Thanks to the Oregon Beach Bill, signed into law on July 6, 1967, the public has free and uninterrupted access to the dry sand areas of entire coastline, 362 miles long. This bill was passed when private landowners and developers started putting “No Trespassing” signs or structures to restrict access which sparked public outrage. Now the entire coastline is enjoyed by the public for recreation and scenic beauty. And beautiful it is! And, to make it even better, the majority of beaches are dog-friendly; many have off leash areas as well.
Our first stop was at Bullard’s Beach State Park, about 85 miles from the southern Oregon border. It is just north of the small coastal town of Bandon, founded in 1873, primarily for timber shipping, fishing, and agriculture. There was a nice paved trail from the campground to the beach, just 1.25 miles one-way. It was a great route for Murphy and my early morning walks and usually we were the only ones on the beach.
Speaking of beaches, a bit south in Bandon is a wonderful beach with tons of sea stacks. To be honest, I had to look up what a sea stack was. They are isolated columns or pillars of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Yep, that is what we saw, and at low tide you can walk amongst the sea stacks for a unique perspective and check out the tide pools. We also stopped at an overlook for another perspective, where we saw a Puffin!
The small town of Bandon has a waterfront area “Old Bandon” that was geared for tourists but not until Saturday did it get very crowded. We learned that the folks living in the central valley drive over to the coast on weekends to get a break from the summer heat. Our first stop was Tony’s Crab Shack, which had received great reviews. We went twice, so I could try to hot crab and shrimp sandwich which they were out of the first day. Actually, it was a good thing as I loved the crab sandwich I had instead. Tony is not skimpy with the amount of loose crab in the sandwiches! The second time we went was on Saturday, and boy was the line long. Worth the wait though!
Throughout our stay, we stopped at several other local shops. Face Rock Creamery makes their own cheeses and they have samples out of each kind. Of course that helped me buy several! We also stopped by Bandon Coffee twice, as the first time they were out of cinnamon rolls. What? That cannot be! But that ended up being a good thing as Dave and I tried their soft and flavorful cookies during our first visit. The Cranberry Orange was most delicious.
Bandon also had a unique Art Gallery, “Washed Ashore,” which I am sure you can surmise had sculptures made from items washed ashore, similar to the Puffin above at an overlook. If you zoom in on the photos, you can make out many of the items that had washed ashore.
Bandon had a brewery, but the Bandon Rain Cidery was calling my name. Ten different kinds of cider! I was in heaven (and they also had beer on tap for Dave.) I had a tasting flight (sorry, I sampled some before my picture below). I was hooked, and bought a 4-pack to go and a T-shirt to help support the cidery.
Throughout the town of Bandon, there is reference to a historic fire. In September, 1936, a devastating wildfire swept through Bandon’s downtown, destroying most all of the city’s business district and hundreds of homes. It was ignited by a forest fire which was fueled by invasive gorse, which burns with intense heat. The city has a Gorse Compliance District Plan which specifies how tall or dense gorse may grow around properties and how to remove it. Its seed can last up to 1,000 years!
As you may know, Oregon’s coast is famous for its lighthouses. At this time, there are 9 that you can visit. We visited three at this stop. One was just a few miles away from our campground, one was about 30 minutes to the north and one about 30 minutes to the south. Below is a photo of the one near our campground. I plan to write a blog about all 9 once we finish our trip along the coast. Stay tuned….
As you can probably tell from this blog, the three of us had a great time in Bandon. I had a nice chat with a couple who are camp hosts. They sign up for a 30-day assignment and the state park gives them a free RV campsite for the month. They must work 20 hours a week, duties vary but can include cleaning the campsites between reservations, stocking restrooms (luckily Oregon parks do not require their camp hosts to clean bathrooms), selling firewood and helping with the ranger programs. Some volunteer at the nearby lighthouse gift shop. As much as I love the west coast and Bandon was such a delightful town with dog friendly beaches, this might be a fun way for Dave and I to spend a few summer months.
Loving the northern U.S. coastal stops Brenda, most beautiful coast yet Dave, and Surf, surf is my kind of turf Murphy
the oregon coast is beautiful.
yes the beaches are free access. great law.
i love each and every one. each is unique in their own way.
enjoy your trip
Spectacular!!