June 2-3, 2024 | Photo Album

We flew from Tulsa to Medford, Oregon by way of Denver. Our flights were easy and went well. The Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport is relatively small, with a 110,000 square foot terminal building that served over one million passengers in 2018. For comparison, Tulsa International Airport serves over three million passengers per year, and the immense Denver International Airport served almost 78 million passengers in 2023.

Wendy enjoyed the enchiladas she was served on the flight from Denver to Medford, while I was unimpressed with my brisket and the Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt Crisps by Undercover Snacks, but we had great service on all of our flights.

We loaded our rented GMC Yukon Denali SUV and headed along Interstate 5 to Rogue River, a town of 2,400 along the eponymous river which is known for salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery.

We exited the interstate and crossed the river on the Depot Street Bridge of 2006 to check into the Best Western Inn at the Rogue for a couple of nights. Dinner was at BeeGees Diner in the town across the river, where we were entertained by recordings like Red River Rock by Johnny & The Hurricanes.

After filling up on diner food, we returned to the river to walk along the Rogue River Greenway Trail, which is tucked between Interstate 5 and the north bank of the Rogue River. Organizers hope to eventually use it to link Grants Pass to Central Point just north of Medford.

The walk was most welcome after two flights and a meal. Wendy had fun posing her Barbie along the trail.

The next morning we returned to BeeGees Diner for breakfast, including an immense cinnamon roll. We drove west along state highway 99 to Grants Pass, which is similar in size to Bartlesville. While Bartlesville has over 30 fiberglass buffalo statues scattered across town and decorated by various groups, Grants Pass has a collection of various fiberglass bears that are stored in winter at a “Bear Hotel” warehouse and deployed on the downtown sidewalks in summer.

We strolled around the historic district, enjoying a Halloween bear, Carmen Bearanda, and the Circus Ring Master.

The Redwoods Hotel, also known as the Redwood Towers, is a historic six-story hotel building in Grants Pass. Built in 1926 of reinforced concrete with cast concrete ornamentation on its front facade, it was built as an expansion of the adjacent 3-story brick Josephine Hotel and originally contained 45 hotel rooms with retail space on its first floor. The old Josephine Hotel was completely gutted by fire in 1975 and was razed. After the fire, the owners of the Redwoods Hotel made the decision to convert its upper floors to office space. Artist John Michener created a trompe l’oeil mural on one side wall, remembering the Hotel Josephine.

We were in town too early for most businesses to be open, but Wendy did get to check a thrift store for Barbies, and we picked up some supplies at a Safeway store before returning to our hotel via the interstate. I was fatigued in the early afternoon, which I blame on Metoprolol slowing my heart rate. I’m hoping that a third blood pressure medication I am now on might eventually enable me to stop taking Metoprolol.

I wasn’t going to let my fatigue rob us of the chance to see the Rogue River up close, so later in the afternoon we ventured eastward along the interstate to Gold Pass to walk at Ti’lomikh Falls on the Rogue.

They are a series of whitewater cascades popular with rafters. The Takelma people, meaning “People of the River”, once had a village there. They were relocated to a distant federal reservation in 1856, with their homelands taken over by miners and settlers.

That halted their annual Salmon Ceremonies, but Frances Harvey Johnson (1844-1934) had participated in the ceremonies as a child and at age 89 accompanied linguist John Harrington on a field trip to her homelands. She showed him where their village had been, and the “Story Chair” next to the falls where generations of Takelma tribal elders had awaited the arrival of the Chinook salmon. In recent years, Steve and Mary Kiesling co-hosted revived Salmon Ceremonies on their property by the falls and created a scenic overlook by the falls.

There was an eight-foot-high concrete dam spanning the Rogue River there from the 1940s until 2008, creating the second greatest barrier to fish passage in the Rogue River basin. Migrating salmon passed into a diversion canal, where some were trapped or injured. Thankfully the City of Gold Hill constructed a new municipal water supply, allowing for the removal of the dam. In 2010, a higher barrier dam farther upriver was also removed.

We enjoyed walking along the west bank of the river by the falls.

Then we drove over to the scenic overlook on the opposite side of the river.

We spent a second night at Rogue River, planning to rise early on the next morning to head to the redwoods in nearby California.

Photo Album | < Redwoods Trip I | Redwoods Trip III >