Road Scholar and Backroads of Oregon II - Day 4

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - After a buffet breakfast at the Red Lion, we boarded the bus at 8:00AM for the 64-mile Rogue River Jet Boat Cruise to Agness.  We stopped for a Rest Stop in Port Orford at Battle Rock.

We boarded the Jet Boat in Gold Beach, leaving for Agness about 10:30AM.   I spotted river otters, bald eagle,  herons,  a very large fish: steelhead, salmon, or half-pounder (a trout/steelhead species) caught by a fisherman and held up for us to admire,  osprey,  hawks, and possibly other birds and animals that I have forgotten.  Jet Boat ride featured high speeds, spins and occasional splashes, but it was all done in a very safe (and boring) manner.  I have taken two Jet Boat trips on the Rogue River in the past where the spins were much more plentiful and exciting.  Iasked Julia about it and she said Old People don't like getting wet!

At Jerry's Rogue Jet Boat Landing I photographed the Rogue River Bridge in the distance.  This great concrete structure steps the 3/8 mile across the Rogue River in seven arches; smaller arches perched over these, directly beneath the roadbed.

By 10:30AM we were loaded and on our way 32 miles up the Rogue River.  This trip really needs to be taken in the late Spring when there is more water.

The small community of Agness is located near the confluence of two Wild and Scenic rivers -- the Lower Rogue and the Illinois.  Agness is in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and was threatened by the Biscuit Fire in 2002.

I was the FTF (First To Find) the cache (GC3RND5) at Singing Springs.   thamesboy had placed the cache on 31 July 2012 for me as there were no caches on this side of the Rogue River.  There are several caches across the river, but not accessible to Jet Boat passengers during their lunch stop.   I ate my buffet lunch at the open deck overlooking the Rogue River.  All too soon it was time to board the boat for the return trip.

The Rogue River (Tolowa: yan-shuu-chit’ taa-ghii~-li~’) has its headwaters in the Cascade Mountains on the slopes of Crater Lake. The Rogue River flows about 215 miles in a generally westward direction, meeting the ocean near Gold Beach, Oregon.  Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968.

Summer river flows may vary from 950 to 2500 cubic feet of water per second. During winter flood stages the volume may drastically increase, causing the Rogue to be almost impossible for navigation.  In the 1964 flood, the Rogue reached 500,000 cubic feet per second at Agness.  Good reason why scheduled whitewater rafting trips run only from late May through early October each year. 

Back at Gold Beach we boarded the bus for Coos Bay.  We stopped briefly for a restroom stop once again at Battle Rock.  We had dinner at 6:00PM at the Red Lion.