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Our Rogue River whitewater rafting, kayaking and hiking guests often head over to Bandon on the southern Oregon coast after their adventure vacation with Whitewater Warehouse. There, they find so many fun things to do. Great seafood, quaint places to stay, unique shopping, and even a world-class golf course (more on that in a later blog).
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Bandon with the owner of the Galice Resort, Debbie Fine-Thomason. In this video, she explains why she loves to visit the quaint southern Oregon town of so much:
If you are interested in heading to Bandon, you can find a wealth of information at the Bandon Chamber of Commerce. The site even has a “jetty cam” so you can see the weather minute by minute!
So don’t miss out on this beautiful little town. Just the perfect place to land after a wonderful river trip with Whitewater Warehouse.
Southern Oregon Specialty Foods: Sometimes a retailer just gets “it right.” We happened upon Gary West Smoked Meats located in the cuter-than-cute town of Jacksonville, Oregon, on one of our southern Oregon exploration trips. What a unique treat! While the company specializes in smoked meats, it also offers up to customers a range of local-sourced food that would yummily stuff a Sunday picnic basket. (Yes, we made up the word “yummily” but it fits!) The quaint shop hosts a surprising number of southern Oregon wines which are featured along-side locally made chips, dips, breads, cheeses, and, of course, those wonderful smoked meats and jerky.
Staff even tempts buyers with a full case of incredible candy fudge choices!
But the real stars of this show/shop are the jerky varieties that you will find no where else…like their certified Angus Beef, Buffalo, and Elk jerky varieties. They even make a jerky for man’s best friend…the Gus Dog Jerky! Now, our shop dog, Sparky, would be wild-eyed for that one!!
You might want to sign up for their mailing list. Periodically, the company posts sp
ecials…like its current “Dads & Grads” sale which offers you free ground shipping for a limited time. Gary West’s retail outlet is located at 690 North 5th St in Jacksonville, Oregon. Open 7 days a week, shoppers can reach them by dialing 1-800-833-1820 or check out their website at: http://www.garywest.com
If you happen to be in the southern Oregon area rafting with us at White Water Warehouse, make sure to put this store on your “must visit” list. The friendly staff offers free samples of all their smoked meat products and their pastrami sandwiches are simply out-of-this-world. Oh-my-gosh, my mouth is watering….
Oregon Historic Hotel: We asked Emilie Young, current director of the Chateau at the Oregon Caves, what she found most interesting about the 75 year history of the beautiful hotel. Without hesitation, she answered, “I find it fascinating that 10 business men came together in the middle of the Great Depression to conceive the Chateau. The group privately funded the design and the building of the structure. Their intent was to build a local, non-profit attraction that would employ local residents, display local art, incorporate local-sourced food, and play off the huge attraction of the caves. These 10 men,” says Ms. Young, “had the vision to create an economic development component to aid the surrounding communities.”
This rustic, Swiss-style, wood-framed building is securely nestled in a forested ravine by the cave’s entrance. With its shaggy exterior sheathed in Port Orford cedar bark, the wooden post-and-beam Chateau is a visual delight. The 75-year-old lodge has 30-inch diameter log columns, a rustic staircase crafted from oak and madrone wood, a massive marble hearth, a 1930s-style coffee shop, and, in the dining area, a section of Cave Creek that’s been channeled to flow through the graciously elegant room.
Designated as one of the “Great Lodges of Oregon” (the other two are Crater Lake Lodge and Timberline Lodge), you can overnight in one of its stately rooms and dine in the Chateau’s unique restaurant. The Chateau at the Oregon Caves is located at 20000 Caves Hwy, Cave Junction OR. Phone 877-245-9022 for lodging or dining reservations or visit the Chateau’s website.
This just in from the weird file…we just had to add a blurb about the ghost hunter taking on the ghosts at the Oregon Caves Chateau….
Oregon Resorts: What is it about this funky southern Oregon destination that keeps people coming back for more? Must be that Galice Resort is in the center of it all! Debbie Fine, owner and operator of the Resort details what makes the location so special. “Our staff works hard every day to provide the essentials to our valued guests. We offer multiple lodging options, a full-service restaurant, small retail store, rentals, day rafting trips, shuttle services..all located on the banks of the beautiful Rogue River. We provide a friendly voice for customers (or non-customers) seeking advice and counsel about the area. We make it our top priority to serve those who call or come visit during the months we are open and operating.”
Galice Resort is the launching point for many of our White Water Warehouse clients. It is generally the first stop before the Rogue River hiking, rafting, or kayaking trip begins. Forget your sunscreen?…no problem. Didn’t purchase that fishing license?…got it. Craving a soft-serve ice cream cone?…it’s yours.
The resort is open from May 1 through the end of November each year. But, if you want to book lodging there, call or email them early. They offer such a convenient location that guests frequently book a couple years in advance for the most prized rooms and times. The Resort just launched a new lodging booking service. Super easy and super convenient. Check it out by going to the home page for Galice Resort and clicking on “Check availability/Make a Reservation” button. Or, give them a jingle on the phone by dialing: 541-476-3818.
Our friends at the Resort will soon become yours too!
Southern Oregon Dining: Our White Water Warehouse guests kept calling our offices raving about this fabulous southern Oregon restaurant. They usually started the conversation with the following, “We were blown away that this restaurant was located in Grants Pass. They offer wonderful, local-sourced, organic meals. And the coolest thing is that the owners encouraged us to wander through the farm fields and look at the produce that the chefs eventually incorporated into our meals!!” This restaurant is Summer Jo’s.
Nancy Groth, co-owner of Summer Jo’s explains that she and her hubby both worked in the Silicon Valley but had grown weary of the area’s hub-bub and purchased the farm that Summer Jo’s sits on in 1999. “We fell in love with this farm on a trip to visit my sister who had relocated to Oregon a few years before. We bought it, put in some crops, looked at the outbuildings, and conceived a plan to launch a gourmet-quality organic restaurant using certified organic crops that we grew on-site. Ten years on, it’s still very much a 24/7-type of endeavor (we work every day) and we continue to launch complementary side businesses (bakery, theater, farmstand…this year we’re raising chickens for certified organic eggs) in order to make the whole thing work.”
And work it does. Nancy goes on to say, “In conceiving the restaurant, we had two options: quantity (serving volumes of people at cheaper prices) or quality (serving fewer people at a more premium price). Given our own penchant for healthy, nutritious foods, we opted for the latter. In my mind, it’s also a moral issue. I care about my customers. Beyond that, FLAVOR rules and you get the best flavor when you use quality ingredients.”
Back to those side businesses. The bakery was launched in 2007 and recently Nancy notes a mercedes-of-an-oven was installed with steam attachments (important for crispy crusts). They bake six types of sourdough artisan breads: Kalamata Olive, Rustic Sourdough, Rustic Whole Wheat, Golden Raisin-Fennel Seed, Rye Caraway; parbaked pizza crusts, and rosemary dinner rolls. You can purchase the breads at their on-site bakery or at 11 other southern Oregon venues including: Rays, Cartwrights, Farmers Market, Gooseberries, Rogue Creamery, Harry and David, ShopNKart, Market of Choice, and Ashland Food Coop.
Summer Jo’s represents everything we here at WWW value…quality, superior taste, and stellar service! The farm/restaurant is located at 2315 Upper River Road Loop, Grants Pass. You can call them at: 541-476-6882
Photo credits go to Summer Jo’s
Southern Oregon's Surprise Destinations 