My husband and I want to drive from our home in San Francisco to Southern Oregon to spend 2 weeks exploring. We want to hike a lot, maybe raft a little. Rest, revel in beauty. We have never been to southern Oregon, except for flying in and out of Medford to Ashland every few years. We need an itinerary. I'd like 3-4 places to stay and explore. We could drive up the coast and start at Gold's Beach or drive up inland and start with a few plays in Ashland. But after that, I have no idea.

Great that you're giving yourselves time to really explore.... How about a loop, starting in Ashland, then up to Crater Lake, over to Yachats on the central coast, then south to Gold Beach (Gold's Gym, but Gold Beach! ;-)). And include a drive through the redwoods either coming or going.

As for accommodations, you really can't beat Overleaf Lodge in Yachats or TuTuTun Lodge near Gold Beach: http://www.overleaflodge.com/ & http://www.tututun.com/. Two of the best lodgings on the Oregon coast. Crater Lake Lodge would be the obvious choice there, depending on when you're planning this. And though you're apparently familiar with Ashland, we like this place: http://www.ashlandcreekinn.com/.

If we can get you settled into an itinerary, the blanks are easily filled in. When are you planning this?

We love Ashland and the Oregon coast. I second the recommendation for the Overleaf Lodge in Yachats. We stayed there for 5 days 3 summers ago and could not believe how wonderful and inexpensive it was. Although I really liked all of the Oregon coast, I was especially fond of Yachats. Also, don't miss Crater Lake if you have never been there. There is supposed to be some good whitewater rafting in the area between Ashland and the coast, but I never actually had a chance to check it out because I threw out my back during a brutal hike. Whatever you do, have a great time. It is really one of my favorite parts of the country!

Try the jet boat ride at Gold Beach- not exactly rafting but it is a fun trip - beautiful scenery - take the all day trip -

Ashland is a nice palce to explore, we were just there last month on two overnight trips on our way up to our beach cottage in Seaside where we spent several days on the gorgeous coast. We have stayed many, many times at the Ashland Plaza Inn & Suites, we had a King Spa Room for around $119/night which was a great rate.

There are several great places to dine in Ashland: Peerless, Chateaulin, Liquid Assets Wine Bar, Lark's and Amuse are a few of our favorites! Last month we enjoyed dinner at the Winchester Inn. ***kim***