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Go for visitor's center, not rest stop in Ashland A rest stop is not needed, but a visitor's center is. The decision to not build a rest stop is a good one. A rest stop is usually located away from towns and cities. The previous rest stop before the Rogue Valley is just 22 miles back at Klamath River. The traveler is entering Oregon and the Rogue Valley, let's give them a first impression with a very nice visitor's center. The Oregon Visitor's Center would show the traveler all the possibilities in Southern Oregon as well as all of the state: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, old historic Jacksonville, Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, the Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood ... the list goes on. A perfect location would be the exit 14 interchange in Ashland. The vacant 76 gas station would be a good choice. There's a vacant lot next to the old Exxon gas station; there's a vacant lot next to the DMV; the old Ray's Nursery is available; the old Handyman store; etc. It needs to be easy to get in and out of and visible from Highway 66. The location at the U.S. Forest Service office is not a good one; it doesn't have the visibility. Let's put the money into a visitor's center that's going to represent the State of Oregon, a center that's going to give travelers a slate of the many possibilities for tourism in our state. This center will pay for itself many times over, if it is properly thought out. Randy Miltier Ashland Visit our back issue library Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Western Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing