In his youth, Dennis Oliphant rode bikes with his brother and sister from their house in Portland to the Columbia River to fish for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon.

As he got older, his adventuresome nature dragged him off the shore and into a boat. Unbeknownst to Oliphant, the time spent battling the waves and currents of the river helped to develop what would become a lifelong love and fascination for the water.

“I definitely had some adventures with the big Columbia River in a small watercraft,” said Oliphant. “I probably shouldn’t be alive today.”

But it’s not that he’s a daredevil. He simply fell in love with adventure and with the ebb and flow of rivers, lakes and oceans.

Oliphant has dedicated his life to promoting the benefits of the outdoors. Years of kayaking, rafting, paddleboarding and windsurfing have combined to give the 60-year-old outdoor enthusiast the knowledge to start his own river-rafting business, Sun Country Tours. Forty years later, Oliphant’s fascination with water is as constant as the tide.

Oliphant has tried, or mastered, most of the water-based activities that have come about in the last six decades. Kayaking or paddleboarding, on rafts or in canoes, Oliphant would say he’s done a bit of everything. After a childhood spent fishing and sailing, he took to kayaking as an adolescent. Oliphant honed his skills in a kayak both in the western part of Oregon and on the Cascade Lakes during family vacations.

Oliphant was well aware of Bend’s outdoorsy nature thanks to a youth spent ski-racing at Mt. Bachelor ski resort, so it was no surprise when he found himself back in Bend years later.

Oliphant’s move into whitewater rafting in Bend came through hard work with a splash of luck and timing. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in recreation and parks management, and a minor in business, he obtained an internship at the Inn of the 7th Mountain, now called Seventh Mountain Resort.

While at the Inn of the 7th Mountain, Oliphant caught wind that the new recreation director wanted to add a rafting program. It was an opportunity that would move him down a road to something spectacular. Because Oliphant had a love for the water, and a background in kayaking, he jumped at the chance to run the program. He submitted a proposal for how the program should run, got the job, and took 4,500 people down the Deschutes River that summer.

The following year, Oliphant parlayed the success of his first year guiding and opened Sun Country Tours in Sunriver. In the spring of 1978, he went to Sunriver Resort with a contract in hand and proven results from the Inn of the 7th Mountain. Sunriver Resort’s management team agreed to his proposal and the fledgling Sun Country Tours with its six employees was on its way. The guide company now offers rafting and stand-up paddleboarding through every resort in Central Oregon, except Seventh Mountain, which has continued its own program.

“Running this business was the best training I could have had in communications, psychology, business or dealing with the government,” explained Oliphant.

Oliphant’s fascination with the water didn’t end there. In the early 1980s, Oliphant took up windsurfing on both the Cascade Lakes and in the Columbia River Gorge. And in the following years, Sun Country Tours continued to blossom, spurred on by Oliphant’s love of water sports. In 2005, friend and former professional surfer, Gerry Lopez introduced Oliphant to his latest obsession, stand-up paddleboarding.

But while Oliphant’s connection with the water began with the river and lakes of Oregon, it eventually evolved to include the ocean.

“I love the ocean,” said Oliphant. “I’m intrigued by it and the new challenge.”

The ocean suited Oliphant’s curiosity and his willingness to try new things and experience new adventures. Owning a house on the Pacific Ocean in Mexico allows him to spend his days learning all he can about another body of water, usually atop a paddleboard.

The eight-time Pole Peddle Paddle winner (five-time individual and three-time pairs) now splits his time between living on the banks of the Deschutes River in Bend’s Old Mill District and listening to the waves crashing on the beaches of Mexico.

“I love living on the river here and the ocean in Mexico,” said Oliphant. “My family and I love to watch people playing on the water.”

Oliphant passed his love and knowledge of water sports on to his daughter, Brit, currently attending the University of Hawaii, and his son, Gunnar, who graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman. Both of his children worked for Sun Country Tours at one time — his daughter as a stand-up paddleboard instructor and his son as a rafting guide.

Oliphant is not one to sit still. Given a chance, and a watercraft on which to take that chance, he’ll make his way to places far and wide. In fact, Oliphant’s list of favorite places to explore reads like an adventurer’s bucket list. Close by, he points to the lower Deschutes River in the fall and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Both trips are favored due to their relaxing nature and beautiful colors.

Further from Central Oregon, Oliphant likes to reminisce about his four trips through the Grand Canyon; twice in a raft, once in a kayak, and once in a wooden dory. The multiple explorations of the Colorado River using different watercraft stand as a testament to his love of the area — and his desire to experience it in unique ways.

Almost four decades after starting Sun Country Tours, Oliphant is still guiding the company and its 100 employees. After setting up shop in Sunriver from 1978 to 1991, Oliphant moved the tour company to a south Bend location before finding a permanent home on Bend’s west side, just off Century Drive.

No matter where it’s headquartered, Sun Country Tours has built its reputation by pairing family river fun with safety and cleanliness, and for his efforts, Oliphant was recognized among the “50 Great Leaders of Oregon Business” by Oregon Business magazine in 2013.

But as involved as he is in his business, he is equally involved in the Central Oregon community. He serves as an appointed advisor to federal government Working Groups assisting federal agencies whose job it is to balance outdoor recreation and resource protection on public lands. He has been on the board at the Central Oregon Visitors Association for more than 20 years and is a founding member of the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation.

Oliphant’s company’s outreach organization, the Sun Country Tours Foundation, donates more than $20,000 to roughly 75 organizations each year. While they receive about a dozen requests each week, the foundation focuses their philanthropy on youth, education and environmental causes. Their Free Life Jacket for Youth program provides high-quality personal flotation devices for kids younger than 12 who enjoy floating the Deschutes River.

Even with all the outreach he does for the community, and his time away in Mexico, and his adventures far and wide, Oliphant can still be seen leading families down the rivers of Central Oregon when the weather turns warm.

So don’t expect him to lose touch with his river-rafting roots anytime soon. It is, after all, the reason he is who he is.

“I still enjoy it,” said Oliphant with a laugh. “I love being around our high-energy employees. It keeps me young.”