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| Sharing Bandon Beach with some of our rock friends |
On our way out of the Union Creek area we made a quick stop to do a short hike that I had read about the night before. We debated if we were going to do it or not before deciding to go for it, and we're glad we did! The hike took us to two amazing waterfalls, Mill Creek Falls and Barr Creek Falls. Both waterfalls were about the same height (Mill Creek was listed at 175 feet) and only a few hundred feet from each other. The Mill Creek Falls was a straight drop, while the Barr Creek Falls cascaded down several steps before reaching the bottom. It was a great way to start the drive towards the Oregon coast.
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| Mill Creek Falls |
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| Barr Creek Falls |
We're spending two nights in Bandon, which is part of the Southern Oregon Coast. As you've probably figured out by now if you've followed the blog, we're big fans of being on the ocean. Of all the coastlines we've visited all over the world, there really aren't any we haven't liked, but the rugged Oregon coast is one of our favorites.
Bandon is a typical laid back coastal Oregon city. It has a population of just over 3,000 and an economy that is built mainly around tourism, fishing and lumber. Our hotel, Windemere on the Beach is just south of town and as the name implies is located directly on the beach. We arrived a little before noon and were not disappointed to learn that our room wasn't ready yet. We simply left everything in the car and headed down for a walk along the shore. It was about 60 degrees with a 15-20 mph wind blowing off the ocean, making it refreshingly chilly!
As with many of the Oregon coastal beaches, this one has large, interesting rock formations some of which are in the water during high tide and are a part of the beach itself at low tide. When the tide is low there are often small tidal pools that form around the base of these rocks. It's certainly different than the Florida coast line we're used to and most coast lines we visit.
Downtown Bandon has a section called "Old Bandon" that is built along the bay front. There are a number of shops and restaurants and even a few playful seals swimming around just off the boardwalk. We had a really good and inexpensive (which makes it even better) meal at the Bandon Fish Market. Great clam strips and clam chowder for not a whole lot of clams!
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| Good Clams! |
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| Rainbow over the Bandon Marina |
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| There is a very interesting looking museum in Old Bandon called "Washed Ashore". All the art is made out of plastic that has washed up on the Oregon beaches. It's purpose is to raise awareness of what we are dumping into our oceans. Unfortunately the museum is closed on Monday's and Tuesday's. This was one of two pieces on display outside the museum. |
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| Another "Washed Ashore" display |
We finished the day with a sunset stroll along the beach. The sunset itself wasn't spectacular but the clouds and rain just offshore made it quite interesting looking and Beth got some really nice photos.
Today we headed 20 miles north of Bandon to the Coos Bay area. We enjoyed visiting Shore Acres State Park. This park is located right along the coast and has some great overlooks of the Pacific Ocean as well as a nice botanical garden. Although we were a little bit challenged by the rain, we really liked the Simpson Reef Overlook. Huge waves were crashing over the offshore reef and what seemed like hundreds of seals and sea lions were playing in the surf and resting on the rocks.
On our way back to Bandon we stopped in the city of Coos Bay for lunch. Yesterday it was the Bandon Fish Market, today it was the Fisherman's Seafood Market. Again, it was inexpensive and very tasty. More clam chowder but this time served with a mix of fish and chips and shrimp and chips. So much good seafood, so little time!
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| Simpson Reef Overlook @ Shore Acres State Park |
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| The Botanical Gardens |
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| There was a small Japanese Garden inside the botanical garden |
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| A delicious lunch served on the water! |
As we were leaving Coos Bay a mural in downtown caught my eye. I recognized the subject of the mural immediately, it was the great runner and Coos Bay native, Steve Prefontaine, affectionately known as "Pre". In the early 70's, at a time I was doing a little bit of cross country running in high school, "Pre" was setting new American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He was as fierce a competitor as there ever was and an outstanding "quote machine". A couple of his more famous quotes were, "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" and "somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it". He, along with Jim Ryun, Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers were credited with carrying the torch for the "running boom" of the 70's. Sadly he passed away in a car accident in May, 1975 at just 24 years of age. The mural is a great tribute to his legacy.
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| Honoring Coos Bay's Hometown Hero |
Once we got back to our hotel we did a nice long afternoon walk along the beach. It was low tide so we were able to explore a small cave through one of the larger rocks as well as several tide pools. Tomorrow morning we are heading back to California for a one night stay in Trinidad before going on to Fort Bragg/Mendocino coast to meet up with the Martins!
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| One of several small caves that we explored during low tide |
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| Sea Urchins in a small tidal pool |
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| The Coquille River Lighthouse in Bandon |
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| Bandon from the inlet |
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| Clam diggers at low tide |
I'm certainly no expert on the Oregon coast. There is much more of it that I haven't seen than that I have seen, but I can say without a doubt it's pretty darn nice!
