Here it is, the Fall Road Trip ’13. It’s amazing where 5 days on the road will take you. Stops include, Confusion Hill, Fort Dick, the Smith River, Stout Grove, the Rogue River & the Benbow Lodge.
First off, this photo is sweet…I’ve spent a lot of time just looking at the layers. This was my favorite of the trip, taken on the Rogue River. Birds in flights + Silhouette is a kind of combo that makes my eyes get excited…but that’s just me.
Because we were headed north, our first stop on day 2 was Confusion Hill (below). What is confusing, is why someone would stop here…jk, but it’s pretty lame. There’s a young woman whom lives in a shoe which is confusing, there are relatively young trees, a “wishing well” that isn’t a well at all and some pretty confusing glasses. Those are pretty much the highlights!
Visiting the family ~ Mike & Jody were pretty stoked about their new trailer (below), every girls’ best friend when it comes to camping. Buster, the dog, was pretty stoked about something too ~ and I was stoked to see him.
Visiting the Smith in the fall, while a storm rolled thru, was quite a contrast from my last two trips to the west’s cleanest river. The river actually took on an ‘earthy’ color, as Uncle Mike puts it, so as not to imply that it was dirty. The temperature was cool requiring a non-stop fire; meanwhile, the hot-tub in the backyard was working overtime in an attempt to reach boiling temperature…nothing a little hose water couldn’t remedy. Stout Grove (below) is where the really old trees live. We stayed in a cool little fishing pad just above the Smith River and a mile from Stout Grove ~ where we had another opportunity to visit with Mike & Jody and celebrate Heather’s birthday early with a homemade cake (thanks Jody!)
The Rogue River. A little further up Highway 1, after you cross the state line and enter Oregon, you’ll arrive at the mouth of the Rogue River. There are any number of ways to explore the Rogue River, and they’re all sweet. However, with one day you can get over 50 miles upstream courtesy of Jerry’s Jetboats (our captain, below). This is a nature lover’s paradise: birds (bald eagle below), bears, bobcat (also below). Cruising up the Rogue River on a jet boat is surreal. There are slow-moving rafters headed downstream to offer some perspective. Furthermore, the noise from the boat will startle birds from their resting position and instinctually they’ll launch into flight. From the perspective of a passenger on the boat it’s as if you’re watching a bird fly in slow motion for a few strokes of their wings…before they’re left behind in the spray of the wake. Silly birds, you can’t outfly a jet!
…on the Road Again. This time we’re making our way back and we had to stop for the most legit smoked salmon jerky. Look below to see how it’s made! (super impressive, right?) Our last nights’ stay was at the historic Benbow lodge with an unforgettable dinner to celebrate Heather’s birthday. The inside joke is that the service sucked, Anne is a B. Fortunately, we complained and got some free shit. The moral of the story of course, always complain about everything!
Whao amazing trip I enjoyed it fully reading your post. All the pictures are very well displayed. In addition, one more thing you write so well, I really enjoyed it reading.
Thanks Carla ~ Stay tuned for more!