Next Trip Plans

So with our annual trip to St John in the rearview mirror, the next trip will be Caleb and me camping and rafting in southern Oregon. I picked this because
1. I have never visited Oregon and have always wanted to.
2. By late July I'm always looking to escape the exhausting heat of Houston.
3. Caleb is 10 and this will be the first time he and I have ever been on a "guys trip"
4. I want him to experience the outdoors in a real way, and I want to do the same.

Vacation Selection Process:
The simple fact is that I am not really a camper. I love it in concept but I just don't have much experience camping. The research kind of began with Austin-Lehman outfitters, a seemingly wonderful company started by Dan Austin that puts trips together all over the Western Hemisphere. The problem with this was that they have very specific dates and typically the trips are a minimum of 7 days. I wanted this to be shorter. Secondly, they require a hefty sum for their trips. I still hope to use them one day, probably for something in Europe or South America. These guys aren't really camping, but rather staying in lodges or quaint hotels.

So first I tried to morph a smaller trip in some of the areas visited by them, considering British Columbia, Whistler, Montana, and even Alaska. Still, I've had this craving to go to Oregon, and I'm not sure why. I looked at Mt Hood, even going so far as to selecting a couple of cabins and researching the hikes to take. It looked like a lot of fun but still, I came back to wanting more rafting, and maybe something guided.

More research brought about O.A.R.S, a national company that arranges rafting and camping trips through the US and into Latin and South America. These guys look quite reputable and I pulled up mostly positive reviews. I honed in on the Rogue River, and Ouzel Outfitters came up. They seem a little more local, so that is what steered me towards them. The price seems reasonable: $885 for me and $785 for my 10 year old son. Booked it for late July.

The logistics are challenging. First, there is no direct flight into Medford, which is by far the closest airport to the Rogue. Second, once you're in Medford, you need to drive another hour into the woods to find Galice, the meeting location. The flights ended up pricey, over $1000 for the two of us, although the connections seem reasonable. Next, do you drive or try to take a shuttle from the airport? Renting a car gives you the most flexibility, but you're renting a car for it to sit there for three days. The shuttle is cheaper, but not by much, and I'll need to arrange this to make sure we get to our flights on time. Lastly, the meeting location is a hotel that is booked solid for the night prior to our trip. So even if I do get the shuttle, I have to get me, my son, and our gear over to the other resort early in the morning. So far I've rented a car, but we'll see if anything has changed.

I'm excited though. I love rafting, and I love the Rockies. I did a day trip about four years ago in Colorado that was gorgeous. I'm ready to go back, and am thrilled my son is old enough to remember and enjoy a trip such as this.