The First Leg of Our Travel Experiences Along the Oregon Coast
Aaron was quite entertained by my hanging airdryables in the car, including bras and underwear, after we finished our first load of laundry while on the road in Crescent City, after moving onward from Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. As I like to say, “This is life on the road”! We stopped near the California/Oregon border for a picnic lunch of PB&J on a picnic bench and table facing the ocean. We were approached by an older, local gentlemen who had lived there for many years. He chatted us up about the area, its remoteness and scenic beach views, and made a couple of recommendations for us in areas we’d soon pass through. We enjoyed a walk along the beach before moving onward to the border for a picture next to the welcome sign and stopping at the Visitor’s Center to pick up some maps and brochures.
Our next stop along the Oregon Coast was in Brookings to walk around the port and a random, small parking lot vendor market. We bought a basket of cherry tomatoes for $3, wanting to support the local growers; unfortunately, near half of them showed signs of rotting. We were still glad to have supported the local market, and the tomatoes that were good to eat were a nice, mid-afternoon snack!
We continued driving towards Bandon and stopped in Port Orford upon our next AirBnB hosts’ recommendation for dinner at The Crazy Norwegian’s, as they advised we’d be arriving late for dinner in Bandon and may encounter few options and crowds (i.e. long wait times). Herein lies one of our guiding principles of our travels: Always take the recommendations of locals, as they know what is good in the area and can give you ideas off of the typical tourist path. We were far from disappointed. I relished every bite of the fish taco I had and wished I had gotten TWO instead of one (I had a small cup of clam chowder on the side, so I would have been overstuffed if I’d ordered another taco, but thought the clam chowder tasted bland and was thinned out in texture rather than thick). The sauce on the taco was magical, pure awesome sauce; I don’t even know where to begin describing what it tasted like, so I’ll just leave it at that! Aaron’s cod with the fish and chips was plump, tender, and lightly fried, and his french fries were good.
Upon checking into our AirBnB hosts’ home, which was large and remote along the highway just south of Bandon, we got showered and caught up with our online transactions and endeavors, having access to WIFI again. I remember feeling hyperaware of how nice it felt to have our own private bedroom and bathroom indoors, and I soaked up every moment of my warm shower that nourished my body. Our female host was thorough in checking us in and very eager to help us enjoy our stay.
The next morning, our host provided breakfast (granola and milk, fruit, and muffins). We drove to Old Town Bandon and walked the port area, pier, streets, and then browsed through some shops after cheese tasting at Face Rock Creamery, where we tasted over a dozen cheddar samples and split a panini sandwich. Notable shop stops were Coastal Mist, where we bought sipping dark chocolate topped with vanilla bean whipped cream (just decadent!), and Cranberry Sweets, where we tried samples upon samples of jellied candies, chocolate, and flavored popcorns (it was almost overwhelming and we didn’t get around to trying all of them). We split a shrimp and crab seafood cocktail and fish taco at Tony’s Crab Shack, of which the cocktail was the highlight; fresh fish with sliced lemon on the side to squeeze over the top.
We walked on a beach near Face Rock, which was very windy! (Read about the Native American Legend of Face Rock here). We also went Agate hunting on this beach and came up with a handful of rocks (a few of which we believe are actually agates).
After a nap (Aaron) and WIFI usage (me) back at our AirBnB accommodation, we enjoyed a dinner out at a local Italian restaurant, Angelo’s Italy, where we enjoyed live music played by the Owner’s wife and son. We had cioppino and pasta mare (which was the same dish as the cioppino but served with pasta); I wished I’d gone with the pasta mare like Aaron because the cioppino felt more like a sauce to me than a soup, although delicious!
At some point while we were in the Bandon area, we picked out some local cranberry jelly (from Misty Meadows) and a beef stick. Again, we love supporting local, small businesses and getting a taste of local products! By the way, cranberry production is HUGE in Bandon and there is a rich history of it there. Their annual Cranberry Festival is held the second weekend of September each year, so we were a couple of weeks too early!
After enjoying a slow-moving morning at our Bandon accommodation and Bandon Coffee Cafe to read our books and travel blog (me) and travel journal (Aaron), we checked out the Croquille River Lighthouse and Face Rock (which we actually saw the day prior and had a hunch that’s what it was but didn’t know for sure). After a picnic lunch from our cooler supplies near the Lighthouse, we hit the road toward our next stop in Coos Bay, where we encountered one of the Portland-ish Owners of the Itty Bitty Inn in North Bend!
Staying in Bandon for a couple of days/nights was just what the doctor ordered for Aaron, who was fighting allergies or a cold (he’s not really sure which it was). It felt good to slow down a bit and stay in one place again for more than a night. While on the road, spending too many consecutive days on the road, stopping in a place for only one night, can wear on us (make us “road weary” as I call it) and as a result, we crave a slower pace of travel to have time to relax and enjoy what is around us in a particular place for longer and in a more in-depth way than passing through.
Until next time,
Elena 🙂