Coordinating and attending team activities and adventures

Requirments
all applicants must have working knowlege of kettle products
MUST have good editing skills

Application Process
Please send your resume and cover letter with your $40 non-refundable applicaiton processing fee to:
Attn: Team Kettle
327 Garfield St
Ashland Or 97520

Note: to improve your chances as being hired as Team Manager, please also send a few bags of Kettle chips of our preferred flavors.

Summer Time Bleues

2007-07-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

It is typical in all team sports for there to be an "off season". The "off season" is a time of year for recovery, rejuvenation, and free time to spend with family and friends. Professional athletes also use their "off season" to pursue alternative interest and passions. Some professional athletes use the "off season" to get out of the media while others use the time period to get into the media.

For nonprofessional NCAA athletes the "off season" comes during the summer. Summer term can start and end a differently depending on what school an individual attends. Some NCAA athletes attend summer classes to allow for an easier course load during the terms when they have to attend classes as well as compete in their sport, but the array of NCAA athletes (all college students for that matter) that stick around their school for the summer is minimal. The majority go back to their respective places of origin. They either live with a parent or relative and enjoy a relaxing break from classes.

The portion of the student body that are typically seen around campus or the college town during the summer are either non-traditional students or one of the handful of students that work during the school year that does not want to loose his/her job over the summer and have to come back to find a new one. Life during the summer (aka "off season") is not with out it's trials and tribulations. Team kettle is not exempt from the summer time (aka "off season") trials.

Two days ago Dan "Buffalo Bleu" Thurber moved back to Idaho for the rest of the summer. This move by Dan makes this summer like all summers previous, but one aspect of the move does make this summer different then previous. This summer marks the summer when Dan will not be moving back to Ashland Oregon in fall to attend school at Southern Oregon University with his team kettle teammates. This is the summer when Dan relocates to Corvallis Oregon to continue is university studies at Oregon State University.

Instead of Dan being a short drive or a little bit longer scooter ride away, he will be approximately 222.75 miles away roughly a 3 hour and 39 minute drive. This distant is to great for even the best scooterer to make in an afternoon. What does this mean for team kettle? I can tell you. It does not mean that the team is disbanding, nor that the consumption of kettle products will decrease, or that adventures wont abound; however, it does mean that the all-trac and the cliche will be attaining more miles on them the we would like to admit, our phone bills will increase (mainly text messaging will increase), and one other thing that will be a result is that the absence of our teammate will be a difficult adjustment for us to make this summer.

The first noticeable impact of the separation was last night. There was no one for us to call and harass into coming over and hanging out (aka drink beer and eat kettle chips). The summer time bleus will only last for a short while. In a few weeks students will be making their pilgrimage back down to Ashland for another school year, but until they do there will remain a loneliness within the Southern Oregon unit of team kettle.

The "off season" is a time of year that does not exist in the "real world" of business professions (unless you are a teacher). In the "real world" people work at their job year round accruing vacation days and sick days. The "real world" is supposed to start after graduation from college. Therefore, for the vast majority of NCAA athletes (all college students for that matter) are not use to the year round aspect of the "real world." The realization of friends, family members, and teammates moving away to pursue their own passions is first and truly realized during the summers (aka "off seasons). I think the anxiety of separations from friends is one of the biggest and most felt by college student who are about to or have graduated. It is typically the first time in their life where they have to grow up and move on and that can mean never seeing someone ever again. There is no college class that can prepare a person for the emotional impact of that realization.

Only the greatest of bonds can hold under the force of such a separation. It is a good thing that team kettle has kettle chips to hold them together tightly through their separation and to bring them back together frequently for adventurer's and beer and kettle chips.

Team Kettle spreads out a little

2007-07-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

With it being mid-summer and all, I'm now long overdue to return to summer work. This is my 5th season as a professional river guide for OARS-Dories in Lewiston, Idaho. I work as a pretty full-service guide on the Salmon and Snake rivers in northern Idaho. Often, Summer work is the most enjoyable time of the year. I work with great people in beautiful places and get to make people relax. Then I get money for going on other people's vacations!

I'm getting a late start this year, but I'm here. I spent all of Thursday, the 26th on the road making the trip up this way in the All-trac (which really needs new spark plugs, as I realized around mile 260). With a bit of a stop in Corvallis, rush-hour traffic in Portland, and some wide open highways at night in eastern Washington, I added 700 miles to the odometer over the course of 14 hours. I rolled into the boathouse in Lewiston at 11 pm when everyone was asleep. I promptly laid down my bedroll and passed out.

