55 things to do in Southern Oregon

55

things to do in SOUTHERN

OREGON Friday, May 26, 2017

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1} Concerts in the park

S

outhern Oregon has it all: World-class scenery, hiking, rivers, food, parks, events, a thriving beer scene, top-notch theater, amazing musicians, a nationally recognized wine industry and much more. Anytime is a good time to be here, but summer ... that’s what we live for. Use our list of 55 Things to do in Southern Oregon to whet your appetite for fun and adventure, then jump right in and enjoy.

2} Movies under the stars The Medford Parks and Recreation Department offers free movies in city parks on Saturday evenings from June 17 through Aug. 12. Movies start at dusk.

Shows designated as Family Fun Nights feature free hot dogs while supplies last and mobile recreation entertainment starting at 7 p.m.

The Brothers Reed perform at a Bear Creek Park summer concert. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

The Medford Parks and Recreation Department presents free concerts at the Bear Creek Park Amphitheater at 7 p.m.

Wednesdays from June 14 to July 19, and at Pear Blossom Park at The Commons at 7 p.m. Thursdays from Aug. 3 to Sept. 21.

The Bear Creek Park lineup includes: June 14: The Meriwethers, featuring Mysha Caruso, Ezra Severin, Nell Geisslinger and Manda Bryn Severin.

June 21: The Brothers Reed, featuring the folk music of Aaron and Phil Reed.

June 28: Nate Botsford, an emerging artist based in Portland, playing rock, alternative and indie rock.

July 5: Souliverse, playing groove, soul, funk, jazz, blues and contemporary.

July 12: Impulse Control, playing alt-rock and post-punk.

July 19: Fret Drifters, featuring Andy Casad and Nick Garrett-Powell showcasing futuristic acoustic guitar playing and powerhouse vocals.

The Pear Blossom Park concerts include: Aug. 3: The Deadlies, a new type of surf band, paying homage to the Ventures’ Dick Dale and the Chantays, as well as the California Honky-tonk sound of Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam.

Aug. 10: Sonido Alegre, a band with a mix of Spanish/Gypsy-flavored originals and its own take on covers of artists like James Taylor, Sting, The Beatles and more.

Aug. 17: Fogline, an up-and-coming country group from Southern Oregon.

Aug. 24: Bishop Mayfield, a singer-songwriter from New York who really knows how to perform.

Aug. 31: Matt Brown Sept. 7: Blue Lightning, a tight cover band that plays a mixed bag of contemporary and classic hits.

Sept. 14: Salsa Brava, hot and spicy Latin grooves that awaken the senses.

Sept. 21: The Evening Shades, indie rock, pop, progressive.

June 17: “Grease” at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park, 334 Holmes Ave. The movie takes place as part of Medford Cruise weekend.

June 24: “Moana” at Bear Creek Park, 1520 Siskiyou Blvd.

July 8: “Lego Batman Movie” at Bear Creek

Park, 1520 Siskiyou Blvd.

July 15: “Beauty and the Beast” at Bear Creek Park, 1520 Siskiyou Blvd.

July 22: “Pete’s Dragon” at Lone Pine Park, 3158 Lone Pine Road (Family Fun Night).

July 29: “Trolls” at Lewis Park, Lewis Avenue and Eighth Street (Family Fun Night).

Aug. 5: “Aladdin” at Holmes Park, 185 S. Modoc Ave. (Family Fun Night).

Aug. 12: “Sing” at Howard Park, 286 Mace Road (Family Fun Night).

“Moana” is one of this summer’s free movies in Medford parks.

3} Theatre in the Park The city of Medford has long offered free movies and concerts in the park during the summer, but last year the city branched into free theater performances.

The second season of Theatre in the Park will feature three performances of “Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr., The Musical,” coordinated by the Collaborative Theatre Project.

The free, live-theater performances, sponsored by Cow Creek and Lithia 4 Kids, are scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1 and 8, at Bear Creek Park amphitheater; and 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 15 at Pear Blossom Park in downtown Medford.

For details, pick up Medford’s “Play Medford” guide, or contact the Collaborative Theatre Project at http://ctporegon.org/ or 541-779-1055.

The Collaborative Theatre Project, Medford’s newest theater group, will stage three performances of “Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr., The Musical,” this summer, as part of Medford’s free Theatre in the Park. [MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

4} Art on the stroll

Antique masks and puppets at Gallerie Karon were part of one First Friday Art Walk in Ashland.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

Monthly art walks in Ashland and Medford offer opportunities to chat with local artists and view a wide variety of artistic creations, and warm summer evenings are the perfect time to do them.

Downtown Medford’s Third Friday art walk, from 4 to 7 p.m., showcases a potpourri of media and genres at 20-plus galleries, restaurants and other spaces, with art receptions, wine, appetizers, music and local artists eager to discuss and sell their art.

Ashland’s First Friday event, from 5 to 8 p.m., features an eclectic mix of visual arts, music, performances, interesting

conversations and a sampling of the region’s best food and beverages.

Your host is the Ashland Gallery Association, a collection of more than 30 galleries and studios, with dozens of artist members who offer remarkably diverse works of art.

Ashland is considered one of the best small arts towns in America. Visitors are invited to stroll the galleries in the historic downtown and railroad districts and attend opening-night receptions at participating galleries. For more, see www.ashlandgalleries.com/events/ first-friday-artwalk

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5} Central

Point Artisan Corridor The Central Point Artisan Corridor is a must-see destination for foodies who appreciate the finer things in life.

A stretch of Front Street near Pine Street includes Rogue Creamery, Lillie Belle Farms chocolate shop and Ledger David Cellars, and right around the corner on First Street is Montgomery’s Meats, a sweet little butcher shop featuring numerous culinary creations.

And if you’re looking for an excellent cup of coffee and good food while you’re in the neighborhood, pop over to Central Point Perk, a coffee shop and bistro on the corner of East Pine Street and North First that sells wood-roasted coffee and offers a seasonal breakfast/lunch menu made with local ingredients.

Rogue Creamery, 311 N. Front St., offers a variety of award-winning cheeses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 541665-1155 for more information.

Chosen as one of America’s Top 10 chocolatiers, Lillie Belle Farms offers handcrafted chocolates that defy description, including ganaches, bonbons and caramels. The shop, at 211 N. Front St., is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 541-664-2815.

Ledger David Cellars, at 245 N. Front St., is open from noon to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Call 541-664-2218.

Montgomery’s Meats, at 175 N. First St., is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 541-664-0727.

If you’re looking for excellent locally made ice cream, Rogue Creamery makes organic ice cream sweetened with honey from its own hives, but you’ll have to leave the corridor to get it, because it’s available only at the company’s 75-acre Rogue Creamery Dairy & Farm Stand, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday, at 6531 Lower River Road, Grants Pass.

Rogue Creamery is one of the popular stops in Central Point’s artisan corridor. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

6} Ashland City Band One of the best things about summer in the Rogue Valley is the series of free concerts in Lithia Park by the Ashland City Band.

The concerts run every Thursday from June 15 through Aug. 10.

The band will perform a variety of music, including marches, show tunes, orchestral transcriptions, novelties, featured soloists and original band compositions. An average of 300 residents bring their picnics, lawn chairs, blankets and babies to the concerts, and the Lions Club sells ice cream bars to raise money for band students at local schools.

Kids roll around on the grassy lawns while their parents enjoy the music, played by about 70 community members directed by Don Bieghler.

The band first formed in the 1880s and has been playing concerts in Lithia Park every year since the 1930s. The musicians are first-rate and come from such groups as Southern Oregon Concert Band and Rogue Valley Symphony. Every Thursday is a new concert and often features soloists or other special guests.

The concerts begin at 7 p.m.,

The Ashland City Band plays free summer concerts every Thursday at 7 p.m. from June 15 to Aug. 10. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

but get there an hour early to stake out your favorite spot and listen to pre-concert entertainment, which starts at about 6:15 p.m. This year’s pre-concert lineup includes the Dixieland Band, Rogue Valley Symphony’s Brass Quintet, Sauerkrauts German Band, Ashland Brass Quintet, Jabberwocky Good

Time Band, ACB Big Band (jazz band) and Jefferson State Brass Ensemble.

The Aug. 3 concert will include Musikgesellschaft Möhlin, a community band from Möhlin, Switzerland. Each band will play several selections individually then combine for the concluding part of the concert.

7} Britt Music & Arts Festival Singer-songwriters Judy Collins and Stephen Stills, legendary rock band Goo Goo Dolls, country music star Dustin Lynch and Prince’s former band The Revolution are among the highlights of the Britt Music & Arts Festival’s 2017 lineup.

If you’ve never been to a Britt concert, put it on your to-do list this summer. The hillside venue in Jacksonville is a perfect place to kick back on a summer evening with a picnic basket, a blanket, good friends and top-quality music.

The Britt summer season begins June 17 with Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ and ends Sept. 17 with blues-rock guitarist George Thorogood and the Destroyers. In between are such crowd-pleasers as former American Idol finalist Daughtry, reggae band Good Vibes Summer Tour with Rebelution and Nahko & Medicine for the People, blue-collar comedian Ron White, longtime pop favorite Huey Lewis and the News, pop

Summer concerts at the Britt Festival are a local tradition. [PHOTO BY JOSH MORELL]

reggae group UB40, and guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.

For full information about Britt’s 2017 season and membership, see www.brittfest.org

or call 541-773-6077 or 1-800882-7488. Britt’s box office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 216 W. Main St., Medford.

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8} Country Crossings Music Festival Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Jake Owen, Lee Brice, Maddie & Tae, Kane Brown and many other stars of country music will descend on The Expo July 27-30, 2017, for the first appearance in Jackson County of the Country Crossings Music Festival.

More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which moved to the Expo this year after outgrowing its space at Cape Blanco on the Oregon Coast. The event will feature 30 musical acts on three stages, according to organizers.

VIP and Premium General Admission

tickets are already sold out, according to the festival website, as are RV spaces at the Expo’s new RV park, but tent camping passes and general admission tickets were still available in early May. RV and tent campers may arrive as early as noon Thursday, July 27, to check in, and stay as late as noon Monday, July 31, according to the festival website. Camping costs $300, which does not include festival admission.

