September 24

There was still plenty of smoke in Grants Pass this morning. Turns out this is due to the Smith River Complex fire in Northern California. A few days ago, the fire had covered 94,000 acres, but was nearly 80% contained. Thanks to all the firefighters and support crews who have battled the inferno. As I drove down US 199 today, I saw two Incident Base camps. This was a first for me. They looked like small RV cities, having sprung up out of nowhere. Signs said to be alert for firefighting equipment on the roadway. But I experienced this after my tour of Oregon Cave NMon. The park is still giving cave tours through October 11, but it is now first-come-first-serve, and only on the weekends. I made sure to be at the VC at 9:30 AM when it opened, to get a ticket for the 10 AM tour. One can also get tickets at the Illinois Valley VC back in the town of Cave Junction, on US 199. The center of town is where CA 46 heads east to the monument, for 19 miles. The first 11 miles was uneventful. After that one has to navigate a twisty, climbing, narrow roadway, not getting over 35mph. The last two miles is unpaved. But that should change in a few weeks since that is one reason the road is now closed on weekdays, so crews can make improvements. After parking your car, you will need to walk 300 yards to the VC. I walked in and was met by some volunteers for the Oregon Caves Natural History Association, the group who runs the park store. Then Ranger David came out. He said he had heard of my Quest and had been looking forward to meeting me. A photo was taken of the two of us and should be on the park’s Facebook page shortly.

Then it was time to go to the cave entrance. Twelve visitors are allowed on each tour (given every half hour), with one ranger. This cave is similar to Timpanogos Cave (see Daily Trip Report for the UT-WY-MT Loop) in that it is elevated (i.e. situated in the middle of a mountain) and does not have much vertical height to the overall cave system. This is not Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, or Mammoth Cave. But it does have plenty of the wonderful cave formations you are familiar with such as stalagmites, stalactites, straws, bacon, and popcorn. The rock in which this cave was created is marble. That is right, marble. This is not a limestone cave. Ranger Dave said this is one of three caves in the NPS which are within marble rock. Water can still work its magic against marble. That is not the case with solid magma. At one point on the tour Dave pointed out a thick strip of magma which in a sense separated the cave into two sections as it had pushed up and filled in the void between the marble. Water does not penetrate that material. One part of the cave is now “dry”, meaning no current water action. But the rest of the cave was “wet”. At times we could see droplets of water hanging onto stalactites, waiting for enough mass to accumulate so they could break away and fall, leaving behind microscopic amounts of minerals.

A young girl who was with her parents and grandparents at first seemed hesitant to go into the cave but she toughed it out and was smiling as we exited. I commented that she was a true Junior Ranger since a real ranger is brave enough to walk the 0.75-mile path and go up/down 500 steps, as well as survive the 2-minute “black out” when the ranger turned off all the lights. Definitely worth the trip for anyone who is traveling through the southeast Oregon area.

Once I made it to Redwood National and State Parks boundary the air was clear of smoke. The fires were now to the east. The Hiouchi VC was the first stop, to get my bearings. The next four miles of US 199 has a few hiking options. The best is the Simpson-Reed Trail. This will get you acclimated to the giants. An even better option is Howland Hill Road which takes you to Stout Grove and the Grove of Titans. It is a dirt road, but not bad. At its western terminus, you turn south on US 101 to reach the larger portions of the park. I passed on the opportunity to see Del Norte section, instead heading to the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. There are plenty of places to park along the roadway, to get out and view more giants. Near the south end of the parkway is the Big Tree. This is a must-see, which the many folks around the viewing area would attest. A couple of miles further south, after the parkway ends back on US 101, is Davidson Road. This is the means for vehicles to access Gold Bluff Beach, Fern Canyon, and Elk Meadow. Get your bathing trunks out if ocean water is your game. Or put on good hiking shoes for Fern Canyon. During spring months, the creek can be high, causing your feet to get wet if you decide to walk upstream. I have read the NPS will put “bridges” along the creek to help. Here in September, there were enough tree trunks in, and along, the water to stay dry. Some large redwood trunks had piled up at one bend in the canyon. One thought I had was seeing Indiana Jones walking along the creek in search of an ancient artifact deep in an Amazonian jungle. This hike makes my must-do list. Granted, the 7-mile drive to get to the trailhead was not fun (turn on your headlights since the forest is thick with very little sunlight coming through, and go slow on all the tight curves), but sometimes you have to make the seat of your pants hurt before enjoying a reward.

Everyone who visits Redwoods wants to see a Roosevelt Elk. I came across two bulls in Elk Meadow. Signs along US 101 say the highest probability to catch a sight of one is in this area, so I made sure to stop.