Southwestern Oregon

From Eugene, we headed south on I-5. We spent a few days in Merlin, Oregon, one of my favorite areas of the country. The picture is of Hellgate Canyon, where the Rogue River goes through a narrow gorge, on its way to the coast. Two years ago, I went on a wet and fun jet boat ride here.


Oregon is famous for its covered bridges, so we had to go see one. This is the Grave Creek bridge. Although this bridge was not built until 1920, it was built along the route of the Applegate Trail. Emigrants began using this route in 1846 as an alternative to the perilous last leg of the Oregon trail, which required a treacherous raft trip down the Columbia River.

The first wagon train to use this southern route camped here. A 16-year old girl died of Typhoid fever that night. Her grave is still here and much honored.