Our Travel Specialists

Peter Grubb & Betsy Bowen

Founders

Having discovered whitewater raft guiding on the East Coast while attending college, Peter moved to Idaho in 1979 and founded ROW as a company focused on wilderness rafting trips.  His exposure to the earth's communities through travel, coupled with attendance at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland where he studied the "Great Books," mythology, and western civilization, led he and Betsy to Turkey in 1984 where they launched ROW's first international trip.  ROW has since branched out to over 25 countries throughout the world and Peter usually does the initial research and new tour development.  Peter has a passion for nature, travel, reading and learning and believes strongly in the positive power of travel and the ways it can improve the lives of everyone touched.  He speaks French, basic Spanish, plays the guitar and is still very involved in the company, wearing a number of hats and guiding in the field as time allows.  He has served on a number of Boards, including the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association,  Idaho Rivers United, the Spokane Center for Justice, and the America Outdoors Association. 

Co-owner of ROW, Betsy Bowen was a professional ceramicist prior to her immersion in ROW, and has always been an anchor in the sometimes turbulent seas of business.  A favorite among guides, Betsy led many of ROW's early rafting trips as well as yachting tours to Greece, Croatia and Turkey.  Once her daughter Mariah and son Jonah were born in the early 1990's she transitioned to the challenging world of motherhood, imparting to her children her passions of skiing, art, creativity and giving to others. She has been sanctioned as the "Director of Other Stuff" because of her wide variety of talents including project management, plumbing, wiring and logistical expertise. Her artistic eye is evidenced throughout ROW as well.  Nowadays she is less involved in the day-to-day doings of ROW, but remains a vital part of our team.

Juggling the demands of the ROW Family of Companies (ROW Adventures, Adventure Unbound, Sea Kayak Adventures) keeps life vibrant and Betsy and Peter are both a wealth of knowledge, experience, and most importantly, care and support for the entire team.

Michelle Darnell

Director of Marketing

Michelle has found her home at ROW Adventures as our Director of Marketing.  Graduating from Whitworth University with a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education and Kinesiology, Michelle forewent her dreams of teaching in lieu of opportunities in the outdoor recreation industry.  For the past 16 years Michelle has focused her time and energy into roles that support outdoor recreation and travel.  As a proud mom of two, Michelle has a renewed passion for this work; hoping to inspire the next generation to love, nurture, enjoy, and beocme stewards of our natural resources and outdoor spaces. 

Michelle and her Family love new adventures, whether it’s exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest or discovering a new International destination, they’re happy when the scenery is new and unexpected. A few favorites are Acadia National Park, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Quebec City.   Michelle is a doting mom, an avid sports fan, loves to cycle, and doesn’t take herself too seriously! If you run into her, she’s likely to have a smile on her face, a coffee in her hand and a few good books ready to go on her kindle app. 

Candy Bening

Sales Manager

Raised in Santa Cruz, California. WW Rafting guide since 1989: CA, ID, MT. Moved to Idaho in 1993; and joined ROW in 1994.

After spending 10 yrs in the high-tech industry, Candy made a life-altering change and became both a rafting guide and ski patroller. In her over 25 years with ROW, she has worked in the field guiding, evaluating, managing, and traveling with ROW thus gaining first-hand knowledge of all the ID, MT & OR rivers and many of the Int’l vacation experiences including the Galapagos Islands. 

Her friendly, outgoing personality, as well as her expertise, has made her succeed in the office overseeing sales, and assisting guests by offering suggestions and solutions to ensure each person/family has the best time ever! Candy, along with her husband and two girls, are avid white water rafting enthusiasts. Together they have joined ROW on rivers all over the West.

