7-10-2021 GRANTS PASS, OR

 

We are now perched in Bridgeview RV Park in Grants Pass, PRO (People’s Republic of Oregon).  We are not sure why it is called “Bridgeview.”  There is a big bridge nearby over the Rogue River but this park is tight-pack with tall trees and you cannot see the bridge, that is to say there is no bridge view.  Upon arrival yesterday, 7-9, the woman in the office said, “Have you two been vaccinated?  If you haven’t been vaccinated, you have to wear masks!”  I was annoyed but I should have replied that the information she wanted violated my HIPPA-protected medical privacy rights but I zipped it.  Instead, I just lied and said, “Yes.”  So then she said, “But you still have to wear a mask.”  (Now I’m getting pissed.)  I snapped, “I thought you just said that if we’re vaccinated, we don’t have to wear masks.”  She said, “Oh but now, we have a very dangerous ‘variant’ up here!  I have masks.  I’ll bring you masks.”  I mumbled, “Rob, I can’t deal with this,” walked out and waited in the Jeep.

 

Why are we in Grants Pass if we’ve been here before?  Well, my beloved had some kind of steering stabilization system installed on Noobee here in 2019 and “they didn’t finish the job.”  It wasn’t behaving correctly.  “Don’t you notice that?” he asks me.  (Nope.  Notice what?! )  So we had to bring Noobee back to Grants Pass, Oregon to take it to a repair shop, I’m not kidding.  (FYI, they nicknamed Rob, “The Plater,” at Boeing because everything had to be perfect, as in “gold-plated.”  So once again, The Plater had to get it perfectly right.  I don’t know how many of you know what a production it is to pack up an rv in the middle of a trip and take it in for repairs.  But fine, we got ‘er done and The Plater is Happy.)  (And I am Grumpy.)

 

Taprock Restaurant

While we waited for Noobee to get fixed, we had lunch at the Taprock, a really fabulous log cabin lodge on the shores of the Rogue River.  They have umbrella tables and an outdoor patio overlooking the water.  It was hot but a pleasant breeze off the river cooled us down nicely and our lunch was excellent.

We also did some digging around in the cute little antique and mercantile shops, then picked up Noobee, checked in at this park, cooked up walleye for dinner and all is well.

Fried walleye!  Doesn't get
much better'dnat!

 

Probably with an aim toward humoring me, Rob found a jetboat trip on the Rogue River and reserved a spot.  But first, a wonderful lunch of tiger prawns and chips for spouse and a shrimp and crab louie salad pour moi at the Laughing Clam Saloon to set the mood!  Perfect!  My lunch wasn’t categorized as all-you-can-eat but it turned out that it was sincerely all I could eat.

 

Rainbow Arch Bridge, more commonly
known as Caveman Bridge

Hellgate Excursion boat

Hellgate boat horsing around

We boarded the Hellgate Excursions jetboat at 1:45PM.  It’s a 35 foot long kind of flattish boat that can move fast with three 420 hp motors.  It can navigate in water 6-8 inches deep and has benches that seat about 50 people, total.  The tour took us 18 miles down through beautiful landscape to Hellgate Canyon and back, visiting wildlife along the way such as osprey, blue heron, snowy egrets, great northern geese, ducks, vultures and a bald eagle.  Beavers, bears and deer live along the river, too, but none paid us a visit.  There are salmon too but I’m sure they saw us more easily than we could them.  The river originates at the north edge of Crater Lake and drops more than a mile as it flows for 215 miles generally westward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach which explains the salmon.  They like salt water and fresh water depending on the stage in their life cycle.  Lots of humans live in mansions along the river. 

So, where's Albertson's from here?

Rob picked out a million dollar one that he likes.  I gave the usual reply:  “Who cleans it and where’s Albertson’s from here?”  The trip was fun.  The pilot spun the boat around in the little rapids and we got splashed a bit, a relief from the blazing sun.

 

We returned to Noobee for a lazy afternoon cocktail and a delicious bbq’d porkchop dinner.  Now, I’m Sleepy. 

Riding the pretty mellow
Rogue River in the
afternoon sun