Southwest Oregon: Rogue River Day 2

This post is about the second day, our first full day, of whitewater rafting on the Rogue River in Southwest Oregon. At Black Bar Lodge, having slept most fitfully through parts of the night in our rustic cabin, I was up at first light, well before coffee would be ready at 7 a.m. I took the opportunity to wander down to the river with my camera while waiting for a cup of joe. 

Before Dawn, Rogue River at Black Bar

Scrounging for Breakfast Supplies

Seed Pod on Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius

Western Goldentop, Euthamia occidentalis
Sometimes Confused with a Goldenrod, Solidago sp.

Looking at a Twisted Oregon White Oak, Quercus garryana,
Through a Pair of Sandbar Willows, Salix exigua

Bumblebee on a Knapweed, Centaurea sp.

Field of Common Horsetails, Equisetum arvense

After a couple cups of good coffee (Momentum brews really decent coffee) and breakfast at the group table in the kitchen cabin, we packed our scant belongings into the drybag and got ourselves ready to depart for the day. We had a few minutes to wander about as the guides packed up all the cookware from breakfast. Compared to the camping trip we took on the Owyhee, everything was packed and we were away very quickly.

As we entered the calm water at Lower Black Bar, I got a chance to look around at the forest on both sides of the river as the sun was coming up. The mixed forest along the Rogue is very different than our principally coniferous forest at home. From the boat, it was easy to spot Douglas Fir, Canyon Live Oak, Oregon White Oak, Madrone, Tanbark-oak, Big Leaf Maple, and Oregon Ash.

Getting Underway on Day 2

Tiny Blacktail Buck Contentedly Munching Perennial Peavine,
Lathyrus latifolius

Indian Rhubarb, Darmera peltata

Day Two Saw Several Riverside Oak Savannahs

Rocks Changing from Volcanic to Sedimentary
This Almost Looks Like Limestone

As we made our way downstream in the early morning as the sun was clearing the canyon walls, wildlife was pretty active. We saw a bunch more tiny Black-tailed Deer, a Bald Eagle, an American Dipper doing its little dance on a rock, a lot of turtles hauled out sunning themselves on rocks, a few Ospreys, a Red-tailed Hawk, and a large number of Turkey Vultures who were just coming off their roosts as the sun warmed the air and created the thermals that they need to sail over the river. And it seemed that there was a Great Blue Heron every 100 yards.

One of a Couple Dozen Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Heron Standing Watch Over Canada Geese

Turtle Petroglyph on Riverside Rock

Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, Beautiful and Invasive

We also got to experience some pretty amazing whitewater with the 1-2-3 punch of Narrows, Coffee Pot, and Blossom Bar. Coffee Pot was a lot of fun as we made two complete loops in the strong eddy before we broke out. Blossom Bar was a technical beast with an upstream (blind) ferry angle, a regular dodge 'em of rocks including those on the right called the Picket Fence. I was amazed as we (that is, Alyssa) traversed a boulder garden that is now passable thanks to application of a bit of dynamite in earlier days. That was a crazy traverse and I loved every second of it.

To top things off, we got to spend a lot of the time out of the boat and in the water, including a mile-long float through Mule Creek Canyon between Coffee Pot and Blossom Bar. The sensation of floating through the still but quickly flowing water in the intimate canyon I will never forget. 

Mom Scolding Us to Get in the Raft Above Blossom Bar

Poison Oak, Changing Color, Everywhere

Oak Gall on Oregon White Oak, Quercus garryana

Soon after we traversed the awesome rapids at Blossom Bar, we found ourselves at the dock for the Half Moon Bar Lodge, our destination for the evening. From the dock, steep stairs climb up the canyon wall to the lodge property above. Immediately when we crested the top of the stairs, we were enthusiastically greeted by staff greeter Roma, a sturdy Boxer and lodge mascot. At one point, she buried her head in my chest and would not let me move. Whenever she saw me, it was like I was her best friend, typical people-centric Boxer behavior.

Owner Mike escorted us from the top of the stairs to the lodge, a distance of a couple hundred yards on this 85-acre property that runs across the inside of a horseshoe bend in the river. At the top of the hill where the lodge is situated, he recounted the history of the lodge and welcomed us, showed us to our rooms, and asked us to explore the property as we wanted.

Half Moon Bar Lodge is a really nice and comfortable place. It is accessible by boat or by plane, having its own landing strip, though the approach through the mountains looks a bit tricky. They even have Wi-Fi though I never took my phone out of airplane mode. Part of the wilderness experience for me is disconnecting. My phone is only along as a secondary camera.

While we were waiting for the dry bags to get hoisted on the electric winch from the river and brought up to the lodge via 4-wheeler, I took advantage of the break to wander around the gardens behind an electric fence to keep out the deer and bears. I stayed out in the blazing sun just long enough to complete my tour of the gardens. Then I hurriedly returned to the room to grab our dry bag, take a cold shower, change clothes, and head down to the bar to grab a beer.

Hammock Between Apple Trees

After buying us two beers, I went to find Ann who had set out for a couple of Adirondack chairs in the shade of a massive Douglas Fir, a fir of more than 600 years old that made the one that we saw at Black Bar the night before look tiny. About this time, our guides set out some appetizers at the lodge, so I went a made a plate for Ann and me and brought it back out to the shady spot. 

600-Year-Old Douglas Fir

Cold Beer, Cool Shade, Good Life!

Waiting for Dinner; Roma Getting Kendal Scratches

Unlike at Black Bar where our guides cooked dinner, Half Moon Bar has its own breakfast and dinner chefs. We enjoyed a fine home-style meal of brisket served in the dining room. After dinner, we would all convene for a walk the length of the grass airstrip across the property, a walk enlivened with tales of the colorful characters who inhabited this area and developed it. On return from our walk, dessert was served on the picnic tables outside the lodge where we chatted for a while before turning in for the night.

Home-style Dinner of Brisket, Corn, Potatoes, Bread, and Salad

Ann Plays Around as We Start our Post-Dinner Walk

Tonight would be a very different experience from last night. Thanks to electricity (and a large system of solar panels on the roof), we had electricity all night. Two fans were sufficient to cool our room off and let us sleep in relative comfort in the queen bed, a far cry from the two single bunks from the stifling night before.