Pre-Symposium Tour Information
Tour #1 - Lingonberries
July 8-9, 2008
**Tour #1 is limited to 20 registrants**
This “lingonberry tour” starts at the Sheraton Airport hotel near Portland International Airport (PDX) on the evening of Tuesday July 8. Registration for the tour will begin that evening with an informal gathering at 6:30 p.m. in the foyer of the hotel. The busses for Tour #1 will load on Wednesday July 9 at 8:45 a.m. Lodging is included in the tour price for July 8, however the registration fee does not include dinner that night. On Wednesday July 9 tour participants will visit a commercial lingonberry farm in the Willamette Valley and then proceed east along the Scenic Columbia Gorge and visit Oregon State University’s Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MCAREC) in Hood River. The tour will then return to the Sheraton at PDX that evening. The registration fee includes lodging on July 8, a notebook with handout materials, and transportation and all meals on July 9.
Please note that participants who plan to attend Tour #2 will have their accommodations on July 9 included as part of the Tour #2 registration fee. However, if you are on Tour #1 and are not participating in Tour #2 then you must make your own arrangements for transportation and lodging from July 9 through July 13 when the Symposium will begin in Corvallis.
Tour #1 and the start of Tour #2 (on July 9) will be located at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel. Please note that the tour registration fee is based on double occupancy hotel accommodations on July 8.
Tour #2 - Blueberries and Cranberries
July 9-13, 2008**Tour #2 is limited to 146 registrants**
Registration check-in for Tour #2 will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the foyer of the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in Portland, Oregon. You will recieve detailed information about the tour at that time. The busses for Tour #2 will load on Thursday July 10 at 7:30 a.m.
Participants on this 4-day (4 night) tour will visit commercial blueberry and cranberry farms, a nursery and an Oregon State University research station. Participants will also receive an introduction to the diverse Oregon berry crop industries and have an opportunity to experience a few recreational activities. This guided tour will take participants to sites in the beautiful Willamette Valley and the scenic Oregon Coast. The tour will begin at the Sheraton Airport hotel near the Portland International Airport (PDX) and end at Oregon State University in Corvallis (where the Symposium will be held July 13-16). The tour will include a two-night stay at the Oregon coast so participants and companions can enjoy the stunning coastal scenery. Below is a general daily tour itinerary:
July 9
Arrive at Portland International Airport (PDX), Portland, Oregon or from tour 1.>
If you arrive early, you can take the Max train from PDX to downtown Portland for sightseeing. A round trip to city center costs ~$ 4. You will need to purchase your own ticket. For details about Max train service, please visit: http://www.trimet.org/max/index.htm.
July 10
Visit Oregon State University’s North Willamette Research and Extension Center, Aurora (e.g. see cultivar trials, research on organic production systems). Tour a diverse berry farm targeting fresh market production (blueberry, hardy kiwifruit, blackberries) in Woodburn. Near Salem, you will visit a very large commercial blueberry farm and stop for lunch. You may see mechanical harvesting and packing facilities. The evening will start with wine tasting (by law the drinking age in Oregon is 21 years old) followed by a dinner at the beautiful Willamette Valley Vineyards. After dinner, the tour buses will travel south to stay at the Hilton Inn in Eugene, Oregon.
July 11
Tour a large blueberry nursery in Lowell, near Eugene. Buses will then travel south to tour a large blueberry farm near Roseburg and have lunch. The tour will then proceed west along a scenic highway and arrive at the Oregon coast in the late afternoon. The tour will stop and visit a large commercial cranberry farm and perhaps a packing facility, before proceeding to hotels in Bandon that offer spectacular views of the beach or harbor. All tour participants will have dinner at Lord Bennett’s, a restaurant on the scenic Beach Loop Drive in Bandon. After dinner you will be returned to your hotel.
July 12
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: There will be 3 buses on this tour. Based on interest, you may do one of the following:
1) visit commercial cranberry farms
2) by bus - visit old-town Bandon and explore the town/shopping on your own for the morning
3) on foot - be on your to walk and enjoy the town and beach
Based on interest – if we have more than one bus that is interested in the cranberry tour, we may not have enough space for everyone to get a bus ride to town (note, however, that one can walk to town from at least 1 or 2 of the hotels). More information will be available once we know the level of interest.
12:30 p.m.: All tour participants need to depart by bus to head south toward Gold Beach (box lunch included). The tour includes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a jet-boat trip (http://www.mailboat.com/) on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River (see information below for suggestions on clothing etc.). This trip will take about 6 hours and it includes a boat trip (potential to see bird and animal life and native plants and geology) and dinner at Singing Springs Lodge over-looking the Rogue River. After the trip you will return by bus to your hotel in Bandon.July 13
Depart Bandon and travel by bus north along the Oregon coast (Highway 101) to Newport. The tour will stop at the coastal town of Newport and participants will have a chance to explore the historic bay front. There are many shops and galleries along the bay front and participants will also have a chance to see wildlife along the bay front. Lunch this day will be on your own (not included in tour price). Buses will depart Newport and head east to Corvallis to arrive at 4:30pm in time for you to check-in and attend the welcome reception for the symposium at Oregon State University.
To view the map in larger detail, please click here.
Tour #2 - Important information
Tour price includes: 4 nights hotel – shared accommodation (2 people per room) only – there are unfortunately not enough rooms on the Oregon coast to accommodate single occupancy – we are asking you choose an individual to share a room with if you prefer – you must both indicate each other for this to work; all transportation, meals and snacks are included, except dinner on July 9 and lunch in Newport on July 13.
For clothing we suggest a wide range clothing so that you can layer. It can be quite hot in the Willamette Valley (sunscreen, shorts and hats suggested). However, it can get quite cool in the evenings and a light jacket is recommended. On the Oregon coast, weather can be variable and morning fog and wind can necessitate wearing sweaters and jackets. For the Rogue River Jet Boat trip, we recommend jackets (waterproof not necessary but suggested as it is possible for some water spray from the boat trip to make you a little wet). Binoculars and cameras are highly recommended. We recommend comfortable shoes for the tour – we are quite casual in Oregon and informal dress is okay for all dinners. Please contact us if you require further guidance or information.
Seating is limited to 146 registrants so book early! The organizers cannot allow anyone to travel on this tour in their personal or rental car. We simply do not have space at any meals or hotels to accommodate this – no exceptions!
