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.
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