Day 10 & 11

Before yesterday is completely forgotten, we rode through a place that I didn’t know much about and am glad I looked up its history. Gardiner is located at the mouth of the Umpqua River just across the river from Reedsport. As we were descending into town, I noticed a fenced off area that looked like it was an old lumber mill, but without any buildings. There were four sets of railroad tracks leading from this property converging into one track crossing the Umpqua into Reedsport. The tracks hadn’t been used in years. According to Wikipedia,

“The Gardiner Historic District, which encompasses nearly all of Gardiner, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994.”

“Gardiner was formerly the site of the first International Paper Company on the west coast. The paper mill operated from 1963-1999 and was one of the largest employers on the southern Oregon Coast. The mill buildings were demolished in 2006.”

You can imagine what an economic engine it was for the nearby communities. Nothing remotely close to that now … unless you count dune buggy rentals and campground firewood.

In addition to its economic role, Gardiner was briefly home to Alan L. Hart, “…an American physician, radiologist, tuberculosis researcher, writer, and novelist. He pioneered the use of X-ray photography in TB detection; he worked in sanitariums and X-ray clinics in New Mexico, Illinois, Washington, and Idaho.” Dr. Hart became one of first trans men to be treated by surgical and chemical means. It’s truly a remarkable story. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_L._Hart

Jake had to move on yesterday, so he left early and got a jump on us. He invited us to Santa Cruz and in early May, we’ll likely stop by.

The weather briefly turned during the middle of the day today with a steady shower and stiff wind for about 2-3 hours. Clear and sunny now!