For ticket information and a complete entertainment lineup, see the festival website at http://cxfest.com/ tickets/

Keith Urban is one of the headliners at the Country Crossings Music Festival at the Jackson County fairgrounds. [PHOTO FROM KEITHURBAN.NET]

9} Gold Dust and Kings

The fifth annual King of the Rogue, to be held Saturday, Sept. 9, will be the site this year of the Western Whitewater Championships.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

The city of Gold Hill, perched along the scenic Rogue River, is a great place to go fishing, relax along the water or wander aimlessly on a summer day.

The town also hosts two summer events of note, Gold Dust Day and a whitewater event called King of the Rogue.

Gold Dust Day, the signature fundraiser for the Gold Hill Historical Society and Museum, celebrates the town’s colorful heritage. The whole town dresses up for the day, with vendor booths, historical displays and demonstrations, kid games and activities, live entertainment, animals, vintage carriages and wagons, old engines and tractors, a Rats and Rods car show and more.

The event runs all day Saturday, June 3. The day begins with 5K and 10K races at 8 a.m. at Del Rio Vineyards, followed by a parade. Call 541-855-1182.

The fifth annual King of the Rogue, to be held Saturday, Sept. 9, will be the site this year of the Western Whitewater Championships, “so we should have a lot more competitors,” said organizer Steve Kiesling of the Gold Hill Whitewater Center. Sprint is handling the sound system, and there will be bleachers and a vendor garden, so it will offer a much better viewer experience than the previous four events.

The real star of the event is the roiling whitewater of the Rogue Valley’s signature river.

King of the Rogue includes several Class IV whitewater events for rafts, kayaks and standup paddleboards. The course through Ti’lomikh Falls was designed by Olympic gold medalist Oliver Fix and Greg Snider, and the event supports the Gold Hill Whitewater Park.

For details about the whitewater events, see www.goldhillwhitewater.org

10} Medford Beer Week It’ll be all about the beer June 1-10 during Medford Beer Week, when dozens of breweries, pubs, restaurants, bands and other businesses celebrate Southern Oregon’s handcrafted beers.

And as a sort of cherry on top of the foam, Saturday, June 10, will feature the annual Southern Oregon Craft Brew Festival at Pear Blossom Park at The Commons.

Here are a few of the events planned during the week: • Drunken Pictionary with Hop Valley Brewing at Mr. Smith’s, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 2.

• Kickball Tournament with Deschutes Brewery at Schoolhaus Brewhaus Saturday, June 3.

• Kegs and Eggs with Buttercloud Bakery at Beerworks Medford from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, June 5.

• Caldera Brewery Scramble, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 7, at Centennial Golf Club.

The 9-hole, 4-person scramble tournament hosted by Caldera will include lots of on-course games followed by beer tastings on the patio.

• 2017 Southern Oregon Craft Brew Festival, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 10, at Pear Blossom Park in downtown Medford. More than 25 brewers will pour two types of beer each, giving attendees more than 50 different kinds of suds to savor. Grub will be offered by some of the local food trucks, including Fired Up, Wok Star and Peruvian Point, said organizer Chris Dennett. Admission costs $20, which includes a festival pint glass, eight tasting tickets, and eight hours of fun. Bottoms up! For details, see http://socbrewfest.com.

For Beer Week essentials and a more complete schedule of events, see www.medfordbeerweek.com.

Chantelle Garvin and Tamar Dawson of Sacramento, California, celebrate Medford Beer Week with some jalapeno beer. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

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11} Crafty

suds brewers

Beer and summer go together, so if you’re looking for a delicious microbrew or two as the weather heats up, check out this sampling of watering holes that serve up their own housemade brews:

Erin Kurtz, of Talent, picks up a couple of beers at Portal Brewing Co. in Medford. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

Common Block Brewing Co.: Common Block is an indoor-outdoor restaurant and brewery at 315 E. Fifth St., in The Commons of downtown Medford, 541326-2277. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

RAM Restaurant & Brewery: The RAM is a brewpub chain featuring rotating house beers and pub grub in Northgate Marketplace in Medford, 458-225-9816.

Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.

Bricktowne Brewing Co.: 44 S. Central Ave., Medford, 541-973-2377, bricktownebeer.com. Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to late, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Caldera Brewing Co.: 590 Clover Lane, Ashland, 541-482-4677, calderabrewing. com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Caldera Tap House: 31 Water St. No. 2, Ashland, 541-482-7468. Open MondayThursday at 2 p.m. until late, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday open at 11:30 a.m.

Opposition Brewing Co.: 545 Rossanley Drive, Medford, 541-210-8550, oppositionbrewing.com. Open Wednesday-Friday, 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m. and Monday 4 to 9 p.m.

Portal Brewing Co.: 100 E. Sixth St., Medford, 541-499-0804, portalbrewingco.com. Open Wednesday through Friday, 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.

Standing Stone Brewing Co.: 101 Oak St., Ashland, 541-482-2448, www.standingstonebrewing.com. Open 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Swing Tree Brewing Co.: 300 E. Hersey St., Ashland, 541-591-8584, swingtreebrewing.com. Open 3 to 10 p.m. daily.

Walkabout Brewing Co.: 921 Mason Way, Medford, 541-734-4677. Open Monday through Friday, 3 to 8 p.m., Saturday 2 to 8 p.m.

13} Cascade-Siskiyou

National Monument One of the best ways to see the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is from the top of Pilot Rock.

Nestled at the junction of the Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou mountain ranges, the monument was established in 2000 and expanded in 2016 to preserve the region’s vast biological, geological, aquatic, archaeological and historic treasures.

Pilot Rock, a stone’s throw from Mount Ashland, stands as sentinel over the monument, and several trails pass near the volcanic plug, including the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The steep summit trail is about 1 mile long, and gains approximately 808 feet in elevation. From the summit, hikers can see Mount Shasta, the Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains and Mount McLoughlin.

To hike Pilot Rock, follow I-5 south to the Mt. Ashland exit at

milepost 6. Follow Route 99 south for about 2.4 miles. Turn left at Pilot Rock Road 40-2E-33.0. Stay left at the first intersection and turn right at the second intersection. After 2.1 miles on this bumpy road, you’ll reach a former quarry that serves as the trailhead parking lot.

History buffs will be interested, too, in the many Native American archaeological sites found in the area, as well as traces of the historic Oregon/California Trail.

Another way to experience the 113,013-acre monument is by hiking the PCT, which meanders for 19 miles through the monument, or by reserving a campsite at the monument’s Hyatt Lake Recreation Area, southeast of Ashland.

To reach Hyatt Lake, turn off Interstate 5 at Exit 14 in Ashland and follow Highway 66 east for 17 miles to East Hyatt Lake Road.

12} Prescott Park

Dave Ouellette of Medford strolls through Prescott Park on Roxy Ann Peak.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

A hike, jog, bike ride or horseback ride through Prescott Park in east Medford is a great way to spend a few hours any time of year. And if you’ve got a dog who loves to walk and meet other dogs, it’s definitely a good place to go.

If you make it all the way to the park’s highest point — Roxy Ann Peak — you’ll have bird’s-eye views of the valley and surrounding mountains.

The city acquired 1,740 acres atop Roxy Ann Peak in 1933 and named the park in honor of George J. Prescott, a police officer who died in the line of duty.

A series of trails — Madrone, Manzanita, Oak, Ponderosa, North Overlook and Little Roxy Ann — weave their way up and around the 3,576-foot-tall extinct volcano, as well as a road. For mountain bikers, a series of new trails built just for them run from the top of Roxy Ann Peak to the parking area at the end of Roxy Ann Drive.

To reach the park, go east on Hillcrest Road past Cherry Lane and look for a small, green sign where Roxy Ann Road veers left off Hillcrest.

The gravel road passes one gate that is locked around sunset and a second gate, a mile from Hillcrest, where vehicles can park.

Signs in the park warn about cougars, ticks, rattlesnakes and poison oak, but don’t let those threats stop you from enjoying a picnic and taking in some of the best views you can get of Medford.

Hikers approach the base of Pilot Rock. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

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14} Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail has gone from being one of the best-kept secrets on the West Coast to a bucket-list item for thousands of people across the world, thanks largely to the best-selling book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, which became a popular movie.

The trail, which stretches from Canada to Mexico, enters Oregon near Mount Ashland and passes through or near some of our region’s most iconic natural areas, including Pilot Rock, Howard Prairie and Hyatt lakes, Sky Lakes Wilderness, Mount McLoughlin, Crater Lake National Park and Mount Thielsen.

The best way to explore the trail is with a day hike from one of the many trailheads in Southern Oregon. Pick up a PCT guidebook

at a local bookstore or go to the Pacific Crest Trail website for hints on which trailhead to choose, pack a picnic, throw it in a daypack and go see why so many people are drawn to this high-elevation treasure.

Some of the easiest trailheads to reach are on Mount Ashland near Callahan's Lodge or Pilot Rock, at the Greensprings Summit off Highway 66, on Dead Indian Memorial Road near Lake of the Woods, and at Crater Lake National Park.

Because it’s a mountain trail that passes through wilderness areas, national monuments and other out-of-the-way places, be sure to bring a map, lots of water, and let people know where you’re going.

Get more information at www.pcta.org.

A distance runner follows the Pacific Crest Trail south of Mount Ashland. [MAIL TRIBUNE \ FILE PHOTO]

15} Bear Creek Greenway

A 20-mile-long emerald necklace runs through the Bear Creek Valley that connects five cities and offers scenery that includes trees, wetlands, a chuckling stream, salmon, parks, urban neighborhoods.

And it’s free to ride, run or walk.

The Bear Creek Greenway is a paved, multi-use trail that begins Harlan Bittner, left, and Phillip in Ashland and rolls out to The Kolczynski ride along the Bear Expo in Central Point. It is always Creek Greenway near the open and boasts an average of fairgrounds in Central Point.

300 trail users a day, from joggers [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] and walkers to birders and bike commuters.

The path’s development has been slow and steady. In 1899, Jackson County leaders wanted a bike path to run from Central Point to Ashland and through Jacksonville, funded by a $1.25 levy against the 400 or so bicycles in the county.

That idea took a while to germinate — like 74 years.

The Oregon Department of Transportation built the first 3½ miles in 1973, followed by individual sections being laid until crews put the last one down in 2014 out near The Expo. It’s not done growing yet, either. Path supporters hope it will eventually run all the way to Grants Pass, with potential connector routes out to Eagle Point and Jacksonville.

