Wild Rogue Rodeo

The Rogue River runs through a valley, also called Rogue River Valley and so it's not much of a surprise there would be a rodeo called 'Rogue' Rodeo and they added "Wild" to the name to provide another element of intrigue, I suspect.

This weekend I went to this valley to see the "Wild" portion and was somewhat disappointed in the tameness of the event. Only a few young men opted to ride a bucking bronco bareback and even fewer took the same route with a ravaging bull. There were a few additional cowboys who tried to stay on a "wild" horse with a saddle, but their rides were foreshortened by some exceptionally fine action on the horse's part.

In fact, prior to the start of the rodeo, I saw several horses in a pen and I was almost certain they were discussing their part in the upcoming show. "You are such a wuss; you always let them stay on you for the full 8 seconds," I heard a large black gelding nicker to his palomino buddy. That one replied, "You have an evil nature. You pitch them off and then strut off to the end of the ring and you never even look back." Darth Vader, (I think this link to the Pendleton Rodeo shows this magnificent animal in an outdoor performance.) I would later learn, had just such a reputation and he did indeed almost float over the sand with his victory of throwing another cowboy off before the bell rang. No one else knew I was clapping to let the horse know how much I appreciated his performance.

The cowgirls rode by with their banners, for the advertisers, the clown told his silly jokes, and everyone waited for the last segment where the bulls are ridden bareback by foolish young men who are fearless, or appear to be. The announcer promised that this rider was "an all-American, top contender, 10th in the standings... " and before he could complete his spiel, the bull had taken his toll and the top contender was sitting on his bottom. So it went through about six or seven competitors and finally one was able to stay on for the entire twisting, turning, bumpy ride. I didn't know that even the bulls were scored on their reputation for delivering a tough performance and so each fellow who was able to stick it out earned his score based in part on the bull's abilities.

I ate too much kettle corn (a sweet and sour, lightly salted popcorn), drank too much watered-down soda and made a bad choice to eat some nachos with yellow liquid referred to as cheese, but it was suspected to be some pure industrial waste product, a prime-evil glue. The next day I was not hungry for anything.

While a short drive around the area was planned, again it was a rainy weekend so the views were almost as mono-tonal as the rodeo was monotonous. We passed the huge grain building that represents the community's focus on growing and several fertilizer plants. As the rodeo was over, we also saw a lot of animal transport trailers heading out of town.

The day journey included a drive to a nursery which brought me closer to the Table Rock outcropping which has several hiking trails nearby. The last time we only had time to shoot it as we drove by, but this time I was able to get out of the car, stabilize my shooting finger and get this nice view with the mustard flower in bloom.

From one area, off in the distance I could see the snow-covered old volcano referred to as Mt. McLaughlin, close to 10,ooo feet in height. If you look at the photo below, you might be able to see it yourself, just to the right of one telephone pole (closer) and to the left of the other one (farther away). It is just one very large earthly protrusion, standing all by itself. All in all a pleasant weekend, even with all the rain and clouds, and in spite of it not being quite as 'wild' as anticipated.

A Rainy Weekend

We headed out early on Friday, and crossed the mighty Columbia River around lunchtime. There had been a break in the weather long enough to get this grey-toned shot. The rest of the ride was mostly rain until we went over Grant's Pass and then we got a nasty bit of both rain and snow mixed.

So our plans to enjoy the outside weather in Medford were curtailed by rain, and apparently it is cold enough down there for snow to fall on the surrounding mountains down as low as 3,000 feet! That made it cold enough that when there was a spot of sunshine, it was brisk, to say the least. This shot of Table Rock (about seven miles N of Medford) taken near Central Point, was taken on Saturday as we were sort of touring around. It looks more like Arizona with that beaute of a butte! Apparently there are two of these identified as Table Rock 1 and 2 or Bigger and Smaller, but I'd have to see a map to confirm this.

When we stopped for a lunch break, we were near a town called Gold Hill, that has, according to one fellow we spoke with - not the Census man - 600 residents. It is also the place where the Oregon Vortex is located. According to Wikipedia, "The Oregon Vortex is a roadside attraction located in Gold Hill, Oregon, in the United States. It consists of a number of interesting effects which skeptics believe to be optical illusions, but which the attraction's proprietors claim are the result of paranormal properties of the area (see gravity hill). It is located at 42.49313°N 123.085113°W" And as I said, the weather was less than conducive to walking on a long dirt path.

I didn't have my camera handy to catch a lovely bluejay flying overhead with a beakful of twigs for a nearby nest. Or to stop action of the ten or so bicylers in their yellow windbreakers pedaling past. And we could smell the apple blossoms, which is really hard to get on film!

But I did get this lovely view of the mountains in the area.

This was taken a few miles south of the Rogue River and all the wonderful outdoor fun to be had on the river, in the parks and mountains. I would definitely make a return visit to this part of the world, but my preference would be for a sunny and warmer - lonnnnnger - weekend.

Heading south again...

But not as far as Colombia, unless you count the Columbia River. We plan to drive as far as Medford, Oregon to meet up with some friends, spend at least one night in the area and possibly get some decent "fun time" in after many weeks of dealing with various corporations on multiple issues.

The other morning when I went out to go and run an early morning errand, I was totally caught by surprise at having to wait - wait! (I'm beginning to think I might be getting infected with the Hurry Disease...) before I could drive anywhere. This is why. The frost on my windshield had to have a chance to melt. Kind of looks like Pluto from one of the Disney cartoons, don't you think? (I never did well on the Rorshach tests, either.)

Although it has been much cooler here, it hasn't stopped the buds from continuing to swell in preparation for what promises to be a fullsome spring. I planted four blueberry bushes in the back yard and they are racing each other to see who will come into flower first. And because our plans to return to the Colombia we love are dependent on several other things happening first, I am not sure if that will be before, during or after blueberry season.

With the help of my son, I was able to upload our bus trip video to YouTube so if you are interested, you can see what it was like to ride on the windy Colombian roads to Bucharamanga. (here's a short portion.) He is moving away, so this was our last chance to share a meal together for awhile. The promise of his journey is very exciting and will doubtless guide him toward doing more of the things he is skilled at with computers.