It was 31 degrees this morning with the wind still blowing and we were scheduled to go on Jerry’s Rogue River trip at 9am. Oh well, with layers- long sleeved shirts, sweat shirts and jackets- we went to the harbor and got on board. The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. Today, May 1, was the start of the boat trip season so we were on the first trip for the year. At this time only 1 trip per day is scheduled that being the longest 104 mile trip. We set off in the boat with blankets provided by the boat company over our legs and we were warm. Darin was our captain along with his trusty dog, Agnus. It was a wonderful trip. The first leg of the trip was to Agness, a small community, 32 miles up the river. The boat also serves Agness with mail delivery so a mail delivery was made. We had a brief stop for bathroom use and getting snacks. Returning to the boat we had to don life jackets as we were going 20 more miles up river in category 1-3 rapids. What fun! We got sprayed a little as we hit those rapids and whenever Darin put the boat into a spin. This section of the river is classified as a wild river meaning that for distances on both sides of the river cannot be developed or even have roadways and the river traffic is limited with the issuance of permits. The scenery was beautiful. We did see 2 black-tail deer and many birds and ducks. At the 20 mile point it was clear that we could go no further as the rapids were much greater and there were huge rocks that would not have permitted passage to the boat we were in. Returning down river we again stopped in Agness for lunch. A buffet was set out with salads, soups, chicken, roast pork, ribs and sausages which cost $13.00 per person (not included in the cost of the trip) and was tasty. The weather had been warming up all day and by the time that we were leaving Agness for the final 32 miles we were down to our long-sleeved shirts and they were feeling hot at times. There were quite a few fishing boats on the river between Agness and Gold Beach and a few big fish, salmon, were being caught. It was a most enjoyable boat trip with beautiful scenery and some exciting fun on the river. The boat company, Jerry’s Rogue River Jet Boats, have the only permits for these boat trips on the river.
Returning to the campground we noticed the wind was still strongly blowing and it was chilly- much different than the weather that we had on the river. We did walk out to the ocean but did not tarry long.