That all remains to be seen, but don’t let it stop you from checking out what’s there already.

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16} Medford Rogues 17} Cruising classics The Medford Rogues are coming off their greatest season yet, but 2016 didn’t end with a coveted championship, so the team has some unfinished business to attend to in 2017.

The Rogues posted a league-best 40-17 record last year, recorded the longest winning streak in franchise history — 13 games — and set a team record for triples with 20, but it fell in the league The Medford Rogues play their home games at Harry & championship series to the David Field. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] Chico Heat.

The Rogues play in the Great West League, a six-team, collegiate, wood-bat baseball league that also includes the Portland Pickles, Marysville Gold Sox, Chico Heat, Yuba City Bears and Lincoln Potters.

The Rogues will play 30 home games at Harry & David Field this year from May 30 to Aug. 2, not counting the playoffs and GWL championships, if they get that far.

The Rogues’ 60-game season begins with a six-game homestand, featuring three games against Yuba City from Tuesday, May 30, through Thursday, June 1, and three games against the Chico Heat Friday-Sunday, June 2-4. The season concludes on the road with a three-game series against the Portland Pickles at Walker Stadium from Aug. 3-5.

For the season last year, the Rogues drew 38,377 fans, a 30 percent increase over 2015. Since its inception, the club has consistently ranked among the top five summer teams in average attendance.

For ticket information, see medfordrogues.com or call 541-973-2883.

The Medford Cruise is a Southern Oregon tradition, and this year’s 32nd annual edition will feature all the classic events locals remember from their younger days, including drift racing, drag racing, show ‘n shines and the signature cruise through downtown Medford.

This year’s event runs June 10-17, and Pete Baker of Redding polishes his ‘65 Malibu Chevelle proceeds will go to the SS during the Medford Cruise at Hawthorne Park. [MAIL Greater Medford Rotary TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] Foundation, which redistributes the money to local youth organizations. The event has distributed more than $415,000 over the years.

Among the noteworthy events are a free concert in the park from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 16, in Fichtner-Mainwaring Park; the largest drift event in the Northwest, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 10, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at Jackson County Sports Park; a movie in the park; stoplight drags Friday, June 16; moonlight drags Saturday, June 17; and far too many happenings to fit them all here.

The main event, the Downtown Cruise for cars from 1979 and earlier, will traverse Medford’s streets from 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, June 17. The main show ‘n’ shine will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also June 17, in FichtnerMainwaring Park, which is near the intersection of Holmes and Stewart avenues.

The full schedule of events can be found at www.medfordcruise.org.

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18} Rogue River Rooster Crow Once a year, the town of Rogue River fills with roosters and people of all kinds to take part in a local piece of Americana.

The Rogue River Rooster Crow — which has been covered by the New York Times — began in 1953 as an event to let people know that Rogue River is a town and not just a river.

The Rooster Crow Contest, in which roosters — and people — compete to see who can crow the best, has grown into a full event that includes a parade, 5K foot race, car show, live

music, food, vendors and more.

This year’s event occurs Saturday and Sunday, June 24-25.

The Rooster Crow Run/Walk starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, at Rogue River Elementary School - Beck Field, followed at 10 a.m. by the Rooster Crow Parade. Businesses, churches, civic groups, antique cars, tractors and all manner of entries parade down Main Street.

After the parade, people generally wander over to the concessionaires and food booths to have fun and wait

for the main event — the crowing contests. Parade winners are announced at the Rooster Crow arena in the afternoon, and then the Human Rooster Crow Contest kicks off. The main event comes next, when the roosters take center stage.

Judges keep track of how many crows each rooster lets loose in 30 minutes. (Unlike the human crowing competition, strange behavior does not improve the competitor’s score.)

For more information, see rogueriverchamber.com/rooster_crow.php.

Jay Kent of Phoenix gives it his all during the human crow competition at a past Rooster Crow event. [MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

19} Touring vino country 20} Oregon With more than 150 wineries in five regions, the greater Southern Oregon area ranks among the world’s best destinations for wine tourism. In fact, Wine Enthusiast last year labeled Southern Oregon a “Top 10 Global Wine Destination.”

Enthusiasts cite the most diverse growing conditions in the world between the Bear Creek, Applegate, Illinois, Umpqua and Upper Rogue valleys. Temperature, topography and soil types make Southern Oregon fertile ground for more than 70 varieties of grapes that produce awardwinning wines.

Wine-country tours have taken off, but self-guided itineraries are furnished

by Southern Oregon Winery Association (www.southernoregonwines.org), as well as several smaller groups linked by the area’s “wine trails.”

Easily accessible from Interstate 5, the Bear Creek Wine Trail includes a dozen

wineries between Central Point and Ashland. Stops include one of Southern Oregon’s oldest agricultural properties, RoxyAnn Winery in Medford, and one of the newest, Ashland’s Belle Fiore, distinguished by its lavish chateau. See www. bearcreekwineries.com.

Boasting 17 wineries, the Applegate Wine Trail is a scenic route to some of the area’s most unique estates. Troon Vineyard’s zinfandel vines are the area’s oldest, planted in 1972, while Cowhorn is the only local biodynamic wine operation. See www.applegatewinetrail.com for details.

Coinciding with the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, the Upper Rogue Wine Trail consists of a five wineries, including Del Rio Vineyards in Gold Hill, Cliff Creek in Sams Valley, Kriselle Cellars in White City, Folin Cellars in Gold Hill and Agate Ridge Vineyards in Eagle Point. See www. upperroguewinetrail.com.

Wine Enthusiast last year labeled Southern Oregon a “Top 10 Global Wine Destination.” [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is one of the biggest draws in Southern Oregon, pulling visitors from throughout the world every season.

The 2017 lineup includes four plays

by Shakespeare Viola’s (Jamie Ann Romero) cast mates (ensem— both parts of ble) discover her true identity in “Shakespeare “Henry IV,” “The in Love.” [PHOTO BY JENNY GRAHAM] Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Julius Caesar” — as well as “Shakespeare in Love,” a fictionalized account of young Will’s early misadventures in playwriting and courtship, and “Off the Rails,” which opens in July, an irreverent, subversive adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.”

Other shows in OSF’s 2017 season offer a mix of world premieres, a classic musical, and takes on ancient Greek stories. World premieres include “Hannah and the Dread Gazebo” by Jiehae Park, and the musical “UniSon” from OSF’s ensemble-in-residence UNIVERSES. OSF’s resident playwright Luis Alfaro brings his bracing modern adaptation of the Medea story, “Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles,” to the Angus Bowmer Theatre through July 6, while frequent OSF guest artist Mary Zimmerman presents her adaptation and direction of “The Odyssey,” debuting in June in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre.

The classic musical “Beauty and the Beast” will play under the stars all summer long at the Allen Elizabethan Theatre with an original production directed by Eric Tucker from New York’s Bedlam Theatre.

The festival, in its 82nd year, is dedicating its season this year to the memory of actor and longtime company member Judith-Marie Bergan, who passed away last August.

For tickets and details about the 2017 season, see www. osfashland.org or call 800-219-8161.

12 | Friday, May 26, 2017

Friday, May 26, 2017 | 13

21} Off

Bardway Oregon Shakespeare Festival is the big kid on the block, but it isn’t the only place to find quality theater in Southern Oregon.

1. Collaborative Theatre Project, at 555 Medford Center, is the region’s newest theater arts project. “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” continues through May 28; “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” runs from June 16-July 2; “Bonnie & Clyde” a new musical, plays from July 21-Aug. 20; and “Seven Dreams of Falling” starts Sept. 14. See www.ctporegon.org or call 541-779-1055.

2. Oregon Cabaret Theatre, at the corner of First and Hargadine in Ashland, presents “The All Night Strut” through June 25, and “The Drowsy Chaperone” July 6 - Sept. 3. For information, call 541-488-2902 or see theoregoncabaret.com.

3. Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Ave., in Talent, has five shows on this summer’s playbill. “Spotlight on Peter, Paul and Mary” runs through June 11; “SPAMalot,” a musical “lovingly” ripped off from the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” runs June 21-July 23; “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” runs Aug. 3-6; “Spotlight on Neil Diamond” runs Aug. 10-27; and “The Fantasticks” runs Sept. 6-24. Call 541-535-5250 or see www.CamelotTheatre.org.

4. The Randall Theatre Company, 520 N. Fifth St., Jacksonville, and Front and Third streets, Medford, offers four shows this summer: “On the Town” runs through May 28; “California Suite” goes from June 23-July 9; “Young Frankenstein, the Musical” plays from July 28-Aug. 20; and “Dial ‘M’ For Murder” runs Sept. 15-Oct. 1. Call 541-632-3258 or see www.randalltheatre.com.

5. Craterian Theater at The Collier Center for the Performing Arts, 23 S. Central Ave., in downtown Medford, will stage a variety of shows. “Peter and the Starcatcher” plays May 26-28; “Pippin” plays Tuesday, June 6; and “The Lion King, Jr.” plays Saturday, July 8, and Saturday, July 15. Call 541779-3000 or see www.craterian.org.

The Craterian Theater at The Collier Center for the Performing Arts in Medford will stage a variety of shows this summer. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

22} Green Show

Free Green Show performances run all summer long on The Bricks at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

One of the best entertainment options in Southern Oregon occurs Tuesday through Sunday outside of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland during the summer.

From June 16 through Oct. 15, OSF hosts a tradition known as the “Green Show,” which features acts from near and far on “The Bricks,” the central courtyard of OSF’s campus. From traditional and modern dance troupes to classical musicians and tribute bands, more than 70 artists each fill 45 minutes,

starting at 6:45 p.m.

And it’s all free — as in, no ticket needed and everybody’s invited.

This year’s lineup features a mix of local, national and international acts. Local talent includes Jeff Pevar, Ed Dunsavage Trio, Hamfist, Left Edge Percussion, Rogue Suspects, Rogue Valley Harmonizers, Rutendo Marimba, ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, Siskiyou Violins, Eight Dollar Mountain and Southern Oregon University Theatre Department.

Touring artists include Def Cougar Mellencamp, Distant Thunder, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Hobart Shakespeareans, Infinite Flow - A Wheelchair Dance Company, Kinetic Light, Quickspeare, Berkeley Morris, Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Mooncandy Live House Music Ensemble, Musikgesellschaft Mohlin, and Imani Milele Children’s Choir of Uganda — plus many others.

