A week in Grants Pass Oregon

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We pulled into Grants Pass intending to stay for one day to pick up some jewelery fabrication material and after finding a lovely quiet RV Park on the river decided to stay a week visit some local attractions and get a few odd jobs done. We found a lovely city park with lots of grass to walk Charro and the shops we needed.

The Rogue River
The river runs past the back of our RV and we have been treated to a feast of bird life including big woodpeckers, hummingbirds, northern flickers and lots of waterfowl.

OIL CHANGE
We could not use Walmarts but were recommended to OIL CAN HENRY as someone who could handle something of our height. Well, we got serviced with service. A greeting from a pinstriped bow tie wearing receptionist, a fresh newspaper while we waited then the service was carried out while we sat inside our RV with pinstriped bow tie wearing mechanics calling out their checklists to each other like US marines calling cadence as they march. All together a good company.




CLASSIC CARS
Again we have been surprised by the numbers of 20 to 40 year old classic american cars in everyday use. Just today in the employee parking of Fire Mountain Jewels were 2 mid sixties Mustangs and early 70's Dodge Charger with a subtle roof chop.

Animal Zoo
When we ever learn? We took a tour of a famous local wildlife rescue centre and we were appalled by the conditions in which the birds and animals were kept. Eagles kept in cages with a tiny outdoor area not large enough to fly in. Three wolves kept in two cages with electric fences and little in the way of enrichment. Black bears, cougars, bobcats lynx, badger and so on all kept in small areas with not a lot to distractions. We saw the usual signs of bored animals in repetitive movements
and behaviours. One thing that we saw that really scared me was a couple of nearly full grown grizzly bears kept in an enclosure fenced with light weight mesh fencing. Yes, there was an electric fence but I think if they wanted to they could go right through it and the fence.

Carol’s comment.

The so called “rescue park” seems to be a pattern out here. The animals are rescued to be condemned to a life of misery. The wolves that John has already mentioned were in enclosures way to small for them. The grey was alone, he wagged his tail and then whined,when I spoke to him, he then went and laid on top of some sort of oil drum.

I had gone ahead of the rest of the group , who were the typical out for the day, anywhere will do brigade. They were noisy and uncontrolled by the volunteer that led us. I managed to get to the cages before anyone else. The two white female wolves were kept in a cage next to the grey, and as I went close and called them, they too whined, and wagged their tails. The fencing is surrounded by an electric one on the inside near the animals, and they were obviously wary of coming too close. I managed to find a gap in the corner and get up close. Both of them came to the corner, and one pressed her face up against the wire and licked my hand, there was no sign of aggression , in fact they were both submissive.
These two are “ambassadors” for the park. In other words they front the programme to get sympathy. If the animals that we didn’t see ,are in fact released back into the wild, I can see why fund raising is necessary, they receive no government funding.
BUT no other animal should suffer because of it.
The worst part of this ,is, that the volunteers who work there are so enthusiastic about it, they cannot see that this is wrong, so therefore no one is likely to be a whistle blower.
Some of the animals were pacing, a mountain lion kept on concrete in a sun starved cage, birds that couldn’t fly further that their tether, a grizzly was pacing with aggression up and down his enclosure, when he finally decides that he has had enough, an electric fence isn’t going to stop him. Neither will the cage full of bored black bears opposite him
We won’t be going to any more of these “attractions” I just hope that the animals we see in the state parks are better treated than those we have seen rescued.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We are heading north tomorrow towards Sutherlin to pick up our mail on Monday. I was hoping to get a few flights in with the local club on Sunday but winter is returning to southern Oregon with snow in the forecast all the way down to the vally floor.