Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday ~ August 12, 2009


It's time for Outdoor Wednesday hosted by gracious Susan on her lovely blog

"A Southern Daydreamer".

(Please click the logo to see all of the participants this week.)

I've shared lots of photos of my own gardens in the past so today I'll share some scenes from areas not far from my house, I hope you enjoy them!

I've packed a picnic lunch for us, and thought you might like to take a little tour of the area where I live.



How about this table? It is shaded and has a nice view of the river.




It's perfect! Why don't you take a little walk to the river while I set up the table for lunch?

You'll see some people swimming, fishing, some ducks, and probably rafters or jet skiers coming down the river in just a bit.

After lunch we'll take a drive several miles down river, crossing it here and there, to see more of the Rogue as it makes it way through the valley, eventually to the Pacific Ocean.

Well, thank you! I'm glad you liked our simple picnic ~ shall we head off to see a little more of the area?




A quick check to make sure we didn't leave anything behind and to see that we leave the area as neat or neater than we found it. :)

Next we'll cross back over the river and head into an area that a bit more wild, about 30 miles away ~ then back again towards home.

I'm not good at taking pictures when the car is moving so we'll skip right to our destination on our way to the resort area of Galice.

There are plenty of camp grounds, picnic areas, hiking trails and launch ramps along the way. Here are a couple of vistas that you might like...




Here's a small powerboat; looks like he has just made a turn-around... let's watch.

Parts of several movies have been filmed in this particular area ~ most notably John Wayne's "Rooster Cogburn", "A River Wild", starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon, it was also filmed in a scene from the old TV series "Gunsmoke"~ James Arness, as Marshal Matt Dillon took a dive into icy waters at the canyon while escaping from outlaws.

Hellgate Canyon was named by early settlers who watched violent floodwaters tear through the rugged terrain during spring.





Highly maneuverable the inflatable "Tahiti" kayaks are immensely popular on the rivers. The river here is suitable for beginners or intermediate rafters, up ahead much more challenging waters challenge the more experienced.



I never tire of these views of the Rogue as it winds it's way to the Pacific (just beyond those mountains in the distance.)



We'll be crossing the ravine up ahead by going over that little yellow bridge you see there.
There is no stopping on the two-lane bridge so I can't share photos ~ but it's beautiful to see the river from that vantage point.


In a little while we'll come to this pretty park and campground, voted as one of the favorites in Oregon. It's Indian Mary Park, the smallest Native American reservation ever created. For the more information and history of the park you can find it at the

Rogue Web site.

Here we are ~ plenty of easy river access and welcome shade!



A little further downstream we come to the actual resort of Galice, you can have a meal on their large deck overlooking the river, pick up a souvenir, supplies, rent rafts and so forth.
I think our big furry passenger way in the back has been a very good girl today, don't you? She deserves a treat...



And now we'll head back towards the house; going over one more bridge where we see the magnificent site of an Osprey family nest.




They are incredible birds, breeding pairs generally mate for life. These birds are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica, with wingspans averaging 4 1/2 to SIX feet!

They dine on live fish exclusively, so you'll always find them nested near bodies of fresh water.
The same Osprey couple will return year after year to their nest; they build their nests up very high ~ at the top of telephone poles, the tip-top of dead trees, or in this case the top of the old bridge (which is right next to the new bridge.)




It may be difficult to discern from these photos but the birds are about 24 inches long, and their nests are enormous ~ about 3 feet deep and 5 feet across.

(Those are actually small tree limbs you see, not twigs.) These birds can carry their weight in fish catch (and nesting material.)

Next we'll stop at the county park very near my home...



This is a very pretty rural, county park ~ lots of grassy areas, a playground, volleyball nets, camping/RVing, swimming, fishing and boating ~ it's where our four pups learned how to swim some years ago. They LOVE this park. :)


From spring through the end of summer you'll often see one of the boats from Hellgate Jet boat Excursion fleet heading down river from their dock downtown to the private restaurant "The O.K. Corral".

The company has been in business since 1961, the tours are safe and so much fun; a must-do for any of our visitors.


Maybe next time?



The jet boats always slow down around launching ramps, docks, and near popular fishing banks along the river out of courtesy and safety for others.

We'll just head on down the road towards home, it's a really pretty forested drive.


Don't mind me while I keep my eyes on the road. *grin*



Well, here we are...





Oh, the day seems to have gone so quickly, I hope you enjoyed our afternoon outing today, I had fun showing you a little bit of my world.

Come back again soon. You're certainly welcome anytime!

Please leave a comment so I can come visit your blog, too. :)






34 comments:

  1. WOW I'm exhausted from this wonderful picnic tour. How beautiful! Love your furry friend. There's nothing like a little ice cream to make everything better.
    We live on a river, but with much less traffic. We usually see a Jet Ski, or a pontoon boat, but other than that, nice and peaceful.
    Happy OW, loved visiting.
    Love Claudie
    xo

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  2. What a lovely post. You live in a beautiful part of our world. And, ice cream cones for the main dog...that is a real treat on my list and I know you are a dog lover because of it.

