September 19, 2011
Day 35: Union Creek to Grants Pass
Route for days 35 and 36. Terrain view is best!
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Clear skies and 45F in the morning, much warmer than at Diamond Lake. I got on the road at 9:40, kind of late. My first stop was less than a mile downstream at the "Rogue Gorge". Here the Rogue river flows through a deep narrow basalt channel that is a collapsed lava tube. It's right next to the highway and interesting to see. But it's hard to get good photos of the churning water 20 feet below.
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I didn't stop at the store or restaurant in Union Creek. A couple miles later I also didn't take the turnoff to Natural Bridge, where the Rogue river flows underground through a lava tube for a couple hundred feet. I went there during a 2005 bike tour.
Farther downstream I took the Prospect turnoff. That gets me off the highway for 5 miles, takes me to the services in Prospect, and takes me to some waterfalls.
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After lunch in Prospect I stopped at Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint and hiked the 0.8 mile trail down to the Rogue river. On the way down the trail passes Pearsony falls which drops about 15 feet.
The trail continues down to the Rogue river in an area where the river drops very rapidly in a gorge choked with giant boulders. The river flows mostly out of sight under the boulders. The gradient is like a waterfall but the water is seldom visible.
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About a mile down the road I stopped at the Mill Creek falls trailhead. This area is owned by Weyerhaeuser, a timber corporation. The 0.4 mile trail takes visitors to viewpoints of two tall waterfalls on the opposite side of the canyon. Mill Creek falls drops 173 feet with an impressive flow.
About 500 feet downstream Barr Creek falls has a similar drop but much lower flow. I rested for a few minutes in a spot that has a view of both waterfalls.
With the late start and waterfall stops I had gone only 15 miles by 1:30 PM. I still have a long way to go today. The temperature warmed up to the 80's by afternoon. I'm dropping to lower elevation in a warmer climate zone, plus there is a warming trend in the weather.
In Shady Cove I leave the forested canyon and enter the Rogue river valley. The valley is wide and open. I turned off highway 62 onto Rogue River drive-happy to escape the high speed traffic. Rogue River drive ends at highway 234 which I followed southwest to Gold Hill. The road goes downstream in an agricultural valley with Table Mountain between me and the river.
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I stopped for groceries in Gold Hill, then quickly continued west on highway 99. It was once the main highway, so it has some interesting old buildings.
The Rogue river valley is more arid than any other part of Oregon I've seen on this tour. The valley is mostly oak savanna where it's not pastures. Few tall conifers.
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It was about sunset when I arrived at Have A Nice Day campground. It's on the Rogue river east of Grants Pass. The river is free flowing now, but it was a reservoir before Savage Rapids dam was removed in 2009. The campground has a boat ramp and docks that are now 10 feet above the river. I-5 isn't visible across the river, but it's nearby and I can hear a dull roar from my campsite.
I had a shower, did laundry, made dinner, and got to bed late at 10:50 PM.
Today had a high of 85F. I really appreciated finally having warm weather again. It was supposed to be an easy day because I lost 2500 feet elevation. But it seemed hard. Maybe I'm just tired after climbing the Cascades.
Distance: 69.5 mi. (111 km)
Climbing: 980 ft. (297 m)
Average Speed: 13.6 mph (21.8 km/h)
Hiking: 2.5 mi. (4 km)
Today's ride: 70 miles (113 km)
Total: 1,764 miles (2,839 km)
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