Check out this year’s full Green Show schedule at www.osfashland. org/greenshow

23} Harry & David tours Harry & David has arguably been the region’s flagship enterprise since the 1930s, and its tours entice locals and tourists alike.

Harry & David pairs its famous pears and fine fruits with cookies, candies, confections and other gourmet goodies. For many, tasting these treats is the highlight of the company’s hourlong tours.

Tour groups meet at Harry & David Country Village, 1314 Center Drive, Medford, where a company van departs for the nearby candymaking facility. A video played during the drive tells the story of founders Harry and David Holmes, brothers who trademarked the term “Fruit-of-The-Month-Club.”

Entertaining tour guides explain about the company’s history while visitors watch chocolate truffles, creamy cheesecakes, baklava and Moose Munch being made.

Inside the company’s candy kitchen and bakery, visitors observe production through expansive windows while relishing aromas of sugar and butter. September and October are the prime months to view Harry & David in full swing for the holidays. The packing and production building, with a detour through one of the

Tours of Harry & David facilities are popular with many visitors.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

original pear orchards, wraps up the tour.

Tour times are 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. each weekday. Admission is $5 and includes a $5 off coupon on purchases of at least $40 at the Country Village.

Call 877-322-8000 (541-864-2099 locally) or email tours@harryanddavid.com.

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24} Crater Lake National Park Crater Lake is the centerpiece of the nation’s sixth-oldest national park, the only one in Oregon.

Sights you won’t want to miss while you’re there — in addition to the lake, of course — are Crater Lake Lodge, the Watchman, the Old Man of the Lake, Phantom Ship, the Pinnacles, Plaikni Falls and Vidae Falls.

If you’re looking for hikes, three stand out: The hike along the Discovery Trail from Rim Village to the Watchman; the hike down to the water on the Cleetwood Cove Trail (where you can take a swim

if you want), and the hike to the top of Mount Scott, the highest point in the park.

At 6,000 feet above sea level, Crater Lake can be snow-shrouded into June.

Once park facilities are fully open, visitors can cool off on boat rides across the 1,943-foot-deep body of water fed only by precipitation and snowmelt. Known for astonishing clarity and bluest blue you’ve ever seen, the country’s deepest lake formed from the massive eruption of Mount Mazama more than 7,700 years ago.

Swimming, fishing, camping, hiking, trolley tours, ranger-guided programs and other activities are offered in Crater Lake’s high season, July through September. For details, check the park’s schedule at www.nps.gov/crla/index. htm From Medford and the Rogue Valley, take Highway 62 to the park’s south entrance at Annie Springs. Stop at the Steel Visitor Center to plan your visit, and be sure to check out the Rim Visitor Center at Rim Village, which is open daily from late May to late September,

Crater Lake National Park is Oregon’s only national park. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both visitor centers contain a bookstore operated by the Crater Lake Natural History Association.

Help preserve the park at www.craterlaketrust.org.

25} Emigrant Lake waterslide

Danielle Riker and Paiton Riker, 6, hit up the waterslide at Emigrant Lake. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

One of the best ways to beat the summer heat is to head over to Emigrant Lake’s popular waterslide, which is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Amenities around the 280-foot twin flume waterslide include dressing rooms, showers, restrooms, picnic tables and a concession stand. You can also rent standup paddleboards from a local company called Liquid Blue. SUP hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday-Monday, May 16 to Sept. 2.

The cost to use the slide for 1½ hours is $6 on weekdays and $7 on weekends. A three-hour pass costs $10 weekdays and $12 weekends.

To get there, take Highway 66 southeast from Ashland for about 3½ miles and turn left at the sign.

The slide is open from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from May 27 to June 16, and noon to 6 p.m.

Thursday-Monday June 19 to Sept. 4,

closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Emigrant Lake offers many activities for families, including an RV park and 42-tent site campground, as well as swimming, picnicking, fishing, hiking, boating, canoeing and kayaking. For day use, the lake is open year round.

For more information, visit http://jacksoncountyor.org/ parks/Day-Use/Emigrant-Lake/ Water-Slide

Friday, May 26, 2017 | 15

26} Mount McLoughlin Mount McLoughlin, the Fuji-esque peak looming 9,495 above sea level and visible from much of Southern Oregon, is the sixth-highest peak in the Oregon Cascades and 16th-highest in the state.

As imposing as McLoughlin looks, however, it’s a peak 8-year-olds with good shoes and 80-year-olds with strong hearts have been known to scale.

From the trailhead not far from Fourmile Lake, the 10.6-mile, round-trip hike gains more than 3,900 feet in elevation. The early part of the forest-shaded path traces the Pacific Crest Trail for a few minutes before embarking on the more dramatic uphill gains, which get steeper as you go.

Bring lots of water and enough food

for lunch at the summit. Although wellconditioned distance runners can make it to the top in 90 minutes, three-hour ascents are more typical. Early- to midseason hikers will likely encounter swarms of mosquitoes, but probably won’t have their view shrouded by forest fires. The mosquitoes tend to disperse sometime in late July to early August, about the time thunderstorms ignite wildfires.

By leaving the parking lot around 6 or 7 in the morning, you will generally have better views before clouds gather in the afternoon.

To reach the trailhead, take Highway 140 and turn north onto the gravel road to Fourmile Lake.

The hike to the summit of Mount McLoughlin is a great way to see all of Southern Oregon. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

27} Oregon Caves

28} Rogue River

If “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was your kind of movie, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is your kind of place.

Then again, if forests, lakes, rare flowers or fossils are your thing, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is still your kind of place.

That’s because the 4,558-acre monument in the Siskiyou Mountains — known as the Marble Halls of Oregon — is a hotbed of biological, botanical and geological diversity.

The main draw is the cave system, which formed as rainwater from the ancient forest above dissolved the surrounding stone and created the marble caves.

Visitors can take a 90-minute, rangerguided tour that covers the geology, fossils, cave life, bats, watershed, old-growth forest and human history of the caves, as well as a 60-minute candlelight tour.

For the more adventurous, the park offers a 3-hour off-trail tour that takes visitors

The Rogue River has four distinct sections that all have a different flavor, each offering a unique summer recreational experience.

The lower Rogue River represents the first 68 miles upstream from A boat from Rogue Jet Boat Adventures in Centhe mouth at Gold tral Point cruises past the Table Rocks on the Beach. It includes Rogue River near TouVelle State Park. a series of canyons [MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH] and rapids in the Wild and Scenic Section visited either by driftboats or rafts.

For serious hikers, the Rogue River Trail covers 40 miles between Grave Creek near Galice and Foster Bar near the river hamlet of Agness, with camping spots and lodges in between for overnight stays.

The middle Rogue downstream of Grants Pass is home to fine fishing for summer steelhead and, late in the summer, fall chinook salmon for anglers fishing by themselves or with guides.

It’s also a popular place to raft and kayak.

One of the best ways to see the middle Rogue is through Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, a Grants Pass livery that offers scenic and dinner runs through the summer.

Rogue Jet Boat Adventures offers evening trips along the upper Rogue, which includes the riffles, rapids and pools upstream of the old Gold Ray Dam site near Gold Hill.

The stretch from Cole Rivers Hatchery down to Shady Cove is home all summer to floaters who rent rafts for half-day, selfpaddled tours of this house-lined stretch. The upper Rogue is also the main destination for salmon and steelhead anglers throughout the summer, either with guides or from the bank at several public-access points upstream and downstream of Shady Cove.

The rough-and-tumble waters that give the Rogue its name are more serene in the far upper Rogue around Union Creek off Highway 62. There’s plenty of river access at numerous campgrounds, and a riverside trail, as well as true look-butdon’t-touch phenomena such as Natural Bridge, where the Rogue flows underground in a lava tube, and at the gorge across from Union Creek Resort.

into places where they’ll have to scramble over boulders, belly crawl and negotiate tight squeezes.

Tours are offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in the summer, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sept. 5 to Nov. 5.

One of the above-ground highlights of the park is the Oregon Caves Chateau, a sixstory hotel that features a fine-dining room, 1930s era coffee shop and 23 rooms.

The Chateau, open May through October, features enormous post-and-beam supports, a huge double fireplace made of marble, as well as arts-and-crafts-style furniture, period wrought-iron and brass lamps, sconces and chandeliers.

For more information about the Chateau or to make reservations, see www.oregoncaveschateau.com or call 541-592-3400.

For information about the park, including maps of hiking trails, or to make reservations, see www.nps.gov/orca/index.htm or call 541-592-2100, ext. 2224.

Emily Moss, rear, and Anthony Zeberoff squeeze between layers of bedrock during an off-trail caving tour at Oregon Caves. [MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

Welcome to the

ADVENTURE ADVENTURECOAST! COAST! From World Class Fishing, to the excitement of the Oregon Dunes, they have it all! When planning your trip make sure to schedule enough time to visit the Coos Art Museum, Coos History and Maritime Museum, and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology to satisfy your arts appetite.

For some of the most breathtaking photos visit Shore Acres State Park and witness the beautiful blooming flowers in the spring, and enjoy the Holiday Lights in the winter. If water sports are more your thing, they have Kayaking, Canoeing, Skim-boarding, Surfing, and Paddle-boarding available with guides available to customize your experience.

Stop on the docks and go Crabbing or head to the mud and try Clamming, it’s an experience you do not want to miss. If you want to get your heart racing, hit the trails and go Hiking or Biking. If sightseeing is your scene, visit the Lighthouses that dot the coastline, and bring your camera to capture the waves when Storm Watching. The Undeveloped Beaches are the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening sunset.

Visit the Marshfield Sun Printing Museum, and the Oregon Coast Historic Railway Museum to get a taste of their rich history. Swing by The Egyptian Theatre and enjoy a 1930’s movie experience. The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a must see for a lover of the outdoors. Birding is truly an adventure with approximately 394 species of birds to view.

There is so much more waiting for you! Go to www.oregonsadventurecoast.com and plan your perfect vacation today!

oregonsadventurecoast.com oregonsadventurecoast.com

Welcome to the

ADVENTURE ADVENTURECOAST! COAST! From World Class Fishing, to the excitement of the Oregon Dunes, they have it all! When planning your trip make sure to schedule enough time to visit the Coos Art Museum, Coos History and Maritime Museum, and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology to satisfy your arts appetite.