Destination Specialties: USA Rivers

Favorite Trip: "There is no better place than the river canyon you are in"

Tom Scarborough

Area Manager

Guide since 2003: WA, OR, ID. Joined ROW in 2007. Tom has a unique skill set. He is able to recite Dr. Seuss’ poem “The Lorax” from memory, brew a mean pint of beer, drive a bus, milk a cow, cook a tasty Dutch oven lasagna, and write a Microsoft Access database. On top of all that, Tom is a great guide and a wealth of information about the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. He currently manages ROW’s Rogue River operation where he sings guests to sleep with the smooth sounds of the 70s and his signature number “Waltzing with Bears”. Originally from New York, Tom has a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from Cornell University and an extensive work history ranging from a YMCA summer camp director, to transportation director for a Washington ski area, and finally a river guide. Tom also has a passion for all things bacon, tinkering and pop music.

Guiding Destinations: Rogue River, Owyhee River, Grande Ronde River

Jake Warzon

River Guide

Originally from Spokane in Washington state, Jake has adopted Oregon as his home and says that it holds a special place in his heart. He loves sharing it with guests and believes that the Rogue River is one of the best ways to experience what the state has to offer. After being introduced to rafting during his college years (by his dad), Jake became a guide in 2016 and has since worked throughout Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. He has also skied since he was a youngster (in fact, he also works as a pro ski tech) and loves biking and surfing when he’s not on the river. Among his most amazing life experiences was witnessing the Milky Way and Northern Lights from  the rainforest. Jake’s talents? Giving new things a shot and dancing!

Diego Vega Romero

Baja & British Columbia Kayak Naturalist Guide

A native of La Paz, Baja Sur, Diego spent a school year in the US while in high school and thus has a great understanding of both English and American culture. In addition to being a talented sea kayaker, Diego loves to play basketball and is on a team when back home in La Paz. Other hobbies include drawing, travel and eating. He attended the University of Guadalajara to study Biology with an emphasis in Entomology and then the University of LaPaz where he went on to earn a Masters Degree in arid land ecology, most fitting for the Baja peninsula. Diego joined the Sea Kayak Adventures team in 2017 and is passionate about sharing the natural history of Baja, both in the water and on land, with our guests. In addition to guiding sea kayaking tours, Diego works in Cabo Pulmo National Park as a snorkeling guide, a skill he also enjoys sharing on our trips. As of 2023 Diego started guiding in British Columbia applying his sea kayaking skills and ecology knowledge to a new area up north. With a great sense of humor, friendly personality, and unmeasurable depth of knowledge in marine life and the natural world, Diego is a favorite among our guests.

Peter Jacobson

River Guide

Originally from Redondo Beach, California, Peter grew up immersed in ocean life—racing outrigger canoes, paddle boarding, and soaking up long beach days with family and friends. He first discovered whitewater during his time at Southern Oregon University through the Outdoor Program, where he helped lead camping trips and got his first taste of river guiding. After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, Peter took a leap and guided his first overnight trip on the Lower Klamath in 2022 and he’s been hooked ever since.

Peter has guided in both Oregon and Idaho, drawn to the incredible natural beauty, rich history, and sense of community the rivers offer. A licensed pilot and lifelong learner, he brings curiosity, creativity, and a knack for storytelling to every trip (ask him about his elevator lecture at guide school). Off the river, he’s either snowboarding, mountain biking, or helping build the Ashland Fringe Festival into a nonprofit supporting underrepresented artists. And at the end of the day, you can find him sharing laughs with friends or hanging with his cat, Snips.

Jen Klingensmith

River Guide

Originally from Ithaca, New York, Jen now calls Oregon “home” and loves how many amazing outdoor spaces the state has to explore. She first got into rafting after being invited onto a Rogue River trip in 2010 and said that she immediately purchased her own raft and started learning how to row. Since that day, she’s spent as many days on the river as possible and believes the trip was a catalyst for so many positive changes in her life. Eight years later, she quit her desk job and became a guide, running the same river where her rafting journey began. Jen holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and studied law at the University of Oregon, and describes herself as an “excellent bread baker”. When not on the river, she’s at her small hobby farm where she has chickens and cattle (as well as the occasional sheep, goats, and pigs), as well as 600 dwarfing apple trees for making apple cider. Jen also has two dogs that love being on the river as much as she does!

