Time flies in Southern Oregon

Days began to blend together as we rode into Southern Oregon on Highway 199. Part of the reason was the consistent scenery, bland and flat, with no major cities in the area. The other reason was the consistent heat; it didn’t drop under 95 degrees during our last few days in the state.

The ride from Crater Lake was amazing, probably the easiest ride since the beginning of this trip, as we descended over 7,000 feet from the summit of the national park, 75 miles towards Medford. It was all downhill on the highway, which was quite rewarding considering the consistent climb we had powered through the day before. Several glaciers and the high elevation created cool temperatures along the road, which was shaded by tall trees for the first half of our ride.

Will and Dan preparing to bathe in the Rogue River.

We arrived on the Rogue River during this time and proceeded to bathe at a viewpoint on the side of the Crater Lake Highway, or Highway 62. The cool waters felt great on my skin and soothed my bug bites from the night before. Dan was happy to finally wash his only pair of shoes and Will was relieved to rinse the sweat off his body.

As we left the river, the heat became more noticeable. The trees became less of a refuge as the sun rose higher into the air and we started to take regular breaks as the day wore on. We crossed a bridge at the Lost Creek Reservoir and by this time, it was nearly 98 degrees. You know it’s hot when gusts of wind feel like standing in front of a furnace. It wasn’t a relief, it just added to the pressing heat from the sun.

Shady Cove sits along the Rogue River, 20 miles from Medford. The afternoon was the hottest time of the day as we arrived in the town of just over 2,000 people. We escaped the heat by ducking into a Subway, which was blasting the A.C., and grabbed a sandwich. The heat was too much for us to ride in and we spent the next hour-and-a-half taking a nap in the shade at Shady Cove Park.

Refreshed and reinvigorated, we set out for the last stretch of our ride. Will and I split with Dan on our way to Medford, as Dan had found outfitters in the small town of Merlin he was interested in meeting. During his time in Merlin, Dan was able to sign Orange Torpedo Trips, a white-water rafting company.

Will and I arrived in Medford at around 8:45 p.m. The ride to Ashland was 20 more miles uphill, so we decided to hitch a ride on I-5 South. After an hour with our thumbs out, we still had no luck finding a ride. Finally, a Medford local stopped and packed us into his minivan to take us up to Ashland. My friend Jeff was attending Southern Oregon University and I was lucky enough to catch him the day before he was moving out. Will and I rested for the evening with a shower and a bed to sleep in.

Will in Downtown Ashland before we set out for Grants Pass.

In the morning, Will signed Kokopelli River Guides and in the afternoon, met with Momentum River Expeditions and Noah’s River Adventures. Ashland is world famous for the Oregon Shakspeare Festival, which has been running since 1935 and is one of the largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation. We spent some time in Downtown Ashland before setting off again.

We left Ashland and rode back towards Medford on the Bear Creek Greenway. The bike trail was beautiful and provided some shade against another scorching day. Once in Medford, it was again the hottest time of the day, so we spent the afternoon in an air-conditioned Target to wait for it to cool down outside. Our plan was to meet Dan in Wilderville, seven miles outside of Grants Pass, to sleep and prepare for our ride another long ride the next day.

It was dusk by the time we left Grants Pass and Will and I rode to Wilderville in the dark. We found an expansive field behind a fire house and began to set up camp. Dan took a wrong turn leaving Merlin and rode a 40-mile detour to get to our destination. Will and I had gotten to our place of rest through the exit to Wilderville, while Dan had turned at the entrance one mile prior. We played a bit of Marco-Polo before Dan was finally able to find us.

The scenery along Highway 99 towards Grants Pass.

The next day would be our last in Oregon and we would ride the last section of Highway 101 that would take us into Northern California. It seemed like weeks since we had been in Bend, but it had only been three days. So much happens in each day that events meld together to create one long timeline. My perspective of time has completely changed and now, I have to check a calendar to find out the date and day of the week. We ride hard for days and I’m looking forward to a day of rest as we ride towards Crescent City, Calif.