By Stuart Wasserman

Driving down the road feeling fine — that's how I felt with my new lady sitting by my side. We were zooming down I-5 - the main link between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.

This was a budding relationship and I was learning that sometimes good things could come out of bad.

I had broken my wrist a few weeks earlier — the last game of the softball season. Thank karma that this woman took pity on me with my one arm locked erect in a cast. She took me under her wing. When she admitted she hates to drive but wanted to meet up with an old friend in San Francisco I declared that I was good to drive.

My cast extended from elbow to fingers, but when my arm was held upright out of the driver's side window pressure was gone and my wrist felt fine.

Our goal before reaching San Francisco was to discover southern Oregon, specifically region around the towns of Ashland and Jacksonville, which is coming into its own as a distinct wine appellation.

Ashland and Jacksonville are midway between Portland and San Francisco — about six hours away from each if one is not in a rush. And we weren't. Ashland, which for more than 30 years has built a reputation for its annual Shakespeare festival, is working on a new reputation as a popular food and wine-touring region. Driving down country roads and stopping at different wineries —even a one-armed man can do that.

So, we set out from Portland, cruising down the highway with my arm stretched upright out the driver's side window. Many people on the road thought I was waving to them and some waved back; others thought I was simply about to make a right turn. My traveling partner Patty, was feeding Cajun and Zydeco tunes into the CD player. I was in heaven. It shouldn't matter to me, I mused, that the friend Patty was planning to see was a guy. If this doesn't work out, at least I won't have had to pay for all of the gas.

Browsing on the Web we found a great bed and breakfast, and Ashland has many of them. In fact, Ashland has the most B&Bs per capita than anywhere in the country. We chose the Midsummer's Dream because of their bathrooms. My sister-in-law taught me to consider bathrooms. The Midsummer's Dream has great deep tubs for two. Because the place was built to be a B&B, every bathroom is grand and each room has a fireplace.

Innkeeper Lisa Beach is a welcoming hostess and a great cook. Patty liked the art deco light fixture in the center of the bedroom. I liked the small balcony overlooking the Ashland hillsides. Everywhere we looked there was a visual treat, if not an actual bowl of chocolates or other nutty treats.

Ashland has matured. In one block I spotted four restaurants and three art galleries. The town is compact. "Drop me off, honey, and pick me up in a couple of days. I want to eat my way through town."

The first night we dined at the Wine Assets on Main Street, a restaurant that turns 3 years old in August. I recall sauteed chanterelle and lobster, mushroom with sherry herb butter and Asiago, priced at $14. Patty said the mushrooms were delicious. I had a pint of Mad River Steelhead extra pale ale, $4, and Patty had the Veramonte '05 Primus Claret at $9. The desserts were great. I'm now a fan of lemon tarts.

I thought maybe my traveling partner and I might get a little rambunctious that night because no one else was staying at the Midsummer's Dream, lucky us, but too much food and wine dropped me into deep slumber and day two was slated to be a busy one.

We planned to visit several wineries, including Weisengers, Edenvale, RoxyAnn ,Valley View, Troon, and then make a stop at Pennington Farms for fresh-baked breads and homemade jams. Many of these suggestions came from Main Street Tours, a longtime Ashland tour agency that also conducts popular bird-watching trips to Crater Lake about 2 1/2 hours away.

We started out heartily. Weisinger's of Ashland Winery is three miles outside of town, located on a hillside that offers a sweeping view the valley around Ashland. With 20 years in the business, it is the oldest winery continuously owned by one family. John Weisinger is a tall, trim, soft-spoken man and a wealth of information about the area. Weisinger told us that about a 500,000 tourists visit Ashland each year. His is the first winery people see driving north on the highway from California. The winery offers live jazz music from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays.

"Now, when people come to visit Ashland, they stay longer." Weisinger said. "Aside from the plays, they take in a day or two of wine tasting. Ten years ago there were about 10 wineries in the county. Today there are 35."

Next stop on this whirlwind tour was the Edenvale Winery located on Old Stagecoach Road. The winery features pretty gardens and the Joseph Stewart House, built before the turn of the 20th century. The land is used to produce fine pears marketed by Harry and David.

The folks at Edenvale are friendly and will gladly hand draw a map of shortcuts to get from one winery to another. By the time we reached RoxyAnn, our heads were swooning from the wine and our energy levels were weakening, so we decided to leave the wineries in the Applegate Valley for the return trip from San Francisco.

With that decision made, we relaxed at the RoxyAnn Winery where many of the buildings are on the National Historic Register. Their specialties are Claret and viognier, a grape the winery first planted in 1997.

That night we ate at the Ashland Bistro, which according to Weisinger was the place to be on a Tuesday because the Bistro features live jazz and a three course meal for $12. The Ashland Bistro, locally known simply as ABC, has flourished for over 30 years.

After dinner, we strolled for several blocks and popped into several bars but we did not stay up late. Tomorrow we would roll south to San Francisco.

Summer and fall is a great time to be traveling through Ashland. We made the trip in the fall and the trees were aflame with red, yellow, and gold leaves. "The colors of Ashland", Patty pointed out, "are in the people, too," as we watched a woman in layers of dresses, peach and chestnut, over burgundy leggings — colors galore — step out of a car.

As Ashland grew ever smaller in the review mirror, we contemplated a possible next stage of our lives; tending gardens in a bucolic, yet sophisticated, southern Oregon community where even the trailer parks look lovely in the morning light.

IF YOU GO

A Midsummer's Dream B&B; www.amidsummer.com; 877 376-8800.

Liquid Assets: www.liquidassetswinebar.com; 541-482-9463.

Main Street Tours: www.ashland-tours.com; 541-488-7895, owner Kim Lewis.

(set caption) Proprietor John Weisenger pours a glass of wine and offers advice to visitors to Weisenger's of Ashville (Ore.) Winery. Photo by Stuart Wasserman. (end caption)

Stuart Wasserman is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.