Up a Creek By Julie Arnan with  425 Magazine.

 

My eyes streamed with delicious tears of laughter, an all-too-rare moment of utter happiness. I should have been crying tears of pain and embarrassment — I’d just slipped and fallen in the river, thanks to the precarious combination of Teflon-like rocks that were beyond slippery and an afternoon of passing around the wine bottle. But, at that moment, I didn’t care, because someone grabbed my hand and I just took a beat to float. That was the point of this rafting trip, after all — a return to the present.

“Wine and Food on the River” is a series of rafting trips up the Grande Ronde or Snake rivers in northeast Oregon, facilitated by Grant Richie, owner of the Minam Store, Motel, and Raft Rentals. Richie partners with Walla Walla-based Chef Andrae Bopp, who works his culinary magic in the camp kitchen — think ceviche, crawfish etouffe, and huge handmade marshmallows with salted caramel sauce. The wine component features a different Walla Walla winemaker each trip who provides several cases of his wine for campers’ enjoyment — in this case, winemaker Cameron Kontos (Kontos Cellars) brought the juice, along with his Young Guns winemaker buddies Greg Matiko (Skylite Cellars) and Justin Basel (Solemn Cellars).

Richie’s mission is simple. “I want people to get rid of the distractions of life for a few days — the 24-hour news cycle, constant buzzing of cellphone with texts and alerts — and connect to what it’s like to be human again.” He wants to free people from their boxes and artificial lights so they can actually see — the canyon, the river, the wildlife, that beautiful night sky without city lights drowning out its brilliance.

The great thing about a trip with a chef and a winemaker is the insurance that all the gastronomic pleasure centers will be satisfied. Responsibilities basically amount to how to stuff one’s possessions into a dry bag. Group bonding began even before we pushed off the shore, as the lack of cell service forced us to dust off our long-dormant bantering skills. Read More >>

Photos by Julie Arnan

Source: https://www.425magazine.com/travel-outdoors/up-a-creek/article_3f9ee602-cf80-5ac1-9e48-307b61933c10.html