The next big July event was our 43rd wedding anniversay. We decided to treat ourselves to a night on the Rogue River, so we went to Morrison's Rogue River Lodge, downriver from Grant's Pass. It is an old lodge with some newer units. We stayed in the lodge itself, the only room in the lodge occupied, so naturally it was the best. Here is the view out our window toward a quiet spot in the river. Dinner was included, and here is the view from our table on the deck. We had someone get a couple of pictures of us straight and hamming it up (or maybe we were remembering many years ago). On the way home the next morning I took this shot of abridge over the Rogue - if you look closely you can see the curving wake of a boat above the center of the picture. It was a quick trip, but a good one.
The next big event in July was a visit from our old friends (since 1970!) from the old days in Carmel Valley. They've been around a bit (haven't we all), but are now happily settled in Morro Bay. Anyway, on Saturday we journeyed up to Grants Pass to the Farmer's Market, and to meet Linda and Ron (Linda also an old old friend from Carmel Valley Days). We had lunch at the River's Edge Restaurant on the Rogue River. Here's George and Nancy sharing a light moment with us. Ron and Linda are into an animated story, with the Rogue River just visible through the railing. On the way home we stopped in Jacksonville to see another old Carmel Valley friend, Hans, but I haven't a picture of him. On Sunday we headed out for Crater Lake, with a stop along the way at Takelma, a Jackson County Park, along the Rogue River. Then to Crater Lake Lodge and an hour wait for lunch in the dining room. In the meantime, I got some shots of some spectacular clouds, another can be seen here. After lunch we worked a bit of it off walking along the top of the crater for a ways. Nearby was this knarly tree being held up by Nancy. Of course, the view of Crater Lake from the rim is always spectacular, as in this view of Wizard Island. Looking back toward the Lodge we see there is still some snow, which was plentiful this past winter. Looking down toward the lake, more snow is seen and the different color water due to the sediment and depth. Finally, a shot across the lake showing Phantom Ship Island near the rightmost water that can be seen in the picture.
We finally got around to getting the kayak out for the first time this year. We went to Howard Prairie Lake. The lake was very high this time of year, and the day was just beautiful. As we went around the island, we saw a bald eagle in a tall pine tree on the island. We watched it for sometime drifting along and paddling back when I noticed a second eagle in the same tree. This one did not have a white head, so we debated whether it could be a golden eagle. When we finally noticed the nest below and to the eagle's right we were certain this was an immature bald eagle. As we started to paddle I caught a glimpse of a third eagle flying out of another tree, away from us and soon out of sight. As we paddled along, he came back an lit in what was just about the closest large tree to us. Here is (perhaps) the best view of any, but with only a 3x zoom, even this one is too far away for any detail. Finally, after lunch, I got this shot of Amelia.
In the last activity to date, Hailey swam in the Southern Oregon Open Water Challenge at Applegate Reservoir. No official results have been found, but I think Hailey came in 6th overall (should have been 5th, but that's another story). Here they are getting in the water (Hailey near the buoy, looking back) and then they're off! A few minutes later, most have rounded the first buoy. Almost 3000 meters later here she comes, and seconds after that she is under the wire, and then (miraculously) on her feet. This panoramic shot shows the entire course, with the start/finish bouy near the near shore, and the first buoy in the triangular course visible near the opposite shore on the right side of the picture. The second buoy is also near the opposite shore, roughly in the direction of the man standing on the beach beside some contraption, or just to the right of the highest bare peak in the background. But, it can't be seen in this picture. Long ways, two circuits. First time we've seen Hailey swim competitively since high school, and by golly, she did a good job!