Page 213 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

of ocean crust and volcanic sheets of the Rogue
Formation. Over time, the river helped carve a narrow
path between these two jagged formations, causing
water to accelerate and bounce irregularly through the
smaller, rougher, space.”
The river becomes faster here and more
unpredictable with large waves, contrasting currents,
boils, and sometimes combinations of all three. The
“crown jewel,” as Collier calls it, is the “Coffee Pot,” a
lower section where the river narrows even further, the
water becomes confused swirls and navigating a big raft
can be difficult.
In a kayak, I found it hard sometimes to keep my
little vessel upright because the surging boils seemed to
have fingers that wanted to grab the edge of my boat
and flip me over. Fortunately, I stayed upright, because
doing a roll in those surging waters would have been
difficult.
If that weren’t enough excitement, downstream a bit
we came to Blossom Bar Rapid, which we scouted from
some high rocks on the right side of the river. Named for
the Western Azalea plant, Collier said this Class 4 drop
is sometimes called “the most expensive rapid in the
West” because of a picket fence of rocks partway
through that sometimes traps, holds and flips rafts.
My group breezed through it on our trip with no
mishaps and I found it relatively simple to negotiate in
my kayak. Collier said it gets the Class 4 rating because
of the penalty for not making the Class 3 move above the
picket fence.
“The consequences can be significant,” he said.
That afternoon I took a walk along the river and up
the slopes above our campsite and found lovely yellow
Oregon irises, bright red Indian paintbrushes, golden
buttercups, fiery columbines, blue chicory and other
flowers.
Moth gave his son Joe a hard-shell kayak paddling
lesson and I have a feeling they’ll return to the Rogue
one day to paddle it together. I know I’ll be back, too,
with my two youngest children, now ages 16 and 18.
Who knows, if I can stay spry for another couple of
decades, I might even get back on the Rogue with a
grandchild or two?
More information: A number of rafting outfitters
operate on the Rogue River, offering trips into October.
Two I know well and respect are Northwest Rafting at
nwrafting.com and OARS at oars.com. Three-night, four-
day trips start at around $1,000, while specialty outings
cost more. The minimum age for most trips is 7. For
names of other companies, contact the BLM office in
Galice, Ore. at (541) 474-3735.

212 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019