The Untamed Owyhee: A Rafting Tale
- Andrea Bonadiman
- May 20
- 8 min read
It's hard to fathom the magnitude of how this land will impact your heart. Then, it becomes quite evident with every time your feet touch the soil beneath, as your eyes gaze on the grassy horizons that transition into towering walls leading you deeper within the canyon. As the ripples swiftly turn into rapids around boulders older than man. This place can make a person feel like a mere speck in time. As petroglyphs adorn rocks along the river's edge. Depicting stories thousands of years prior to our lives. Let me tell you, about a journey into this land & river, I recently had the opportunity to embark on.
We set out for Rome, Oregon, early on Wednesday morning on April 23rd. The anticipation and excitement were fierce on the hour and thirty nine minute drive from Adrian to Rome. However, the views Jordan Valley offers never disappoint. Rolling hills of green, vibrant orange and red willows winding along the river's edge as we traveled Highway 95. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in sight as we pulled into the boat launch at Rome.

After settling in, we introduced ourselves to the guides at Ouzel Outfitters, to grab our dry bags and start packing. It was all becoming a reality now! I had to laugh several times on the trip at the yellow NRS 65L Bill’s Dry Bag, Ouzel offers to pack your belongings. Being a 5’2” woman, I could have easily fit into this bag, and peering into it felt as if I was tunneling into a new dimension.
Finally, all the fellow rafters and guides were ready to go! Ouzel had sent the gear boats first down the river, and the paddle boats followed about 20 minutes to half hour later. We didn’t make it far before we had to stop abruptly, due to the gear boat being hung up on a diversion dam!

All the boats landed on shore, and we hopped out to help the crew in any way we could. At launch my boyfriend Tim Mazac, had recognized some YouTubers who often post rafting content of the Owyhee River and beyond, Silas & Andrea of @heart.compass.adventures (you can catch their video here. Tim Mazac and I have a cameo at the beginning and the end). They, along with their party, also landed their rafts to help the Ouzel guides release the gear boat from the rocks. This was over an hour of everyone working together to release the gear boat. I must say, it was quite refreshing and uplifting to see complete strangers for the most part join in and help each other out. The Ouzel guides worked intensely to release the boat, throwing ropes, hooking up a winch, rocking it, etc. Finally, the boat was released and floated onward.
As spirits calmed, we came upon the pillars towering on each side of the river. Formed some 2.5 - 5.3 million years ago, by water and wind erosion in the Pliocene Era. Sources indicate that the pillars are capped by a more weather-resistant layer of basalt or welded tuff. This harder caprock erodes more slowly than the softer clay, ash, and sediment layers underneath, leading to the distinctive pillar-like shapes over time due to wind and water erosion. This landscape makes you feel as if you’ve entered a desert in a Star Wars film, surreal and other worldly. The way the soil erodes into textures and the layers of color resembling the dessert tiramisu. While hundreds of abandoned swallow nests line the wall, it is the perfect preview of how unique this landscape really is.
After a long day of being on the water, conquering rapids such ‘bulls eye’, and the ruckus of the gear boat getting hung up at the diversion dam; by the time we reached our first camp we were all exhausted. Arriving at a dining table that was set and inviting us to come relax, we grabbed our tents and set up camp. The guides had provided a wonderful appetizer selection & warm cozy meal. We awoke in the morning to a stunning sunrise peeking over the canyon walls, packed up camp and headed out towards Ryegrass.

I had heard stories of Ryegrass, and how beautiful it was, serene, quiet and calm. All of what was said was true. It was quite hot that evening, sitting in the shade with a cold refreshment, gazing at the river and visiting with the guides and fellow rafters was all I needed.
The next morning, we awoke before the sun came up and walked down to the hot springs. The air was crisp and cool, the silence that filled the air was heavenly. All that could be heard was the ripples of the river as the sun slowly made its way over the horizon and through the overcast clouds. The water was scorching but felt so good on sore muscles and warmed straight to the core.

At this point it was hard to decipher which days we did what… I was trying my best to keep a somewhat simple journal of my activities. However, between conversations and events it seemed hard and harder to accomplish as the trip went on…. Therefore, I will focus on the epic highlights of the trip.
We had a long day of paddling, and hiking, witnessing the beauty of Chalk Basin-Pruitts Castle was unbelievable. It was like turning the river bend and witnessing a cathedral built by the ancient gods of time. The rocks surrounding were eerie with perfect bubble-like masses missing, creating craters and holes. The photos of Chalk Basin really don’t do it justice. Yes, they look gorgeous, however nothing can prepare you for the size in which it towers into the skyline.

