I received a phone call during the 3rd week of April from Bruce Bergstrom, owner of Sawyer Paddles & Oars, (who make our great 5 piece paddle set), inviting me on a trip down the lower Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon. The Owyhee has always been high on my list of rivers to run, but it isn't easy getting the right combination of good river flow and decent weather. Bruce told me that all indications were good for both high water and plenty of sunshine. He was absolutely correct, and we had a fantastic trip. The lower Owyhee is a spectacular 5 day river run, with a modicum of smaller rapids, awesome campsites, hot springs, beautiful scenery , and rattle snakes.

Because I was traveling with rafters who were bringing all of the camping gear, I decided to paddle an S12, which in this case, had plenty of room for my gear, and was an excellent choice.