My first trip will be a five-day Hell's Canyon trip on the Snake River. We pack today, drive this afternoon to the put-in, and launch on Saturday. I'm excited to get back on the oars for a change. I suppose that's my only option now that my kayak paddle drifted off to the ocean!

The Lower Klamath

2007-07-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Lower Klamath rafting trip had to be revised at the last minute. Fires that were raging throughout the river's gorge would not allow us safe passage down the 17 mile stretch of river. The team settled on running a class II section of the Klamath River and did some playboating instead. The Schoolhouse play wave is one of the best in the State of Jefferson. Team All-Trac, the high school kayaking club, accompanied us to the play wave for some play boating fun.
Travis is rowing the raft while Dan sits in his boat on the raft eating a carrot

Dan finally decides to get in the water

Ben Smalls, captain of Team All-Trac, having fun in Schoolhouse.

Travis and Dan making the approach into School House in a 12 foot raft।

Every Team Kettle trip is an adventure and this trip down the Klamath River was no different. After play boating for a couple of hours, Buffalo Bleu Thurber ditched his kayak and joined his teamates in the raft. Some point between climbing in the boat and the take out his paddle fell out of the raft. The missing paddle was not realized until gear was being loaded up in and on to the All-Trac. Buffalo Bleu Thurber quickly commandeered a paddle and maned his boat in a charge down river to find his lost paddle. His valiant effort was not rewarded. Buffalo Bleu Thurber lost his paddle forever!

When Buffalo Bleu Thurber accepted his loss, he eddied out and climbed out of his boat. The location he chose to reconect with his teamates was not ideal, but he was able to bush-wack his way up the bank of the river through trees, black-berry bushes, and poison oak.

The drive home had a slighlty somber tone, but you can't keep Team Kettle down for long. We have already started to plan our up coming trips and adventures.

We leave you with a few more pictures...

Smith Rocks State Park

2007-07-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Team Kettle is heavily envolved in it's community and taks pride in giving back as much as it can. All of the team members are volunteer leaders of a local high school organization that encourages and develops the life long pursuits of adventure sports and environmental responsibility. The trip to Smith Rocks State Park (the birth place of sport climbing in North America) will be lead by Travis (Chedder Beer) Caldwell and is trip that he will be leading as a volunteer. On this trip he will be taking over fifteen high school students to experience the magical power of this historic location.

We are sure that, like all team trips, this trip will not be lacking in adventure and kettle chips!

To read more about Smith Rocks State Park please see:

Rafting The Lower Klamath River

2007-07-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

To read more about the destination for the next Team Kettle trip please go to http://www.oregonrafting.org/lower_klamath.html

Rogue River Bachelor Party

2007-07-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

During June Travis and Dan lead a rafting expedition down the epic Rogue River Canyon for Travis's second bacelor party. The canyon is some of the most dangerous and technical white water rafting in the world!

The trip consisted of Travis (groom and guide), Dan (reverend and guide), Brad (brother of groom and bestman), Cullen (groomsmen and the guy who yelled "shit"), and Matt (groomsman and the Alaskan).

The first day the crew navigated the class V waterfall known as Rainie Falls! What ensued?

As you can see, the expeditionaries had their line tampered with by the guy who yelled "shit" (a.k.a Cullen) when he should have been paddling. However, the crew did not spontaneously combust or die like the many drunken red-neck entertuber with out a lifevest has.

The second day the crew navigated the mile long class V cataracts of Mule Creek Canyon, The Coffee Pot/Tea Kettle, and Blossom Bar. The crew hand minimal issues with Mule Creek Canyon and The Coffee Pot/Tea Kettle. However, the expedition had slight issues with negotiating bolder sieves in Blossom Bar and half of the crew rafted and barely escaped the deadly grip of the picket fence hells fury of the dangerous class V+/VI rapid. (note - there are no pictures of this line because the expedition was to scared, tired, hungover and crying for their mothers to snap any photos. Please except Team Kettle's deepest appologies.)

Day Three was pull-out day and the the crew was excited about their survival.

