Oregon Border and The Rogue River

With the state border now firmly in our sights we continued north towards Oregon. I had heard a lot about this state from some adventurous friends of ours who had explored most of America as a part of their own mammoth tour about 12 months ago (Hi Sam & Fi). With their endorsement ringing in my ears, I was looking forward to what lay ahead past the two deeply forgettable towns of Crescent City and Eureka.

As we progressed, we were regularly side-tracked by an increasing number of road side tourist attractions each aimed at distracting the steady stream of road trippers who appear to descend upon the Pacific Coast. Each of these boasted the worlds longest, highest and heaviest something or other, and most immediately faded from memory. Two did stand out however; the first being a moderately historic school called 'Stone Lagoon' which was surrounded by an impressive herd of Elks and the second being a massive moving and talking statue of the mythological lumberjack Paul Bunyan.

Stone Lagoon School House (& Elk)

Paul Bunyan Statue

Eventually, the sun light descended into a lush golden glow as we crossed the Oregon border and continued north up to the Rogue River and promises of a camp site nestled along one of its' many meanders. Finally, after what seemed like an age we reached 'Kimbal Bend' where our wait for a decent place to camp was immediately justified. As we looked out, the banks of the river eased into a gently flowing current. Otters could be seen swimming within the cold open waters, by which we sat and enjoyed giant gin-and-tonics as the day faded into night. We then headed back to our camp where we cooked and ate under the dim glow of candle light and our small propane burner.

Rebecca with Gin & Tonic

Banks of the Rogue River at Sun Set

The following morning, after a long and relaxing night within the bowel of the beast we headed to the Rogue and swam in the calm and very fresh waters of the river. We then returned to our vehicle, which was almost entirely enclosed in a large horseshoe of monster RV's each casting a shadow on our modest chariot. It was time to hit the road once more.

The Rogue River prior to an early morning swim.

© All Images By Paul