This morning I woke up at around 6:30 AM and researched for a coffee shop to work at for a couple of hours before the jet boat tour. I ended up choosing to stop by at Oregon Coast Books (http://www.oregoncoastbooks.com/), a large bookstore which also has a coffee shop on the first floor. The coffee shop seemed to be a family-owned and run business and popular with locals who seemed to frequent the coffee shop on a regular basis.
At 9AM, I drove to the Gold Beach Harbor to check in for the tour at 9:30 AM. The forecast showed that the weather would be rainy, so the group of about 25-30 of us were prepared with water-resistant rain coats and blankets. The pilot mentioned that we would all be going on the 104 mile boat trip for the discounted $50 rate, because of the forecasted rainy weather and numerous cancellations. Here’s a link for the route we took http://www.roguejets.com/trip/rogue-river-map/.
Our driver, Darin, had deep roots in Gold Beach, OR and in the boating tourism industry. His grandparents, Jerry and Alden Boice founded Jerry’s Rogue River Jet Boats in 1958 and pretty much started the tourism industry on the Rogue River. The Rogue River is 132 miles long and its headwaters are near Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. On the tour, we rode about 52 miles upstream from the headwaters and retraced our route for a total of 104 miles.
During the tour, we received interesting commentary and facts from the pilot. We passed under numerous bridges, saw numerous creeks/waterfalls draining into the river, saw various forms of wildlife and birds, and made our way through some currents and rapids. I was surprised by the agility of the boats and the skill of the pilot. The pilot was able to swerve in between rocks at high speeds, pull up to the edge of the river under a waterfall, and perform sharp 360 degree turns.
During the first few miles of the trip upstream, it was also interesting to view numerous buildings and structures along the river including Four Seasons RV Park (where I took a shower yesterday), Huntley Family Park (where I slept last night), Tu Tu Tun Lodge (a 4 star resort with a nice restaurant (http://tututun.com/), and numerous hotels/lodges along the way.
About 25 miles upstream in a small town named Agness, we took a 15 minute break on our way upstream and a one hour break on our way downstream. The restaurant we stopped at was Singing Springs Resort (http://www.singingspringsresort.com/), where we had a buffet lunch with salads, main courses, and dessert.
In regards to the weather, we were lucky and only caught a few minutes of rain after our lunch break in Agness. Other than that, the clouds offered protection from the sun and heat, and made the trip even more enjoyable than it would have been on a sunny day.
During the tour, the pilot mentioned the Rogue River Trail, a 41 mile backpacking trail which follows the banks of the river. I plan on completing this trail sometime in the future. The scenery was so beautiful and I imagine the experience and solitude of hiking the trail will be fun.
After the river tour, I planned on making it until at least Crescent City before the end of the day. While heading south on Highway 101, I stopped by Arch Rock and Natural Bridges Viewpoint. There was a beautiful view of the arch/bridge which were located less than a hundred feet off the Pacific Coast.
Most of the scenic viewpoints along Highway 101 (including Aruch Rock and Natural Bridges) also serve as access points to the Oregon Coast Trail, a 382 mile coastal trail which transitions between sand, asphalt, and dirt trails. (https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PARKS/Pages/OCT_main.aspx) This would make quite adventure.
I continued driving southbound, eventually stopping at Bear River Casino Resort near Fortuna, CA. I parked in the parking lot, played an hour of blackjack, and then spent the night in the RV parking area.
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