Best Choice Inn, Dunsmuir, CA

While blazing up Interstate 5 on my annual winter break trek to Oregon, I've always noticed this roadside motel in Dunsmuir, CA.  The fairly vast expanse of the motel, with its attached restaurant and mountain views led me to believe that it had been a pretty nice place to stay at one point or another.  But even at 70mph, I could see peeling paint, weeds, and what looked like broken windows and detached siding.  What had this place actually been like at one time?

The earliest linen postcard of the Oak Lo Motel shows an artist's rendering of the motel's scenic location, with the beautiful Mount Shasta in the background.  Flowers, trees, and a lush lawn make for an inviting image. 

An actual photo of the same view showcases the expansive green lawn, ideal for a picnic or just a place to settle in and take in the amazing view of the mountain. 

A different angle of the property at about the same time shows a basic motor hotel, mostly single level with a second-story addition towards the southern end of the building.






A slightly newer postcard highlights a new pool and smiling visitors in the foreground, along with the motel's close proximity to both highway 99 and an incredible view of Mt. Shasta.  This postcard lists the Oak Lo to be a Best Western Motel, with extra long beds, carports, tubs and showers, and a heated pool.  Mr. and Mrs. J. Morgan Jones are the owners and managers.

"OAK-LO MOTEL - HOUSE OF GLASS RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE" This postcard, from roughly about the same time period, shows the entire expanse of the motel, complete with an  attached restaurant.  The sign for the motel now includes a large Best Western sign above the original Oak Lo Motel sign.  Postcard reads, "Refrigerated air conditioning, room phones, picture window view of Mt. Shasta.  Direct access from U.S. 99 and Interstate 5 at Dwight Way." Mr. and Mrs. J. Morgan Jones are listed as the owners and managers. Note the direct access from northbound highway 99.

A few years later, the Oak-Lo motel now features a second story addition on the north end of the building.  Postcard lists direct access from U.S. 99 and Interstate 5 at Dwight Way.  Ownership and management have switched to Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Rogers. 







A few years later, and the Oak-Lo shows increased signage.  Postcard lists direct access from Highway 5, and includes shuffleboard as a feature.

A different angle from the same era showcases the pool area and lawn, along with the same breathtaking view of Mt. Shasta.  Note the second story addition on the north end of the building, and what seems to be discoloration on the roof.







This photo, likely taken from the restaurant, highlights the views of the mountains, but also shows the ease of access from both sides of highway 99.  Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Rogers are listed as owners and managers.  I can only guess, but I'd imagine these final postcards are from the mid-seventies to early eighties.  I cannot find many photos of the motel through the 90s to early 2000s.






So what happened to the Oak-Lo motel?  Did it fall prey from local competition?  Did Interstate 5's new on- and off-ramps cut off the ease of access to Dwight Way for potential customers?  Did the cost and upkeep of maintenance along with the larger payroll slowly kill off the aging roadside lodge?  I can only guess that it was a combination of factors. 

Tripadvisor reviews of the motel from 2008-2011, by then renamed the Best Choice Inn, are poor.  I can only guess that it closed shortly after, and since then has been largely abandoned.  By the time I got a close look, it's fallen into a pretty poor state of disrepair.  No trespassing signs, a close proximity of neighbors on a Saturday afternoon, and a tight travel schedule kept me from taking better photos.