Grants Pass, Oregon

After spending over a year in California hiding from the pandemic we decided to head north to Southern Oregon in mid-August to spend a few weeks in Grants Pass. But first we set aside a day to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park near Redding, CA, a park that we had enjoyed on a visit about ten years ago. As luck would have it, however, Lassen was closed to visitors due to the massive Dixie Fire, so instead of heading east to Lassen we headed west into the Trinity Alps. We began with a stop in Redding to walk across the Sundial Bridge. This beautiful pedestrian bridge across the Sacramento River has an unusual single-tower suspension design. As with everywhere in Northern California that week, the sky was very smoky from multiple wildfires. After lunch we drove west into the mountains, stopping first at the Shasta State Historic Park. The park contains the ruins of the gold rush town of Shasta. We then drove around the nearby mountains and saw lots of beautiful scenery, somewhat obscured by smoke. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.

We rented a house on the outskirts of Grants Pass, Oregon, on a small bluff overlooking the Rogue River. The house was spacious and comfortable, and it was very peaceful to see the river out our picture window every day. It was a perfect place to hide from the pandemic. The river is popular with tourists and every day we would see boaters, kayakers, and fishermen. Several times a day we also saw jet boats from Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, which departed from a dock in the center of Grants Pass about three miles upriver. We never rode in a jetboat ourselves but the folks in these fast boats looked like they were having a good time.

We enjoyed daily walks, as we do everywhere we go. There were beautiful walks around our semi-rural neighborhood, and we also enjoyed walking in Tussing Park near the center of Grants Pass. Tussing Park has a pedestrian bridge high over the Rogue River to connect the two shores. It was smoky for much of our time in Grants Pass so we especially enjoyed the rare clear days.

We took a day trip to Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park near Crescent City, about a two hour drive from Grants Pass and just across the California state line. This park is managed jointly by California State Parks and by the National Park Service as part of Redwood National Park. We enjoyed hiking in the beautiful, lush redwood forest and marveling at these huge, ancient trees.