Blogs from Grants Pass, Oregon, United States, North America

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North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass May 9th 2016

At every stop we have made there comes time to load up and move on and normally we are ready to go. This is the first time that we wish we had a few more days to continue exploring. Grants Pass, OR sits in the fertile Rouge Valley between the Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges and of course the Rouge River, spring fed by waters from Crater Lake, runs right through town. This is nice little city, clean, green and dedicated to outdoor living. Much is made of the Rouge River rafting and salmon fishing that draws tourist from all over the west but we found there are large cattle ranches and farms throughout the valley that support the local and statewide markets. Spring is beautiful here but I would like to come back in the ... read more
Good Ride Along the Rogue River
Need to come back here with a boat and a load of lures
The Rogue River Valley

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass August 3rd 2014

Feeling a little funny after last night but still got up at 6; looked around the room and had a slight panic attack - gheez this room hasn't seen a good cleaning in a while. We gathered our things and got out of there, don't think I will ever stay there again. There was ashes all over the bike from the fires and still lots of smoke in the air. Need some breakfast to soak up the alcohol - the only place serving breakfast was the Frontier Cafe which is attached to the bar from last night. The place was tolerable but came with a pretty big price tag for where it is. Decided to take Indian Creek Road out of Happy Camp to Hwy199. The road felt a little eerie to me , no cars ... read more

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass August 2nd 2014

Was a good thing we left early - it's starting to be a real hot and smoky ride. Literally - smoke everywhere from all the fires. Finally in Yreka after 4 hours on I5. Time to find a bar and have a drink, the Log Cabin on Main Street is open for business. There was 3 people sitting at the bar when we walked in, no one was talking. to liven up the conversation I was trying to throw out different topics but no takers. then Alan brought up someone hitting a bridge and all the sudden they livened up, they all remembered that incident. one even got up and looked in the phone book, yes phone book not cell phone book, too find the trucking company that caused the problem. The Bloody Mary's where great, ... read more

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass June 20th 2014

Having left Crater Lake a day early and staying in Gold Hill made for a short, relaxing day to Cave Junction. We continued our lookout for Oregon wayside, parks, etc. and found one. A really interesting Botanical Wayside that looked like a "harsh environment" for plants. We followed a boardwalk thru a dry, grassy foothills area and surprised by it leading to another stand of the Darlingtonia pitcher plant. Apparently, in this dry area there was a natural spring of alkaline water that provided the perfect habitat for the plant. As we were approaching Cave Junction, Ruth exclaimed, "that looks like a place you would like." Turned around and found a funky complex of buildings with a sign - "It's a Burl." This place was a cooperative of woodworkers of rustic furniture primarily made of wood ... read more
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North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass June 19th 2014

By cancelling our night at Crater, we had a found day (and saved a good chunk of change). Ruth tried to see how to make our way to Cave Junction for our stay a the treehouses. I remembered a friend talking about a place called the "Oregon Vortex." It was located in Gold Hill. There was a B&B in Gold Hill, called them and they had a room available. Again, we found the Oregon Parks really nice. Lost Creek visitors center had a lot of information on wildlife and plants. A stroll along the creek was great for bird watching. We went to a fish hatchery and tried to get a straight answer. We are familiar with the Rainbow Trout here in GA. I know they were introduced here after the logging operations killed all the ... read more
Magnetic vortex - pretty weird
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North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass July 10th 2013

We have left the coast and are now heading toward the interior of Oregon; on our way back up to Portland. During our trip down we travelled only about 30 miles a day, now we will be covering more than 100 miles per day...can we do it? Today, we went for a JET BOAT RIDE on the Rouge River at Grant’s Pass - through the canyon, around the bends, inside, outside, and almost upside down – we had such a great time. The captain seemed to take great pleasure in maneuvering the boat so that we got splashed and soaked. We have been dryer after swimming. Our boat ride began on a calm section of the river. As we floated down stream, the captain pointed out local wildlife: osprey nests, mud swallows, turkey vultures, ... read more
Our chariot
Rouge River
Spotting Wildlife

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass July 2nd 2013

Got on the road at7:30 a.m.and 57 degrees with lots of sun. Heading to Oregon today, just an overnight stop, then on to Florence, Oregon for 4 nights and some much needed cooler weather. On the way we see so many Pole Pines, Jefferey Pines, White Fir, and Ponderosa Pines trees lining our travels. The Cascade Mountain Range in sight and lots of snow up there. Drive through Clayton, Cali. So, another one does exist. Entered Oregon at 12:30. Mount Shasta looms in the distance, snow covered and just awesomely beautiful! Arrive our campground at Valley of the Rogues SP at 1:45 pm. At 3:30 Joel and Cortney Leachman and their sweet, almost 2 year old daughter Riley, come to visit us. We chatted for awhile and then we all went out to dinner at TapRock ... read more
Mt. Shasta in Distance
Mt. Shasta in Distance
Peak Close

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass June 23rd 2012

We hiked around the Panther Flats Campground, picking up abandoned firewood. By the river, we found some beautifully dry driftwood, perfect for making a non-smoky campfire. We thought we'd pick up some more the next day, and have a really good blaze, so we didn't do a fire that night. Of course, then, the next day turned out cold and rainy. Since we weren't moving on, we slept in, and when we got out, it was to a fairy world of twinkling dew, misty hills, vibrant mosses, and water melodies. Julia needed to get online, and we had no phone service for our wireless hotspot, so we drove back through the redwoods to Crescent City. The so-helpful gentleman at the information center informed us that the harbor had free wi-fi, so we parked there and watched ... read more
Campsite
The lake
Rainbow

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass November 1st 2011

It’s been a good long time since our last entry, but that doesn’t mean we've been sitting still. The last blog was in June 2010 and since then we haven’t been doing anything earth shattering or especially interesting so you haven’t missed a thing. We begin with last summer. After a month of playing camp host at Catherine Creek state park, in Eastern Oregon and only 20 miles from Kathy’s family, we traveled deeper into the gold mining history of Oregon to a place called Sumpter. It’s a small town for sure….no stoplights, 2 restaurants, 1 general store and 1 gas station; perfect for us. This was one of the best jobs we have had since we started volunteering at the state parks. Our RV site sat just off the main road and behind the public ... read more
Cole River Fish Hatcher
Loaner Pet
Hat Rock SP

North America » United States » Oregon » Grants Pass July 21st 2011

Ah, Oregon. I made it to Grant's Pass last night, an hour or so from the California border, and I've come to an important conclusion about Oregon. Oregon, see, is the embarrassing hillbilly cousin of the otherwise delightful west coast. Washington and California, those are fine upstanding states whose scenery is matched by their charm and civility; Oregon, though... This whole state is the green room for the television show "Intervention." I'm from east Texas, and I've never been in a sadder, more meth-y place. Even the women here are too rough-looking for me, and that's kinda my thing lately. The scenery is low-key lovely, but all the fulsome hills are scarred and pocked by ad hoc logging cuts; need some money for Junior's new false teeth? Well let's cut a mess of them trees for ... read more




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