Rivers

The Rogue River holds an allure partly due to a lot of advertising done for the summer months for people to come "Raft the Rogue River!" But when you get on the river, the appeal grabs you by the paddle and never lets go. With about 22 class II rapids between the put in by the dam, and Shady Cove, a stretch of about 13 miles in three hours, the river run never gets uninteresting or boring. It's a waterway that demands respect and attention, but gives a nice ride for your time and effort. It's also a teaching run, many of the rapids could also be gone around if one chose to. One of our group, Lisa, learned something about the power of a strainer when attempting to get to another boater whose raft was pinned on the tree, and he was sitting on top among jagged tree limbs. The story turns out well-Lisa has or will have a journal entry... and I'll add my details a little later.
At the other end of the scale is the upper Wood River. A terrific workout along a twisty run that works paddlers while giving a joy ride among meadows and farm land. See my journal entry for more details.
Paddling is enjoyable and on the water is a great place to be on a sunny hot day in the company of friends. Charlotte and I got stuck on the same sand bar at the same time once. It just happened that I grabbed her boat, gave it a tug; she grabbed mine, gave it a push-and voila'! We were both free! When paddling in groups, space is good, and workable. Keeping each other in sight is good practice.