OTE - Oregon Travel Experience

From tree to shining tree

Posted on: March 23rd, 2012 in News & Press, Roadways and Waysides |

Oregon Heritage Tree Program: The statewide dedication

What would life be without trees? Trees that shade. Trees that provide food. Trees whose bark, wood, and fiber produce the tools of trade, construction, and commerce. And, in the case of the Oregon Heritage Tree Program, trees whose roots are deeply grounded in our state’s history.
On Friday April 6, 2012, OTE and Oregon State University (OSU) will host a dedication ceremony for the …

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For the love of trees

Posted on: February 14th, 2012 in News & Press, Roadways and Waysides |

For heritage tree lovers everywhere, a trysting tree equals both romanticism and history at the same time.
Nominated for the 2012 Class of Oregon Heritage Trees, Oregon State University’s (OSU) 29 year old Trysting Tree will be one of four trees honored this year during an Oregon Arbor Week event in April.
The OSU Trysting Tree is actually a bit of a reincarnation. In 1987, the original tree was cut down due …

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Kiosks never sleep and neither do we

Posted on: January 9th, 2012 in News & Press, Roadways and Waysides |

What exactly is a rest area kiosk?

Installing and maintaining Oregon highway business signs are only a fraction of what OTE’s Field Operations Division has a hand in. OTE maintains and stocks kiosk information centers within 12 highway rest areas across the state. Motorists use kiosks both night and day, looking for unique places to eat, sleep, or shop.
Over the last year, OTE noted significant deterioration to almost every kiosk—many had …

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Coffee: good for the soul

Posted on: January 6th, 2012 in News & Press, Roadways and Waysides |

OTE Free Coffee Program volunteers create community

The Grants Pass region is one of Oregon’s most scenic stretches of Interstate 5. Throughout numerous mountain passes from California to the Willamette Valley, craggy canyon walls and old growth trees welcome motorists to our state’s famous wild beauty.
Oregon Travel Experience supervises Manzanita rest area, located slightly north of Grants Pass. As part of OTE’s campaign to encourage drivers to rest and refresh at …

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Customer service 101: Inside and outside OTE

Posted on: December 28th, 2011 in News & Press, Roadways and Waysides |

A conversation about highway business signs

If you’ve ever worn a reversible jacket, you may have preferred one side over the other. Sue VanHandel, our business and sign assistant, carries the reversible jacket analogy one step further—wearing her personal mantra of excellence for both internal and external customers
Sue helps Oregon businesses obtain space on Interstate and off-Interstate logo signs. She is unabashedly enthusiastic about fostering small business visibility.
“A lot of people don’t …

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Council to hold quarterly meeting

Posted on: November 22nd, 2011 in Meetings & Reports, News & Press |

The regular quarterly meeting of Oregon Travel Experience’s governing council is slated for Friday, December 9, 2011. The meeting will be held via teleconference. Public comment  may be submitted in writing, email, or by attending the conference at OTE’s 1500 Liberty St SE, Salem offices during the time allotted.
The following is a tentative agenda:
Meeting time: 10:00 a.m until noon (may end earlier if discussion is abbreviated).

Introductions

Public comment

Executive reports:

CEO’s report
Approval of …

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Welcome to Oregon

Posted on: November 1st, 2011 in News & Press |

Are you on the highway looking for that perfect fall photo op? Oregon Travel Experience would like to post your photo in our “Welcome to Oregon” blog post for December.
Here’s what to do:
Stop at the I-84 rest area outside of Ontario, Oregon (MP 377, west) and snap a photo of yourself or friends and family by the side of the “Welcome to Oregon” sign. Write a little blurb about where …

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