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Old 09-14-2013, 06:04 PM
 
Location: North Hilo Area
29 posts, read 58,030 times
Reputation: 39

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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWdreamin View Post
Thank you! We are actually staying one night in Grants Pass on our way up! I wanted to do this so bad, but it doesn't run in October

Why are you stopping in Grants Pass? The town is rather dirty, nothing special. Continue 30 miles further to Medford and stay the night. There are much better quality hotels at better prices in Medford, safer too. Extra nice is you will be 15 minutes the next morning to visit historic Jacksonville and 30 minutes from Ashland. Both towns are must stops. You can easily walk Jacksonville in under an hour. There is a terrific farmers market on the way to Ashland. You should pull in at Lilthia Park right after you enter city limits. Excellent no fee spaces for your car. You will be right in the heart of town. Perfect for a walking tour. The Shakespeare Theater is above the park too. Very romantic.

Onward to Portland a sleepy little town that is bursting right now till Sunday with their annual globally attended Octoberfest celebration is Mount Angel. If you miss Octoberfest you can still drive through enjoying the little German town which is decorated all year. Mount Angel Abbey provides on of the best views of the valley. Should you visit absolutely stop in town at Bochsler True Value. You will be impressed. There is no room to walk. The shelves are stocked from floor to ceiling with everything under the sun. When you leave Mount Angel travel on through Silverton than take backroads for a beautiful drive to EZ Orchards for strawberry shortcake and fresh applecider donuts. You can roam Salem easily after EZ or head straight to Portland. In Salem though the waterfront carousel park is worth visiting. At the waterfront in the same park is the Willamette Queen sternwheeler with cruises as low as $10. Best lunch/dinner is Napoleon's Crêperie & Gelateria walking distance from the waterfront. Make a night of it and stay for the Ghost Tours. We lived for a few months at the Hampton Inn in Salem. For a regular night hotel rate anywhere they include a salt water pool, a fantastic gym, glorious breakfast with greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, grapefruit, pastry & more beyond the usual fare and four nights a week cater dinner complimentary.

In Portland don't forget to grab a Voodoo doughnut, visit Powell's book store and take a trip through the downtown Embassy Suites. You do not have to be a guest to wander the building. Check out the pool. It is wow.

Have a fun safe trip. Be aware Oregon cops love to write tickets. Watch your speed and use your lights.
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Old 09-14-2013, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Dallas, Oregon & Sunsites Arizona
8,000 posts, read 17,295,180 times
Reputation: 2866
I like Grants Pass. I think you will also.
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Old 09-14-2013, 11:04 PM
 
121 posts, read 162,346 times
Reputation: 93
If OP is from CA, I can tell you why it will take so long to get the plates. With CA hurting so badly for money, the DMV is WAAAAYYY back-logged with processing that needs to be done. We just purchase a new-to-us used truck 2 weeks ago....the dealer said not to expect our plates for about 8 weeks. If we don't have them in 8 weeks, give them a call and see whats up.

Lovely.....right?
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Old 09-14-2013, 11:24 PM
 
Location: North Hilo Area
29 posts, read 58,030 times
Reputation: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pickering View Post
I like Grants Pass. I think you will also.
With limited time would you choose Grants Pass over Ashland? There is hot air ballooning in Grants Pass but you have to get up early. The jet boats are not operating (They might be in Gold Beach in October) nor are other Rogue activities in October. On Trip Advisor there are 12 things to do in Grants Pass, parks, movie theater, vineyards, none worthy stopping for when better are down the road from what I recall.

We can agree crime is a factor to ponder on where to spend the night when rolling into town in a brand new(Convertible?) right? Steve that pretty car is going to get all messed up if it stops in Grants Pass. The OP won't be staying in an upscale residential area. Does Grants Pass have upscale?
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Old 09-14-2013, 11:30 PM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 12,116,342 times
Reputation: 5860
Probably because it's intended only to be a place to stop and spend the night. And for that, Grants Pass works as good as anywhere.
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Old 09-15-2013, 10:13 AM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 416,363 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crusoe View Post
Why are you stopping in Grants Pass? The town is rather dirty, nothing special. Continue 30 miles further to Medford and stay the night. There are much better quality hotels at better prices in Medford, safer too. Extra nice is you will be 15 minutes the next morning to visit historic Jacksonville and 30 minutes from Ashland. Both towns are must stops. You can easily walk Jacksonville in under an hour. There is a terrific farmers market on the way to Ashland. You should pull in at Lilthia Park right after you enter city limits. Excellent no fee spaces for your car. You will be right in the heart of town. Perfect for a walking tour. The Shakespeare Theater is above the park too. Very romantic.

