Rogue River Blackberry Crisp

There is nothing like the taste of a ripe, juicy August blackberry in the middle of January! We picked and froze most of our crop of blackberries this summer.
First, 4 cups of berries were taken from the freezer and placed in a bowl to begin defrosting.

Now it is time for preparing the crisp!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When berries are mostly defrosted, but not completely mix 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar with 3Tablespoons of flour. Pour blackberries into a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle berries with sugar flour mixture and let set. Push the partially frozen berries back and forth to make sure they are all covered and then leave them alone to finish juicing.

Meanwhile, mix together 2 cups of oatmeal, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 c flour and 1 stick of melted butter. Stir until all oats are moistened from the butter and then spoon over the top of the blackberries.

Mix 3 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle this over the top of the oatmeal mixture. Bake the crisp until done. This means you can see the purple, juicy, goodness bubbling around the edges of the oats, or about 40 minutes.


Eat the blackberry crisp warm with friends or family. You can serve it with a glass of milk, hot coffee, ice cream or whipped cream, and enjoy a taste of the Rogue's hot summer days in the middle of winter!

Rogue River Winter Preparations

During the winter months there is a great deal of behind the scenes planning going on. We have to try new menu items out, like cast iron brownies or a different flavor of Dutch Oven cobblers and slow cooked meals, like a stuffed bison steak! There is also the behind the scenes networking, web working and the infamous paper working that takes place during the off season.

Over the week end we got to meet up with Beverly of Rogue Forest Bed and Breakfast to see her latest business venture. She is the managing operator of the Riverhouse Recreation and Retreat Center. The setting is spectacular and the lodge and screened sleeping cabins are simply inviting. The Riverhouse will offer group lodging at a reasonable price in a private setting on one of the most pristine pieces of land along the river. The land borders along Almeda Rapid and you can hear the running water from anywhere on the property. There is a large deck for outdoor dining off of the main lodge, an organic garden, dorm style showers and restrooms, and lovely landscaped river rock steps that open up to the great meadow.

Beverly has an eye for detail and a heart for delicious food. Anyone who stays with her at the Rogue Forest Bed and Breakfast or the Riverhouse Recreation and Retreat Center will experience genuine Southern Oregon Hospitality.
Thanks for a great day, Bev!

Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends. Enjoy one another, offer gifts of kindness and good cheer, share a smile, and find contentment in the little things life brings your way. Happy Christmas Day! Love, The O'Brien Family

Snow Along the Rogue River

Winter has arrived in the Rogue Valley! The Evergreens are dressed in white, the river has a crisp, crackling flow, and the air is clean and bright. Right now it is 17 degrees at O'Brien's Headquarters.

We are enjoying the beauty of the season. Grab a warm cup of coffee, cocoa or tea and enjoy the view!

Rogue River Thanksgiving

Life on the Rogue is a special way to live. We are very thankful that we get to live in God's country along the banks of the Rogue River, nestled in the rich fertile valley of the Siskiyou-Klamath Mountain Range.


Our Thanksgiving was cooked cast iron style over a campfire at one of our favorite campsites. We forgot about the removal of the tables by the parks department during the winter time, but Tim improvised and built a table out of firewood! We cooked fog bank mashed potatoes, s'more sweet potatoes, gravel bar peas and onions, and fire roasted herbed turkey complete with corn bread stuffing. We thought the names would entice you to try a cook out of your own or better yet, with us! The camp coffee kept us warm as we topped off dinner with pumpkin pie.

We enjoyed the chatter of the belted king fisher, the warmth of the fire, the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors and the company of one another. Here's to living the good life one day at a time and to sharing the gratitude of another beautiful season on the Rogue River.
Happy Thanksgiving!



Rogue River Rafting Dinner Trips

Ride into the Wild Rogue

While taking a photo trip along the river, we watched three horseback riders enter the water from the river right. There are no roads going in or out and access is miles away on a rough, little used, mostly forgotten logging and mining road. There used to be an old homestead where the horses and their riders entered the river corridor. There are remnants of canning and food preservation artifacts, other household items and some mining debris. Everything else has been washed away over the years from high water and floods. The site is now used by rafters and fishermen for picnicking and camping.

The riders were obviously enjoying the gorgeous day, full of autumn colors and took their horses into the water at the rocky bank on the bend of the river. They rested for a moment and then turned back into the wilderness for their return journey. Watching them from a distance above was like a trip back in time and into the wild west!

Oregon River Rafting
Rogue River Rafting Day Trips

Fall Colors On The Rogue River

Summer vacations are over, kids are back to school and the Rogue River is like a ghost town except for a few fishing boats. It is now fall. The river is quiet and bursting with autumn colors. It is a beautiful time of the year to visit the river and that is what Kari and I did. We drove along the river and stopped at various places to take pictures. Hopefully we captured the essence of the season on this magnificent river.

Oregon River Rafting
Rogue River Rafting Day Trips

Miami Beach Camping

All summer long we enjoy spending time rafting and camping with people from all over the world. Now that the season is over, Kari and I got to spend a little R&R together. We packed up the boat with our camping gear and put in at Robertson Bridge. We floated into Hellgate Canyon and on the left is a beautiful sandy beach. The locals call it 'Miami Beach'. We had a great dinner made by Kari. Then there was a surprise visit from some former students who were passing by in their drift boat. We talked and shared some old memories. They left and Kari and I enjoyed the evening together. The next day we had a great riverside breakfast, packed up the rocket boat and floated to Grave Creek where Karyn and Alyssa picked us up. A perfect ending to a fantastic season.

Rogue River Rafting Trips