The 50+ Travel Group from Vancouver, Washington met at Luepke
Center (Marshall Center) about 7:30am.
We checked in and bags were loaded.
We departed by 8:00. We had
lunch at the Wild Duck (on our own) in Eugene.
I had berry pie with vanilla ice cream.
We went to the Wild Life Safari for an Elephant Encounter (money maker
for WLS). Our next stop was the Vortex
House of Mystery at Sardine Creek at 5:00pm. I was
hot and miserable. We checked into our hotel, Riverside Inn, and
settled in our rooms. I had upgraded my
room to the top floor with a great view of the rainbow arch Caveman Bridge and
the Rogue River. We had dinner at nearby
Tap Rock. I had Ivars Clam Chowder and
Caesar Salad. I watched the last hour of
"America's Got Talent".
I was up early at 6:00am.
I had breakfast at the hotel. I
found a Benchmark on the Caveman Bridge and a geocache a bit farther
along. We departed for Jacksonville by
9:30am. We took a Trolley ride. I stood on back trolley platform so I could
get some photos of benchmarks i.e. church steeples. We had a narrated tour of this historical
town. "The Great Northfield
Minnesota Raid" was filmed here in 1972.
They removed modern traffic signs, the city streets were covered in dirt, wooden
sidewalks added, and hitching posts added. They constructed a new building filling in an open lot. We had lunch at the Jacksonville Inn. I had warm crusty bread with butter, two small
bowls of gazpacho soup and a crispy salad.
I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream at The Scoop Shoppe.
We returned to the Riverside Inn in time for the jetboat
ride. We were told to be at the loading
area at 3:15 but the boats were not loaded until 4:30! Dozens and dozens of people showed up to
ride the boats. I was hot and miserable
so I left. I got a great photo of the
jetboat roaring down the Rogue River from my room balcony. I had a lovely dinner at a window table with
a view of the Caveman Bridge at the Tap Rock of BLT with avocado on focaccia
bread, and house chips. I took 1/2 of
the sandwich and some chips back to my room to eat while watching "Master
Chef". I do not regret opting out of the jetboat
trip. I heard stories the next day of
getting soaked and having to hang clothes over the hotel patio railing to dry,
having to deal with wasps/bees during the family style dinner at the OK Corral
and being berated by one of the group leaders on the return trip.
I rose at 6:00am.
Breakfast at the hotel by 7:00.
Both leaders walked up as I was checking out/paying for my upgraded room
at the Front Desk. They were absolutely
livid! Especially the short, plump
one. Evidently the charge also showed up on
the City of Vancouver bill. It wasn't so
much that the City of Vancouver got charged but it was a Control issue. I heard later that she was rude to some of
the people on her van.
I enjoyed sitting on the deck of my room. I was reluctant to leave but it was soon time
to head back to Vancouver. Our first
stop was the Butterfly Pavilion at Elkton.
I found the geocache. I met some
geocachers who knew me. I got a ride with
the fort interpreter on a cart down to the reproduction of Hudson's Bay Fort
Umpqua along the Umpqua River. The others had walked or ridden the van. The fort was not built on the
original location. We rode to the small
downtown where I had pizza and beer at a restaurant. I found a geocache. I got an ice cream bar.
We traveled to Eugene.
Most of the group took a tour of the Ninkasi brewery. I sat in the shade at the patio and charged my
IPhone. We stopped at Euphoria
Chocolates for samples and to purchase chocolates. I wonder if the group leaders got a
kickback? We had dinner at Sam Bonds
Garage. A dreadful, hot place. I got a large chocolate chip cookie as I was
not that hungry. We headed north with a rest stop at Pilot truck stop on the way. I had planned to take the city bus however
Carol Z. gave me a lift home.
