Toward the end of our rafting trip on the Owyhee River at the beginning of May, we had expressed interest to our guides in rafting the Rogue River in Southwest Oregon, a part of the world that neither Ann nor I had visited before. In early May when we got a note from Momentum, our guide company for the Owyhee float, that two spots had opened up in August for the Rogue, we reserved immediately.
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| Starting our Rogue River Rafting Adventure |
I had planned to go north along the coast all the way up to Florence before heading home, but both Ann and I got sick after rafting. We cut our stay on the coast short by a day, power driving the coast to Reedsport and up the Umpqua Valley back to home, the shortest route available. Power driving while ill sucks. Sorry OSP, I was the guy driving 70 in the 55 zones and 80 elsewhere. Sorry, not sorry.
So, we still have not seen from Reedsport to Florence, but that will have to wait until our next visit to the coast. For now, our agenda is struggling through this illness. It may or may not be COVID, but we're not putting anyone at risk going out to get test kits.
During our trip to the Owyhee, I took about 1500 photos. On this trip, I made a conscious decision to take fewer and to take more time to be present and so among the three cameras that I brought on the trip, I shot only about 550 photos. As much as I like to look at the photos long after events, I like to immerse myself in those same events and those two goals can conflict at times.
So, the cameras spent a lot more time in the dry bag or dry box. As a consequence, I missed some shots, notably a great photo opportunity of a little mink struggling across the rapidly flowing river, but I will never forget watching it and rooting, along with everyone in the raft, for the little guy to get across the river safely.
Our trip posts break down thus:
Despite having to cut our stay at the coast short, it was still a great trip. We can now check Crater Lake off our list; it is not a place to which we are likely to return unless we are escorting guests there.
Our experience on the Rogue was wonderful and quite different to the Owyhee. The Owyhee's scenery is mind-blowing, the most beautiful canyons that I have ever seen. On the other hand, the weather on the Owyhee is necessarily chilly; early spring is when the snowmelt is highest. By contrast, the opportunity to swim, float, and play in the warm water of the Rogue was delightful in its own right and not to be missed. I am ambivalent about the lodge-to-lodge trip on the Rogue; I might have preferred camping near the river to have the rushing whitewater lull me to sleep at night. The experiences on both rivers were wonderful, just very different ones.
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