Amaranta Uribe

Baja Sea Kayaking Guide

Amaranta was born in Guadalajara and raised in the small city of Colima, close to the Pacific.  Growing up in a family with four siblings kept her parents busy and often outdoors.  Adventures to the seashore sparked an early love of the ocean and as a young girl, Amaranta developed a passion for the sea and the animals that make it home. This led her to university studies in biology, and then a move to Playa del Carmen to be on the sea.  All this was perfect preparation for becoming a guide and in 2016 she was introduced to Sea Kayak Adventures by some friends.  She soon was thriving as a guide, enthusiastic about the lifestyle and ability to share her knowledge.  Amaranta guides our kayak tours as well as serving as a naturalist guide at our whale camp in Magdalena Bay.  During the off season she spends time with her family, creates delicacies in her kitchen, practices yoga, climbing and gets out camping whenever she can.

Beck Christoferson

River Guide

Born in Bend, Oregon, Beck has been on the water for as long as he can remember—rowing his own raft by age 12 and falling in love with river life early on. After high school, he solo-traveled through Asia, an experience that sparked his love for exploration and new perspectives.

Now part of the ROW team, Beck is diving into guiding and is working towards his paramedic certification. He loves sharing wild places and always brings a fun, passionate energy to the trip.

When he’s not on the river, Beck’s probably in the mountains or in the woods somewhere. He’s full of random fun facts (ask him about space or mushrooms) and has a soft spot for the Rogue River—his favorite for its wildlife and memories made with his dad.

Matthew Phillipy

River Guide

With a Masters of Science Education under his belt, Spokane-born Matthew Phillipy a.k.a. “Professor” is a science teacher by trade but spends his summers river guiding. Growing up canoeing the moving waters of the Spokane and Pend Oreille Rivers he fell in love with water and nature. One of his favorite memories was winning the Poker Paddle canoe race on the Pend Oreille River with his dad when he was 12 years old. After many years of teaching science and spending his summers working as a Ranger at Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks Matthew got hooked on rafting following a bachelor’s party on the Salmon River and considers it an honor and duty to share his love of nature, culture and stewardship with others. When he’s not leading middle schoolers into the wild on another one of his epic field trips or navigating the rivers of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, Matthew can be found skiing, biking, hiking, camping, canoeing and rafting with his son Oliver and his puppy Willow. 

Ante Batarelo

Croatia Guide

Born & raised in Sydney, Australia to Croatian parents, Ante went to Croatia in 1991 for a '1 year student exchange program' and ended up permanently settling in Split with his wife & 5 children. A History & English graduate, part time university lecturer and loads of other ventures are compiled into over 20 years of active tour guiding for Ante. He loves traveling and going to off the beaten track places and in his free time & hiking in Croatia & neighboring countries. He believes that finding the balance for each guest is one of the most important things in hosting a successful tour along with adding personal touches and incorporating good wining & dining for a truly unique experience.

Jonas Jacobs

River Guide

Jonas got into guiding during his freshman year at Utah State University—when he and his best friend decided working the river all summer was the perfect plan. Turns out, it was. Since then he’s guided in Moab and Colorado’s Royal Gorge, and now he’s stoked to bring his energy and experience to the rivers of Idaho and Montana. Both places he's dreamed of guiding.

He once built out his car in two days and lived in it for five months, so he’s no stranger to dirtbag efficiency. Jonas loves sushi, exploring new places, and fears golf courses (he’s allergic to grass). Jonas is currently studying Outdoor Product Design. He’s known for his creativity, people skills, and love for connecting with guests—especially when he can mix in a little art or storytelling. One of his most unforgettable moments? Watching a solar eclipse from the desert while climbing Utah’s Castleton Tower. When he’s not on the river, you’ll probably find him rock climbing, tackling craft projects, or listening to his favorite book, Dune.

