Ashland

Two hundred seventy miles due south of us lies Ashland, Oregon. It is most famous for the Oregon Summer Shakespeare Festival. We traveled there last Tuesday to check out the location and to see if we could swing a motor home trip there next month. We were delighted with what we found.

We have been through the outskirts of Ashland a number of times on I-5, but never been into the picturesque town. It is a tourist destination and therefore has many of the touristy-like trappings. It is hilly and the three Shakespeare theatres are located up a significant number of steps from the lowest level. They were hidden to us until a kind lady in a kiosk told us to just turn around and look "over there." Dahhh...we had walked by them twice, but thought they were the second story of an outdoor shopping mall. But the theaters are beautiful.

Their Lithia Park is wonderful. We walked it twice. There is a delightful Japanese garden about a half mile into the winding park...again on a hillside. When we did the morning walk on the second day we were confronted by two deer who paid little attention to us. I think they get the idea that if they graze in the morning humans will not be around.

The creek that cuts through the park also is the backdrop for some delightful outdoor cafes. We ate at two in our time there. Black Louis is our favorite.

We purchased tickets for the August 27th performance of Equivocation, which has great reviews. There were more familiar shows playing in Repertory fashion, but we stuck to the new one. We are anxious to get Jim and Nancy there when they visit.

Let me say that if you were a student looking for a picturesque place to go to college, then look to Southern Oregon University. It is a neat campus.

Just six miles from the California border, Ashland is on the downhill side of Mt. Ashland which is where I-5 crosses the Siskiyu Mountains. The pass is about 3,900 feet and can get snowy in the winter so be careful, but don't let that deter any plans for visiting this beautiful, small town.