Sunday, September 2, 2012

August 26 - Sept 1 2012 Last week

Incredible week! What a way to wrap our season with a great week of people, paddling and a five star staff that rocked it to the end! The last night goes down in OB history for the wonderful music fest with the addition of two talented female vocalists (Adriane and Rachael) and, of course, Rex and Petey killing it with the strings. This one will never be forgotten by any of us and isn't it cool when you know you are having an experience that is seared into the memory banks for life! Seems like this happens a lot at OB. It was so great sharing Carrie's 50th with her and Bill and Justin were, as always, the nicest guys ever. Cheryl styled it for another week (her 27th I think) and was in fine form! Great having Amy and John back as well as Paul Shaw-wood and his brother Robert. Lots of new folks and we love meting Gilberto and Bella who flew in from Peru! Linda Shanahan was a study in tenacity as well as first timers Gary and Keith. Jeff Turner of kokatat fame made the scene and of course, we were thrilled that the famous writer of VANITY FAIR fame Michael J Gross seemed to have the time of his life. Also of note was an amazing dive trip on Wednesday where we saw lots of King Salmon. What a wonderful, wonderful week it was! THANKS FOR COMING    love from the whole OB staff

Monday, August 27, 2012

August 19 - 25

Wow - we are almost through our season and weeks like this make it so easy! Cheryl Hunt was back on the scene for a two week stint! The departing group were not happy that she got to stay on. It was a blast seeing Ingrid again and her paddling made solid strides even if her memory is a bit sketchy. Sadly, Mark and his two boys Corey and Travis had to leave a day early as Corey is off for a year in Spain. But he got to turn 21 at OB and I think dad gets a medal for the coolest birthday present ever. Nice family who picked up on the paddling quickly. GREAT dive day Wed never to be forgotten. Clare and Gabe and their great Dane Rufus were a huge addition and I think Clare may even buy a boat! Thanks for coming!!

August 12 - 18

A bit late getting this blog up! Sorry about that. Lots of new faces this week and it was another super congenial week. Great having Sebastian Weiche back and he took full advantage of the area (skis are on their way! THANKS)! Never a dull moment with Abi Riak around and Maura was a delight, as well. Martin, Christina and Stella were a wonderful family group new to us as well as Jeremy and Jason. Really enjoyed meeting Milan also who hails from Iowa and had some interesting farming stories. The food, as always was killer and the paddling sublime. We had some hot weather but the Klamath did not disappoint! Daan, Jess,Ben and Dave held court in the instructional dept and were super pro as always. Sweet group   THANKS FOR COMING  p

Sunday, August 12, 2012

August 5 - 11

        
        Killer group! Wonderful times were had by all this week as the group's dynamics made for top notch comraderie! Great to see Steve Carnale back for a second week and it appeared that Michelle had a blast! John and Kyle Mason (sorry about the lack of photos of you Kyle) were back again, as well, and we loved meeting their friends Bill and Mark Hummel who were a super fun addition! Kirk and Clare Heyne also made the scene and it was great having them back. We also enjoyed the Coco family (Kathleen, Sara and Aidan). Marshall and Jeff were new on the scene as well as Pierre who's sage advice re sports medicine was much appreciated. We had a great time on all the runs on the Klamath, including the Ikes and the food and cooks were over the top once again! How we love Dan and Mary. Daan and Jess and Farkas and Shannon held court in the instruction department and did an absolutely first class job. Special mention goes to new client Jordan Kaltman for his help sewing up a minor bash Jess sustained. Thanks so much to this group for showing such much appreciation for what we do here - YOU ROCK!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

July 29 - Aug 4

      
        Very small week so we loaded the deck for this photo and included our wonderful chefs Dan and Mary. Special thanks to Steve Barnes for sticking around for a second week! Great meeting Craig Poulsen, John Shea and Bruce and Karen who were a solid and well matched group. Great weather and paddling, although we had a muggy heat up toward the end complete with a fire on the last day. The management here at OB had some major heartburn over this one as close to 20 fires were started in a ten mile area (T-bar to Dillon) due to an unobservant truck driver who was inadvertently dragging a bit of chain. I am more than happy to report that the fires are contained and we never even had smoke. All good here now and blue green with the finest summer weather one could ask for (high 80's day and low 50's night). Lots of fish were seen this week on Wednesday dive trip! It was Peter Kettering's last week and he will be sorely missed. He and Benny did a great job, as always! Thanks for coming