Chee Chin

Accountant

Chee Chin was born and raised in Malaysia. She was the Staff Accountant for a Timber Industry Company in Malaysia before she and her Family migrated to the Untied States in 2007, settling in Butte Montana. There Chee Chin joined Town Pump Inc. at their home office as a Property Management Accountant for 8 years. In 2016 Chee Chin moved with her family to Coeur d' Alene so she could stay close to her sister and other family members who live in the area. 

Chee Chin is excited to be part of ROW's Famliy as the Corporate Accountant. When Chee Chin is not working she enjoys cooking, gardening and traveling. 

Specialty: Numbers and smiles

Favorite Trip: Coming soon

Emily Wray

Operations and Office Admin

Emily was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but discovered her love of rafting and outdoors on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. After that trip it became her passion to find out how to be on the river and outdoors as much as possible. This led her to be a summer camp counselor in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri on the Black River for three summers. Emily continued her rafting and outdoor education at the University of Idaho and their Outdoor Program. She graduated with a B.S. in Recreation Management and a Minor in Outdoor Recreation Leadership with the intention of helping others get outside no matter their experience level or ability. 

Emily loves to do anything outdoors with her husband and dog. Along with her love of outdoor pursuits, Emily loves crafting and gardening. You will usually find scratch pieces of paper lying around with sketches of her next ten projects. No matter where you find Emily, she’s bound to have a smile on her face.

Alejandro Magaña

Baja Sea Kayaking & Whale Watching Guide

Alejandro, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, now lives in Loreto where he has been a whale watching and sea kayak guide and logistics coordinator for Adventure Unbound. He personifies guest service and adds panache to our tours. He also runs his own business selling day tours in Loreto and is a wonderful artist and photographer. Go visit Alex at the Loreto marina snack shop for his vast knowledge of day tours in the area.

Liz Wallentine

River Guide

Liz is from Indianapolis, and got her start guiding at 18 as a hiking guide in Zion National Park. Since then, she’s had many adventures across the Southwest—rafting the San Juan and Chama Rivers, backpacking through desert canyons, and always chasing that perfect sunset after a long day outside. With a bachelor’s degree in Adventure Education and a certificate in Snow and Avalanche Studies from Fort Lewis College, she brings her knowledge and love of the outdoors to every trip she’s on.

Liz’s first taste of whitewater came during a rafting trip on the American River. She then became a guide, learning to row and run multi-day trips through red rock country. Now, she's excited to join the ROW team for her first season in the PNW and is eager to explore new rivers and finally guide among big trees and cooler mountain air.

Off the river, Liz loves dancing—swing, two-step, or anything that gets people moving—and has a knack for making food with a cast iron pan. Her favorite childhood memories involve creek-stomping with her brothers in search of crawfish and pretty rocks—something that still feels a lot like what she’s doing now, just with a raft and a few more stories to tell.

Monica Sanchez

Baja Naturalist and Sea Kayak Guide

Now in her fifth season with ROW Sea Kayak Adventures in Baja, Monica loves the water, and everything surrounding it. She is especially passionate about whales and dolphins. Monica always dreamt of being a wilderness explorer like the journalists in National Geographer magazine. Due to her love for both the ocean and marine mammals, she decided to work at an aquarium in the Caribbean where she worked as a dolphin and sea lion trainer for a couple of years.

While she loved being so close to the animals, she realized she would rather see them in the wild, in their natural habitat. Monica discovered Sea Kayak Adventures was looking to hire a naturalist for their Baja whale watching tours, and applied. The day she was hired was "one of the best days of my life; my dream came true. I will be in the wilderness, observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat."

Monica loves that every day as a guide is a new adventure, a new experience, and a surprise, where the unexpected is the norm. She loves sharing her excitement and passion for nature with guests, as well as hearing about their stories. She loves knowing that the time she shared with them in nature gave them something special that they will remember for the rest of their life.  When she's not guiding, Monica likes to hike, explore, and travel. She also loves reading about marine life and nature, and discovering new places where she can practice stand-up paddle boarding. In the off-season, Monica works as a reporter.

