We wrapped our summer adventures just before Labor Day Weekend with a visit from friends to our home here in the Rogue Valley. We have known Paul and Julie for many years; we first met them when we lived in Central Washington state near Wenatchee, and over the years we have shared holidays, wine tasting adventures, cruises and an epic road trip in Spain and Portugal. They have visited us here in the past, so we wanted to share a few new places with them this time around. Paul did make a request that we repeat one of his favorite activities we had introduced him to on a past visit, though: a jet boat excursion on the Rogue River. Happy to comply, we booked our tickets online and made plans for the rest of their visit.

First we made a few foodie stops. Harry and I are blessed to live in a town that harbors two establishments that make internationally recognized commodities, the Rogue Creamery and Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Chocolates. The Rogue Creamery has been making organic, artisanal, sustainable cheeses since 1933, and it is best known for its blue cheeses, in particular its Rogue River Blue, which was recognized as World Champion at the 2019/20 World Cheese Awards. Their shop also features all sorts of yummies from crackers to jams and condiments; you could build a nice picnic or cheese board from its shelves. The folks here are always friendly and happy to let you sample their cheeses until you hit upon just what you were looking for. We got some wonderful cheeses for snacking and for Paul and Julie to take home later, and then wandered across the parking lot to Lillie Belle.

Owner and chocolatier Jeff Shepherd has been handcrafting his delectable chocolates for over 22 years, and I love walking in his shop and just inhaling for a few minutes . . . intoxicating (at least, if you’re a chocolate fanatic). There are always cases full of bon-bons, ganaches, caramels, truffles and special treats as well as Jeff’s wide assortment of bean-to-bar chocolate bars made from single-source beans. It’s always difficult to narrow down my selections (and sometimes I’m not very successful at the “narrowing down” part), but whatever I select, it’s always delicious and disappears pretty quickly. Again, we made sure Paul and Julie came away with treats to enjoy on the road home later, and then it was off to our last stop of the afternoon.

All of us enjoy a good glass (or two) of wine, so we always manage to do some wine tasting wherever we are. The Rogue Valley boasts dozens of wineries making excellent wines, and on this day we decided to try one new to us, and only open for the past few years. Hummingbird Estate sits high on a hill on the west side of the Rogue Valley, housed on a historical 1926 orchardist’s property. The grounds are lush with huge old firs and pines, green lawns and well-tended flower beds.

The estate home holds the tasting room, event space and the five rooms of the Inn at Hummingbird Estate (what a nice stay that would be!), and from its terrace we took in lovely views over the valley and all the way to Mt. McLoughlin to the east.

The estate vineyards spread out below us, growing Chardonnay, Grenache, Malbec, Syrah and Pinot Noir grapes, and closer by, the eponymous hummingbirds zinged around the flowers growing around the terrace. We each ordered a flight of four wines and shared a charcuterie board among us. It was a lovely, warm afternoon, and we relaxed into the peaceful ambience as we sipped the wines and enjoyed live music provided by a local guitarist.

The next day we had a livelier and less warm experience as we headed to the town of Grants Pass for our wet ride with Hellgate Jet Boat Excursions. We have enjoyed these trips several times in the past, always on hot, sunny days. Unfortunately, the balmy sunny weather of the previous day had given way to clouds and unseasonably cooler temperatures, with rain threatening later in the day. No matter, the tickets were nonrefundable, and we had brought jackets and towels and thought ourselves well-prepared.

I was slightly concerned when I realized we’d be in the fourth row from the front of the 60-passenger boat (and I was closest to the side of the boat), but I figured the boat driver/tour guide would take the weather into consideration when it was time to pull those 360-degree spins we’d do downstream and not douse us too much. (Those guys can calculate to the inch just how much water gets into the boat and on the passengers.) Right. Off we sped, observing some lovely waterfront homes close to town and keeping an eye out for wildlife along the way. We enjoyed a few wild spins and sudden stops which splashed water over the top of us and sloshed it in on the sides, but not enough to get us too cold or wet. The temperature hung at around 70 degrees, and the wind washing over us as we raced along the river helped evaporate some of the water.

Further downstream, we passed under an old bridge structure with an inhabited osprey nest perched on top. We were now in the designated Wild and Scenic part of the river, Hellgate Canyon, and the rocky walls closed in as the water grew deeper and the current swifter. Looking back, we could see another of Hellgate’s boats dogging us, and it offered a good scale to measure the height of the canyon walls. As high as they were, here and there we spied logs which had been wedged high up among the rocks during past floods. Incredible to observe that the river had reached 20 feet or more above our heads in some of those big events. The power of the river showed itself elsewhere, where the relentless flow had smoothed the rough volcanic stone like polished marble, contrasted with the untouched rocks above.

Right about the time we turned to head back upstream before we reached the whitewater, it began to rain. It wasn’t a particularly cold rain, but the drops were big and fat, and soon it was coming down pretty hard. Luckily, we had each brought hats, and that helped a little . . . until they became saturated. We also placed the life jackets tucked under the seats in front of us on our laps to try to keep some of the water from soaking our legs.

Then, as the rain abated, it was time for more big spins and wild maneuvers. At the same time, the other tour boat caught up with us, and on the wider, calmer stretches of the river, the two guides began playing cat and mouse with each other. One would roar ahead while the other would bounce over its wake, and then the boats would both spin and create more walls of water aimed at each other. As I mentioned, the drivers can really control how much water washes over the sides; but in spite of the fact that we were already far too wet and cold for comfort, they didn’t back down one bit.

We finally roared back to the dock; disembarked (I’m pretty sure the drivers didn’t get as many tips as they usually do from their freezing patrons); and squelched our way up to our cars and towels and tried to remove some of the water from our hair, clothes and skin. With the heaters turned up full-bore, we made our way back to the house in a very uncomfortable 30-minute drive. After hot showers had restored us to warmth, we agreed that jet boat rides are fun . . . but only when it’s 90 degrees outside!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor