Bob on Cycle Oregon 2009

Day 4 Route

“The Redwood and The Rogue”
"Today we experience maybe the most spectacular of Oregon’s 48 Wild & Scenic Rivers. After tooling along the Redwood Highway from Selma, we begin a lively dance with the Rogue River. We’ll cross it three times in 20 miles of unmatched scenery, rising above the river and then dropping down beside it. Finally we leave it behind, riding first up Grave Creek and then Wolf Creek, past its historic town and wayside inn on our way to Glendale".

We started today's ride along busy US 199. There was lots of commuter traffic that made group riding dangerous. Because of narrow shoulders, it was difficult to pass slow riders, and there were lots of them. We encountered a fallen cyclist who apparently touched wheels in a pace line and crashed. She was lying face-down on the roadway and appeared to be unconcious. Paramedics were tending to her. Traffic was stopped in both directions for a while. We were able to walk around the scene by using the shoulder. This accident caused us to be more tense and more aware of the dangers of group rides in trafic.

After about 16 miles, we left US 199 and began riding in the western outskirts of Grants Pass. Soon we reached the Rogue River and were riding among great scenery. The weather threatened rain but it never happened.

After lunch at Indian Mary Park there were a couple of short, tough climbs up Cow and Wolf Creeks. We had a nice rest stop at Wolf Creek Inn where Jeff and I both entered a raffle for a night's stay plus dinner. We didn't win.

We had another short section on I5 and then a nice descent into Glendale. As we entered town, we saw one of the last remaining stud mills in Southern Oregon. This is a working mill owned by The Swanson Group. We entered camp at the high school and did the normal after-ride routine. The Glendale high school is unique. It is designed in the form of a pirate ship. Hence the mascot name of the Glendale Pirates.

Please visit Day 4 slide show from BikePortland.

You can take a simulated tour of today's route by clicking here.

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