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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2016)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, August 17, 2016 Page A-9 Winding Trails: by Al Hobart Thursday, August 18, 1966 Illinois Valley News Rogue River Float with the Pruitts Some distance below Marial, on the Rogue, is a non-violent but turbulent rapid called Maggie’s Riffle. I don’t know who the immortal Maggie was (long since, I suppose, gone to join her ancestors) and am not particularly interested in her history; but for a minute or two last week I thought I was going to have the honor of joining her in Valhalla. And all on account of my faulty “floatees,” an ancient pair of swimming trunks with built-in plastic air pockets which when inflated (with air) will allow the wearer to bob joyously and safely over the playful breakers of ordinary rapids. However, when the air pockets spring a leak and the air is displaced by water the waves change from friendly bounding to fiendishly pounding, and the ecstatic sensation of floating effortlessly through the choppy riffles becomes a struggle to keep from floating down the river belly-up with the bloated lampreys and fish that occasionally go drifting by. It wasn’t all that bad, but I did manage to gulp a few swallows of Rogue River water (not recommended for drinking purposes) and to suffer the humiliation of seeing Claudette make the swim without incident, her only discomfort being due to a near-ruptured diaphragm caused by laughing so hard at seeing me slapped about (by the unfunny waves of Maggie’s Riffle. But I’ve gotten several miles ahead of my story). Bill Pruitt, professional river guide, with, his wife, Claudette, and their little Billy, and with me as their guest, recently took off down the Rogue on a 6-day boating adventure, putting in at Graves Creek. Object of the trip was strictly vacation fun, exploring historic landmarks, floating leisurely down the river in Bill’s big flat-bottomed oar-powered river boat, frequently shooting down through violent rock-studded rapids and over hair-raising falls: dangerous passage for unskilled floaters, and sometimes apparently suicidal to the river cheechako (me), but old hat to the experienced river guide. We camped five nights on sandy bars along the river. The first day we pulled ashore at the mouth of Rum Creek just opposite Whisky Creek, on the north bank, and a few miles above Booze Creek (the old timers didn’t like to drink the river water either). We hiked a mile or more up the steep Rum Creek trail to investigate an old miner’s cabin. That night we camped at Doe Creek, in a sandy river side nook that I’ve named Waldorf Beach, because of the high-class restaurant quality of the campfire dinner we had there. This was only the first of five such big evening feeds we had on our river trip. Bill, being the guide, was also the cook, a traditional practice in the guiding profession. Long experience has made him an expert at campfire cooking, and his equipment is ideal in every detail for the purpose. On his light portable grill he barbecued big juicy tender steaks. In his folding reflector oven he baked delicious lightly-browned baking powder biscuits. Fresh vegetable salad, a cooked vegetable, cheese, olives, all the trimmings, coffee, tea or soft drink– all topped off with, strawberry shortcake or Bill’s special fruit salad concocted of seven fresh and canned fruits, nuts, and shredded coconut. For breakfast we had hotcakes, bacon and eggs, buttered toast and out-of-this-world strawberry jam. How I wound up the trip only 3 pounds overweight beats me. That night in our sleeping bags watching the brilliant stars we saw a man-made satellite hurry across the sky from north to south. Early next morning, awakened by a band of noisy crows flying up stream, I lay awake looking and listening. The murmuring river tried to coax me back to sleep but too much of interest was going on. A big blue heron volplaned by going down stream. A pair of industrious grey squirrels were noisily rustling their breakfast. Mysterious little whispering sounds were everywhere. This second day we had another good stiff climb for 1½ miles on the north side of the river, up to an old cabin at Horse Range. During the day we saw four bears, including two small black cubs, and seven deer. Our rougher river passages bore such fanciful and descriptive names as Wildcat Rapids, Big Windy Falls, Slim Pickins Rapids, Black Bar Falls. We camped this night at Jenny Creek, after stopping for a time at Black Bar Lodge. The third day we spent quite a bit of time exploring, including a one mile hike north to the old Bill Graffe ranch. We ran the Horseshoe Bend Rapids, went over Dulog Rapids, and Kelsey Falls. We camped for the night at Battle Bar, where the Battle of the Rogue between the River Indians and the whites was fought in 1856. On our fourth day down the river we stopped at Winkle Bar, where Zane Grey’s old cabin still stands, with a large new structure, a lodge I think, under construction nearby. It was here we saw our only rattlesnake on the trip. When Bill opened the door of a small shed the snake, coiled on the dirt floor inside, rattled an unfriendly greeting. Just below Marial we plunged down through Mule Creek Canyon. At the bottom of the dangerous rapids is The Coffeepot, where the river swirls viciously in a big whirlpool, sometimes performing strange and alarming tricks with boats. We went down the Devil’s Stairsteps and past Blossom Bar, making our night stop a few miles below. The fifth day’s experience included a visit to Paradise Bar, where Deke Miller has a landing strip and private plane. We bounded down Huggins Canyon Rapids, past The Generals cabin, high on a rocky point, past Solitude