Last weekend my husband and I spent a few days at a remote lodge perched on the banks of the Rogue River. What I mean by “remote” is that the only way to get there is by taking a 50-mile jetboat trip upriver from the town of Gold Beach on the southern Oregon coast, floating on a raft downriver through some gnarly whitewater, or hiking in several miles. There are no phones (cell or landline), TV or newpapers, so we were guaranteed a truly peaceful stay. We elected to arrive via jetboat, and our trip began just before 8 a.m. Saturday morning in a dense fog. We passengers looked more like we were going on a winter sleigh ride than a summertime boat trip, bundled up as we were in coats, hats and blankets (that cold, damp air is penetrating when the boat is traveling 30 mph). We couldn’t go too fast at first because there were several boats out early, filled with anglers hoping to hook a chinook salmon, just beginning the fall run. A mile or so up the river the fog burned off, and we were assured of a beautiful day — although it was still chilly. Our driver/guide entertained us with stories of the river and those who had lived along it for centuries; and he kept a sharp eye out for the wildlife along and above its banks. Over the course of our three-and-a-half-hour journey, we saw deer, river otters, turtles, egrets, osprey, herons and bald eagles and passed a whole slew of kayakers, fishermen and rafters enjoying this last long weekend of the summer. We arrived at Paradise Wilderness Lodge just before lunch, and after settling into our unit (“Lloyd Bridges slept here 1972”), we scouted out the property. It was originally homesteaded in 1903, and the second owner built the lodge in 1959. The area falls within the land included in the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (the Rogue was one of the seven original rivers protected under that law), so it has remained remote, undeveloped and largely unchanged since then. The lodge sits at the edge of a bank 60 feet or so above the river, with large decks shaded by Douglas firs and big-leaf maples allowing views up and down the river. Inside are long tables where meals are served buffet- or family-style, and a large stone fireplace surrounded by deep leather armchairs promises a cozy spot on cold, damp days. Photos of past guests line the rafters overhead: public figures (Jimmy and Roslyn Carter, Sandra Day O’Connor), sports figures (Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dan Fouts, Drew Bledsoe, Curt Gowdy and Phil Harris) and entertainers (Lloyd Bridges, Clark Gable). We were blessed with beautiful weather the entire weekend, so we hiked up the Rogue River Trail a bit and spent a lot of time watching “traffic” up and down the river. This included the human variety — a few jetboats loaded with 40 passengers a couple of times a day, lots of rafts of various sizes loaded with sunburned folks and more than a few dogs, outfitters’ drift boats with fishermen eager to land a few salmon — as well as critters. Especially entertaining were the osprey, who would drift the air currents far above the surface of the river until they spotted a fish in the water and would plummet to the surface, submerge and then break free and fly up — usually without the prey they were aiming for. It was truly an idyllic three days, and “paradise” is a most apt name for this beautiful spot. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor