Halfway up the hill to Hayes Summit I could see the snow at the side of the road and here and there the little piles of slush that get left on the road until they melt or freeze. I was surprised, when I left my office in Ashland (1,890 elev.) there had been snow in the foothills (about 2,500 elev.) but nothing on the valley floor. Hayes Summit is only 1,560 ft, I wondered what the other side of the summit would have in store for me.
I was going to inspect a property on Lake Shore, in Selma. I love appraising in Selma because it usually means driving around Lake Selmac, or by the lake at least once as I inspect my comparable sales and listings.
There had been a sale on Reeves Creek Road so on my way back toward Lake Shore Drive I took this. Often this time of year the ground has warmed up enough that by 11:30 am or so if snow has accumulated on the ground over night it has generally melted. This is what the ground about 2 miles south of this spot looked like at 10:30 am.
You can tell something about the quality of a destination by what is going on there when it isn't "the season". Last Monday the road crews were out making sure the roads were all patched up in readiness for the regulars come Summer. I say the regulars because Lake Selmac is close enough you can be there in 1 hour and 20 minutes if you live in Ashland.
You guessed it there's boating, camping, the requisite Camp Store.
AND it's pretty inexpensive if you just want to come and enjoy the cool lake water on a hot summer day.
The Illinois Valley - O'Brien, Cave Junction, Kerby, and Selma - gets its share of visitors because Highway 199 runs right through it. As you come inland from the Oregon/California Coastal cities of Brookings, and Crescent City, Cave Junction is the first real town you run into.
If you're there around lunch time you can stop at Wild River Brew Pub and Pizza for your fill of Pizza, Salad and whatever else they happen to have in the warming tray. If you're driving and aren't drinking you should try some of the BEST ROOT BEER you'll find anywhere. I think they call it Jakes Root Beer(I'll have to go back now and see what the name really is), I asked and they only serve it in house....darn. If you are drinking they have a nice handle on flavorful beers. I'm not much of a connoisseur except when it comes to dark beer, but we'll leave that topic for another time.