Day 6: Jacksonville to Applegate, Applegate reservoir

June 2, 2020

I had a breakfast burrito in the coffee shop 2 blocks away from Jacksonville Inn. The inn's restaurant still serves dinner but no longer serves breakfast.

The climbing starts straight out of the door going west on OR 238, a steady 600 foot climb from Jacksonville to the summit. Traffic was heavy but mostly going the opposite direction-commuting towards Medford.

I'm crossing a divide into the Applegate river watershed. After 5 days of Going Rogue I am now Going Applegate on a major tributary of the Rogue river.

Starting in Jacksonville OR 238 climbs 600 feet to cross into the Applegate river valley.

Just after the summit I stopped to talk to two young bike travelers. I never asked their names. They are pedaling from Portland to San Francisco following back roads with some extra meanders to visit friends. Obviously camping most of the time.

The only other touring cyclists I saw. Pedaling back roads from Portland to San Francisco. Mr. leg work stand was greasing a creaky stem.

OR 238 descends 3 miles from the summit to the village of Ruch. I stopped at the store. Ruch has a couple of cafes but no lodging. Gateway to the Applegate valley but only 15 miles from Medford.

OR 238 descending into the Applegate river valley.

The Applegate valley has many vineyards.

In Ruch I turned left onto Upper Applegate road which follows the Applegate river upstream, south, to Applegate reservoir. The road stays close to the river but has only a few views of the river. The first good view of the river is on a bridge near Ruch.

First crossing of the Applegate river on Upper Applegate road.

9 miles up Upper Applegate road I stopped for an hour at McKee covered bridge. The bridge is about 500 feet from the road. A well developed and densely shaded BLM picnic area is next to the bridge with good access for wading in the river.

McKee covered bridge is the 4th oldest remaining covered bridge in Oregon, built in 1917. Owned and maintained by a private historical society. Most old covered bridges are owned by county road departments. It's also Oregon's highest covered bridge at 45 feet above the water.

I have seen dozens of covered bridges and this is a good one. Quite long, in a beautiful setting. One peculiar feature is that the bridge has windows on only one side, looking south, upstream. Another peculiar feature is boards added to the windowless north side specifically for graffiti.

McKee covered bridge, Oregon's 4th oldest covered bridge.

McKee covered bridge has viewing windows on only one side. Boards on the right side are designated for graffiti.

Applegate river looking upstream from a viewing window.

Trees and fences prevented me from seeing the side of the bridge from the riverbank. I waded far out into the river to get a photo. The water was about 1 foot deep.

I waded into the river to see the bridge from below.

Traffic was moderate on Upper Applegate road. Very few people live up here but today is the first hot sunny day in several days and there are many recreation areas at the reservoir.

Applegate river flows out of the Siskiyou mountains.

Upper Applegate road goes mostly south, towards the Siskiyou mountains. My turnaround point is 3 miles from California.

Applegate reservoir is usually more full this time of year, just the beginning of the dry season. But this year precipitation is below normal and the area is in a D3 drought. Managers still need to release water to make the downstream irrigators happy.

Applegate reservoir. The dam was completed in 1980. One of the last big dams to be built in the U.S.

Upper Applegate road has mostly gentle grades. Most of the road is a county road. Near the dam it becomes a BLM road and the grades are steeper. The road climbs high above the reservoir-twice.

Applegate reservoir and Upper Applegate road.

I took a turn to a resort that promised a store. Their road steeply descended 120 feet to the lake. The store had little more than bottled water and I was supposed to pay $5 just to be there. I pedaled the steep grade back to Upper Appplegate road. Waste of time and energy.

My turnaround point is an overlook that Google Maps calls Kermit Viewpoint. I arrived at 1:30 PM. The view is to the southeast, towards high peaks in the Siskiyou range. Elevation is 2194 feet (668 m). I was higher in the hills yesterday and I will go higher on the last day.

A motorcyclist offered to take my photo at the turnaround point overlook.

I stopped for 45 minutes at the viewpoint. It was probably the most scenic rest stop of the tour but the motorcyclist and I were the only two people there.

Kermit Viewpoint. A bit of snow on the Siskiyou mountains in the distance.

Applegate reservoir. The forest has very little understory. There is barely enough rainfall for pines.

The return trip was faster going downstream. But still there were many small rolling hills. The temperature rose to 90F and I saw people cooling off in the river.

Upper Applegate road near the village of Ruch. Vineyard under construction on the right. They're spreading like cancer.

Just before returning to OR 238 I turned into Cantrall Buckley county park which has about 1/4 mile of riverfront that is well suited for wading and tubing.

Buckley County Park is a popular recreation area on the Applegate river.

Then 7 busier miles on OR 238 going west to the tiny village of Applegate, with rush hour commuter traffic coming home from Medford. I arrived just after 6 PM. Nobody was in the reception area but I found an envelope with my name on it.

My home for the next two nights is the Goldmining room at Applegate River Lodge. The room is lined with boards salvaged from old gold mines. My room is sort of a gold mining museum with old photos and implements on display. The entire lodge is kind of a museum.

Goldmining room at Applegate River lodge. My home for the next 2 nights.

The room cost $140/night and doesn't include breakfast because the adjacent restaurant hasn't reopened yet. Fortunately there is a convenience store across the highway. My room opens to a deck with a great view of the Applegate river and the nearby OR 238 truss bridge across the river. It's a beautiful setting but it would be better if the restaurant was open and the store was open later than 7 PM.

OR 238 Applegate bridge and rising moon.

This was the longest day of the tour but the grades were never steeper than 7%. It wasn't especially difficult.

Distance: 52 mi. (83 km)
Ascent/Descent: +2266/-2467 ft. (+691/-752 m)
Average Speed: 8.9 mph (14.2 km/h)

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 225 miles (362 km)

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