Plate & Pitchfork Road and Raft Trip

September 7 - 10, 2012: Hit the road with 2 of the Pacific Northwest's top chefs: Chef Benjamin Bettinger of Beaker & Flask and Chef Jason Barwikowski of the Woodsman Tavern. We’ve lured these two Plate & Pitchfork alum out of their kitchens for an adventure in Wallowa County for a "taste of place". During this trip, each meal (lunch and dinner) will be prepared by these 2 gourmet chefs, as much of the foods as possible will locally produced, and you will experience a day of ranch tours and a 3 day whitewater rafting trip in Hells Canyon.

Join us in exploring rolling prairie, verdant valley and timbered rangeland that are home to Carman Ranch and 6 Ranch. You’ll spend the first day of your adventure on dry land. While you tour the ranches you'll learn about the art and science behind raising great beef exclusively on pasture, and some of the tools of the trade like cow dogs, horses, and flying lariats. If you’re feeling daring you might just find yourself roping a calf. Your day will end with a traditional branding-style BBQ prepared by Ben and Jason. On day two you'll head into Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. Your days will be filled with thrilling class III and IV whitewater, incredible scenery, wildlife viewing and fishing opportunities. And as long as you don't toss the chefs out of the boat they'll be happy to prepare gourmet lunches and dinners for you for the duration of your trip.

So how did this trip come about? Northeast Oregon is home not only to Winding Waters River Expeditions and Hells Canyon, but also some of Oregon's richest grasses and oldest ranches, raising grass-fed cattle long before it was popular. In fact, the high-altitude grass here is so rich in protein, it's shipped to Kentucky and Japan to fuel top race-horses. Long ago, ranchers recognized this prized grass grown in the Wallowa Valley and set up ranch here. Today, two of these nearly century-old ranches produce some of the best grass-fed beef in the world: the Carman Ranch and the 6 Ranch.

Jump forward 100 years and along comes Winding Waters that uses this great beef on its river trips, along with other locally produced foods. In fact, one of the ranchers from the 6 Ranch even guides with us (Craig Nichols). So, the owners, Paul and Penny Arentsen, brainstormed a way to celebrate this local food source with their guests. What better way than to visit the ranches themselves, then take everyone on the river- all in one trip! With this idea in mind, Paul and Penny searched for a partner to help put the trip together. They pitched it to a Portland pro: Erica Polmar with Plate and Pitchfork, a company that provides farm to table dinners prepared by known Portland chefs. It just so happened that this year is Plate & Pitchfork's 10th Anniversary and Erica was looking for a special trip to celebrate. So, as they say, the rest is history!

Quick Trip Details

Ranch Tours and Hells Canyon Whitewater Rafting Trip

• Dates: September 7 - 10, 2012
• Trip Length: 1 day of ranch tours & 3 days on the river
• Professional Chefs: Chef Benjamin Bettinger of Beaker & Flask and Chef Jason Barwikowski of the Woodsman Tavern
• Ranches: Carman Ranch and 6 Ranch
• River & Class Rapids: Snake River through Hells Canyon & III and IV
• Rafting Ability Levels: Perfect for beginners to experienced rafters
• Pre-Trip Meeting Place: Joseph, Oregon
• Ages: 7 and up
• Rate: $1,500 (all ages)
• Closest Airports: Lewiston, ID (2 hrs from Joseph) or
  Boise, ID (4 hrs from Joseph)

Trip Includes

• Ranch tours and rafting trip
• Three (3) nights lodging at the Chandler's Inn Bed & Breakfast in Joseph, Oregon
• All transportation upon arrival in Joseph, OR
• All meals from breakfast on the 7th to lunch on the 10th
• Lunch and dinner each day prepared by the chefs, Ben and Jason
• All guide service, along with all rafting and camping equipment

Trip Itinerary

(Sept 6) Day 0 - Arrival Day: Arrive in Joseph, OR and check into the Chandlers Inn B&B before for our 6:00PM Pre-Trip Meeting. During this orientation, meet your travel companions for the next few days, as well as go over some trip logistics, check out your personal dry bags, and ask any last minute questions. Dinner is on your own this evening. Downtown Joseph is only a few minutes walk and there are some nice options for dinner.

(Sept 7) Day 1 - Ranch Day: Morning - Breakfast will be served at 7:00AM by your hosts at the Chandlers Inn. After breakfast, meet your guides for the day and depart by 7:45AM. Our morning will be spent at the Carman Ranch with owner operators Dave Flynn and Cory Carman. During our tour, we’ll learn about their 100% grass fed beef program, meet some of the ranch 4-legged residents, and have a scenic lunch prepared by “the chefs” and served in their high pasture overlooking the ranch.

Day 1 - Ranch Day: Afternoon - After lunch, we’ll take a short trip down the road to meet Craig and Liza Jane Nichols, owner operators of the 6 Ranch, a Wallowa County Century (100 year old) Ranch. We’ll learn about the traditional ranching practices they use to raise 100% grass fed Corriente Cattle. Craig and Liza Jane will treat us to a participatory demonstration of these practices, including roping their cattle and working their dogs. After watching the pros, we can try our hands in the roping arena. After we all master roping, we’ll wander down to the 6 Ranch’s Wallowa River Restoration Project to have a ranch branding BBQ prepared by “the chefs”. This type of BBQ would traditionally be served to friends and neighbors who helped with branding the new crop of calves. We will try to make it an early evening so you have time to get organized for the next days’ Hells Canyon rafting adventure.

(Sept 8) Day 2 - Launch/River Day: Breakfast will again be served by your hosts at Chandlers at 7:00AM. Plan on departing with your guide for Hells Canyon by 7:45AM. Our 2.5 hour drive will take us along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway through the beautiful Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and into the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Meet the rest of the Winding Waters River Expeditions’ guide crew at the boat ramp. There will be time for last minute gear organization before the river introduction and awareness talk. Just before lunch, say goodbye to civilization to begin our exploration of Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. Lunch will be served riverside following our launch. During the day, we will run class III and IV rapids like Wild Sheep and Granite with time to also relax, fish, explore archeological sites and take in the breathtaking views. Plan to be in camp around 4:00PM. Expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal, followed by good conversation, campfire, games and music. Feel free to bring a musical instrument if you are so inclined.

(Sept 9) Day 3: The morning routine- hot drinks and fruit juice served by 7:00AM and breakfast by 8:00AM (prepared by the Winding Waters’ guides). Following a brief discussion of the day's plan, begin the day's float by 10:00AM. Today's rapids include Bernard (class III), Water Spout (class IV), and Rush Creek (class III). Visit ancient pictograph sites, not so ancient homestead cabins, and jump from Sturgeon Rock. Lunch will be prepared by “the chefs” and served riverside with camp arrival around 4:00PM. Expect another wonderful evening beginning with a delicious meal created by “the chefs” and followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

(Sept 10) Day 4: The morning routine again. Today will be spent hiking to the overlook at Suicide Point, floating, scanning the slopes for wildlife, spotting the songbirds, exploring Kirkwood Ranch, laughing and playing in the river. Lunch will again be prepared by “the chefs” and served riverside. Take out at Pittsburg Landing around 1:00PM where we will say goodbye to most of the guide crew. From here we will board a jet boat to continue our journey downriver to Asotin, Washington to be met by the Winding Waters’ vans for transport back to Joseph and the Chandlers Inn. This extra ride will allow us to see the entire 85 miles of the Snake River in Hells Canyon. You can expect to be back in Joseph by 5:30PM. You are on your own for dinner this evening. Lodging at Chandler's is provided this evening.

(Sept 11) Departure Day

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