Ahhhh Bandon!

As we pulled out of Gold Beach, Denisa had to sigh at the thought of leaving such a beautiful place. We really liked this area of southern Oregon--even in the rain. We were a little sad as we drove over the Rogue River bridge for the last time.

Highway 101 leaves the coast for short time, and we were driving through the forested mountains. We saw lots of these log trucks on the road with us.

They were heading to saw mills and train tracks to take the wood to other parts of the country. It's amazing that there are so many trees on the sides of the mountains when we see stacks of logs like this.

We were heading north up Highway 101 to our next destination-- Bandon, Oregon. We have heard fellow travelers mention this seaside town over and over as they recommended it as a good place for us to visit. They all got a dreamy look in their eyes when they talked about it, and ended as they longingly whispered, "Ahhhh, Bandon!" When we first saw the Bandon beach, we whispered the same thing. At the foot of town, there is a long stretch of sand filled with unusual sea boulders called sea stacks.

We checked into our camping spot at Bullard Beach State Park just north of town. It's been a while since we've camped at a state park, but we've heard such good things about the Oregon State Park system. We have electricity and water here, and the sites are nice and level. As soon as we got the motor home settled, we took off in our bikes to explore the state park. We first checked out Bullard Beach, which is less than a mile from the campground. As evidence of the mighty force of the ocean, there are big pieces of driftwood up and down the beaches.

Denisa had read that you can ride bikes on the hard-packed sand of the beach. It didn't take us long to figure out that was incorrect. Pedaling in the sand is like riding a bicycle uphill--both ways.

So we walked our bikes on the beach just long enough to check it out. We found more of that unusual jelly-like blue stuff on the beach, and we now know what it is. Formally known as velella velella, the locals call it "by-the-wind-sailors." They got this name because there is a clear triangular sail at the top of the animal's body which will catch the wind and propel it across the surface of the ocean. There was even an article in the local newspaper that described the unusual amount of by-the-wind-sailors the Oregon beaches are experiencing this spring.

When we got to a low spot on the dune, we walked our bikes over the grass-covered sand and back to the nice smooth road.

Our destination for this bike ride was the Coquille River Lighthouse. There are nine Oregon coast lighthouses, and Denisa is hoping to see each one.

This lighthouse was built in 1896. It lies right beside the Coquille River that empties into the Pacific Ocean just a few yards from where we are standing to take this picture. Ahhhh Bandon!

As Mark took this photo, a flock of geese flew over the light house. Just like us, they are heading north.

On our drive into the town of Bandon, we spotted our first fields of cranberries. We wouldn't have known what this crop was if we hadn't seen cranberries when we were traveling in the east last year. The plants have a red tinge to them, but it is too early in the year for them to have berries. Each of the fields have a grassy berm surrounding it, designed to hold water when they are flooded for harvest. The fields are terraced so that the water can be pumped to each lower field to be re-used over and over until all the cranberry fields are harvested this fall.

There are so many cranberry fields that the Ocean Spray company has a processing facility right here in Bandon.

That processing plant is in the working section of Bandon, that looks much like any other town. But we loved the little historical downtown section next to the bay. This is where residents and tourists congregate. There are wooden benches and wooden statues to enjoy right along the water.

In warmer weather the stage and seating areas will be busy. On these cooler days there is an enclosed picnic building with glass walls so we could still eat our clam chowder comfortably while looking out over the water. Ahhhh Bandon!

There is also a fishing pier, that was busy with feathered and un-feathered fishermen this afternoon. Mark caught one of the guys throwing a crab cage into the water on the left.

We visited with some of the fishermen, who explained that crabs can only be harvested if they are males that are 5.75 inches or larger. The spaces on the wire cages are designed so that those smaller will fall out. It wasn't a good day for crabbing, as these guys were leaving empty-handed.

That was disappointing to the sea gulls, who spend most of their time begging for scraps from successful fishermen. We've also learned something new about these gulls. That red dot on their lower beak isn't there just for ornamentation. When the adults fly back to the nest, the babies peck at the red dot to signal a regurgitation response from the adult, that then feeds the young.

There are plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the pier. We especially enjoyed the free samples at the cranberry and cheese shops. One of the most interesting shops is called, "Washed Ashore." This group has volunteers that pick up litter that comes onto the beaches. Then that plastic becomes part of art projects that are displayed for public awareness.

Mark is standing besides Tula the Turtle, whose green turtle shell is made up of a mosaic of beach litter.

Tula's job is to remind beach-goers that carelessly tossed litter looks like food to many different marine animals. Plastic bags look like tasty jelly fish, and plastic bottle lids look like yummy sand crabs.

This is another example of the sculptures this group puts together. They have made trash sculptures that are now spread all over the United States, including the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC. Ahhhh Bandon!

Besides a delightful state park and historical downtown, Bandon has a great beach that stretches through the length of town. Like all Oregon beaches, it is free and open to the public. So a short walk down the cliffs, puts you on one of the best beaches in the state. The hillsides are covered with rocks and wonderful yellow blooms this time of year.

Another fun thing that happens on the Bandon beach is this community-sponsored beach art. This temporary work of art is about to be erased by the incoming tide.

From the top of the sea cliffs we can see more about the scale of today's art work. We plan to come back to watch another art project. Ahhhh Bandon!

Bandon's beach is famous for the many beautifully-shaped boulders along the coast. That is certainly an interesting boulder in the center of the picture below. Do you see a familiar shape?

If we zoom in a little closer, can you see the shape?

That is the famous "Face Rock" seen from Bandon Beach. If you're still struggling with the shape, the back of her head is tilted back into the water, with her profile looking up into the sky.

Strolling down the sand at Face Rock Beach is another great way to celebrate this great little town. Ahhhhh Bandon!