Thursday, August 2, 2012

July 22 - 26








            Beautiful week! Very game and fun crew. This week coincided with kid's camp (which was a HUGE success) and we had a number of parents who attended the adult week. Great seeing Bruce and Ione and Dave, speaking of repeat parents, as well as Lauren who was a terrific new addition to the OB family. We had a spectacular dive day on Wednesday and the King Salmon were plentiful! Great days paddling on the Salmon and the Klamath, although levels are finally making the commute to the K a sure thing. Dan and Mary were their ever loving slam dunk chefs in the galley and the instructional staff at both the kids and adult camps knocked themselves out to deliver an exceptional product. Special thanks to Kyle for the dinner music. Great times and THANKS FOR COMING!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

July 15 - 21

 

It was an amazing week at Otter Bar. Spectacular cloud scapes, warm water and a killer group was the reality for all of us. Great having Larry Bock (sorry for the travel blunder) and Richard Spry return and they definitely got the top guns award. Larry's humor, was, as always, on the money. Charley and Tracy also made the scene with their over the top fun Auntie Penny who, frankly, ripped it up and was a study in effusive positive energy. What a dame! Wisconsin group were (all four) the nicest guys ever and the boss even liked them because they were engineers AND even cool people. We had storm clouds and amazing food (Dan and Mary held harmony high in the galley - they ROCK) and the instructor crew were on target big time with Daan and Jess and Kyle and Shannon. The music scene on the final night with Rex and Miles put us where we love to be. Sound a bit over the top? IT WAS!  The Salmon is finally dropping out but the Klamath is finally dropping in. Funny how that works Thanks for coming - all of you! We love what we do.  p

Monday, July 16, 2012

July 8- 14

Summer time here on the Salmon River and warm clothing seems a thing of the past. Strong group with a lot of solid progress and this, combined with a super amiable group, made the guide's jobs very rewarding! Perone was in full court this week and it was a pleasure seeing Karen as well as Michael Cummings and Bill Kraft. The food just seems to get better and Dan and Mary have set the bar on welcoming guests into the kitchen. We were mostly still on the salmon with a finale on the Dillon to Sandy Bar stretch. I have been seeing lots of Salmon in the deeper pools and the diving/swimming has been wonderful. Thank you all for coming!  p

Sunday, July 8, 2012

July 1 - 7



       Fantastic week. Very solid crew with some strong beginners who rocked it this week. Weather, flows, instruction, food, comraderie, etc were off the charts. We were, once again on the Salmon all week with a finale on the Dillon to Sandy bar section. The Klamath has finally come in and it is great to be able to get on it as the flows have been too high previous to this week. Superb wildlife sightings down there with the birdlife and fish action in abundance. Great having Pete and Cathy back in addition to the Stephanie and Jennifer team who kept the guides on their toes. Lots of new folks this week, as well and the father son team of Jordan and Ethan were a delight to watch excel at the sport. Mike raised the bar, as well, on the beginner front! Not to forget the amazing B-Rad and Milling's roll at the bottom of sandy Bar took the cake. Thanks for coming!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

June 24 - 30 2012




    We are midway through are season and, thanks to groups lie this one, business has been good! A super fun and amiable group of folks this week and the comraderie and vibe were over the top. Lots of repeats and it was fun having Beth and Bill and Sheryl back again! Nahanni also kept us entertained as well as the antics of Frank Colver who spent the week testing his electric motor cycle in the high elevations around the lodge. We had nine new folks, as well and special mention goes to John Moragne who generously plied the entire group with wonderful wines all week. In the culinary department Dan and Mary really hit their stride this week and their open and loving approach to the entire food experience was duly noted by all. Of course, without the instructors I would really be loving life (just kidding) and they were spot on with the program on all levels. We will miss Grum sorely, although Kristy and I plan to catch up with him at some wedding in Virginia. Thanks for coming and making this life possible for us!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

June 17 - 23




We were on the Salmon all week and the flows have, once again, been perfect. Lovely blue/green week with a spot of rainy weather at the end of the week Solid group of people and it was a great week of paddling, eating and comraderie. There was a significant women's group consisting of Ione, Carol, Denita and Linda who paddled together and kept the guides (Grum, PK, Daan, Jess and Mary) on their toes and the hilarity meter was pegged. It was great seeing Joanne do so well in her prep for the Grand Canyon! Good on ya Joanne! It was a pleasure having Dan and Elizabeth once again (nice photo Dan) as well as Tristan (great kid) and Kurt all long term repeat guests. Lots of cool people this week who were a pleasure to have around and some super nice new folk as well! The days were spent mainly on the Salmon with the lower river, the Ikes and Butler as the highlights. Dan and Mary once again did a slam dunk in the kitchen and we so appreciate their super personal approach and terrific food! They ROCK! Thank you all for coming!!  peter