For some of the most breathtaking photos visit Shore Acres State Park and witness the beautiful blooming flowers in the spring, and enjoy the Holiday Lights in the winter. If water sports are more your thing, they have Kayaking, Canoeing, Skim-boarding, Surfing, and Paddle-boarding available with guides available to customize your experience.

Stop on the docks and go Crabbing or head to the mud and try Clamming, it’s an experience you do not want to miss. If you want to get your heart racing, hit the trails and go Hiking or Biking. If sightseeing is your scene, visit the Lighthouses that dot the coastline, and bring your camera to capture the waves when Storm Watching. The Undeveloped Beaches are the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening sunset.

Visit the Marshfield Sun Printing Museum, and the Oregon Coast Historic Railway Museum to get a taste of their rich history. Swing by The Egyptian Theatre and enjoy a 1930’s movie experience. The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a must see for a lover of the outdoors. Birding is truly an adventure with approximately 394 species of birds to view.

There is so much more waiting for you! Go to www.oregonsadventurecoast.com and plan your perfect vacation today!

oregonsadventurecoast.com oregonsadventurecoast.com

18 | Friday, May 26, 2017

29} Rafting Rafting on the Rogue River is part of visiting or living in Southern Oregon.

The Rogue’s rollercoaster rapids and lazy, lacy riffles make it one of the best all-around rafting destinations in North America.

Rafting season runs from May through October, and with navigable stretches along much of the 84-mile Wild and Scenic corridor, there is an itinerary suited to both river rats and novices.

Rafting trips can be four hours or four days. The 12-mile float from Casey State Recreation Area, about three miles below Cole M. Rivers Hatchery to Upper Rogue Regional Park in Shady Cove is a gentle, scenic paddle through Class 1 riffles, making it well suited for beginners.

The four-hour “Nugget” run from just below the former Gold Ray Dam site near Central Point to the Gold Hill Sports Park features the roaring Class IV Nugget and Tilomikh falls with a couple of Class II and III rapids that make for a splashy ride.

Two- to four-hour floats from Hog Creek at Hellgate Canyon, approximately 15 miles west of Grants Pass, to Grave Creek are popular. The Class I and II rapids make for heartpumping moments through 25 miles of rugged, scenic canyons.

The 35-mile section of the lower Rogue, from Grave Creek to Agness, is a must-do for real whitewater enthusiasts, but permits are awarded through a lottery, so you’ll need to hire one of the many excellent outfitters in the area to make the trip.

Rafters hit up Nugget Falls on the Rogue River near Gold Hill.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

30} Swimming holes

The “Cove” swimming area at Emigrant Lake is a favorite place for locals to cool off during the hot summer months. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

One of the best parts of summer is diving into a swimming hole on a hot, sunny day, and Southern Oregon offers lots of options.

We don’t have room to list every swimming hole we know about, but here’s a starter list to get you going: Howard Prairie Lake, about 25 miles east of Ashland off Hyatt-Prairie Road, has a large swimming area adjacent to the day-use area at the resort. Call 541-482-1979 or see www. howardprairieresort.com.

Hyatt Lake offers a sandy beach, plenty of picnic tables and parking spaces. The lake is about 25 miles east of Ashland off HyattPrairie Road. Call 541-618-2200 or see Hyattlake.com Lithia Park swimming reservoir is in the southern tip of Lithia Park, near the intersection of Granite Street and Glenview Drive.

Call the city at 541-488-5340.

Lost Creek Lake has a large swim area at Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area. The lake is about 35 miles northeast of Medford on Highway 62. Call 541-560-3334.

Applegate Lake offers many miles of secluded or bustling shoreline. The lake has a large designated swimming area, but several coves around the lake, such as where Manzanita Creek enters the reservoir, are popular for swimming. Applegate Lake is about 30 miles southwest of Medford. Call 541-899-9220.

Big Squaw Lake, at 50 acres, and Little Squaw Lake, at 12 acres, both offer a calm, quaint setting. The hike-in reservoirs are located off Forest Service Road 1075 about nine miles east of Applegate Lake. To get there, cross Applegate Dam on French Gulch Road and take a right about 1.5 miles from the dam. Call 541-899-9220 or see www.applegatelake.com/campgrounds_squaw_lakes. html Emigrant Lake is probably the closest swimming hole to Medford. It has a beach and swimming cove, and has been a popular spot for local masters swimmers for years.

See http://jacksoncountyor.org/parks/ Day-Use/Emigrant-Lake/Water-Slide

31} Table Rocks If you haven't climbed on the Table Rocks, you can't truly call yourself a Southern Oregonian.

The twin mesas along the Rogue River offer peerless panoramas along with unique flora, fauna and geology.

Situated between Sams Valley and Central Point, the Table Rocks are visible from Interstate 5, Prescott Park, the Medford airport and spots in between. Close to city centers, yet cloaked in mystery, the distinctive flat-topped features number among the top-10 things to do in Southern Oregon and draw

about 50,000 visitors annually.

The trail ascending Upper Table Rock is a mere 1.25 miles, making it the more popular of the two. Lower Table Rock’s hiking trail is 1.75 miles long. Each just over 2,000 feet above sea level, the horseshoe-shaped formations are named for their positions along the Rogue River — Upper Table Rock is farther upriver, Lower Table Rock is a short ways downriver.

In a way, the Table Rocks are an optical illusion. They look like something must have pushed them above

the valley floor, but in reality it's the other way around — erosion over 7 million years lowered the valley floor.

The 4,864-acre natural area is home to more than 3,400 plant species, including about 200 types of wildflowers. One plant found nowhere else in the world, dwarf woolly meadowfoam, encircles vernal pools that sustain threatened fairy shrimp.

More information and hiking maps are available at www.blm.gov/or/ resources/recreation/tablerock/

Amanda Barron does a little yoga on Lower Table Rock.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

Friday, May 26, 2017 | 19

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32} Wilderness areas The Rogue Valley is surrounded by federally designated wilderness areas. Here's a rundown on several of the closest: Soda Mountain Wilderness is the newest area.

Protected by the Bureau of Land Management since 2009, it is a 24,700-acre mosaic of biological diversity about 20 miles from Ashland. The heart of the wilderness is 5,720-foot Boccard Point at the junction of the Klamath, Siskiyou and Cascade mountains.

Before you go, check in with BLM’s Medford office, 3040 Biddle Road, 541-618-2200, www.blm.gov/or/ wilderness/sodamountain/visit.php Kalmiopsis Wilderness, southwest of Grants Pass, is one of the most remote spots in the lower 48 states. It encompasses 180,095 acres of the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest and includes the headwater basin of the Chetco and North Fork Smith rivers and a portion of the Illinois River canyon. Elevations range from 500 feet at the bottom of the canyons to the rocky ridge of

5,098-foot Pearsoll Peak. The diverse topography and geology has created a wide variety of botanical species found nowhere else. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, 3040 Biddle Road, 541-618-2200.

Sky Lakes Wilderness includes three major lake basins: Seven Lakes, Sky Lakes and Blue Canyon. The 113,849-acre wilderness stretches from the border of Crater Lake National Park to Highway 140. In summer, mosquitoes are horrendous, so pack lots of repellent. Contact Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, 3040 Biddle Road, 541-618-2200; see www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ rogue-siskiyou/recreation/recarea/?recid=77586 Mountain Lakes Wilderness, in the FremontWinema National Forest, is a hiker’s paradise.

The 8.2-mile Mountain Lakes Loop Trail winds along a volcanic caldera and connects the Clover Creek Trail (4 miles) from the south, the Mountain Lakes Trail (6.5 miles) from the west, and the Varney Creek Trail (4.5 miles) from the north.

Jenny Creek flows through the old Box O Ranch in the Soda Mountain Wilderness. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

Contact Klamath Ranger District, 2819 Dahlia St., Klamath Falls, 541-883-6714. See www.fs.usda. gov/recarea/fremont-winema/recreation/ recarea/?recid=60185 Other wilderness areas in the region well worth a visit include Siskiyou Wilderness Area and Marble Mountain Wilderness in Northern California, Red Buttes Wilderness, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness and Wild Rogue Wilderness.

33} Wildlife Safari

Azalea Lusch has an encounter with an ostrich at Wildlife Safari.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / JAMIE LUSCH]

Wildlife Safari, 1790 Safari Road, Winston, is a 600-acre drive-thru animal park just outside Roseburg in Douglas County.

It takes about 1½ hours to complete a drive through the park, where you can see more than 500 types of mammals, birds and reptiles, including lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, bison, elk, bears, wildebeests, zebras, tigers, rhinos, ostriches, and hippos.

In the summer the park includes an area called Always Free Safari Village, which features a botanical wonderland, animal exhibits, including alligators and cougars, keeper talks throughout the day, and a children’s petting zoo.

The park opened in 1972 and is the only drivethru animal park in Oregon, according to the

park's website.

With more than 400 acres of space for some of the rarest, most endangered (and coolest) species to roam, Wildlife Safari is different than a zoo.

It boasts a cheetah breeding research center, scores of students enter Wildlife Safari’s internship programs each year, and an international veterinary medicine program resides on Safari grounds, according to park literature.

Drive-thru admission costs $19.95 for adults, $13.95 for children and $16.95 for seniors. Drivethru and Village hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with the last vehicle admitted at 5 p.m. The White Rhino Cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For details, call 541-679-6761 or see https:// wildlifesafari.net

34} Wildlife Images Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center is equal parts rehabilitation clinic, animal sanctuary and education center, all of which add up to an adventure for animal lovers young and old.

Founded in 1981 by wildlife rehabilitator J. David Siddon, the facility was created to care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Wildlife Images has since expanded to provide educational programs on wildlife, conservation and the environment to schools, organizations and the general public.

A tour of the 24-acre facility is a walk on the wild side. More than 80 volunteers care for the sick, injured and orphaned critters in Wildlife Images’ custody. Baby squirrels, badgers, grizzly bears, bald eagles, reptiles, cougars and birds of prey have all called the

refuge home at one time or another.

The sanctuary located about 12 miles west of Grants Pass houses a long list of resident animals, including a bearded dragon, bobcat, desert tortoise, golden eagle, gray fox, gray wolf, river otter and white-nosed coatimundi.

Wildlife Images is open to the public daily.

