July 28– August 13, 2024

The next day would be a busy one with an unexpected twist at the end.  We would relax at the Institute in the morning and then head into Grants Pass to hit the Josephine County Fair when it opened for the day.  Later we would meet Kathy and Tom for dinner at Bohemian Bar and Bistro, one of our favorite restaurants in town. 

We paid $10 to park in the dirt lot close to the entrance and with free admission we walked in to start our day at the fair.  Gemma was immediately occupied by the carnival ride area and insisted that she be able to go on some rides, which we promised to do later when they opened after 3pm.  Our first stop was for lunch at a large outdoor tent where we hungrily consumed a couple of corn dogs and a very good burger, my second in a week, which would make it a very good week.

And then we were off to do all of the things one does at a county fair, our first stop at the AG barn to check out the judging results of various fruits and vegetables.  Next up was the Rabbits and Poultry pavilion, where we got our fill of those critters, some cute and cuddly and others gigantic for their species. 

We hit the hooved animal pens next, marveling over large pigs, sheep being sheared and cute goats before spending a goodly amount of time in a kid’s play area, occupying Gemma while we cooled our jets in a shaded spot, as it was quite warm that day. 

Our last stop of the day was the building named the Pavilion where various home crafts were on display, items like canned goods, quilts, and table settings. 

After a break for ice cream, the carnival rides still not open and the clock ticking on our meeting time with Kathy and Tom, we promised Gemma we would return after dinner so she could go on the rides.  Meeting up at the town library, we then drove the short distance to the Bohemian finding parking on the street nearby, a bonus for this busy spot just off the main road in town. 

We’ve been here many times in the past and were surprised that they had changed their location by two store fronts, opening a new venue that now has a rooftop section in addition to the main dining room.  We had quite a bit of time to kill before thinking about eating and so while Kathy, Jessica, and Joanna took off to do some shopping Tom, Gemma and I hung back to do some reading.  To assist in that endeavor, I ordered an Old Fashioned that was as good as they get. 

When the ladies returned, we turned out attention to dinner which would involve a few items from the menu, including a grilled cheese for Gemma, the Beet Salad with Chevre for Jessica, and the Thai Lettuce Wraps for me.  I don’t have pictures of the other items or a copy of the receipt to use as a reference so can’t recall what everyone else ordered, but it was as good as always. 

We finished up and said our farewells, and as I’ve mentioned a couple of times recently in this blog, so glad for the opportunity to spend time with such good friends.  We took off for the fairgrounds to hit the carnival ride section and as we had paid for parking earlier, it allowed us to return and park again.  I backed into a spot at the end of a line of cars and felt the car dip in the back and wasn’t concerned until we all realized that we’d gone into a deep ditch and with one of our front wheels unable to gain traction, found ourselves stuck. 

My fate sealed, Joanna, Jessica and Gemma went to the fair while I called AAA for service.  It would take some time for them to come out and while waiting I happened to mention to one of the fair attendants that it might be prudent to place some traffic cones to prevent this happening again. His response with a slight note of condescension in his voice was that “no one had done it before”.  My thought was there is always a first time, but he was likely concluding that all big city tourists from California deserve whatever difficulty they get themselves into. 

The Auto Club did eventually arrive and just as the driver was hooking up the tow chain, the girls returned and got to witness our rescue.  I thanked the driver for his assistance and tipped him $20, glad that we were able to get out so cheaply.  In the meantime, our fair goers reported that unfortunately, Gemma was too short, by just an inch or so, to go on the rides she wanted to experience and so had to satisfy herself with the merry-go-round and the Ferris wheel.  Which means there will likely be a carnival ride adventure in her future. 

Our return to the Institute was made difficult by the heavy cover of smoke from nearby fires, surrounding us in a fog like density that proved hard to see through and equally tough to breathe.  We did make it back and were glad for the filtered air-conditioning at the lodge, which enabled us to sleep undisturbed.  We would be taking off for Bend the next day, not a long drive ahead of us so we planned to pass through Crater Lake Park.  We’ll check that out and finish up this trip in our next post. 

Links

Josephine County Fair: https://www.josephinecountyfairgrounds.com/p/fair

Bohemian Bar and Bistro: https://www.bohemianbarandbistro.com/