Monday, June 18, 2012

June 10 - 16






It was quite a week! The Cheney clan didn't disappoint,once again, as non stop laughter and fun was the norm. We also had Gordon Bainbridge, Amanda Tucker and Drew Thate who were great sports to put up with all the hilarity complete with musical accompaniment. Drew did a spectacular exit via his private helicopter as the children were wearing on him towards the end of the week. I guess that's how those Montana people roll. He was sorely missed and we wish him well.  Craig Cheney gave a wonderful but subtle final speech that will never never be forgotten for, what he didn't say was clear to all. Great flows, weather, food and instruction reigned supreme. And, not only was it Carolyn's birthday, but the joyous news of a new addition to the family was announced early in the week! THANKS FOR COMING!!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

June 3-9



         Solid week for us with a full group! Heidi and Brian Oblander with Mark Cenovich made the scene once again and their passion for the sport is obvious. Fun seeing leslie Iorillo again (thanks for the killer newsletter) as well as Marie Monrad and her super fun daughter Zoe who haven't been here for a few years. We had great flows but it turned out to be a pretty chilly week towards the end with the advent of a cold front. Very game crew, though, as everything was in! Tony Lunt and his good friend Ariane were a delight and seemed to really love the scene here. Great meeting Thom Stineman, Barry Krumholz and Peter Niemczyk for the first time. Last but certainly not least we had a great time watching the dynamics between Colby and Ginger. Colby may have been the star student but Ginger was super game and it was a pleasure to see her excel to such a degree. The culinary staff kicked butt once again and, of course, our intrepid instructional staff (Jess Daan, Bin and dave) were over the top. OK, I know it's more effusive BS but... we really have fun with people here. Thank you all for coming and THANKS for being so over the top supporting our staff! p

Saturday, June 9, 2012

May 27 - June 2





A bit slow posting this as we are busy busy here at OB. It was a wonderful week with the "old home" crew and it seemed better than ever. I suppose I always say things like that but we had a number of effusive accolades from the gang like "best week ever after all these years"! Great seeing Pete Peterson and Henry Louderbough and all the other folks who have been here so many times. Thank you so much for sticking with us for the past 30 years! It was a stunning week weather wise ( 80's) and we got out on many of the runs up and down the North Fork and South Fork, as well as the main canyon. It was just plain magic last week and Mary and Dan punched out some wonderful meals as usual!  Graham, Daan and Jess (sorry we missed you in the photo) and PK were on hand to steer the ship and were amazing. This week is always a benchmark for us and I think the team delivered a five star product! We even managed to pull of one dinner outdoors at the request of Pete Peterson. We just can't do enough for him!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

May 20 - 26




We had some cooler weather late this week and it felt a bit like late winter. The levels dropped late in the week accordingly but all of our usual runs stayed in. A great group of folks made it easy for the guides (Kettering and Grum). Wonderful seeing Steve and Erin again and their was no shortage of banter this week! My ski buddy Bill Sullivan showed up and it was fun catching up. Bruce Wear biked and boated, styled all the runs and was a pleasure to have here. Amanda Tucker probably could have picked a later week but was a terrific sport and was very flexible re our creative approach to keep her on the right water. We had a lot of laughs with this crew! Thanks for coming.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

May 13 - 19




Our second week of the season was a continuation of spectacular weather and flows! A bit too summery, really, but there were no complaints. All sections are in and part of the group did end up on Butler towards the end of the week. Dan and Mary are killing it in the kitchen and Jess and Daan were beyond superb on the river. I know this is a lot of superlatives but... you had to be here. Great seeing Merida, as always and the addition of Paul Popovich for a second week was a treat. Long standing client Cifford Schostal made the scene again and his wry humor and constant medical advice were MUCH appreciated. We also had the delightful Peter Eisner and Miguel Flores make return appearances and it was great to meet Scott Mackenzie. Frank Colver made a cameo mid week and he will return in late june for a week of electric motor cycle riding and pack rafting! It was a super fun week! Thanks for coming!  p

Sunday, May 13, 2012

May 6 - 12




Opening week at Otter Bar!! We had a strong group this week with superb weather and flows. We were initially concerned that the warm temps would bump the river too high but the cold nights kept the river at optimum levels and an amazing time was had by all. Multiple trips to Idlewild this week as well as Matthews creek and the lower South fork. It doesn't get much better here at Otter Bar. In addition, our new cooks Mary and Dan were a huge hit with all of us as, not only does their food rock but they are great fun to have around! Great fun seeing Steve Rossberg, Rheim Jones (sorry we missed you in the above photo), Paul Popovich (he's even staying for a second week) and Jeff Donaldson. Jim Kilkenny was new on the scene and while he was kind of shy and quiet he was fun to have around. We also had Jay Anderson and Donna Poggi who biked up a storm and we were super appreciative of their help on the boutique. Graham and and Andy were the gurus for the week with able help from Dimas Pino who was a fantastic new addition! Thanks for coming!!