Walking tours last approximately 1.5 hours, with a casual pace over gentle terrain.

Reservations are required, as all visitors must be accompanied by a guide. Tours cost $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for children ages 4-13; children 3 and younger by donation.

Call 541-476-0222 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to book a tour and get directions. To learn more, see www.wildlifeimages.org.

Rufus, a bobcat at Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center in Grants Pass, sits on a hammock made from donated fire hoses.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

Friday, May 26, 2017 | 21

22 | Friday, May 26, 2017

35} Out’n’About Treesort It takes a little over an hour to drive from the Rogue Valley to Out’n’About Treesort, a bed-and-breakfast near Cave Junction where the rooms are literally up in the trees.

This unique getaway features 15 treehouses on 36 acres of pasture and woods, with a zipline and giant Tarzan swing thrown in for good measure.

All of the treehouses are reached by climbing a spiral staircase and walking across suspension bridges to the accommodations. The smaller treehouses sleep two to four people, and the larger ones can sleep five to eight, according to a video on the resort’s website. Beds range from bunk beds to queens and kings, and all the units have electricity and mini refrigerators, but

not all have bathrooms. There are BBQ’s, microwaves and stovetop cookers located in designated cooking areas. Call ahead to see what you’ll need to bring.

To get there, take I-5 north to Grants Pass exit 58 and drive on Highway 199 for 28 miles to Cave Junction. A half mile south of Cave Junction, turn left on Rockydale Road.

Go 7.5 miles to the stop sign, and turn left on Waldo Road. Go about a mile, and turn right on Takilma Road. In 2.5 miles, turn left on Page Creek Road and go about ¼ mile. When you see mailboxes and 300 Page Creek Road, turn left on the gravel road, and take it to the end.

For details, see http://treehouses.com/ joomla/ or call 541-592-2208.

36} Southern Oregon

Lavender Trail The heady aroma and beautiful blooms of lavender can be found at several farms in Southern Oregon during the summer.

Blooming season generally runs from the middle of June until the middle of August.

A good way to experience local lavender growers is by attending the Southern Oregon Lavender Festival, which this year will occur on two weekends, June 23-25 and July 7-9. The festival occurs at stops along the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail: Lavender Fields Forever: 375 Hamilton Road, Jacksonville, 541-702-2250. Open June 16 to mid-August, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from 9 to 5 on festival days. At Lavender Fields, visitors can pick their own bouquet from seven pink, white and purple varieties. See lavenderfieldsforeveroregon.com.

Goodwin Creek Gardens: 970 Cedar Flat Road, Williams, 541-846-7357. Open March to September, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm features nearly 100 varieties of lavender. See goodwincreekgardens.com.

The English Lavender Farm: 8040 Thompson Creek Road, Applegate, 541-846-0375. Open Friday-Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 2 to July 31, and from 9 to 5 on festival days. The farm has more than 6,000 lavender plants, as well as a gift shop in the drying barn where lavender is distilled into essential oil. See englishlavenderfarm.com.

OSU Lavender Garden: 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, is the Pacific Northwest’s first Lavender Collection and Demonstration Garden, with more than 80 varieties. Open daily for self-guided

Happy sisters enjoy the swimming hole at Out’N’About Treesort near Cave Junction. [PHOTO BY LOIS JORGENSEN]

37} Jackson County Fair The Jackson County Fair began in 1859 as a showcase for pies, jams, quilts, livestock and new inventions.

Today it is a summertime festival replete with carnival rides, a rodeo, headline acts, dozens of vendors, food, animal exhibitions and 4-H and FFA projects.

The Jackson County Fair runs this year from July 12-16 at the Expo, 1 Peninger Road, Central Point.

The headline acts include country music’s Eli Young Band Wednesday, July 12, singer-songwriter Daya Thursday, July 13, rock band Everclear and rockers Smash Mouth Friday, July 14, and comedian Gabriel Iglesias Saturday, July 15.

In addition to the big names playing in the amphitheater, more than 30 acts will perform daily on the Center Stage, including magician Hart Keene, who will appear Wednesday-Saturday.

Other attractions include Walk on the Wildside exotic animals, a mechanical bull, Water Bubbles (large, inflatable water-walking balls), the Pirate’s Parrot Show, a petting zoo, The Fair Marketplace, DIRT Park Learning Center, Bi-Mart Toddler Zone, a rock-climbing wall, Lego competition, Great American Pig Racing, Annie the Clown, and the fifth annual JCSA Ranch Rodeo.

Fair Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. For details about this year’s fair, see www.attheexpo.com/sectionindex. asp?sectionid=2 or call 541-774-8270.

The climate in Southern Oregon, especially the Applegate Valley, is perfect for growing lavender. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

tours. For details about the Lavender Trail, see www.southernoregonlavendertrail.com The farms are open for visitors throughout the summer, not just during festival weekends.

The Great American Pig Races are a big draw at the Jackson County Fair. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

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24 | Friday, May 26, 2017

38} July 4 39} Growers markets

f ireworks

The Fourth of July is really the quintessential summer holiday, with barbecues, family get-togethers and the traditional evening of bombastic pyrotechnics.

The Rogue Valley offers several parades and activities during the day to whet your appetite for all things red, white and blue as you wait to watch things blow up.

In Ashland, the day kicks off with a 10K race and 2-mile run/walk at 7:45 a.m. near the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd., and this is the 41st year the race has been run. A parade, viewed annually by about 20,000 people, begins at 10 a.m. at Triangle Park.

Entries will walk down Siskiyou Boulevard to East Main Street, pass through downtown and finish on Water Street.

After the parade, more than 100 booths in Lithia Park feature food, crafts, information and a Family Activity Zone, while bands, including the Ashland City Band, perform all afternoon at the Lithia Park Bandshell.

In the evening, fireworks are visible throughout town.

Central Point has a run too, the Run for Freedom 5K and 1-mile fun run, which kicks off at 7:30 a.m. on East Pine Street between Third and Fourth streets.

A parade kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on Second Street, proceeds to Pine Street and finishes at Eighth Street, followed by family fun and music at Robert Pfaff Park.

The Eagle Point parade begins on Main Street and finishes at Eagle Point High School.

Butte Falls will host a parade in Shady Cove at Ernest W. Smith Memorial Park.

The region’s biggest fireworks display is the Red, White and Boom celebration at The Expo, 1 Peninger Road, in Central Point. Gates open at 5 p.m., and pre-fireworks activities begin at 6 p.m., including live music and patriotic presentations.

Fireworks will also be available for viewing in Ashland and Eagle Point.

A fireworks display takes place at the Red, White and Boom celebration. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

If you like farm-fresh food, you’ve come to the right place.

During the summer, farmers markets convene somewhere in the region every day except Wednesday.

Saturday boasts markets in several locales, where shoppers can purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats, cheeses, honey, baked goods, preserves, prepared foods and hand-crafted goods.

Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market serves Ashland on Tuesday, Medford on Thursday and both cities on Saturday.

In Medford, the Thursday market convenes in Hawthorne Park, at Hawthorne and Jackson streets, where vendors populate the parking lot and lawns from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Thursday.

From 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, the market fills Ashland’s National Guard Armory parking lot at

1420 E. Main St. Saturday brings smaller numbers of vendors to The Commons at Sixth and Bartlett streets from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in downtown Medford, and from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oak Street in downtown Ashland. See rvgrowersmarket.com for times, locations and vendors.

From May 26 through Sept. 15, the Talent Evening Market brings a festive feel Fridays, from 5:30 p.m. until dusk, to Talent’s Main Street.

And the Jacksonville Farmers Market caps off the week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays from May 28 through Oct. 15 on the grounds of the town’s courthouse and museum, 206 N. Fifth St. The region’s oldest and largest farmers market draws more than 100 vendors Saturdays through November. The Grants Pass Growers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fourth

Tamara McDonald and Sue Drake of Medford shop for fresh produce at Barking Moon Farm during the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market in Medford. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

and F streets downtown through Oct. 28. See www.growersmarket.org.

Also in Josephine County, the Williams Farmers Market meets from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through October.

40} Direct from the farm Whether just off Interstate 5 or off the beaten path, detours to local farms can yield delicious results.

Fry Family farm, which grows at several farms sites in Medford, Phoenix, Talent and Ashland, opened a farm market last summer at 2184 Ross Lane, Medford, offering the family’s own organic produce, plants and flowers, along with farm-fresh pies, preserves, pickles, ferments and sauces from other local vendors. Call 541-622-8154 or see www.fryfamilyfarm.org Locally famous sweet corn is the specialty of Seven Oaks Farm, which also produces melons, squash, onions, tomatoes and more for its farm store

Fry Family Farm is one of sevral local farms that sell directly to the public. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

beginning in July. The Central Point property, founded more than 80 years ago, is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, July

through October, at 5504 Rogue Valley Highway. Call 541-664-2060.

Plaisance has been a working ranch since 1858. Owned and operated by the Ginet family since 1979, it has evolved into a highly diversified operation offering Salmon Safe, USDA-certified organic beef, ODA-certified grafted grape vines, wine grapes and fine wines. The Ranch, at 16955 Water Gap Road, Williams, is open noon to 6 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays, during the summer. Call 541-846-7175 or see www.plaisanceranch.com For information about many other local farms in Southern Oregon, browse the business directory online at www.buylocalrogue.org

41} Food truck cuisine The outdoor dining scene in Southern Oregon has moved into the fast lane with a fleet of food trucks.

Mobile eateries serve Mexican, Thai, Peruvian, Turkish and Vietnamese cuisines, along with fusion fare, farm-fresh foods and some American originals. Meals are fast and, for the most part, inexpensive.

Street corners, parking lots and outdoor events are prime spots for food trucks. Many pair up with regional breweries and wineries, particularly in summer. Vendors typically use social media to announce their locations.

Some of the local standbys include Figgy’s Food Truck, Peruvian Point, Wok Star, Cheesesteak King, Fired Up Food, Victory Dogs, Ooblies Waffle Food Truck, Curbside King, Word on the Street, The Great Outdoor Grill and Sweet Cream.

Places to look for trucks include the lot next to the Medford post office on Riverside Avenue, and across the street from Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center on Barnett Road. The Chop Shop on Eighth and Fir downtown usually has two or three trucks, Digger’s Goodyear Tavern & Food Court,

101 S. Riverside Ave., is the landing spot for Jose’s Taco Truck, and the corner of Main and Central in downtown Medford is a good place to check.

