Somebody Pinch Me

It's like we're living in a post card collection. Not living in a single post card - a whole bunch of them!

Every place we go (and we did choose a pretty amazing route for starters) is incredible. I worry I'm going to wear out all "those" adjectives in my posts.

With full and partial hookups, good showers, generous space, and beautiful locations, the Oregon State Park campgrounds along the coast are perfect places to stay. They are also full on the summer weekends. Cancellations do occur and if your timing is right (congrats BFF on scoring both Bullards and Harris Beach!) you can spend more than three or four days. We would definitely have booked more time here in Bandon, OR, if we could have!

Bullards Beach State Park is just over the Coquille River north of Bandon by the Sea, OR. The weather has been perfect for our three days here, making getting out and seeing the sights especially enjoyable.  Leaving behind those triple digits in SoCal, I didn't think I'd ever welcome the warmth again. But after just a few weeks of fog and clouds, it's been a treat to have some days of bright sunshine :-)

Our site is at the beginning of the C loop, gets great Internet, is sunny most of the day, and if we had satellite we have open skies on three sides. There is also a steady stream of kids, dogs and bikes to keep all of us entertained. It's nice to see families having a good time outdoors. Tessa falls in love multiple times a day.

 Relaxing in the backyard with a good book  (I don't know how he can see that little screen)

Tessa's first time out with the Trkes. She did great.

The small road off the campground follows the small peninsula between the Coquille River and the Pacific Ocean. It ends at the Coquille Lighthouse, decommissioned in 1939, but still maintained and open for daily tours. 

Coquille River Lighthouse

Expecting a cascade of blonde hair?

It is a cute little lighthouse, but the draw here is the huge, flat, blustery, foggy, goes-on-for-miles beach with rows of crashing gray waves on one side and piles of smooth gray driftwood on the other.

I'm sure it is spectacular every day, but on a day without another person in sight there aren't words to describe its power and beauty.





After our time on Bullards Beach we headed into Old Town Bandon. Several eateries and cute shops and folks enjoying vacation. Our favorite was the boardwalk along the marina. There are multiple types of local art on display, with the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and fishing pier making a unique gallery setting.

Several pieces honoring the local tribe

Different size and style, each a tribute to a loved one

One of my favorites of

over a hundred art pieces by all ages

 We wrapped up our second day's outing with a drive around Beach Loop Road. Although there were a couple dozen properties for sale along this section of ocean view homes among the forest, the one we fell in love with was not one of them.

Wednesday morning we headed south to Cape Blanco Lighthouse. I've seen and read about the spot in Nina's blog for a couple years and couldn't wait to see it in person. Knowing she wouldn't be there I didn't plan to take the tour and leave Bill and Tessa waiting, but I was still excited.

At the most western point in the contiguous US, Cape Blanco sticks her face out into the Pacific and catches the strong winds nearly every day. Our visit was no exception, but the sun was shining bright and we could see for miles which is not always the case.

Did I mention living in a post card?  Once again the "wow's" continued as the lighthouse came into view. And then some more as we looked out over the beach below. There were quite a few people for mid week, and one guide took a good size group for the next tour while we chatted outside with the other.

I perused the visitors building (they just moved to the larger one this week), read some of the history of the over-one-hundred-year-old working lighthouse, and bought my first souvenir sweatshirt since we launched. Had to, I was that excited to be there.

A couple and young girl arrived in a Model T as we were walking back to the Jeep. I laughed at the parking of the very old vehicle followed by the immediate pulling out of smart phones :-)

They drove it from Port Orford today

It was still early so we turned north, passed Bandon, and ended up in Coos Bay for lunch. We'll pass through again on our way north, but not to stop and look around.

Saw our first car dealerships since Ukiah, making it feel like a really big town, and the large Mills Casino with an RV park right on the water. Bill found a deli on BringFido.com and we enjoyed a couple of sandwiches before taking in the local farmer's market next door. City Sub has a great selection and brought Tessa three doggie meatballs to enjoy. Is it still a "doggy bag" if she brought some home?

Picked up a large bag of fresh blueberries and a couple tamales, exercised great control in not picking up some lovely smelling beeswax candles, and headed out. The produce was sparse and I was nearly cashless (have to remember to carry that stuff now), so it was a small-haul.

As if all the dogs and kids haven't been exciting enough for Tessa, this gal wondered into our camp.

I love that we haven't been ready to leave any place so far, and at the same time are excited to see what's next.

This is our life? Pinch me!