Bar, and wove our bouncy way around the Rocks of Solitude (so-named by Zane Grey). A few miles above Big Bend we went a-shore to pay our respects to the famous old riverman, Glen Wooldridge. We camped on a sandy beach at the base of a bluff below the old Peyton Place, at the foot of Peyton Riffle. The next day, our last on the river, we had only a short trip to Foster Creek, where Bill’s car and trailer were waiting, having been brought down from Grants Pass by pre-arrangement. Our boat trip down the Rogue was ended, and what a wonderful experience it was. It was like drifting for days through a great park with high mountains, great cliffs, narrow gorges, and exciting water all the way. We saw big game every day, 13 bears and 11 deer altogether. We saw otter at play along the rocky shore and several bands of zany-acting ducks that seemed to be trying to walk on the water. A 5 l/2 day boat trip down the scenic, cantankerous old Rogue, especially with such a crew as I was with, is an experience of a lifetime, and one that will always loom large on that built-in screen called memory. ROGUE VALLEY Senior SPoTLiGHT COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS Food & Friends Menu FRIDAY – AUG 19 MEATLOAF W/ CREOLE SAUCE T MONDAY – AUG 22 ROAST TURKEY W/ GRAVY WEDNESDAY - AUG 24 MACARONI & CHEESE If you need meals delivered please call 541-955-8839. Sponsored by the rogue Valley Council program of the Aging and Disabili- Gatekeeper Program ties Resource Connection (ADRC). Have you ever worried about one Program staff will come to your of your customers and wondered business and train employees how what you could do? Maybe you sus- to recognize warning signs and red pected they couldn’t care for them- flags that indicate an older adult selves anymore or that their health was failing. In your day-to-day work, or adult with disabilities may need you are sometimes the first person to some help. Trainings can be tailored notice when one of your customers is to the specifics of your group and can be 30 minutes (or shorter) or at risk. Now you can be the gate- an hour long, depending on audi- keeper who can get them the help ence, agenda and questions. You can that they need. contact the Gatekeeper coordinator The Gatekeeper Program is a new Sponsored by of Governments Connie Saldana at 541-423-1383 to schedule a training or presentation. Some of the redflags to watch for are confusion, financial trouble, excessive stress, social isolation, depression, unkept appearance, Senior Bulletin physical limitations and unkept home Gatekeeper Training at and/or too many pets. To make a Gatekeeper referral I.V. Family Coalition, 535 call the ADRC at 1-855-673-2372. E. River St. Sept. 17 at 10 You can also visit the ADRC website a.m. in the River Room. to find local resources in your com- munity, visit www.ADRCof Oregon. I.V. Grief Support Group: Last Thursday of each month, 12-1:30 p.m. at the I.V. Family Coali- tion, 535 E. River St. For more information or an appointment please con- tact Lovejoy Hospice at 541-474-1193. i.V. Wellness resources PAIN HURTS Pain can and will decrease the quality of your life and isn’t always a “normal” part of aging. Pain can be treated. There’s nothing wrong with seeking relief from misery. If you are tired of living with the amount of pain you have, seek treatment. Be prepared to answer the following ques- tions and make sure your health care professional gets the following information:-Where does it hurt? -When did it start? Does the pain come and go? -What does it feel like? Is the pain sharp, dull, or burning? -Would you use some other word to describe it? -When do you feel the pain? In the morning or evening? After eating? -Is there anything you do that makes the pain feel better or worse? For ex- ample, if you use a heating pad or ice pack, does that help? Does changing your position from lying down to sitting up make it better? Have you tried any over-the-counter medi- cations for it? -Do you have other symptoms? Unfortunately, treating pain has been stigmatized in the training of many health professionals and in addition pain treatment is now further compromised by the problems sur- rounding the recreational use of some pain medications. There is pressure on health care professionals to de- crease prescribing pain medications that work. This may decrease the number of deaths caused by pain medication abuse, but it will probably lead to under treatment of needy patients. Seniors may potentially be negatively affected, as they have the greatest prevalence of chronic pain. It is hoped that medicine prescribing professionals can see the difference between helping seniors escape misery and living out their days in comfort and potentially leading a younger person into drug abuse. Drug dependence has drawbacks but they may be nothing compared to living bereft of joy and in pain. Senior citizens, who want to increase the quality of their life should have more control in the decision if drug dependence is worse than their pain. It is a delicate balancing act because there are negative ef- fects of pain medicines and once the dependence develops it may be difficult to overcome. However, for seniors who are worn down and in pain, the decision to treat that pain should not be solely made by a person who is pressured to “under” treat it. (You can contact I.V. Wellness Resources at www.ivwellnessresources@gmail.com.) Free for Seniors If you are a senior and want to place a FREE AD for a living or health care need call Laura at 541-592-2541 or email laura@illinois-valley- news.com. 7KH.HUE\ 7UDQVIHU6WDWLRQ LVRSHQWR KHOS\RX +RXUV0RQGD\V6DWXUGD\V 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. DPWRSP )RUPRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ SKRQH 0235