The Medford Center hosts a handful of food trucks, and farmers markets in Medford and Ashland are home to Nguyen Street Food, Sultan’s Delight, Wasana’s Thai Food and Northwest Pine Apple.

Some trucks go solo, or they could be at a summer event or festival, so it can take some detective work on Google or Yelp to find them at times, but it’s well worth the effort.

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42} Drive, chip, putt The Rogue Valley features several appealing public golf courses that cover all levels of ability. Here’s a rundown:

18 Holes Centennial, Medford: High-end course with an open landscape, virtually no trees and several water hazards. Greens are true, fairways well maintained. Longest course in the area. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18 holes, $59. Phone: 541-773-4653.

Eagle Point, Eagle Point: Top-notch layout with a variety of hole designs and in optimum condition.

Front nine more open and flat, back nine heads into the woods a bit. Plenty of test. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $47/$30. Phone: 541-826-8225.

Stone Ridge, Eagle Point: Diverse track with lots of elevation change and several high teeing areas to lower greens or fairways, which is always fun.

Away from the bustle. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $46/$30. Phone: 541-830-4653.

Nine holes Oak Knoll, Ashland: Municipal course. Mostly straightforward holes to start, then finishes with tough uphill approach on No. 8 and a tee shot over a ravine on No. 9. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $24/$16. Phone: 541-482-4311.

Quail Point, Medford: A shorter course that is long on character. Greens are quick with subtle breaks, and holes that wrap around a hill allow for a variety of shots. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $28/$18. Phone: 541-857-7000.

Central Point’s Kiana Oshiro Stewart Meadows, Medford: Gem reacts after draining a long putt at Centennial Golf Club. of a layout, suit[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] able for all levels.

Easy to walk but provides challenges with creeks and/or ponds on six holes and plenty of bunkers. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $28/$18. Phone: 541-770-6554.

Par 3 Bear Creek, Medford: Par 29, with two par 4s of about 300 yards. Great for juniors, beginners, walkers and for work on iron play. Weekend rates (w/o cart): 18/9 holes, $15/$12. Phone: 541-773-1822.

43} Southern

Oregon Speedway

This year marks the 22nd consecutive season of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway, located at Jackson County Sports Park in White City, and the popular Pro Stock division is back this year, according to the speedway's website. For the first time since 2011, the division will be competing for a track championship.

Promoter Mike McCann has made several facility improvements, adding equipment and seating to the concession area and upgrading track preparation equipment. Dwarf car champion Jon DeBenedetti has taken over as director of competition, and his wife, Valerie, is the new head scorer.

The clay oval track at the speedway measures 3⁄10ths, with banking that ensures side-byside racing all the way around the track. Next to the race track is a 1⁄8-mile dirt oval track built for Go Karts and Micro Sprints. Racing classes include IMCA modifieds, late models, IMCA sport

modifieds, late model lites, mini stocks and hornets.

The racing season at Southern Oregon Speedway runs all summer, wrapping up Saturday, Sept. 16. Gates open at 5 p.m. daily, with racing at 7 p.m. most Saturdays.

Races of note this year include Open Wheel Showcase Saturday, May 27; Haudenshild Tribute Saturday, June 3; Wild West IMCA Speedweek, Saturday, June 24; Monster Truck Mania - Monster Truck Invasion, Monday, July 3; WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4-5; Hall of Fame Night Saturday, Aug. 12; and the Lon Skinner Memorial, Friday-Sunday, Sept.

1-3.

Ticket prices are $12 for general admission, $6 for ages 6-12 and seniors 62 and older, and children 5 and younger get in free.

For the schedule more information, see www.southernoregonspeedway.com or call 541-826-6825.

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44} Fishing spots

45} Covered bridges

From novice to artful, anglers visiting the Rogue Valley have plenty of opportunities to slip in some fine fishing in the valley’s signature river and local lakes.

Mountain lakes such as Howard Prairie off Dead Indian Memorial Road, Fish Lake off Highway 140, and Lake of the Woods at the junction of Highway 140 and Dead Indian Memorial Road are stocked with rainbow trout, and they all have resorts that can line visitors up with a rental boat and even a one-day fishing license.

Along with Diamond Lake, Applegate Lake, Hyatt Lake and Lost Creek, the waterbodies offer a mix of bait, lure and fly-fishing for rainbows, as well as respite from valley heat.

For the more sophisA stringer of fat trout from Diamond Lake. [MAIL TRIBUNE ticated angler, the upper / FILE PHOTO] Rogue River’s famed summer steelhead run starts heating up with the temperatures in July, with late-summer flyfishing some of the best of the year in the Jackson County portion of the river.

Evening wading while swinging dark leeches or signature Rogue flies such as the green-butt skunk will punch your steelhead ticket at TouVelle State Park off Table Rock Road, McGregor Park between Highway 62 and Lost Creek dam near Trail and water just upstream of Rogue Elk Park off Highway 62 north of Shady Cove.

Plenty of licensed guides can set you up with all the equipment for a trip on the Rogue in either the Rogue’s historic driftboats or powerboats.

If you’re like us, covered bridges evoke a sense wonder and craftsmanship. Here are five covered bridges in the Rogue Valley worth checking out.

Lost Creek Bridge, built in 1919, is only 39 feet long. To get there, take Highway 62 to Highway 140 and go east to the Lake Creek exit. From the town of Lake Creek, go 3.5 miles on South Fork Little Butte Road, then turn right on Lost Creek Road at the concrete bridge across Lake Creek.

The covered bridge is about half a mile down this dirt road. It is open to foot traffic only.

Antelope Creek Bridge was built around 1922 on Antelope Creek, about 10 miles outside Eagle Point.

Now a pedestrian bridge, it was moved in 1987 to its location over Little Butte Creek in downtown Eagle Point.

The Wimer Bridge, about 7 miles north of the city of Rogue River, spans Evans Creek. The bridge was built in 1892, and was rebuilt for a third time in 2008. To get there, take East Evans Creek Road to Covered Bridge Road.

McKee Bridge, built in 1917, stretches 122 feet and stands 45 feet above the Applegate River. Only eight miles from the California border, it is Oregon’s southernmost covered bridge.

Take Highway 238 out of Jacksonville to Ruch. Turn left on Applegate Road and follow the Applegate Dam signs to the wayside of McKee Bridge.

Grave Creek Bridge is Josephine County’s only covered bridge. The 105-foot-long span was built in 1920. The bridge is easily spotted from I-5. To get there, take the Sunny Valley exit, north of Grants Pass.

Wimer covered bridge. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

46} House of Mystery

A tour of the House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex outside Gold Hill may alter your perceptions. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

If you marvel at the unexplained, consider a trip to the Oregon Vortex.

Located outside Gold Hill, the House of Mystery — aka Oregon Vortex — provides a peek into a strange world where the improbable is possible and physical facts seem to be turned upside down. Open to the public since 1930, it’s an area of visual and perceptual phenomena that will challenge your theories and beliefs.

The Oregon Vortex is billed as a spherical field of force located half above the ground, and half below. Visitors will experience phenomena that defy physics — such as balls that appear to roll uphill — and can catch it all on film.

According to the Oregon Vortex website, the structure was built in 1904 by the Old Grey Eagle Mining Company as an assay office and tool-shed. The company stopped mining gold

in 1911. A few years later the assay office slid off its foundation on an angle and has been that way ever since. In 1930, it became known as The House of Mystery.

Tours of the vortex last 45 to 60 minutes and are fully guided. A discount is available for prearranged groups of 15 or more, but they must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance to take advantage of the group discount.

For more information about the Oregon Vortex and the House of Mystery, call 541855-1543 or see www.oregonvortex.com. It’s located at 4303 Sardine Creek Left Fork Road outside of Gold Hill. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.

Admission costs $12.75, $9 for kids 6 to 11, $10.75 for seniors, and free for children 5 and younger.

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47} Mini golf, bumper

48} Lithia Park

Southern Oregon is full of cool things for kids to see and do, and some of them will appeal to the kid inside all of us.

For instance, the mini-golf, batting cages and bumper boats at Rogue Valley Fun Center next door to the Expo in Central Point can appeal to kids of all ages. To get there, take exit Exit 33 off Interstate 5. For details, see www.rvfamilyfuncenter.com or give them a call at 541-664-4263.

If you feel like grabbing some air, Rogue Air Park in Medford Center off Biddle Road is a trampoline park with 20,000 square feet of hopping good times. Reach them at 541200-1100 or see www.rogueairpark.com.

If it’s looking like rain outside — or we’re in the middle of a heat wave that has you craving air conditioning — bowling is always a fun option. Medford has two bowling alleys, Lava Lanes, at 2980 Crater Lake Highway, and Roxy Ann Lanes, at 2375 Pacific Highway.

For prices and schedules, contact Lava Lanes at lavalanes.com or 541-245-2755.

Reach Roxy Ann Lanes at roxyannlanes.com or 541-772-7171.

If there’s an ice skater in the crowd, the RRRink offers skating lessons and sessions, along with hockey and more. The facility is

Lithia Park is the 100-acre crown jewel of Ashland’s park system.

From May through September, the city offers free, 90-minute walks through the park with a trained naturalist at 10 a.m. Fridays, Sundays and Wednesdays, and Saturdays in July and August. No reservations are required, just meet at the park entrance across from the downtown Plaza.

Trail booklets for self-guided tours are available at The Grove, 1195 E. Main St., the information kiosk on the Plaza and Ashland Chamber of Commerce, 110 E. Main St. Ducks, turtles and the occasional Canada geese can be seen floating on the Lower Duck Pond and the large Upper Duck Pond. A main path leading gently uphill deeper into the park passes a children’s playground, wading area in Ashland Creek, restrooms and a climbing wall for kids.

Away from the path to the right are a rose garden and the historic Butler-Perozzi Fountain. Nearby is a Japanese Garden that provides a tranquil retreat with trickling water, moss, Japanese maples and other plants and trees from Asia.

Tennis courts visible from the main path and Winburn Way beckon sports enthusiasts, while at the top of the park, a swimming reservoir created by the pooling of Ashland Creek has been cooling summertime visitors for decades. You'll also find a sand-pit volleyball court, picnic areas, colorful landscaping and playground equipment.

