Gold Beach and the Ride on Rogue River

Gold Beach

We arrived in Gold Beach after a 11/2 hour ride.  Just a bit about the town of Gold Beach – It was named after the gold-laden sands that were mined in the 1950s. It is also well known for the Rogue estuary and by the turn of the 20th century, it became famous for the salmon it shipped out around the country. The river’s reputation was also enhanced by the novelist, Zane Grey in many of his books and writings.

It was early in the morning and we found one restaurant open for breakfast – The Double D.  It was pretty much filled with a lot of local folk as well as some fascinating posters about welcoming anyone carrying guns. We noticed that neither servers nor customers were wearing masks and that seemed to be normalized all along the coast and most cities we visited in Oregon.  One thing I found interesting is that every restaurant we visited had biscuits and gravy on their menus. I thought that was a Southern food, but evidently it is very much a featured item in Oregon restaurants.  Most of the biscuits I ate were very good!

Jerry’s Rogue Jets

By the time we finished breakfast, it was time to go to Jerry’s Rogue Jets where I had previously booked a ride on the Rogue River. I picked the one boat I thought would be a smooth ride and not splash us very much – the mail boat. Shawn and I sat up front in the second row. I sat on the outside so I could see and take photos of the beautiful scenery passing by.  Harbor seals were the first animal life we saw on the river.  There were a group of them sunning themselves on the edge of the river. We made a quick turn around and went under the Rogue River Bridge, a seven span arch bridge.  It was the most advanced concrete bridge in America when it was built and completed in 1931.

We saw Osprey and their nests high up in the trees, bald eagles, river mink, turkey vultures and blue herons. It was a beautiful sunny day and for the most part a lovely trip.  The pilot’s  commentary on the flora and fauna along the way was interesting. We stopped along the river for lunch in Agness at the Cougar Lane Lodge.

The only downside to our boat ride was when the pilot decided to spin the boat, which he did numerous times.  You had to hang on tight and the water splashed over the sides of the boat.  I was soaked at the beginning of the trip – needless to say, it put a damper on the trip for me. We weren’t often warned in advance so both Shawn and I had a difficult time protecting our cameras. I did have a rain hood for mine and Shawn had a plastic bag. I finally learned to duck down low and hang on tight while shielding my camera from the splashing.  I guess the pilot tried to make the ride exciting and I am sure the kids and some adults loved it, but it wasn’t fun for us or our cameras.

Scenes Along the Rogue River  

Completing our boat ride, we went to the Best Western’s SureStay Plus Hotel  and checked in.  Our room faced  a field with a path through to the beach.  Later that afternoon we walked down to the beach.  It was extremely windy and not a lot to see.  It was sooo windy and cold, we didn’t stay very long.

Check out the next post:  Fabulous Sights Along the Scenic Corridor