Onward to Portland a sleepy little town that is bursting right now till Sunday with their annual globally attended Octoberfest celebration is Mount Angel. If you miss Octoberfest you can still drive through enjoying the little German town which is decorated all year. Mount Angel Abbey provides on of the best views of the valley. Should you visit absolutely stop in town at Bochsler True Value. You will be impressed. There is no room to walk. The shelves are stocked from floor to ceiling with everything under the sun. When you leave Mount Angel travel on through Silverton than take backroads for a beautiful drive to EZ Orchards for strawberry shortcake and fresh applecider donuts. You can roam Salem easily after EZ or head straight to Portland. In Salem though the waterfront carousel park is worth visiting. At the waterfront in the same park is the Willamette Queen sternwheeler with cruises as low as $10. Best lunch/dinner is Napoleon's Crêperie & Gelateria walking distance from the waterfront. Make a night of it and stay for the Ghost Tours. We lived for a few months at the Hampton Inn in Salem. For a regular night hotel rate anywhere they include a salt water pool, a fantastic gym, glorious breakfast with greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, grapefruit, pastry & more beyond the usual fare and four nights a week cater dinner complimentary.

In Portland don't forget to grab a Voodoo doughnut, visit Powell's book store and take a trip through the downtown Embassy Suites. You do not have to be a guest to wander the building. Check out the pool. It is wow.

Have a fun safe trip. Be aware Oregon cops love to write tickets. Watch your speed and use your lights.
Thank you for all the suggestions and helpful info! To answer your first question, we were just stopping in Grants Pass to stay the night so we didn't have to drive 14 hours straight through to Portland. I also considered Ashland, but wanted to push through a little further so that we had a little less driving the next day. Is Grants Pass unsafe? Maybe I will reconsider and book a room in Ashland or Medford instead. The plan for the following day was just to do a somewhat quick drive through Eugene and Corvallis to take a look before heading into Portland. But I will now look into Jacksonville and Mount Angel as they sound charming.

We were planning on Voodoo donuts, however I really don't want to wait in a huge 30 min+ line with all the other tourists So we decided to try Blue Star Donuts instead. They look amazing! Powell's is a must as I LOVE books!
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Old 09-15-2013, 10:15 AM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 416,363 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pickering View Post
I like Grants Pass. I think you will also.
Thank you. Do you think this is a good place to stop for a night, or would we be better off in Ashland or Medford?
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Old 09-15-2013, 10:16 AM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 416,363 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by mc0624 View Post
If OP is from CA, I can tell you why it will take so long to get the plates. With CA hurting so badly for money, the DMV is WAAAAYYY back-logged with processing that needs to be done. We just purchase a new-to-us used truck 2 weeks ago....the dealer said not to expect our plates for about 8 weeks. If we don't have them in 8 weeks, give them a call and see whats up.

Lovely.....right?
Exactly!
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Old 09-15-2013, 10:25 AM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 416,363 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crusoe View Post
With limited time would you choose Grants Pass over Ashland? There is hot air ballooning in Grants Pass but you have to get up early. The jet boats are not operating (They might be in Gold Beach in October) nor are other Rogue activities in October. On Trip Advisor there are 12 things to do in Grants Pass, parks, movie theater, vineyards, none worthy stopping for when better are down the road from what I recall.

We can agree crime is a factor to ponder on where to spend the night when rolling into town in a brand new(Convertible?) right? Steve that pretty car is going to get all messed up if it stops in Grants Pass. The OP won't be staying in an upscale residential area. Does Grants Pass have upscale?
That's a scary thought! Luckily after reading some suggestions and comments on here, my husband reluctantly agreed to take my car (Honda Pilot) instead. But I still wouldn't want to stay there if I have to worry about that!
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Old 09-15-2013, 10:26 AM
 
Location: PDX
320 posts, read 416,363 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by EnricoV View Post
Probably because it's intended only to be a place to stop and spend the night. And for that, Grants Pass works as good as anywhere.
Yep, that is pretty much the reason for the stop!
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