9/8 Bandon, OR, Cranberry Festival

I came here because I like Bandon and the nearby Bullard's Beach State Park, not because of the cranberry festival.  However, when I ordered some bakery good to pick up and freeze on Saturday, I found out about the festival.  That presented problems because the main part of the old town would be blocked off ,and I would need to park a long way away and ride my bike.  That actually worked out fairly well.  I found a place to park along a quiet street, got my bike off the back, and off I went.

I intercepted the local parade and had to ride alongside it.  Lot of space, but danger in riding along a parade is that you get hit with a lot of candy!  It seems like everyone riding on a float or walking alongside had a bucket of candy.  Lot of the kids watching the parade also had buckets to store what they picked up.

The high school, local clubs, and a lot of local businesses participated, so for a very small town, it was a very long parade.  I took a shortcut down to the old town area.  

However, the parade took a left a block further along and then went down the hill and through the old town area, so I got to see the front part of the parade.  This is the high school band.  Sorry for the lens cover in the right corner--it sometimes sticks. 

The old town area is along the harbor and is filled with tourist things like shops and restaurants. 

This is my favorite street of the two main streets in old town because it has a great bakery at the end.  And a very nice bookstore which carries a lot of little things you can use for stocking stuffers. 

 The building at the end is the farmer's market.  Lots of handmade crafts and vegetables and such.  I bought some prune plums and tomatoes.

This is the parking lot where I usually park my motorhome when I come here, but it was filled with another group of stalls.  It normally has four or five longer parking spots designated specifically for RVs.  

The harbor has a boat launching platform and lots of places to tie up boats.  There are a row of restaurants and fishing supply shops near here where you can buy or rent crab pots.  The other day I had bought a cup of excellent clam chowder, so picked up a whole quart on my way to where I had locked my bike.  Will refrigerate or freeze it. 

The harbor also has a lot of carved wood sculptures.  Nice place to go for a walk. 

Lot of interesting carved wood benches, also. 

 

This is the entrance to the harbor. 

Bullard's Beach State Park is on the other side of the harbor, and you can see the lighthouse that is on park property.  It is manned by state park volunteers, so you can even go inside it.   

Bandon is one of the small towns along U.S. 101 that most people just drive through without going down to the older area and harbor.  Personally, it is one of my favorite towns along the Washington and Oregon Coast, and I strongly recommend you take an hour of your drive and go through the arches to the old town area!  Park along the harbor and walk around, and then stop at one of the small seafood restaurants, and eat outside or in.  

Then, stop at the store that sells various gel candies, the bakery, the book store, and the toy store, at the least! Here is a list of shops I like:

• Cranberry Sweets – http://cranberrysweets.com/ 
• Bandon Bakery & Deli – http://www.bandonbakingco.com/
• WinterRIver Books & Gallery – https://www.winterriverbooks.com/
• Bandon Toy Room – No web site

There are several little seafood shops along the harbor boardwalk, but I got the clam chowder from The Bandon Fish Market.  https://www.bandonfishmarket.com/

And, if you can do this on a sunny day, that is a real bonus!!   

9/6 The Campground Hermit

Yes, that is me.  Sometimes I spend an entire day inside my motorhome.  Occasionally, I will even spend two or three days in a row inside.  I am sure that the families that are camped next to me wonder who that strange lady is who is not only traveling alone, but hiding inside her motorhome. 

First, there is a big difference between vacationing in an RV and living in one, which is what I do.  Vacationers rush here and there and make use of every available minute so they can see as much as they can.  If I don't see something, there will always be another year.  Also, I tend to spend longer at a place, so I don't have so much pressure to be out and about every day.

Another big difference is that I am still working half-time.  I have taught college classes in a classroom and online for 29 years now, always part-time.  (Thirteen years in a classroom and sixteen years online.  Wow, that has added up fast!  Time certainly does fly.)  Teaching online enables me to pay my travel bills and not have to dig into my savings.  It also gives me something to do and keeps me connected with the world of students and work, which I enjoy.  And, hopefully, it will help keep my brain alive a few years longer.  

There are four condensed semesters per year at the college where I have taught all these years.  That means that other than three weeks in December, one semester starts immediately after a new semester ends.  For example, the last day of the final exam for the summer semester is next Tuesday, but on Wednesday, I have to open my syllabus and first week's packet of assignments for the fall semester, so students can take a peek and see if they really want to stay enrolled.  The official first week of class for the fall semester is not until 9/24, but I have to have at least the first week ready to go by next Tuesday.  The first assignments are due 10/1, which gives me a bit of a break, but I will no doubt be working on tweaking other fall assignments during that time. 

Actually, since the course I teach is mandatory for an undergraduate degree at this college, and I am the only person who teaches my course online right now, they don't have much choice other than to take my class or take it in a classroom on campus.  

So, if I have not posted recently, it is because I am rushing to grade papers before grades are due and getting the new class ready for fall. Grades are due on 9/16, which means if a student does not do as well as they expected to do, they might have to drop the class that follows mine.  That means a lot of stress for some of them as well as for me. 

I did get out a couple of days ago to drive into town for some groceries and to visit the nearby bakery.  Yesterday, I went out to get a haircut and walked around the little harbor.  Also picked up some clam chowder that was really good.  Tomorrow, I have to dump my waste tanks, so will head back into town to stock up on some more almond croissants and get a larger carton of clam chowder to freeze for next week.  Sunday morning, I leave for my next campground, where I have a doctor's appointment and will be able to do some laundry, as well as some big-store shopping for a couple of items. 

So, this week and part of next, I will definitely be the campground hermit.  

9/1 Yachats & Oregon Coast Drive

I left TIllicum Beach this morning and headed to Bullard's Beach, near Bandon.  It was 100 miles of some of the most beautiful Oregon Coast on Highway 101.  

First stop was Yachats.  I have been here several times, even parked at the small state park that overlooks the rocks and tide pools, but it has mostly been foggy and overcast, so I did not take photos then.  Today, however, was bright and sunny!  Yea!   (Maybe my towels will dry now.)

Yachats is pronounced "yah-hahts" or something similar.  I have been given a couple of slightly different versions by locals, but that is close enough.  It is a very small town, but tucked between forested mountains and the sea.  Parking is tricky because there is not much extra space.    

Wherever a river enters the ocean, it creates a wide, sandy beach.  In Yachats, this is next to a rocky outcropping that has created some very neat tidal pools. I was lucky to be here at low tide.  

I walked partway down, but stumbled a couple of times and scraped my hand catching myself, so I did not go as far as these people were.  Also, the two rock bridges did not look very sturdy, and I envisioned myself falling into the caves below. 

Down the highway, there is a crack in the earth called "The Churn."  During high tide on a windy day, the surf races up this crack and sprays high into the air.

There are several pull-offs as you drive farther on.  One place I stopped at had several dozen sea lions barking their heads off.  Some were swimming and driving, and others were sunning themselves on the rocks. 

Their colors varied from light beige to dark brown, and some obviously stood out against the rocks more than others.  There are a couple of big bulls in this bunch. 

Here are several swimming around.  Maybe fishing? 

Nearby is a lighthouse and swimming cove.  

Back on the scenic coastal highway.  This is still Highway 101 and goes all the way from the Canadian border to Mexico. 

This is an amazing beach view. I saw it from even higher up, and luckily, there was a pullover big enough for my rig.  Believe me, I put my vehicle in park and then put the emergency brake on, plus I turn my wheels so if the brakes give out, it does not go over the railing.   

Last photo of this very nice drive!  

8/31 Sunny Tillicum Beach, OR

Truthfully, Tillicum Beach, and any beach along the Pacific Coast, is much more likely to be foggy or cloudy than sunny.  Sometimes the sun comes out in the early afternoon, but often it stays foggy and even drizzly all day.  In fact, most of the past week has been foggy and damp, which has not bothered me because I have had a lot of work to do for my online class.  

Anyway, around noon a couple of days ago and today, the sun came out and the fog and clouds disappeared, so I took advantage of the nice weather and went out both times for a beachwalk and to take some photos.  I am leaving for Bullard's Beach in the morning, so wanted to take some last photos.  

These first photos were taken a few days ago when it was low tide.  I love to go out during low tide because the ocean is so interesting when you can see the bottom sands. 

The hard sands makes it easy to walk. 

I took this photo of a man walking on a sandbar while I was facing the sun because I wanted to catch the light on the water. .

I have beach shoes that I can get wet, so I don't mind a little bit of shallow wading. 

The water was very clear and the sand hard, even when you had to walk in the water. 

Love the patterns in the sand. 

The campground is to the left in this photo.  You can see the fog/haze against the trees.  One problem with that fog is that is carries a lot of salt in it, so windows get covered with salt. 

There is a creek that empties into the ocean not too far from the campground, so I walked down to it.  Almost nothing for Forest Service land in the distance, so the water is very clear. 

I took the next few photos today.  It was almost high tide, so there is a lot less beach, but considering that we have not had sun for a few days, there were a lot of people out getting some sun.  Temps have been in the low 60s all week, so you still need a light jacket.  The sky was really, really blue today, which was nice. 

I've been here for two weeks now, but it will be nice to get to another and different beach.