I forgot to include the 1/2 mile walk from Rome launch to Rome Station, and since I had to walk it back this morning and I don’t want to “skip” a mile I’ve included it today.

I got myself a cup of coffee from the cafe to drink while I was packing up, and set about putting another 7 days of resupply in my pack. I think that’s the heaviest thing I’m carrying out here-all the food. Then I want back to the cafe for breakfast and ordered a much too big plate of biscuits and gravy, eggs and sausage. I definitely don’t have hiker hunger, but sometime I forget!

Once I launched back on the river it was a flat slow 5 miles to get back to the canyon. It was already HOT and it’s supposed to get up to 100 today! Thank goodness for the river.

It was a relief to be back in the towering rock walls, and was delighted to see numerous springs dumping fresh water into the river. There were so many springs I think it’s made a big difference in the water levels. The CFS at Rome was 135, but the rapids all have enough water to run, the boney pointy rocks are covered up for the most part, and there seems to be more push to the water. 

Don’t know? I don’t think there is a river gage below Rome, so who knows. What it made for though were easy and smooth spots to run the numerous Class III rapids, and bigger wave trains in the riffles. I think I’m moving along quicker too. It’s more of a 3 mile an hour river now (with paddling). So much so that I made 20 miles by 5pm. That’s a lot espically since I didn’t get started until 8:30.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of fish suckling on rocks today. I have no idea why.
 I’ll be floating and he a sucking noise, and look over to see a big fish with its mouth on a rock by the shore. They are slurping off something delicious I guess!

Since I had a relatively early camp, I pulled out a book I bought in Rome, In Times Past by Hazel Fretwell-Johnson about the history of the Jordan Creek Area, or the area around Rome. Turns out the settlers here had some of the bloodiest skirmishes of all the west with the Native Americans here. It’s fascinating. I should pass some pictographs and other archeological sites tomorrow…looking forward to it!

I also packed out a can of wine to enjoy tonight. Nothing but the finest on the Owyhee!