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| Putting in at the upper River Road bridge, the paddler will have a couple of fine warm-up drops. One is a constriction where logs and rocks have dammed the river. Exercise caution running this 'dam'. Not far downstream, a footbridge (I believe strung with cables) lies generally in the water, and may require a portage. Some smaller rapids preceded the highlight of a run on the Upper Red, Suzie's Falls (composite 'wide-view' shown above). When you see a house on river left and a footbridge across a narrowing in the river (and you'll no doubt hear the falls), get out river right to scout. |
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The entrance to this drop is a bit of a limbo under the footbridge (above left), then off a short ledge into a churning pool. The flow is diverted left, and slides swiftly over smooth bedrock into a brief pool (where a bit of a hole forms), before being diverted back to the right, across a final ledge and into another (somewhat larger) hole. A good pool awaits below to re-collect any 'yard-sale' items (boats or paddles hurriedly discarded by boaters unsuccessful at running the drop).
Those who do not wish to see (or run) Suzie's (and the other upper drops) may use a small roadside put-in alongside River Road, encountered between the above and the following drops. The next main drop is at a large island. While the left side is runnable (at moderate-to-high flows), it does land in a mess of rocks. Careful scouting and a good boof (and elbow pads) are highly recommended. The normal route is the right channel. A few preliminary waves lead to a left-hand bend (at the end of the island). A large boulder (or bedrock intrusion) on river-right causes a bit of a wrapping wave as the flow drops off a short double-drop ledge (above right). Minor play is usually possible here, though the remaining drops are usually far better. |
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Putting in at the dam near Gresham for a run on the lower Red, a short flatwater paddle leads to a house 'dead-ahead', as the river takes a left-hand bend and drops across a table of rock midstream. This tends to be a sticky little pour-over, but can provide some interesting entertainment (above left).
A couple of easy drops follow, generally where the river is similarly diverted by humps of rock or small islands dividing the flow. After one of these (a sweet left-side double-drop slide into a pool), the river takes a sharp left, then jogs right. At this point you will hear the rushing water at Alexian Falls (aka Monastery, aka Novitiate, aka Freeborn). The flow narrows between humps of rock and pours over a rock into a boiling hole (above right). |
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| After this brief pause, it continues its slide (above left) to land in a huge deep pool, splashing through another good hole. This is the premier play-spot on this run (above right). The former monastery appears in the background. Ownership has changed numerous times since the 1970's. In general, owners have been less-than-friendly toward anyone setting foot on river left here, so get out only on river-right. |
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| The final drop (on the usual run) is Ziemer's. The river swings right and slide down a short sloping ledge. a brief pool precedes another shallow irregular ledge. The river swings back left and down a narrow channel, and heads straight into a small rocky island which splits the flow. The left channel is a fairly abrupt broken ledge (shown above to the left). The right channel (visible at frame right) is more gradual, though requires a bit more aggressive paddling to 'make' the line. |