Rogue River Float

One week out of each summer the Medford BLM and the Forest Service float down the Rogue River pulling weeds. This year Clint, Jessica, Jessie and I met the BLM rafters on Wednesday afternoon to float the Forest Service section of the Rogue from the Rogue River Ranch to Foster Bar. We had three rafts with a rower and two weed pullers per boat.

Jessie and I rode in a boat with Gitta from the BLM as our guide.

Before we had even pulled any weeds on Wednesday afternoon we found ourselves facing the most dangerous rapid on the Rogue River, Blossom rapids. Every year people attempt the rapids and die from small mistakes made while trying to manuver their rafts around the rocks. Most of these people are unfamiliar with the river. Below is a picture of one of our rafts going through Blossom rapids. All of our rowers were very experienced and we passed through without any trouble.

There have been a few movies filmed on the Rogue River, one notable flick is "The River Wild". In the movie, Meryl Streep must navigate the river in order to save her family and escape the dangerous Kevin Bacon. Below I play Meryl in "The Wild River Weeds".

Throughout the week we worked hard pulling weeds all day and slept by the banks of the river at night.


Thanks to the BLM trip coordinator we ate very well at night. Burritos, pasta and yummy sandwiches made us feel right at home in the wilderness.

The camping spots were all very beautiful but one spot we stayed in we had to wade through the water to get to our kitchen area. When back at home I was glad to have dry warm feet.
Jessica and I shared my tent which is the second from the right in the picture below.

Not only did we get to ride down the river and pull lots of weeds but we were able to try rowing as well. Below Jessica tries to navigate the river while her BLM partners fear for their lives.

Trying my hand at rowing the heavy boat.

Along the river it was fun to discover hidden places that can only be found while on the river. There were creeks that poured over rocks and into the river and canyon walls with brightly colored wild flowers growing out of the rocks, we even saw a few bald eagles fishing.

Thursday night we set up camp near the Rogue River hiking trail.

Near our campsite Tate Creek emptied into the Rogue. The creek is beautiful with large rocks to climb on and moss covered trees bordering the blue-green water.

Up the creek almost a mile the water pours over a rock face and into a deep pool. The water has worn away at the rock creating a smooth natural slide. People have attached ropes on the side of the rocks so anyone can easily climb up and slide down into the pool.



How to SLIDE:




The water was cool and refreshing and the area around the slide was like a tropical paradise. Maybe not quite tropical, but a paradise never the less.

Jessie, Jessica and me ready to slide.

We got a lot of weed pulling accomplished on the float. Most of what we pulled was yellow star thistle and knapweed.

Each boat was loaded with many bags of weeds along with all of our camping gear.


Now I'm ready to take kayaks out on the river and put my navigating skills to the test. This weekend Megan and I are going to practice on the smaller Illinois river and work our way up to the Rogue. I'll report back on how it goes!

Snakes in a Tree

While innocently pulling Italian thistle in Oak Flat one day Jee encountered a snake. It was a rather large snake and Tomas and I joined her to investigate. As I went to return to my patch of thistle I passed right next to the trunk of a large oak tree. Suddenly, I heard a scratching noise and assumed a branch was falling down and scraping against the trunk. I couldn't move in time and before I could look up to see what was falling toward me I was struck in the head by what I assumed was the branch. With horror I realized that the branch that had just hit me in the head was now writhing on the ground. The three foot branch was in fact, a SNAKE! To my dismay Tomas picked up the snake and decided that it would be a good idea to put the snake back in the tree. I was unhappy to be risking another snake encounter but relieved when we were able to move away from the scene of the incident. I don't think I will ever feel safe under a tree in Oak Flat ever again.

Samantha and Leah in Portland

Sam and Leah visited a long while ago and I have been meaning to share pictures and anecdotes from the trip ever since. Sorry it took me so long...
I picked my Wisconsonian friends in Portland and we drove to the coast. After a few wrong turns we finally got to Newport. We visited the beach and survived getting blown away by the very strong winds. Leah touched the octopus at the OSU aquarium and we ate dinner at Mo's.

The highlight of the Newport trip was probably the docks across the street from Mo's where the sealions hang out.




Sam and Leah were greatly entertained by the velvety animals and we spent a long time watching them laying in the sun while we sang "sealion woman".



That night Monika and Brian Higgins were nice enough to put us up in Jefferson and we all got a good night's sleep... maybe the last of the trip.

The next day we went into Portland and checked into our smelly hotel room. The air conditioner didn't work and the bedspread had cigarette burns in it, but it was worth it to be downtown and not paying an arm and a leg. That day we enjoyed beautiful Portland, Oregon, eating sushi, visiting Powell's bookstore and getting the full Portland experience.

The next day we ate a delicious breakfast at the Original Pancake House before setting off to see the Columbia Gorge. Below is a view of the Columbia River.

We made a stop with the rest of the tourists in Oregon at Multnomah Falls. I forced Leah and Sam to take a classic tourist picture in front of the falls.


We moved on to Washington Park and the Portland Japanese Garden.



Leah ponders the meaning of life while marveling at the rock garden.


Leah and Sam relax by the rhododendrons


It was great to have a visit from my good friends, I only wish that they could have stayed longer. Portland was great but it would have been a great weekend no matter where we were. Thanks for coming to see me guys, I miss you!

