Salmon River bachelorette adventures.

Bachelorette Adventures

Looking for a truly fabulous way to share a last fling with your best girlfriends? Check out these six destinations—some nearby and some a total splurge.

By Malerie Yolen-Cohen Published March 11, 2008

For today's brides, destination bachelorette parties are all the rage. Whether you prefer limo rides, athletic pursuits, or pampering relaxation, there's a location that's right for you and your friends.

First, there was the bachelor party: gangs of guys drenching themselves in booze and doing wild-oats things with scantily clad women. Then there was the bachelor-party weekend: much more of the same, plus golf and gambling. The motto “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” was probably inspired by such events. Soon-to-be-married women finally came to the conclusion that what’s good for the goose is better for the gander—why should guys have all the fun? And so were born the sometimes wild and crazy and sometimes tame and sophisticated bachelorette parties and getaways.

A recent poll of 246 American Express travel agents revealed that “girlfriend getaways” are a significant trend, with spa, beach, and shopping vacations most often chosen, along with sports, culinary, and city-oriented trips. Two thirds of the agents polled indicated that women traveling together are seeking more active and luxurious vacations, an indication, perhaps, that more soon-to-be-married women tend to be older and wealthier than any previous generation of brides.

We thought you might be eager to join in on this trend, so we researched the options and came up with the ultimate list of bachelorette-party destinations. That male bastion of last flings, Las Vegas, has been deliberately omitted from the list. Instead, you’ll find places to soak in hot cocoa, be rubbed down by muscular river guides, sip Chardonnay beneath budding grapes, suck on anatomically correct lollipops, curl up with a season’s worth of Sex and the City, or indulge in a massage on a hot Caribbean beach—all while bonding, during your last single days, with your best girlfriends.

action-oriented

River Rafting in Lewiston, Idaho

Travel Time: 10-hour flight to Spokane, WA, plus a two-hour drive

For resplendent scenery, nothing beats the rivers of America’s West, along with the guys who ply them. River guides, also known as eye candy for women who want to dip their toes in rugged adventure, are increasingly popular with novice female paddlers—river- running outfitters report a growing number of girls-only groups.

Years ago, I could have used this estrogen power when I found I was the only woman among eleven guys (I wasn’t too disappointed) on a four-day trip down the Lower Salmon River with Orange Torpedo Trips. This outfit puts you in your own inflatable kayak, and by day two, you’re navigating rapids like a pro. Recently, Miss New Jersey left her makeup at home and had her last unmarried fling by flinging herself down chutes and waterfalls with her bridesmaids. The owners of Orange Torpedo tell us that, yes, women are seeking more exhilarating experiences on whitewater, and “having a nice-looking guy give a great massage at the end of the day is an added bonus.”

While whitewater rafting on the Lower Salmon River in Idaho, bachelorettes can test their athletic skills and sense of adventure. The gorgeous river guides—who set up camp, cook, and give
massages—certainly don’t hurt.

For Girls’ Eyes Only: Traditionally a male macho experience, whitewater kayaking is drawing an increasing number of women’s groups, not only for the sheer “you go girl” fun of it but also to be spoiled by hunky river rats. They set up camp; cook really good beer-infused breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and will even knead your tired muscles at the end of a long, hard workout. Many of the stories told around the evening campfire are funny, racy, and just what you need to get through the next challenging day.

Just the Facts: Orange Torpedo Trips runs dozens of trips in several Western states. Beginners favor the four-day and three-night Lower Salmon Adventure in Idaho, which sets out from Lewiston. The cost is $899, which includes meals, transportation from hotel to river and back, and river snacks. For more information: orange torpedo.com, info@orangetorpedo.com or (866) 479-5061.

taken from the spring/summer 2008 issue of Westchester Weddings

History of the Orange Torpedo

Josh Makepeace navigates his Tahiti through a rapid on the Rogue River near Galice Saturday during the filming of a training video for Orange Torpedo Trips. photo by Jamie Lusch

Tahiti Trippin'

The brightly colored boats have been a Rogue River mainstay for decades

By Sarah Lemon

Mail Tribune

Rogue Valley residents know tahitis: the brightly colored, inflatable canoes that fill up local waterways — particularly stretches of the Rogue River.

Locals may not know the boats came of age on the Rogue after being ridiculed as "rubber duckies," fit for little else than plying swimming pools.

