Well, I am from Klamath Falls - and think it's a great place -with this wonderful resort - The Running Y offering horseback riding, etc. http://www.runningy.com/

And the next day - you could take in Crater Lake on your way to Bend - after driving around long Klamath Lake on hiway 97.

http://tinyurl.com/cv6m8r4

To be fair - if you stayed/driving up/on I-5 - after you cross the Oregon border - you come into the Rogue Valley - and Ashland is also very cute (small college town lot of dining options) - and it has a historic Shakespeare festival. http://www.ashlandchamber.com/Splash.asp

In Grants Pass - you can find a place to stay on the fabled Rogue River - http://www.tututun.com/aboutus.html - but to put in my plug for K. Falls - it's cooler there in the summer - into the 90's, but it can get 10 degrees hotter over in the Valley.

You could also consider staying at Diamond Lake Resort - which is close to Crater Lake and you could also visit there the next day on your way to Bend. http://www.diamondlake.net/

Lots of nice places to enjoy the beautiful Oregon Scenery.

Actually - Tun Tun is clover to the Rogue entrance at Gold Beach (where people go to ride the Jet Boats upstream) - but there are places in or just outside of Grants Pass on the Rogue and from there/GP to Crater Lake is what - an hour and a half or so? Here is one - and again - there are a few others.

http://www.morrisonslodge.com/

I live 50 miles south of Bend. DW and I recently drove from home to Pigeon Point Lighthouse which is 50 miles south of SF.
We even took the time to drive over to Pescadero for some groceries. The point is that you don't need an overnight between SF and Bend unless you can score a reservation at the Crater Lake Lodge. The route is I-5 up to Weed and US 97 to Bend.
If you must have an overnight consider a hotel in Weed or Dorris.
We once stayed at a motel on one of several turns in Dorris during a snowstorm so that we could drive home in the morning.

I live 30 miles east of Sacramento. DH and I own a vacation home in Sunriver (15 miles south of Bend). Hubby, I and our dog have been making this drive many times per year for the past 7 years. You can easily make this drive in one day, even with a short visit to Crater Lake. It takes about 8 hours with numerous potty stops and a lunch break. We pack a picnic lunch and eat at the Grass Lake Rest stop. South Weed exit has several major fast food restaurants. If you feel you need to break up the journey, Dunsmuir is half way. We have stayed at the Railroad Resort (you stay in cabooses). The pool area has a view of Castle Crags. I have stayed overnight in Grants Pass and Klamath Falls and Grants Pass. Klamath Falls has seen it's better days (sorry Tomsd). Grants Pass is very nice but is not on a direct route to Bend.

Years ago - after I picked up my two sisters in SF (they were going to USF) - we got snowed in at Weed.

That is the only time I have stayed there in over 50 years of driving back and forth from SF - and hopefully it will remain the only time. I do however love to stop and get an egg salad sandwich - made on her fresh bread - at Ellie's - a sandwich/pastry/coffee shop there - but I think she is retiring. Makes the whole rest of the drive just lovely.
http://tinyurl.com/7x397qq

Ditto for Doris - and why would you stay in that little berg when you can go on into Klamath in another 20 minutes?

BarbAnn - have you stayed at the Runmning Y Ranch? You would probably change your tune about Klamath - where sadly - the thriving downtown area is not what it used to be - but they do now have a Wal Mart, etc - out South 6th.

And when I was in high school in the early 60's - we considered Bend a small town - but things have changed. They have grown tremendously - especially with the southern enclave of your Sun River - which is beautiful. Love having dinner at the Trout house - the round building on the Deschutes if it's still there/open? Bummer if this is true: http://www.hackbend.com/2011/01/31/sunrivers-trout-house-is-closing.php

And just love the Castle Crags. Hadn't pulled off there 40 some years (it's too soon after you leave Klamath if you are heading south - and when heading north - you are close to K. Falls - and want to press on) - and then did it once so my wife could find/pick some blackberries - and it's just beautiful. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=454

Plus - if you are into fishing - on the other side of the freeway - you can walk along the railroad/bridge and cast into the Sacramento River and possibly pull up a nice Rainbow trout - or maybe even a Salmon. Mega

Now that would be where I would stop for a picinc lunch.

tomsd- Trouthouse is closed- now its a Mexican restaurant- too bad as I enjoyed having dinners there

We would stay in Dunsmuir so my DH could flyfish the Sacramento River. He has flyfished for 45 years. That is also why we bought the vacation home in Sunriver...so he could flyfish. K Falls is where I hung out while we stayed at a flyfishing resort in Chiloquin. DH flyfished the Williamson River, while I explored Klamath Falls.

We used to go to the Trout House. Now that it is a Mexican Restaurant, we have not gone there.

We vacationed near Bend several years running. The first time we stayed overnight in Klamath Falls. When we pulled up at the motel, the kids wanted to know why we were stopping. That was the last time we did!

As always - thank you so much for your kind advice.
regards
suz

Had Sf7 known better - she might have driven the kids to the Running Y Ranch - http://www.runningy.com/recreation/family-fun.php (where we now have our high school reunions) -

or up to beautiful Lake of the Woods. http://www.lakeofthewoodsresort.com/camp_candids.php?ctg=23&a=view&image=7 - or to nearby 4 Mile Lake: http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/fourmilelake/index.html

If her kids were "game" enough - they could have climbed nearby - 10,000 foot Mt. McGloughlin - as my niece did when she was a teenager.

Took a couple days of training with the local Girl Scouts at Lake of the Woods - but she and a couple other girls made it - while about half of the others fell out during the hike.

Safe to do - with clear weather - in one day.