Connor Young

River & Bike Guide

Originally from Taos, New Mexico, Connor Young is a Computer Science major who began river guiding in 2021. He has since worked on rivers throughout Idaho, Washington, and Montana, and says that he loves seeing clients fall in love with the “overlooked” recreational landscapes of Idaho’s panhandle. Connor first went down a river with his parents at just 18 months old but it wasn’t until he got involved in rafting in college that he saw how it could bring people together. Case in point: flipping on a race course in New Mexico and seeing how quickly people sprang into action as a team. When he’s not on the river, Connor can usually be found on a bike and says his special skill is putting 15 bikes in a trailer in 15 minutes. His experiences in the outdoors have ranged from flipping on a bucking horse at the age of 6 to sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on a 40-foot yacht and bike-packing the length of New Zealand’s South Island.

Paul Poli

Corsica Naturalist Guide

Paul was born in Bastia and has lived in Corsica his entire life. He loves the diverse nature of the island and loves sharing the wonders of his home with people from all over the world. He believes that “hiking through Corsica is like traveling through time.” Corsica is the intersection of Mediterranean culture and history hidden in the romantic surrounding environment of the island.

Paul has been a fishing guide, conferral guide, mountain guide, and naturalist guide. No matter the adventure, Paul is destined to say yes. He is also the author and host of a documentary series dedicated to the heritage, culture, and nature of the scented isle called Fora di Strada. Paul Poli feels passionate about conserving the raw natural beauty of his home island and encourages travels near and far to do the same.

Khushi Shah

River Guide

Khushi was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah! It was during college, where she is currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, that she discovered how fun it is to frolic outside! She fell down the rabbit hole pretty quick, and spent the last two summers river guiding in Tennessee and Colorado. She now runs a club at the University of Utah that leads rafting, climbing, canyoneering, and backpacking trips to help women and non-binary folk find a silly and sparkly community in outdoor spaces. Her efforts to avoid her computer science homework aren't limited to the great outdoors. She loves to make art and sew! Ask her about her qwoot (quilt sweatsuit), her fleece fairy dress, or ask her to do henna on ya!

Sebastian Jurado

Galapagos Adventure Guide

After growing up in a small town in a valley of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador near the city of Quito, Sebastian decided to travel to Santiago de Chile to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Administration. His eagerness for travel took him on a backpacking adventure through Canada and United States for 9 months. Having perfected his English, he started guiding in Ecuador in 1998. 

As a young nature-lover interested in natural history and ecology, nature filming, photography, alternative energy, ecotourism development, and outdoor sports his career took an interesting path on the exciting soft-adventure world. In order guarantee travelers’ safety, Sebastian has been Wilderness Advanced First Aid certified for more than a decade. 

Alec Gordon

River Guide

Coming soon...

Andrés Trujillo

Galapagos Sea Kayak Guide

Andres Trujillo is a world-renowned professional naturalist from Bogota, Colombia. He is currently living in Quito, Ecuador. He is passionate about wildlife, forests, oceans, music, and sharing conservation everywhere he travels. He focuses his efforts on creating memorable experiences for his clients in nature with local people in their natural environment. Andres is well known for his knowledge of wildlife and culture. His photography, people skills, and love for nature and adventure.

When he arrived from Colombia, he was raised in a humid rainforest in the northwest lowlands of Ecuador, where he fell in love with nature. After seeing the issue of deforestation as a child, he started spreading the word about sustainability and conservation, years after he studied ecology and ecotourism working in the Amazon rainforest, with nature and indigenous tribes, who played an important role for him to understand and to approach the issue of human development.

Sharing his love for wildlife photography, he can be a great companion for people who want to cover a country capturing special creatures or moments to take home.  With his camera, binoculars, and all the equipment needed, he is able to share the world the best destinations for nature and adventure that Latin America has to offer.

Tom Canada

River Guide

Originally from California’s Central Coast, Tom has been guiding since 2002 after a fateful commercial lap on the South Fork of the American River. Since then, he’s led trips across California, Oregon, Idaho, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras—spending over a decade absorbing river knowledge. With a degree in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley, Tom brings a deep respect for the ecosystems he moves through and the stories they hold.

