Oregon’s rivers and streams are home to some of the finest outdoor adventures in the country and there is unique history in a watercraft design that some call the “All Oregon Boat.” When you sit between the oars of an Oregon classic called the “Driftboat,” you slide across rapids, slip past boulders and leave all of your troubles behind.

For local boat builder Ray Heater, you also touch Oregon history.

“Oh, the drift boat is really a special type of boat the represents the state of Oregon.
That has always attracted me – why don’t I build something else? Because I’m a fisherman and I love to float rivers and I’ve never seen a craft that can perform as well as this simple boat.”

Heater builds wooden drift boats in his Welches, Oregon shop; a business called Ray’s River Dories. He’s the last to make a living by cutting, drilling and hammering doug fir and cedar into boats that take people down rivers. Heater’s career spans more than four decades and it has been built upon a boat design that’s all Oregon. Drift boats were spawned on the McKenzie and Rogue Rivers in the early 20th century and at first, the boats hauled supplies. By the 1940’s anglers paid big money to fishing guides like Woodie Hindman who would take fishermen, called “Dudes,” down rivers to catch fish.

Heater noted, “It’s really a floating platform for your camping and fishing gear – that’s really what it’s all about.” Headded that the all Oregon boat was distinct because it safely rode atop the waves.

“Oh man, they can provide a piece of ballet – water ballet! Those guys between the oars would just dance across those waves with the oars – it’s a rush – a real rush…I mean I like to fish, but I like to run that whitewater.”

Ray Heater is not alone in his quest to protect and preserve the “All Oregon Boat.”

He explained: “People will say, ‘you should write something down about this.’ And I say, ‘Oh boy, that’s going to be a tough one for me, I’d rather build a boat than write about one. Well, then along came Roger Fletcher, who walks into my shop one day and says, ‘I’m writing a book about the river boat. I thought, ‘You are the man.”

Roger Fletcher never thought of himself as the man to save a chapter of Oregon history – he just likes the shape and feel and history of wooden drift boats. He builds them too – models – that are scaled down versions.

“They basically require the same technique of a person building a traditional drift boat – just smaller. There isn’t anything fancy about it, but when you look at the lines of a Mckenzie River drift boat, there isn’t a prettier set of lines

Fletcher has had a love affair with drift boats since a boy. Today, he is the author of a new book called “Drift Boats and River Dories,” that tells the story of the earliest boats that were developed for Oregon rivers. He calls the drift boat design a “unique contribution to the boating world” and adds that few people know about them although they’ve likely seen them and perhaps been lucky enough to even fish in one.

“It’s the crescent shape and a fellows like Hindman, Veltie Pruitt and Prince Helfrich who designed and originally built them. They all fell in love with the design because it assumed the crescent shape of the waves. Plus, people fell in love with the ride.”

And who wouldn’t? Today, drift boating’s popularity has spread across the country. The “All Oregon Boat” can be seen on rivers across the country, wherever there are rivers waiting for adventure. Now, thanks to Roger Fletcher, more people will know of the boat’s important past.

“My hope,” he added, “is that more people will see more of these traditional and highly functional and beautiful boats out on the rivers. It’s tough not to fall in love with this boat. If a person hasn’t been in one – gets in one, has a day’s experience in one – he’ll be back.”

Each spring, there is an annual gathering of wooden drift boats and their builders on the banks of the McKenzie River. It is held at Eagle Rock Lodge and offers newcomers a chance to learn more about the boats and their lasting place in Oregon boating history.

Editor’s Note: Grant’s Getaways is a production of Travel Oregon brought to you in association with Oregon State Parks, Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon State Marine Board. Episodes air Fridays and Saturdays on KGW Newschannel 8 and Saturdays on Northwest Cable News Network.

The Oregon 150 Challenge is all over, but we wanted to thank the 517 freethinking adventurers and roamers of roads that completed the Oregon 150 Challenge and became Official Oregonians! We hope your Official Oregonian Certificate is hanging proudly somewhere!

We’re also very excited to announce the winners of our 7 Grand Oregon Tours! Congratulations to each of you, and we hope to see you exploring Oregon soon!

Grand Oregon Tour Winners

Central Oregon – Courtney R., Springfield, OR

Oregon Coast – Jean P., Forest Grove, OR

Willamette Valley – Judy F., Portland, OR

Eastern Oregon – Connie O., Neskowin, OR

Mt. Hood/Gorge – Sally N., Salem, OR

Southern Oregon – Janet M., Eugene, OR

Greater Portland – Sherrie K., Cedar Rapids, IA

This November, we’re also celebrating the very first Native American Heritage Month with several opportunities to experience our nine federally recognized tribes’ lifestyles and traditions.

We’ve also got a fabulous appetizer recipe that would be perfect for your Thanksgiving celebration as well as one last chance to enter to win an Oregon Bounty Getaway.

See you in Oregon, where we’re planning our Thanksgiving Weekend Winery Tour.

As the color starts to snap around the state, stay tuned to the new Oregon Fall Foliage blog for regular updates from forest rangers, biologists and leaf peepers like you! Share your favorite fall trips in the blog comments or by replying to @ORFallFoliage on Twitter.

Before heading out for an Oregon Bounty escape this season, plan your route with Oregon Fall Foliage to discover the brightest peak colors throughout the state.

The Oregon Fall Foliage Hotline can be reached at 800.547.5445 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

There’s still ample chance, however, to live your foodie dreams in Oregon. Check out our new culinary travel website for some can’t-miss foodie finds and enter to win a Bounty Getaway to the Mt. Hood/Gorge area.