Leaving this area and entering deeper into the canyon, I was preparing to witness the beauty of Green Dragon Canyon where the infamous Montgomery rapid flows, and the canyon walls close in. Tim Mazac had just taken me to see this area from up above the canyon, a week or so prior. Seeing the depth of the crack in the earth was a bit much for me, since I am afraid of heights. However, this was building the excitement and anticipation to see it from the water looking up as well. It was a bit overcast and the lighting created a certain darkness on the canyon walls. The towering rhyolite that day, with the darkness of the clouds above made it feel as if we were entering Mordor (Lord of the Rings reference). There was an immense amount of powerful energy felt in this stretch of the canyon, it was felt deep into my soul. It was alluring, yet dark and ominous. The connection felt, seeing the canyon from above looking down, to being on the water and gazing up to see its height was striking. Just a week ago, I stood atop the canyon walls. The ground covered in bunch grasses, and wildflowers, bright and cheerful. As the horizon featured the darkness of Iron Point, and off in the distance the Steens could be seen. I could have sat in that field for days, just gazing at the grass flowing in the breeze. Such a stark contrast to how the canyon is felt and viewed from within.

The clouds were building up as the day wore on. It was obvious, a storm was in the works. We landed the rafts, and kayaks, to gather our tents and set up camp before the weather got nasty. After we found a perfect spot, and got settled in, Tim Mazac decided to take out his binoculars and glass the hills a bit for sheds (antlers that mule deer or elk shed in the late winter) before dinner. It hadn’t even been five minutes, and he spotted a matching set on the hillside across the river. I scoped them out, and they looked like a good size, maybe a 4-point Elk Shed. Excitedly, he went down to ask the guides if they could give us a ride across the river. I stood waiting impatiently to hear the decision. I was still in water moccasins and hadn’t stopped to change my shoes yet, as I knew the approaching storm was close. I heard a yell, “Babe! Let’s go!” Guide Brett of Ouzel Outfitters had agreed to take us across. I ran down the bank and we hopped in the raft. He dropped us off on the sandy bank, and we made haste hiking along the hillside to where the sheds lay. We made it to the location, and I was checking out some remnants of old wagon wheels, when I heard Tim Mazac yell in shock at the sheer size of the sheds! I made my way up to where he was, and was also in complete shock! These elk sheds aren’t a usual find, let alone in the Owyhee! They made me feel so small when I stood next to them. If these are the bull's antlers, can you imagine his size?!

As we walked back to the beach carrying the sheds, the crowd of guides and fellow rafters lined the banks at camp. Hooping and hollering at Tim Mazac’s epic find. We waited as guide Brett fought the wind and the incoming storm to pick us up. When we arrived back at camp, a joyous excitement was felt by all. It was an energy that filled the camp throughout the night. Distracting us from huddling up under the awning as rain began to pour down, and the wind gusted through the camp. Truly, a day I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

The next morning we set off in hopes to stop and have lunch searching for petroglyphs along the river's edge. Petroglyphs can be found all along the Owyhee River in various locations. It is such a treat to see an image that was carved on stone thousands of years before we set foot on this land. I find myself always attempting to decipher what exactly they were trying to document or draw. As it seems some of the older petroglyphs you find, are dots and very elementary and abstract.

We were walking around a large area finding petroglyphs almost everywhere we looked. All of a sudden, through the canyon you could hear something that sounded like motors! Then in a flash, comes three super cub airplanes racing down the canyon above us. They flew through the canyon, gliding the corners before swooping up towards the top scouting for places to land. These planes were absolutely darling, and looked like a blast to ride in. Like an aerial roller coaster, with gorgeous scenery out the window.

Our last camp was bittersweet. None of us wanted the trip to end. There were so many unbelievable moments throughout the last four days. We relaxed and gazed at the infamous Shipman’s Rock, as the evening wore on, a costume contest began, and guide Gabe, along with a few fellow rafters, played guitar and welcomed dusk with songs.

This was my first ever whitewater rafting trip, and it exceeded my expectations by far. Every time we passed another bend in the river, my soul was taken back by the beauty and history of the Owyhee. I never knew I could ever fall in love with a place, let alone the high desert, like I have with the Owyhee. It has this way of capturing your heart and soul. For someone who has never felt quite at home in urban areas, the Owyhee offers solace in its sagebrush steppe. Where in the canyon, the only sounds you hear are of the wrens, ravens, and hawks that fly above. This calm peace that washes over your soul and caresses the deepest of desires to feel free. It is quenched by the Owyhee.
DISCLAIMER:
There are too many Tim's, therefore let's break it down who is who....
Tim Davis: Executive Director of Friends of the Owyhee
Tim Mazac: my significant other / epic shed hunter
Tim Freeman: Guide for Ouzel Outfitter's / ran the Owyhee River 100+ in his career
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