If you're an ultra hiker, biker or runner, trails in Lithia Park connect with neighboring parks and trails that reach from the Ashland Watershed to the top of Mount Ashland roughly 13 miles away.

Lithia Park is open from dawn until 11 p.m.

boats, bowling and more

Rogue Air Park in Medford Center is a trampoline park with 20,000 square feet of space. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

at 1349 Center Drive, Medford. For details, call 541-770-1177 or see www.therrrink. com.

Kid Time children’s museum is another destination for young folks with the urge to play and move. The discovery museum, at 106 N. Central Ave., Medford, offers an ever-changing array of exhibits and activities. For prices, schedules and details, call 541-772-9922 or see www.kid-time.org.

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49} North Mountain Park North Mountain Park in Ashland is a 40-acre piece of nature in the midst of an urban area.

The park includes a nature center in a renovated 20th-century farmhouse and barn, a patchwork of demonstration gardens, including butterfly, reptile and amphibian, herb, heirloom and native plant gardens, as well as a “Bird Buffet” for bird watchers.

There are several acres of wildlifefriendly riparian woodlands and wetland habitats, and abundant open

space and trails to explore.

Interpretive exhibits along the pathways explain water conservation practices and wildlife ecosystems. Free garden tours take place May through September the second Wednesday of each month. Educational programs and tours are offered weekdays, and on some weekend nights budding astronomers can enjoy star gazing.

For summertime sports enthusiasts, the park offers plenty of room to play: three soccer fields, two softball fields

and two baseball diamonds, a playground and a covered picnic area.

Discovery Kits are available for $3 and can be checked out 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The kits offer outdoor learning and exploration at the park for children ages 6 to 11 accompanied by an adult, and are ideal for home-school classes, according to the park's website. Each kit comes complete with storybooks and guides so adults will feel comfortable facilitating these interactive nature lessons.

John Bullock, left, and Harry Fuller look for birds at North Mountain Park in Ashland. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

The grounds, which border Bear Creek, are open sunrise to sunset daily, and the nature center hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

The park is at 620 N. Mountain Ave., Ashland. For info, call 541-488-6606.

50} ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum Education and entertainment go hand-in-hand at ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum, 1500 E. Main St., in Ashland, with opportunities to laugh and learn available to all ages thanks to a host of attractions and summer camps at the 15-year-old facility.

ScienceWorks is an interactive science museum founded in 2002 as a private response to a crisis in public science education. The museum is home to more than 100 interactive exhibits, and it hosts themed weekends and fun science programs year-round.

ScienceWorks has three main exhibit halls: the Science Gallery, Discovery Island (for kids 5 and younger), and DaVinci's Garage tinkering studio.

It has hands-on activities and live animals, including a bee hive, in its Discovery Lab, along with outdoor exhibits including the Climb Through Time climbing wall, an Echo Tube and Geometry Playground climbing structure.

Featuring interactive science exhibits, live demonstrations and performances, ScienceWorks is ideal for explorers of all ages. Exhibits touch

on a multitude of fascinating phenomena — exploring energy, anatomy, chemistry, perception, motion, engineering and more. Performances and activities change frequently, offering something new every time you visit. To see what's coming up, see the calendar at scienceworksmuseum.org or call 541-482-6767.

ScienceWorks also offers summer camps from June 19 to Aug. 25, broken up by grades. New this year is a Junior Academy for rising fifth- to seventh-graders.

In the fall, winter and spring, ScienceWorks is open WednesdaySunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. But from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the museum turns to summer hours and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children 2-12. Admission costs $1 the first Sunday of every month for nonmembers 2 and older, unless otherwise noted on the museum's calendar. Visitors must have one adult for every five children in their group.

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51} Zipping on a line 52} Railroad Park If you’ve never jumped off a platform and zipped through the air suspended from a cable, consider putting it on your bucket list this summer.

Depending on how far you want to drive, you’ve got two options, one near Gold Hill and one near Crater Lake.

Rogue Valley Zipline Adventure near Gold Hill offers five ziplines, with more than a half-mile of aboveground gliding that provides adventure, exercise and spectacular views of the valley and peaks to the east.

Crater Lake Zipline, operated in partnership with the U.S Forest Service, offers a course where you zip from tree platform to tree platform on nine zips and walk across two skybridges that are suspended between the trees. The complete tour takes 2.5 to 3 hours to complete.

Aric Genaw zips at Rogue Valley Rogue Valley Zipline Adventure opened in 2011 ZipLine Adventure in Gold Hill. on the former site of a 19th-century gold mine.

[MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] Riders should wear comfortable clothing and be prepared for moderate exertion as there are short, but occasionally steep, hikes between the zip lines. The tour through the five lines takes three to four hours. Zipline riders must be at least 8 years old, weigh between 65 and 275 pounds, and be in good physical condition.

Cost is $82 per person, $72 for those younger than 18 (parents must accompany or sign waivers for minors). A daylong combined wine tasting, rafting and zipline option is offered for $198 per person. Call 541-821-9476 or see rvzipline.com.

Crater Lake Zipline is in its second season. Tours start at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Cost is $105 per person; must be 10 and older and weigh between 70 and 250 pounds. Call 541-892-9477 or see craterlakezipline.com

Railroaders of all ages will find much to love at Medford’s popular 49-acre Railroad Park.

Visitors can ride diesel trains and a motor car, view unique model railroad layouts and the Hogwarts Express, send and receive telegrams, tour historical railroad equipment and more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second and fourth Sunday of each month through October at the intersection of Table Rock Road and Berrydale Avenue (the park entry off Berrydale is shared by Fire Station No. 4. When you turn onto Berrydale, stay to the left to enter the parking lot of the park).

Admission is free, but donations are appreciated to offset park costs.

Southern Oregon Live Steamers hosts diesel and steam locomotives on more than a mile of 7½-inch scale track. It takes about 9 minutes to traverse the route through tunnels, bridges and hills. Kids particularly enjoy the Thomas and Friends loop encircling the large Garden Railway.

Railroad Park has other popular attractions, including full-sized railroad cars, a caboose, a hopper car, Medco’s Four Spot Willamette Locomotive, a miniature indoor railway,

Railroad Park in Medford is popular with train buffs of all ages. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO]

a working telegraph system and an operating outdoor Garden Railway.

In addition to the Live Steamers, Railroad Park is operated by the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Morse Telegraph Club, Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club and Medford Garden Railroaders. See www.soc-nrhs.org/medford rrpark.htm

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53} Mountain biking trails

Harvest Festival

If your mountain bike is the first thing you pack for your summer vacation, you’ll want to know about these Rogue Valley trails: Grizzly Peak: intermediate, 3-mile mountain ridge loop near Ashland Brown Mountain Trail: moderately difficult 13.5-mile climb up and down Brown Mountain east of Ashland Ashland Watershed: 27 miles of trail wind through the hills above Ashland White Rabbit Trail: 6.7-mile loop above Ashland’s Lithia Park Siskiyou Crest: demanding, 30-mile, out-and-back ride that begins at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area 18 miles southwest of Ashland and follows gravel roads to a lookout Johns Peak: eight miles of shuttled single track in the hills west of Jacksonville Manzanita Trail: 1.2-mile rocky climb up Roxy Ann Peak in Prescott Park in Medford Rustler Peak Lookout: tough 9.3mile ride to the top and back down; between Butte Falls and Prospect Mountain of the Rogue: Seven miles of single track wind up and down Tin Pan Peak at the edge of the city of Rogue River, just off Interstate 5.

Cathedral Hills: 5-mile woodland trail system just outside Grants Pass city

55}

Cliff Miya rides down the BTI mountain biking trail in Ashland. [MAIL TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO] limits Applegate Lake Loop: 12.5 miles of single-track along the Applegate Lake shoreline

For more information about these trails and others, check out the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association at rvmba.org.

54} Oregon Wine Experience

The Oregon Wine Experience is now in its 14th year.

The Oregon Wine Experience has evolved into one of the top wine events in the state of Oregon, and this year's extravaganza may prove to be the best yet.

The annual ode to the grape will be held Aug. 21-27 at Bigham Knoll in Jacksonville, where nearly 70 wineries from around the state will join with local restaurants and artisan food vendors in a weeklong celebration.

Events include the Oregon Wine Competition, wine classes, vintner dinners, a barrel auction, a salmon bake and auction, and the final Grand Tasting under a giant tent.

The event began as the World of Wine in 2003, and in 2014 it became a signature fundraiser for Asante’s Children’s Miracle Network and other health care programs supported by Medford-based Asante Foundation.

Wineries from throughout Oregon are eligible to compete in the wine competition, which will be judged by a panel of six experts. This year's competition will see its first international judge, its first female Master of Wine in America, and the first and only female Master of Wine in Canada.

Best of Show winners in the 2016 competition were Pebblestone Cellars, Plaisance Ranch and Cuckoo’s Nest Cellars.

Tickets generally run $100 to $250 per event, with discounts for multiple purchases.

The Grand Tasting, Sunday, Aug. 27, costs $100 per person and will showcase more than 100 of Oregon’s leading wines, including the award winners from the 2017 Oregon Wine Competition. For details, see www.theoregonwineexperience.com.

The 2017 Jackson County Harvest Festival, which will take place at The Expo in Central Point Friday through Sunday, Sept. 15-17, is really several events rolled into one action-packed weekend of food, beverages and friendly competitions.

The Southern Oregon Brew Festival is a big part of the equation, with more than 60 taps dispensing a wide selection of microbrews from the Pacific Northwest and the State of Jefferson, as well as a fierce homebrew competition.

People also line up for the Battle of the Bones barbecue competition, a pie-eating contest, a grape-stomp championship, the Rogue Run marathon, half-marathon and 10K, the Club Calf & Heifer Show and Sale, stock dog trials, a music festival and more.

The music kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday with Fogline and continues Saturday with Western Express playing from noon to 2 p.m., Frankie Hernandez Band from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and Bishop Mayfield & Friends from 6 to 8 p.m. The Danielle Kelly Soul Project takes the stage at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Hours for this year’s event will be 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, with a "Growler Hour" Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m. For details, including a complete schedule and a lineup of musical acts, see www.attheexpo.com/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=3

Kim, left, and Bryanna Moore participate in the Grape Stomp at a past Southern Oregon Harvest Festival. [MAIL TRIBUNE PHOTO / FILE PHOTO]

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