The Plan B

2007-07-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Any team on the go needs a back-up transport for emergencies which may include, but are not limited to, blown seals, overheated radiators, flat tires, nervous breakdowns, psychosematic leg paralysis, and being too drunk to drive home. Here at Team Kettle, we choose the Razor foldable scooter to get us around when gas prices get too high. Scooters are ideal for quick travel so long as your route doesn't involve uphills, speed bumps, uneven roads, ice, snow, rain, fog, rabid dogs, low-water crossings, potential future dates/employers/people you might see again, or an overall distance of greater than 1.63 miles. So scooters may not be the greatest back-up transport, but it only cost 10 bucks, okay? Don't judge us!!!!

The Cliche

2007-07-18T21:09:00.001-07:00

To earn a place in the Team Kettle Transports registry, a car (or othe transport) needs some special unique characteristic or ability. The Cliche's special power is the ability to travel the country without being seen, because it looks exactly like the other 3,597 white Subaru Outback station wagons with a Yakima rack system and bike mounts that travel around Ashland. You think you've seen this car almost every day you've spent in Southern Oregon, but trust us, you haven't. You've only seen the decoys. They're all there to keep the All-trac from dissenegrating the Team Kettle Cliche with a missile

The All-Trac

2007-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Dan has an All-trac! It's even more intimidating in person!

The All-trac (a.k.a. Twiggy/Urabus/Defender of the Mediterranean) is the greatest car know to man. It's the best thing to happen to automobiles since Moses invented the combustion reaction. The heritage of the Toyota Corolla All-Trac goes back to the 3rd century when the first All-Trac was spawned on the Rock of Gibraltar by Gramiculmitus, the lord. Good od' Grammy needed a trusted warrior-mobile to defend the Mediterranean region from cyborg invasion.
He traveled into the future and borrowed some design concepts of the Toyota Corolla wagon. He took the specs back and made some modifications to the drivetrain and interior to optimize the cyborg fighting abilities of the vehicle. Basically, he added full-time all wheel drive, missile launchers, a sophisticated autopilot system involving voles and nutria on spinning wheels, and a digital clock.

Well, history tells us that Mediterranean cultures never were overrun by the relentless aquatic cyborg attacks, so we can only assume that the All-Trac fleet did its job pretty well. Needless to say, Gramiculmitus owed a mighty favor to the fine folks at Toyota for stealing their design. To avoid a nasty lawsuit, the lord went back into the future and shared his suped up Corolla with the R & D department. They loved it. There were some modifications that had to be made to sell it on a civilian market, but the overall concept was great.

Toyota kept the all wheel drive and upgraded it with a center differential lock for getting stuck in mud, snow, or tall speed bumps. They wanted to keep the autopilot system and upgrade it by replacing the nutria with hamsters for added cuteness. Regretably, however, the folks at PETA got word of it and broke into the lab that January, destroyed lots of equipment, and set free every caged animal in the place. With it being January, all the cute little hamsters froze to death before making it across the street and were flattened by motorists driving to work the next morning.

The missile launchers weren't really kosher under the Geneva Convention, but the housings still looked cool, so the engineers put speakers in them. Big thumping 4" factory stock 15 watt speakers. They also kept the digital clock.

Dan "Buffalo Bleu" Thurber

2007-06-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Age: 22
Occupation: Reverend
E-mail: The clergy won't let me have one
Favorite activities: Kayaking, Rafting, Skiing, Snowboarding, Flyfishing, Gravity, Cycling, Rock Climbing, Yoga, and Golf.
Motto: I'd rather be rich than stupid

Verelle "Tuscan Three Cheese" Stuck

2007-06-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Age: 21
Occupation: Photographer, Graphic Artist, and Jack of All Trades.
E-mail: Forget it, I never check
Favorite activities: swimming, snowboarding, rollerblading, cycling, bungee jumping, surfing.
Motto: If you're not cheatin' you're not tryin'!

Travis "Cheddar Beer" Caldwell

2007-06-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

Age: 24

Occupation: I work at the Ashland Outdoor Store. I work floor sales as well as do hardgoods buying, and the shoes and sock buying.

E-mail: which one?

Favorite Activities: Being Awesome, Snowboarding, Rock Climbing, Buying Gear, Rafting, Surfing, Golfing, Swimming, Cycling, Running, Curling, Working, Trampolining, Rollerblading, Organizing, Cooking, and Planning.

Marital Status: Married to Verelle "Tuscan Three Cheese" Stuck! I married up.

Motto: Don't throw effort after foolishness! Work hard and stay in school, college that is, for at least seven years.