Volume Overview: I always lay out a proposed route for each journey before leaving my home base in Billings, Montana. Part of the fun is the months of research and planning prior to departure! This spring’s trip is a bit abbreviated, but the plan is to dash west from Billings to Portland, Oregon, for some business; head down the west side of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to Yosemite National Park in California; cross the mountains heading east to Reno/Sparks, Nevada; trek through the northern deserts of Nevada up to Twin Falls, Idaho; explore the Jackson Hole area of Wyoming; and then head back to Billings through Yellowstone National Park and Cody, Wyoming. Let’s get rolling!
Silverton, OR to Jacksonville, OR (Silverton to Salem, OR via HWY 213; left on I-5 to Gold Hill, OR I-5; right on Old Stage Road to Jacksonville, OR, then back on I-5 to Red Bluff, CA; Hwy 99 to Hwy 70 to Marysville, CA; Hwy 20 to Grass Valley, CA)
Leaving Silverton the road heads directly west for about 15 miles to Salem, OR, where we jump on the I-5 juggernaut that plunges south to Eugene-Springfield in a straight line bisecting the Willamette Valley. The valley ends at the twin towns of Eugene-Springfield, where the McKenzie River, Middle Fork of the Willamette and Coast Fork of the Willamette all come together to form the main river that then heads north to Portland. Just south of Eugene the topography of the land changes dramatically all the way to the California border as I-5 snakes through extremely rugged terrain. While the mountains are not especially high, they roll on for nearly 200 miles, repeatedly slashed by narrow canyons carved by streams draining the Cascades heading west to the ocean. I prefer to not travel via the interstate, but it is the only way to cross this area. This is the land of Oregon timber legend, at one time dotted with sawmills and clear-cuts, but, for the most part, that way of life was brought to an end about 40 years ago by the soft “hoot” of the spotted owl. Years of casual disregard for the impact on the environment led to the near distinction of this small bird as it’s’ habitat was reduced to nearly nothing. While opposition ridiculed the concern for the little bird, the real issue was the diminishing environment necessary for the bird’s survival. After the political wars subsided Oregon was left with a much smaller timber economy based upon sustainable practices, and the void left in the economy of southwest Oregon lingers to this day in abandoned mills and depressing towns. Outside of the main towns of Roseburg, Grants Pass and Medford, there’s not much keeping the young people home. This is beautiful country to drive through, but our goal is Jacksonville, about 15 miles south of Medford.
The famed Rogue River rises on the slopes of the Cascades and runs due west to the ocean. The upper river and its’ tributaries drain a large “bowl” just north of the California border that is home to a string of towns: Ashland, Medford, Central Point, Grants Pass. A rich agricultural area known for its’ pears and apples, the original settlers in the area actually came in search of gold. While never close to the size and wealth of the California gold fields, the gold mines of southern Oregon did draw a substantial population to the area. The mountains surrounding the Rogue River spawn countless small rivers and creeks that drain into the Rogue and it was just north of the where I am standing near Daisy Creek in Rich Gulch that gold was discovered in 1851.
The miners kept the claim secret for the first year but by 1852 the word was out and the town of Table Rock City (named after a mesa visible across the valley from the creek) was established just north of this little creek. As the town grew it was renamed Jacksonville and became the county seat of Jackson County. There really wasn’t much gold and it was hard to mine but the town soon thrived as a center of commerce for the developing valley.
The downtown area was mostly constructed during the boom years of 1850-1880 and is virtually intact. The Peter Britt Festival is a renowned outdoor music event held just north of the downtown main street. On a sunny weekend this was a bustling little place!
While Jacksonville was a prosperous town, the thrifty settlers generally did not spend their money on huge homes. Smaller cottages make up the bulk of the housing with a few larger homes dotting the hillside above the main street. Can’t tell you why (maybe there was a sale on yellow paint!) but yellow is the predominant color of homes throughout the town…
Jacksonville reached its’ peak in 1883 with the construction of the Jackson County Courthouse. The destiny of the town as the center of the Rogue Valley seemed assured and a gala celebration was held. However, as is so often the tale of the settling of the west, events soon created a new reality. Jacksonville hugs the side of the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains to the south, not on the flat valley floor so when the railroads reached the area in 1884 they bypassed Jacksonville in favor of Medford, seven miles to the north along Bear Creek on the valley floor. The boom was over and Jacksonville settled into sleepy obscurity for the next hundred years. In 1966 the entire downtown area was designated a National Historic District and the renaissance of Jacksonville began. US Bank restored the U.S. Hotel and visitors started to come. The town now is a bustling tourist destination with shops, restaurants and pubs lining the main street and bed & breakfast inns dotting the surrounding streets. It also is one of the gateways to the Applegate wine country. It does seem like the wine craze has taken over the valley with ever Tom, Dick and “jean-Luc” sticking a grapevine into the ground and declaring themselves a vintner!
Jacksonville is a quieter counterpart to its’ neighbor 15 miles to the east, Ashland. Ashland is home to the world famous Shakespearean Festival and in my defense, I did try to visit it as I know lots of friends are fanatical about Ashland. However, this turned out to be a great example of the blessing and curse of the Lunch Box. While I had no problem finding parking within walking distance of the center of Jacksonville, on a sunny Saturday afternoon I had no chance of getting anywhere close to the action in Ashland. The much larger town was crammed with people, sitting at the sidewalk cafes, walking the streets, etc. I have been to Ashland before and it is a great place to visit, but not in the Lunch Box (even as nimble and petite as it is!). Oh well…
I-5 immediately climbs up the Siskiyou Pass outside of Ashland. The Siskiyou Mountains are an extremely rugged range of mountains that generally runs east/west dividing the Cascade Mountains between the northern ranges of Oregon/Washington and the southern range of Northern California. Volcanic in nature, the Cascades offer a series of spectacular volcanoes down its’ entire length. The first of two in northern California is Mt. Shasta, and it begins to loom over the much dryer landscape on the descent from Siskiyou Pass. The gateway to Mt. Shasta is the town of Weed and it also provides a convenient potty stop for Augie and a Bacon-Double Cheeseburger stop for me (don’t judge – even in my newly found petite form there’s room for the occasional treat!!!). The view from the McDonald’s parking lot is pretty spectacular. To the left is Mt. Shasta, directly ahead is a cinder cone, and to the right are the Trinity Alps.
Once past Mt. Shasta and the town of Redding, the vista opens up into the northern edge of the great Central Valley of California which stretches for hundreds of miles. The Sacramento River from the north and the San Joaquin River from the south drain the valley and meet up in the delta area southwest of Sacramento to empty into San Franciscon Bay. I leave I-5 at Red Bluff and head southeast to Grass Valley to begin my exploration of California Gold Country. The valley widens amidst endless orchards of fruit and nut trees. At Marysville I turn east and start climbing the foothills of the Sierra Nevada towards Grass Valley and Nevada City.
Next up: California Gold Country here I come!
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