Redwoods 2011 - Day 2

So much for my itinerary! Today, we completely freestyled our morning, and ended up BARELY making it to Grants Pass in time to board the Hellgate Canyon Jetboat.

Let me take you back to the beginning of the day (insert xlyophoney/chimey music that implies traveling back in time).

This morning we enjoyed a really delicious breakfast together at our hotel and took our time getting ready. We knew we had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of us, so we would have to be on the road by 10:30 to make it in time. We had just seen a commercial for $10 jeans at Old Navy and figured since we were in the land of No Sales Tax, we would go get the kids all their back-to-school jeans tax-free, thereby effectively sticking it to the man (we like to pretend we're cool and rebellious).

To make a long boring story about shopping at Old Navy even longer and more boring, in the middle of our shopping trip at 10:45, we realized we were supposed to have been driving south for the past 15 minutes. I frantically ran up to the counter with a shopping cart full of clothes, determined to get out of there fast. 20 minutes, 9 pairs of jeans, and a brand new Old Navy credit card later, we were out the door with 3 bagfuls of clothes.

We started our long drive, knowing that we were going to make it to Grants Pass by the skin of our teeth (what does that even mean, anyway?) On the open roads, Chad never got below 70 mph (Sorry, Mom... and Jesus.) We felt like Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed: Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? Don't pretend like you didn't love that movie in the 90's. We called the jetboat company to let them know we might not make our reservation at 2:30 and they may need to fill our spots on the boat.

But with Chad's crazy driving skills, sure enough, we pulled into the parking lot at 2:10, ran inside, bought our tickets, used the restroom, doused ourselves with sunscreen and were on the dock at 2:30 exactly. Eat THAT Keanu Reeves!

Now, about the Hellgate Canyon Jetboats. Basically, it boils down to this: if you have an opportunity to go, DO IT! It was so much fun. We took the 5 hour, 75-mile, Whitewater Adventure down the Rogue River. We spent the first 2 hours getting drenched by our daredevil pilot. We did 180s, 360s and all kind of insane things that I can't properly describe. By the time we stopped at Galice Resort for dinner, we were completely soaked.

Here is Ashley having the time of her life.  Side note: she wore her life jacket from the time we got out of the van, until we were getting back into the van at the end of the day... In the shops, in the restrooms, at the restaurant... I love this kid.

I will sidestep telling you about dinner at the resort because there are already enough Whiney-Joe Johnsons in the world and I just wouldn't be able to say too many positive things about that place - the view was great, how 'bout that?

Throughout the day, we saw lots of osprey, turkey vultures, blue herons, egrets and a deer. But frankly, the animals could not measure up to the beauty of the the Rogue River and Hellgate Canyon. It was truly breathtaking and the best way I can describe the experience is that it's a "glorified Jungle Cruise meets Grizzly River Run meets River Wild" (I tend to compare everything in real life to Disneyland rides or movies.)

You know what I love about people who spend a lot of time on water? They're all nice when they're on the water. Every single one of them. I've never seen so many people wave "hello" in my entire life. From the rafters and kayakers on the river, to the home owners along the river, to the fisherman on the shore - every single person waved as we went by. And I love how varied people's waves are. The middle-aged guys with their long grey pony tails and their "Hang Loose" waves, the pimply teenagers with their "Live Long and Prosper" waves, the Vietnam Veterans with their slow and serious "salutes", and finally those who slowly throw up the "peace" sign with a sly smile, and who are usually accompanied by the pungent odor of skunk. And then there are the 'Rachels' of the world, whose frenzied, hysterical wave could easily be misconstrued as a panicked cry for assistance. I've definitely got to work on a more hip wave.

The last hour of the trip was spent racing the other jetboat home and doing 360s, and this time, we all stayed much drier. We got back at 8:00 and were pretty beat. It was still 81 degrees out and the tree-covered hills that surround Grants Pass were turning a gorgeous shade of pink. I took the kids to the outdoor pool at our hotel and watched them swim. And by 'swim' I mean: fight over who can swim better, tread water longer, spit further, touch the bottom fastest... you get the idea.

I'd like to share the above picture with you. I took it this morning. There are a lot of things I could say about this, but I believe the picture speaks for itself. But 40 bucks says the guy who drives this is 4'8".

Tomorrow we're driving down to the Redwood Forest. And everytime I say "Redwood Forest" the next thing out of my mouth is "to the gulf stream waters" and I would really like to stop that.

This Land Was Made For You and Me,

The Niemeyers