Day 8: Jed Smith, Oregon!

I started the day by doing the nature walk near the Jedediah Smith campgrounds. Then at the hosts recommendation took the unloaded bike back down Hwy 199 to a grove I had passed last evening on the way in. First time I rode Babe without gear in awhile and wow did it feel different. Took me a mile or so to feel comfortable. Toured the Simpson Grove which was different than any so far, much more likely to house a pack of velociraptors with its chest high ferns. Back at camp I ate and packed up, then went down to the river.

I've heard the Smith River is the 6th purest river in the country and I would believe it. I went down to the banks, looked in, and couldn't help but jump in. After drying off I hit 199 again which luckily paralleled the Smith for quite some time. The beauty of this river surpasses any that I have ever seen. It crashes and collects in polls, coursing through canyons, all the while allowing one to see through a brilliant teal to the deepest bottoms. I was floored by how stunning the landscape was in this area.

I kept pushing and finally reached the border of Oregon! It took me a bit (setup, timing, nervousness) but I snapped the appropriate pictures to complete a couple challenges and moved on. Immediately the landscape changes giving way to flat highway, dryer climate, and pine trees. It's still beautiful but good job Cali for claiming almost all the redwoods! A last push and I made it to Griffin Park outside Grants Pass.

This last stretch was a little rough. I let myself get too hungry and all I could think about was pizza and beer in downtown GP and that I wasn't going to have any. Then the scope of my trip hit me a little and I realized I'll be doing this for a long time to come. I'm definitely looking forward to a day at my cousin's Teri and Steve's place, as well as some stationary days in Portland with Steph. But in the meantime, lookout Rogue Brewing because I'm overdue for beer and I'm coming in HOT!