Bandon

Tuesday - Ashland and Drive to Bandon

Our journey for the day takes us from Ashland to Bandon, Oregon, a 4 hr or so drive in all.

We planned for a brief stop in Ashland, to see if we could buy some souvenirs, but it was too early and most of the stores we wanted to visit were closed on Tuesdays. Tejas had a great time chatting with the owner of American Trail about all the amazing art that was on sale in the store. The lady said that she was a former teacher, and she patiently answered all the questions that Tejas had. After some more shopping, some coffee and snacks, we started our drive in earnest.

Purni insisted on driving this leg, and she had the fun experience of driving the valleys and hills of southern Oregon along the I-5. Patches of smoke from the wild fires were everywhere, and it was a surreal and interestingly scenic drive.

Somewhere near the town of Winston, we switched from the 5 to the 42, and made our way westward to the coast.

After a brief stop in the tiny town of Coquille for groceries, and a walk around town, we made it all the way to our beach house.

Wednesday - Bandon, and face rock beach

Excited by our new surroundings, but not wanting to drive too far today, we opted to explore nearby Bandon and beaches there.

Our first stop was face rock beach, where a set of stairs led down to the beach and allowed us to explore the area. The weather was quite a change from our previous week in the central parts of California and Oregon; Cold, foggy and windy. The boys initially dressed for a beach day, in swim shorts, but one step out of the car, and they quickly changed their minds, opting to change back into thicker pants, and doubled layers of jackets.

Face rock teased us with views, fading in and out from the fog, but we made the best of it, and walked the length of the beach while enjoying the views.

This was Rango’s first time at a beach, and he was overwhelmed by the possibilities. He didn’t know if he should run, chase the birds, catch some bugs, dig his way through the sand, or taste all the delectable things that the ocean had washed up on the beach. We even let him off leash for a brief while, until he started running full speed up to strangers and scaring them with his friendliness :P. It was fun to see him explore and be his puppy self.

After the cold ocean air had chilled us thoroughly, we decided that we had had enough, so we walked back to the car, and drove to the small downtown of Bandon for lunch. Post Lunch, the boys found a reclaimed art exhibit to be really interesting. After that we walked around the town buying clothing, and other souvenirs. Having spent most of the day already, we came home for some nice dinner.

Thursday - Heceta Head, hobbits trail, seal caves

Our goal for today was to make a long Drive up the coast and enjoy some of the scenic spots along the Oregon coast. But weather conspired against us, and we had a foggy and overcast day forecasted. Nevertheless, we pressed on and started our drive. The first destination was for mexican food in Florence OR, which was a good 90 minutes away.

We set off and really enjoyed the drive through varying scenery. Woods, marshes, lakes, coastal towns, sand dunes and bridges, all covered in a mystifying mist, slowly and selectively revealing the secrets of the scenery around us. We drove past Coos bay, Clear Lake, the Umpqua river, through Reedsport, and lots of tantalizing signs beckoning us to come explore the Oregon dunes, before we reached Florence for Lunch.

After lunch, we made a short 20 minute hop to the hobbit beach trail head, parked on the side of the road, and made a unique and easy hike through a wooded forest, with lots of unique side trails. A tunnel of brush decorated with crab shells guarded the final stretch providing access to the beach, which although usually scenic, was otherworldly today because of the fog. We did our best to enjoy our time on the beach, with Rango digging furiously, and chasing small insects tirelessly. Tejas enjoyed drawing and writing in the sand, and Aarav practised his karate moves and his vlogging voiceovers :P.

After we had our fill, we drove a short way back to Sea lion caves, where Purni and the kids took the elevator down to the caves, while I kept Rango company in the car while he napped.

It had somehow been a long day already, and the boys had had their fill. Purni drove us safely all the way home.

We finally managed to catch a sunset today, and took the time as a family to stand outside and watch the sun go down into the clouds/fog/ocean horizon. What a beautiful day.

Friday - Chill and Agate Beach

Not wanting to drive much today, the family vote was to do something closer to home. We opted to make the short drive to Agate beach, and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and the sand.

Saturday - Oregon Dunes

Not wanting to leave before enjoying the Dunes, we tried to look up places that would let us rent Dune buggies that allowed both a) small kids, and b) small dogs. We thought we found something, but once we drove there, the shop advised us that taking the dog was not worth the hassle. As a plan B, we rented some sand boards and took the shop’s advice on where to go to sled down some hills. He recommended that we check out Hall Lake which was right next to a nice steep hill and had access to water and facilities.

Sure enough, Hall Lake was a nice spot. The Water was nice and cool, although we weren’t dressed to enjoy it, and the hill was super steep. Climbing up to sled down was quite a workout, and Aarav chickened out as usual. Tejas was quite brave and managed to try a couple of times, but he was not heavy enough to overcome the friction with the sand and truly get moving. I managed to get a couple of full speed runs, but I can’t claim to have mastered it. Half way down, the sand raining on one’s face is cause enough to close one’s eyes, and it’s not a good idea to breathe through any orifices, which I learned the hard way.

The boys did enjoy playing in the sand and water, we had a nice Picnic lunch, watched all the other people enjoy themselves as well, and then drove home to prepare for our next stop back to California.