Saturday July 20th 2019
It was another cool overnight. The temperature inside the RV was sixty degrees when I got up this morning. I’m parked under tree cover so the morning sun doesn’t warm the inside quickly. By late afternoon the outside temperature was near ninety and the inside temperature was above ninety. The forecast calls for a warmer overnight and highs in the upper nineties tomorrow.
Today’s adventure started with a drive into Grants Pass to get familiar with the area and buy some gas. Everyone seemed to be out Saturday morning. Traffic was a problem. I got my gas and got out of town to my second adventure of the day.
The Valley of the Rogue State Park sets between Interstate 5 and the Rogue River between Grants Pass and my campsite in Gold Hill. It has a day use area that doubles as an Interstate Highway rest area, boat launch area and a campground. I wanted to stay at the campground but there weren’t any sites large enough for my RV available. Today I hiked the trail along the Rogue River.
The Rogue River is known for its white water. Even in the flat areas the current is strong and rocks just below the surface are visible. Along the area I walked, there was plenty of variation in the flow. Near the Interstate 5 bridge rapids made the water very rough. The further down stream you got from that area the water smoothed out. I saw kayaks coming through the rapids and people in small personal rafts a little further down stream.
The bank along the side of the river is a little steep. For a couple of seconds I thought I was going to get an up close and personal check of the river. I lost my footing and slid down the slope on my butt. The water was still a few feet away when I got up, shook the dust off and determined that I was still in one piece. To bad my slip wasn’t caught on video. It might have gone viral. Conditions are very dry and the paths are covered with a thick layer of dust like dirt over the hard packed ground. I just didn’t have good traction.
Tomorrow I’m going to explore an area of the Rogue River that is labeled as a waterfall. I think it might just be heavier rapids with a little bit of a drop. It sounds like an interesting hike.