See you in Oregon, where we’re cooking up the perfect fall meal.

~The Editors

So, go! Watch the videos, rate your favorite, and help someone win a Flip Video Camera! And remember…the Cuisinternship winners will be announced starting on September 29th!

This month, we’re giving you a chance to live out your foodie dreams in Oregon with the Win an Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest. And, while you’re at it, you can plan your fall foodie getaway with our new culinary travel website!

Also this month, we’re celebrating Oregon’s bounty with Roasted Pork Tenderloin with White Bean Pancetta Ragu.

Come see us in Oregon, where heirloom tomatoes at are at their peak at our farmers’ markets.

~The Editors

Four hundred miles southeast of Portland, remote Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is the only refuge of its kind in the United States. The 278,000-acre refuge is completely free of domestic livestock and was originally created to develop a safe haven for remnant herds of pronghorn antelope.

Getting there requires a commitment, but the rewards are many. Located outside the southeastern Oregon town of Lakeview (which is 65 miles away), Hart Mountain is best (and most impressively) accessed by driving south of Burns on Hwy 205, passing through Frenchglen, and continuing south about ten miles to the turn-off towards Hart Mountain, which is a clearly marked right turn – you can’t miss it!

Here, our adventure began right where the pavement ends. A 52-mile bumpy but very scenic road takes you through past isolated ranches, marshy pastures, desert landscape, and limitless big sky before starting the climb towards Hart Mountain. Keep an eye out for antelope- they didn’t name make this area an antelope refuge without a reason!

Finding antelope might be harder than you think… the tawny coloring of their body blends in very well with the muted desert background. A good way to spot the animals is to look for their white rear ends- which provide some contrast. I spotted several herds, and at one point, we had stopped to observe a herd to our right when on a hillside not far away to our left, I spotted movement. I couldn’t believe it when a pronghorn buck came down the hillside, crossed literally 10 feet in front of our car, and bounded its way towards the herd! Amazing!!

In addition to being an antelope preserve, the refuge serves as home to more than 300 species of wildlife. Other species include California bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and redband trout, and we saw a lot of meadowlarks, red-winged blackbirds and jackrabbits, who scurried along the roadside to disappear under sagebrush right at the last minute as we passed by.

After this 52-mile trek, we reached the refuge headquarters, an oasis in the desert nestled about a quarter of the way below the top of the mountain. Here, we filled up on water and took care of restroom necessities. Visitors need to be aware that there is no store and staff don’t sell fuel or food (nor do they providing towing services), so it is very important to have plenty of fuel, food and water and a good high-clearance vehicle (with operable spare tire) before attempting this trip!

At the headquarters, there’s a well-signed junction, and we followed the road straight towards the Hot Springs, just four miles ahead. This was another delightful adventure! One of Oregon’s best-kept secrets, Antelope Hot Springs, is cradled in a mountainous fold on Hart Mountain, and features a large hot spring outdoors. Located in a quiet grove of aspens, the hot springs are somewhat developed with a concrete wall surrounding it, (which blocked the wind) and pool-like ladder climbing down into the water. The quick dip was very invigorating, and we didn’t see a single soul the entire time! Before leaving, we took a quick look at the campground which was pleasantly shaded, but decided to keep going to explore more of the refuge.

Returning back to the Headquarters then veering west, we continued in a sea of sagebrush, mesas and miles of scenery. Passing several watering holes, we spotted a few more antelope as we seemingly kept climbing. Hart Mountain is actually a giant fault block mountain/ridge line, and when we reached the edge at the Campbell Lake Overlook, our jaws dropped just like the cliffs in front of us. The view was incredible and just seemed so… Pleistocene. Laid out across the horizon and below us was a very primitive and primal scene- this land has been largely untouched since the history of man began.

Far below lay the Warner Wetlands, remnants themselves of a vast inland ocean, and collection point for the area’s watershed. All of the moisture captured by the mountain range above gets channeled to the marshes below.

The road crept its way along the edge of the ridge line, carefully wending its way down to the valley floor below. Once we got down to the bottom, lake after lake in this otherwise dry and arid desert was alive with abundant wildlife. It was amazing! I saw more pelicans (white) than I had ever seen before.

We stopped the car and just watched these birds gaggling fish down their massive gullets by the beakfull. Boy, I thought, this must be heaven for them with such plentiful food! Tree and cliff swallows swooped and turned with acrobatic efficiency in so many maneuvers that made me dizzy. Their prey: mosquitoes and other insects, which were in great numbers as well, as I realized when I started scratching my arms.

The sense of space, the wildlife, and getting a sense of a wild, untouched land really had a big impact on me from this visit. Everyone thinks of Oregon as rainy, but there are 2/3 of the state that are actually very arid/desert-like. Somewhere I read that the corner of Southeastern Oregon near where I was standing is one of the least populated places on earth, per square mile. With the exception of unincorporated Plush, the closest town is Lakeview (population: 2,720) which is 65 miles away. Knowing that still-wild places on earth like Hart Mountain are being protected and preserved is important part of Oregon’s heritage and uniqueness.

All will be revealed on Monday. If you think you know the answer, or just have a witty (we’ll be the judge of that) caption for the photo, send us your best line. The most creative response to today’s question will receive a complimentary copy of the “Chefs Bounty” cookbook.

All will be revealed on Monday. If you think you know the answer, or just have a witty (we’ll be the judge of that) caption for the photo, send us your best line. The most creative response to today’s question will receive a complimentary copy of the “Chefs Bounty” cookbook.