Before guiding, Tom was a Division I athlete and even played in the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup! Today, his talents stretch far beyond the boat—he’s a CrossFit Olympic lifting coach, wildflower bouquet enthusiast, musician, surfer, and part-time heavy equipment operator. He’s just as comfortable performing on stage as he is navigating river canyons.

For Tom, guiding is about the space between the put-in and take-out—the conversations, connections, and quiet beauty along the way. He’s drawn to Idaho’s abundant drainages, its seasonal diversity, and the deep-rooted river culture that makes every trip feel like a return home.

Alejandra Mosquera

Galapagos Adventure Guide

Alejandra was born and raised in Quito. She believes that there is nothing better than opening her eyes and seeing the beauty of the marvelous Andes, their colors, wildlife, and scenery. Even though she never thought about becoming a guide, she realized this activity would be her future during her first trip in the university. She has been sharing her passion and love for Ecuador since 2006, and obtained her Wilderness Advanced First Aid certificate four years ago. In her free time, she likes to explore Ecuador with her four-year-old daughter, Manuela, who shares the same passion for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands as her mother. She also enjoys outdoor sports including kayaking and stand-up paddling.

Bill Sedivy

River Guide

A river guide since 1990, Bill has worked part-time for ROW since 2004 and joined our full-time team in 2022. Born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area – near the headwaters of the Cuyahoga River, which infamously caught fire in 1969 – Bill has been rafting and canoeing rivers for more than four decades. A former journalist, Bill published in 1995 a collection of short stories about river running called River’s End: A Collection of Bedtime Stories for Paddlers. Over the years he’s also worked hard in various capacities to protect the rivers, fish and wild places he has grown to love. From 1996 to 1999, Bill served on the board of the national advocacy group, American Whitewater. He served six years as president of the non-profit Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition (2007-2013). From 1999 to 2015 Bill worked as executive director of Idaho’s only statewide river conservation group, Idaho Rivers United (IRU). During his tenure at IRU, Bill led efforts to protect the Owyhee, Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers of Southwest Idaho as federally protected Wild & Scenic Rivers, and, guided the organization to several other important river conservation victories. In 2015, he was named a national “River Hero” by the nationwide association of river conservation groups, The River Network. Since his ‘retirement’ from IRU, Bill has worked mainly as a river ranger for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management on various rivers. He spends his winters bird watching, attempting to learn Spanish and doing a little rafting — in Costa Rica.

Guiding Destinations: Snake River, Salmon River Canyons

Özlem Şimşek

Turkey Tour Guide

After growing up in Turkey, Özlem has graduated from Law school and completed a master's degree a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology. She participated in the excavations of the ancient Ionian site Klazomenai at her home town Urla.

Her special interests include classical choirs with over 20 years of participation as an alto in Boonville MO. Methodist Church Choir, Miami Bach Choir, Izmir French Cultural Association Choir, and Izmir Municipality choir. She also enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, and sailing. Her vast experience, educational background, and charming personality make her an exceptional adventure guide.

Jade Greenberg

River Guide

Jonah Grubb

VP/General Manager

Guide since 2011 MT, ID, WA, OR, China, joined ROW 2010. Jonah's first rafting trip was on the Salmon River at 9 months of age and it's fair to say he has grown up rafting. Since becoming a guide, he has become an avid kayaker and all around outdoorsman spending his free time climbing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and hiking. He also loves projects and can be found helping friends upgrade their houses or building out their camper vans. After graduating from Pomona College with a Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Jonah found himself travelling the world, including spending a year in China raft guiding on the Salween and Daqu (upper Mekong) river and kayaking on days off, including a solo kayak first descent on the Kanas river in the far northern region of Xinjiang. Now back in Idaho, Jonah has taken on the role of ROW's Operations Manager with a hand in the logistics of all our trips across four states.