Tourist businesses heavily impacted by Smith River Complex fires

At the Out’n’About Treehouse Treesort south of Cave Junction, intricate wooden houses emerge from towering trees, kids dash across hanging bridges — and ash trickles from a pale orange sky.

The Smith River Complex is burning just southwest of the small community of Takilma where the treehouse hotel is located. The business is shrouded in smoke.

“It’s not that nice,” said Michael Garnier, the owner and head ‘entreepreneur’ of the treesort. “It’s unhealthy.”

Garnier started his business more than 30 years ago, and what began as a simple bed and breakfast grew into a treehouse experience complete with horseback-riding, ziplining and rafting.

Now, his resort has had 10 cancellations in just three days. Garnier had to cancel an event he had planned for the weekend, which would’ve included music, food and vending and a comedic “medicine” show by Garnier himself.

Garnier said business has already been unpredictable these last few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer is the busiest season, but it’s the shoulder seasons — like September — that really determine whether he’ll turn a profit. He said next month was looking good, but with the arrival of wildfire smoke, his optimism has taken a hit.

Despite the smoke and the nearby road closure, some people still made it out to their vacation in the trees, folks that Garnier called “true die-hard treehouse lovers.”

On Thursday afternoon, the treehouse resort was under a level one — “get ready” — evacuation notice. Garnier is ready; he said he’s familiar with evacuations from past wildfire experiences, and he’s irrigated his fields with a system he’s going to use higher up on his property now that there are evacuation warnings. But he can’t control what happens outside his property.

“If there happens to be a fire that crowns from the south, gets into my trees that my treehouses are in, I’m toast,” Garnier said. “It’s gonna devastate me.”

By Thursday evening, Takilma, where Garnier’s resort is located, had been upgraded to a level two, “get set” evacuation warning. The sun was blood red, shining through the thick smoke, and local residents were packing up their belongings into their cars, getting ready to leave.

A celebrated sausage store loses its core customers

Highway 199 is how many people from Southern Oregon get to the beach.

It starts in Grants Pass, heading through the Illinois Valley, and traveling over the coast range before ending right in the middle of the redwood forest near Crescent City, California.

A common stop for people along the way is Taylor’s Sausage, a local deli with all different kinds of jerkies, bacon and of course, sausages.

“We came to Cave Junction in 1970,” said Charles Taylor, a third generation sausage maker. “And then our company will be 100 years old next year.”

Taylor came to Southern Oregon with his wife Marilyn from Oakland, California.

“Normally you come in here right now and you wait, there’s a line here and this place is packed, and the patio too,” he said. “And look at — what are there, a half a dozen people in here right now? If we’re lucky.”

Taylor said he’s seen less than half his regular business since the Smith River Complex fires began. The wildfires shut down Highway 199 for at least a week, cutting off Taylor’s and other businesses’ vital connection to a steady stream of tourists and customers.

Taylor is in the process of making a major expansion of the country store. A huge area behind the store has been covered with a large metal roof. The place is still very bare, and full of construction materials.

“This will be closed off. Ice cream counter down her,” Taylor pointed to all the different parts of the new area. “And there will be a big hot case here, salads, etcetera.”

Taylor said the expansion is costing them around $4 million. Their kitchen is currently too small to meet demand, so customers end up having to wait for their food.

There are plans to include a fine dining restaurant in the huge basement below, with an extravagant spiral staircase built around a huge tree trunk. But because of the wildfire and the economy, money has gotten a lot tighter.

“Now we’re stopping,” Taylor said. “We’re running out of money. And interest is through the roof.”

He said because of the lack of tourists, they’re also looking at furloughing over half the staff working at the store. Luckily, locals have been supportive through the challenging times.

“We have a very good following, a very loyal following.” He said. “And they’ve been good to us, god bless them.”

Wildland firefighters have also been coming into the store recently, a line of business Taylor doesn’t typically see.

And hope is coming. Starting on Monday, the California Highway Patrol will begin escorting travelers through the closed section of Highway 199 twice a day, depending on the fire conditions.

Taylor said they’ve been through other wildfires before, and he hopes they’ll remain resilient through the Smith River Complex as well.

“Everybody start praying that this thing is taken care of,” he said. “Cause it’s hurting our whole town, everybody here.”