"Nobody thought that the tahiti could do it," says Conny Klimenko, director of new products for Coleman and the former president of Sevylor's U.S. operations.

"I also didn't think that the boats would stand up."

Tahiti enthusiasts can thank Jerry Bentley, founder of Orange Torpedo Trips in Merlin. Bentley, at one time a Medford resident, died last year, but he's remembered as the originator of tahitis' leap into whitewater. Five years after the French company Sevylor developed tahitis in 1963, Bentley approached Klimenko at a San Francisco exhibition with a plan to buy the boats and rent them out for river trips.

"I said, 'You're nuts,' " Klimenko recalls. "You're going to drown some people, and we're going to have lawsuits."

Bentley persisted, documenting a year of using tahitis on Oregon rivers, from which he emerged unscathed. He gave Klimenko an ultimatum: sell him the boats or he would buy them from JC Penney. Sevylor provided Orange Torpedo's first fleet of 24 tahitis and collaborated with Bentley through the next couple of decades to custom-design sturdier, self-bailing models.

Forty years after Bentley bought his first boats, no fewer than 20 local companies rent tahitis or offer guided tours in the inflatable craft. Orange Torpedo operates at least one day trip every day during its peak season between June 15 and Aug. 15, says Erik Weiseth, the company's director of marketing.

Between 20,000 and 25,000 tahitis are sold worldwide every year, says Caryn Rohr, who services Sevylor accounts in Oregon for new owner Coleman. At one time, approximately 80 percent of tahitis were sold within the state, she says.

"They're still sold heavily in Oregon simply because they're so popular," Rohr says.

It didn't hurt that Oregon boasts ideal river systems for navigating by tahiti, she says. Rohr and her husband, Jerry, a retired Sevylor account representative, took every opportunity to introduce friends to tahitis on the McKenzie River near their home in Cottage Grove.

"They're great boats for beginners and novices," Caryn Rohr says. "They're very forgiving.

"Obviously, they're affordable for all of us," she says.

The "classic" yellow tahiti retails for about $139. Elite models made of reinforced material suitable for the most extreme whitewater conditions sell for about $300 and up, Rohr says.

This year, a new color joins the host of yellow, orange and blue tahitis — green.

Made of polyvinyl chloride that is free of phthalates, the "Lanai" will make its debut in Joe's and REI stores this season, selling for about $160, Rohr says. While controversial, some scientific studies have linked phthalate exposure to asthma and decreased reproductive function.

The Lanai was conceived at the behest of a major European retailer that promised a $3 million purchase if Sevylor delivered an eco-friendly tahiti, Klimenko says. The material remains too soft for high-performance models, but the Lanai is a start and guided the first steps toward developing an alternative to PVC, he says.

"It's getting to be fashionable ... to support the environment," Klimenko says.

Although Klimenko says outfitters like Orange Torpedo probably won't go green with their boats anytime soon, the Lanai is another choice for individual consumers who may or may not recognize tahitis as the unlikely fad that's truly moved into the main stream.

Taken from the Mail Tribune, May 29, 2008

National Geographic Adventure Magazine-top 10 family adventures.

Orange Torpedo Trips was named in the top 10 family adventures of 2008!

Article taken from National Geographic Adventure

Bond on the Klamath in Northern California

Outfitter: Orange Torpedo Trips
Days: 3
Action: **** Culture: * Wildlife: **

Back in 1968, kayaker Jerry Bentley did an exploratory paddle down Oregon's Rogue River with his wife and kids. He liked it so much he convinced the Sevylor kayak company to sell him sole licensing rights to the bright orange inflatables they had used. A year later he launched Orange Torpedo Trips. Today his company designs many of its itineraries specifically for families. "We'll run inflatable kayaks, an oar raft, and a paddle raft," says marketing director Erik Weiseth. "Family members can have different levels of adventure—a spouse who wants a mellower experience can ride in a raft—while still being together." Most often, Weiseth says, those who start out rafting will want to switch to a kayak, so guides always bring extras. The Klamath is a good entry-level camping trip, suitable for kids ages four and up. Those 12 and older usually paddle their own kayaks (some as young as ten can handle certain stretches of whitewater). Before starting out, everyone gets a thorough paddling orientation, and by the second day even the youngest students feel confident. "Kids actually do best," says Weiseth. "They're lig htest, so they go right through the waves." Nights are spent camping on the beach.
Details: $549 per person.