We arrived to Oregon in similar conditions to those we departed in; dark and raining, and though the roads were well paved, they were winding, steep, and unfamiliar. We had lodging reserved and when we arrived, lets just say we were less than satisfied. I was trying to be positive, there was more space than I expected. It didn’t quite make up for the fact that it smelled like death (literally) and was a dump (almost literally). We were exhausted, it was late, we didn’t know where else to go; we stayed the night. We left the next morning to get breakfast and a few supplies and discuss a plan. I notice in the car that I smell like the hotel, like death; this clearly isn’t going to work. We talk with the proprietor and she quickly blames the stench on the recycled paint they used. At any rate, we will chock this up to experience. In the future, I’ll think twice before booking lodging that I found in the classified section of a local paper online. We find a place a mile or two down the road that had a vacancy, we moved.
Back to being positive, things happen for a reason. If we had not spent the night in the unfavorable place, we probably wouldn’t have found the place we now reside. We are loving our new home. We have a beautiful view of the mountains right out our window, a nice sitting area in the lawn and a small private park right across the street on the river. It is outside of town a bit, so it’s quiet and peaceful, but still close enough. Oh, it is also well maintained and doesn’t stink!
The area we live is within the Rogue River Valley. The Rogue River is one of the original 8 rivers in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, there are now over 200 rivers protected by this act. The Rogue originates in the Cascades near Crater Lake and runs westward to the Pacific at Gold Beach. Mountains surround the Rogue River Valley; the Cascade Range to the east, The Siskiyou Mountains to the south, and the Southern Oregon Coast Range to the west. The Rogue is known for it’s salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery.
Our first weekend here we biked, hiked, and kayaked and the farthest drive we had was 30 minutes. There is an awesome greenway right down the street that runs along the river, parks everywhere and hiking trails galore. We are loving Oregon and I look forward to sharing our experiences here with you.
