Day Six – The Rogue River

About thirty years ago we had taken a jet boat ride on the Rogue River, when the kids were little. As we neared Gold Beach, Oregon, we thought we would take another trip on the river.

Jerry’s Jet Boats is the place to go. A four-hour trip takes you up 32 miles to the town of Agnes for a lunch stop. The ride is a great fun. Between the spins, and splashes, and turns, the boat flies along the water. In places the water depth is only about 12 inches. I happened to be on an outside edge and could often lean over to peer at the colorful stones on the bottom of the river.



In addition to speeding us along the Rogue, the skipper stopped at various places to tell us about the history of the river and the people along it. He also shared snippets of information about the different birds, plants, and rocks that we saw. 

The lunch at the Cougar Lane Lodge was a delicious barbeque! They smoke the meats onsite and prepare all the food. There was the typical BBQ ribs, pulled pork, and brisket, along with coleslaw, cornbread, and baked beans. The heaping plate of food didn’t weigh the boat down on the way back downriver, but it did provide joke fodder for the skipper.


We were fortunate on the way back to port to have a small black bear swim across the river in front of us. When he hit the bank, that little guy scrambled up and quickly disappeared in the brush. That was definitely an unusual sight that we were grateful to witness.


What a delightful way to take in the nature of the Rogue River.


If you are ever in the area, check them out at: Jerry’s Rogue Jets www.roguejets.com


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