Medford Oregon

Howdy, writing from the lovely town of Medford, Oregon, after a long day on the river. I know I haven't been writing much lately, but since this blog was originally started to share travel stories, I thought it would be good to write about my current trip. I'm taking at least 3 weeks in the Pacific Northwest, visiting a few friends along the way and exploring some areas I've always been curious about. I say "at least 3 weeks" because I really don't have a specific time I have to be back, and I could easily see this stretching for quite a while, given all the places I want to see. I'm not bringing a guide book, which is unusual for me. This trip will be more impulsive than what I usually do - I love love love the idea of "just going with it." I have a loose plan, a road atlas, a few people to stay with, my bike, my camera and some basic camping supplies. Let's see where life takes me!

The Rogue Valley, where I am now, is beautiful, and looks much more like California than much of the rest of Oregon. I'm currently staying with Vicki and Tommy, who are the only reason I would ever bother to stay in Medford. (Oregon people know what I mean!) Vicki is an old high school friend of my mom's and she has sort of "adopted" my brother and I over the years. My Reel Mammie! While Vicki is my mom's age, Tommy is 91, and still going strong - an amazing dude and living proof that healthy lifestyle does pay off. They are two of the most wonderful people I know :)

Today was kayaking day! I rented a Tahiti inflatable kayak and floated down the Rogue River for about 3.5 hours. There were some minor Class I rapids, but mostly just mellow floating. It was HOT and the water was ICY cold, which made for perfect conditions. This time of year, they release water from the bottom of the dam, (which is of course much colder than the water at the top that has been warmed by the sun) to create conditions needed for salmon spawning. I'm telling you, whenever the water splashed in from the side of the boat, it was intense and actually took my breath away. And no, I did not fall in. That would have been rough :/

I couldn't take pictures because I didn't want to risk getting the camera wet, but this is pretty much the scenery I had:

Beautiful!

I also saw a naked guy sitting on bank in his yard - No pictures, sorry. And not some hippie who just liked to be naked, but a local exhibitionist who (I learned later) is usually out there for the viewing pleasure of the rafters and has been cited several times for indecent exposure. I was lucky enough not to get him at a dancing moment though.

Tomorrow I am off to Crater Lake to camp for a day or two. I'm a little apprehensive about camping alone - do I have everything I need, is it safe, etc? So I think its good to start off at an established campground where there will be plenty of people and facilities. I'm excited about Crater Lake too, I've heard a lot of great things about it.

Cheers, off to bed!