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  3. What a delightful time I had. Those views are just incredible!
    Absolutely beautiful.
    Rhonda

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  4. Thank you for this beautiful interlude! You've shared such lovely sights.

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  5. Beautiful pictures! Oh to be near some water- but then do you have a problem with mosquitoes?

    blessings
    mary

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  6. Beautiful, beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. What a beautiful area. We always comment about how Matt and Festus are definitely not in Kansas anymore when they are filming around the mountains and rivers. Now we know where they were!

    Christi

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  8. I am so relaxed after seeing your photos. I love the photos of the osprey nest and your dog eating the ice cream cone:) What a beautiful area of our country. Thanks for sharing your outing with me.
    Joyce

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  9. What a beautiful trip! It looks so cool and green, and it's such a treat to see a river that has actual water in it! This truly is gorgeous country. Your dog is precious, and the Vet Tech in me is not going to say a word about the ice cream cone, not one word... Kathy

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  10. I love the picture of the doggie eating the ice cream! As always, your pictures are beautiful!

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  11. Mari, you are surrounded by natural beauty and it's always nice to slow it down a bit and enjoy a picnic. We are kayakers and would like to do some rafting in Oregon some day.

    Ice cream for the pup, for sure!! Kiki gets a baby cone when we go for a ride.

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  12. What a lovely trip, I thoroughly enjoyed it all, the pictures were beautiful :-)

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  13. That scenery is beyond beautiful. What a great day you must have had. Thanks for taking us along.

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  14. Your photos are gorgeous...we too have an osprey nest located at my brothers work. We check it out once in awhile with the kids.

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  15. Oh, my...such beautiful country you live in. Makes me wonder how the heck I ended up on the Plains of West Texas where nothing is very pretty!!
    Thanks for sharing..

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  16. Hi,
    What a wonderful trip through your neck of the woods. I am going to be in Oregon on Labor Day weekend of this year and have plans to take that river excursion. It looks like so much fun, I can't wait now. Everything is so beautiful. Thanks for the preview.
    Maryrose

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  17. Beautiful place.
    Great post and shots.

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  18. Magnifique photos ! merci pour ces repotages ! please pouvez vous me donner le nom de l'écriture que vous utilisez sur vos photos Once Upon a Plate ? mille mercis ! bye from France !!!!

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  19. Fabulous photos Mary..Guess which one I favor?

    I bet you do.:)

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  20. Mari, Your country is absolutely beautiful. We went to Brookings on vacation to a B&B. It was so beautiful there. We also did the mail run on the Rogue, and it was so much fun. This is God's country. So absolutely beautiful there. I loved this post. Thanks for sharing. Please stop by and say hi, as I would love to have you visit. I have a little clip in my scrollbar of some of my Oregon trip. Happy Outdoor Wednesday, Sherry

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  21. What a lovely afternoon! :) I loved all of pics!!!!

    xoxoxox
    Donna Marie

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  22. What a gorgeous place to have a picnic and play on the water! I loved every picture.

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  23. Love the shot of the dog savoring that ice cream...wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this tour.

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  24. You're making me want to visit Oregon!! Lovely!!

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  25. Aww, THANK YOU~ each of you for leaving such kind comments! It's a great feeling to know you're reading along.

    You've made my week. :) xo~m

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  26. Hello Mari, your post today is awesome. I t was a beautiful tour in a beautiful part of our country. Last your home is lovely too. Well not exactly last. Your fur ball is so cute eating his ice cream. I am loving it.

    Hugs...Jeanne

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  27. What wonderful pictures to look at after a stressful day!

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  28. What beautiful scenery! We never get far from home, so I love seeing the sites from far away states.
    Thanks for your visit!

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  29. I too enjoy seeing the scenery from areas of the country that I have not been too! Sure makes me want to come see Oregon ;)

    Gorgeous photos!

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  30. Whew...now I would like some ice cream too.
    jfm

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  31. I've been reading your blog for a few months, and never realized where you were. All my husband's family lives somewhere between Grants Pass and Medford, and we lived down there for 4 years before this native Portlander finally declared the summers too hot to stand. The pictures are making me a little sad that we're not there, as I really miss the people, but I guess I'll live, since we'll be there in 2 days.

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  32. You all are just so sweet and say the nicest things ~ thank you!!!

    Kerrie, oh my ~ it's a small world sometimes, isn't it? I hear you loud and clear about the heat ~ I'm from the more temperate SF Bay Area. I don't think I would last without A/C here. :)

    It's been milder lately, so I hope this weather holds for you. :)

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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