Hiking Oregon

I've been doing a bit of hiking lately and thought I'd share some photos from two beautiful hikes.

The first is a hike Megan and I took on the coastal hiking trail. Some of the trail follows the beach but we explored parts of other beaches trying to find new ways to hike the coast.


Megan and Zeke explore the beach


There was a tunnel carved out in one of the large rocks on the beach. It was really neat and the waves lapped up inside. The waves startled Zeke at first. Sorry the quality of the video isn't great.





There is a turnoff on Hwy. 101 that you can walk a few feet to see Natural Bridges. Someone told us that you can see goats crossing them sometimes, but I am not convinced.


Our hike ended at Indian Sands which is a really neat network of dunes.



It was probably one of the most beautiful hikes I've been on here... minus having to walk on the road a little bit. The trail went through coastal meadows and let us see a good variety of other coastal habitats. I suggest doing part of it if you ever visit the Southern Oregon coast, it is just along 101 in the Samuel Boardman Corridor.



Yesterday Megan, Jessie, Tim and I took the dogs and went on an adventure in the forest. We had to drive on the Forest Service roads for two hours to get to the trail head. We hiked Panther Ridge 4 miles (or so we estimated) to Hanging Rock. I think it must be a pretty big attraction as it is on the cover of the map for the Ranger District it falls in. We encountered one other group of people but otherwise the trail was nice and quiet. The trail led us through the woods and lots of blooming rhododendrons. It was a bit chilly and when the wind wasn't blowing the fog got pretty thick.

Tim in the rhododendrons


Thirsty dogs



Looking down on the Rogue River valley from hanging rock




Tim peering over the edge


It was a great hike and the view was well worth the work put in to get there. I can't imagine how far you must be able to see on a clear day.


Me on Hanging Rock


Keeping the dogs away from the edge



Daredevil Megan



I thought this rock looked like a face but no one else seemed to appreciate it as much as I did. I think its really neat.


Megan, Jessie and Versailles snacking

The whole crew heading back to the car, minus Zeke who likes to be out in front of the pack.

That's all for now, I'm going on a rafting/weeding trip down the Rogue this week so I am hoping to get some neat pictures from that to share!

Shipwrecked

One day a storm blew into the Southern Oregon coast. In Gold Beach the wind blew the waves onto shore. In the midst of the storm a man and his sailboat fought to stay afloat. The man tried to point the boat up the Rogue River to safety but the wind blew the boat South and he was forced to jump overboard. In the morning the boat had been washed on shore.



It was the talk of the town for the weeks that followed as it lay stranded on the sandy banks of Gold Beach. Every day tourists and townies alike visited the boat to take pictures to send home to their families.




The town gossiped about the future of the boat and pondered over how the owner would ever get it off of the beach. The boat had remained relatively undamaged from the storm and its crash landing, but getting it off of the beach would be a challenge. No one saw the men that took the sailboat away, one day it was simply gone. All that remained were the old papers with its picture on the cover and gouges in the sand.

The Emerald City

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Seattle. It was a very successful trip and I got to see a lot of the city. I met up with Megan on Saturday and had a relaxing afternoon touring the neighborhood and making dinner. On Sunday we went downtown and took a ferry to Bainbridge Island.

The view of the city from the ferry was excellent and the weather cooperated, if only briefly, to let us enjoy a pleasant walk around the island.

Megan on the ferry and me and the space needle.


Later that day we walked around Pike Place Market which was bustling. I got to witness the "fish guys" shouting and throwing people's orders (whole fish) around the booth.


There were also a lot of fresh veggies and other interesting products at the various booths.


That evening we went to the arboretum where lots of plants had already started blooming. It was beautiful and perhaps one of the last times I saw the sun in Seattle. There were a few breaks in the weather but they never lasted long.


Some kind of birch I think, I don't remember what species.




Megan swinging at the park near the arb.

On Monday Megan had to work and I went out to explore the city on my own. I took a trip to the space needle but refused to pay the $15 required to go to the top so these are the kinds of pictures I have of it.


Next to the space needle is a museum called the emp/sfm (experience music project and science fiction hall of fame). I wasn't all that interested in the science fiction museum, but the EMP was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. There was an exhibit of a guitar history timeline. Each new model of guitar was represented. I bought the headphones which gave more of an explanation of each guitar and gave an example of the sound of many of them. There were also exhibits on the history of the Seattle music scene and Jimi Hendrix. One of my favorite things about the EMP was a room that you could try out different instruments. I got to experiment with the drums and try out the mixing board.
The outside of the EMP/SFM is just as interesting as the inside. It is a very oddly shaped building made of a lot of shiny, colorful materials.



That afternoon I visited the Seattle public library. It was very new and very neat, maybe one of the coolest public libraries I have ever seen. It was also nice to see that there were so many people taking advantage of it. Most of the ceiling is made of glass which must be beautiful when the sun is shining.
That night Megan and I went to a Mariners game. Our seats were about as far away from everything as they could possibly be, but it was fun. The game was exciting, but unfortunately the Mariners lost.





At the end of my trip I stayed with Monica and Mark Coen, relatives of mine, on Mercer Island. They were nice enough to put me up for two nights and help me with some car troubles.
On the ride back I stopped of in Olympia to tell Alec that I saw the capital building. I didn't spend too much time in the city, just made a quick drive through.


Overall it was a great trip and I would like to go back some time soon!