Two Days in Bandon

After my late April visit to Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast, I was eager for another coastal adventure.  I really, really love Bandon, Oregon - a cute, funky beach town on the southern coast, so I asked my friend Kim if she was interested in a girl's trip.  Having never spent any time in Bandon, she was all for it.  So I picked some dates, made motel reservations, and crossed my fingers that the weather would cooperate.

Formal garden, Shore Acres State Park

Well, of course as our chosen days inched closer, it was apparent that Oregon's wet spring weather would continue.  So I told Kim to pack her raingear - my planned outdoor adventures were still on, no matter the weather.  We headed out of town on Mother's Day.  (Kim and I are both moms to grown kids so happy Mother's Day to us!)

Rhododendrons in bloom

I was looking forward to showing Kim some of my favorite places on this section of the Oregon coast.  Our first stop was Shore Acres State Park, just outside of the town of Coos Bay.  Not only was this park located along a magnificent rocky coastline where huge waves crashed at high tides, it also featured a lovely formal garden.  This time of year, I knew the rhododendrons and azaleas would be in full bloom.

Color everywhere!

The oceanside cliffs of Shore Acres State Park were once the site of a huge mansion.  Constructed by shipbuilder Louis Simpson in 1907 it was intended to be a summer home for his wife.  This summer home included an indoor swimming pool, large ballroom, dairy farm and spacious garden.  The garden featured trees, flowers and shrubs from around the world transported by Simpson's ships.  

Garden overview

In 1921 Simpson's mansion burned to the ground.  Although a replacement home was built, financial losses from the great depression sent Simpson into bankruptcy.  The house, grounds, and garden fell into disrepair.  In 1942, the land was acquired by the State of Oregon.  The entire area was eventually designated a state park, and the grand gardens were restored to their past glory.

Japanese pond

The gardens are free to visit, however one must pay $5 to park or have a Oregon State Parks yearly parking pass (which is what I had).  

Azalea 

After battling intermittent rain showers all the way to Coos Bay, our half hour visit the the gardens was luckily rain-free.  Kim and I oohed and aahed over the colorful rhododendrons and azaleas lining the many walking paths.  We marveled at the unusual trees.   I especially loved the Japanese pond, with native shrubs and beautiful stone statues.  

Purple azalea 

After spending a good amount of time perusing the garden, Kim and I walked out to former mansion site, on the top of a tall cliff overlooking the ocean.  The tilted rocks along this portion of coastline are known for producing huge waves during winter storms.  Photographers travel from all over to capture images of monstrous waves breaking over these rocks.

Crashing waves, Shore Acres State Park

Of course about the time we arrived at the clifftop viewing area, the sky decided to open up and dump rain.  Kim and I retreated into the small observation house located nearby. 

Unique rock formations

Luckily it was a brief squall and once the rain let up, we wandered the walkway checking out the waves.  I tried my best to capture the larger splashes with my camera.

Mother's Day beers

After spending an ample amount of time at Shore Acres, I drove Kim out to nearby Cape Arago State Park, a mere 1.5 miles further down the road.  We gaped at the sea lion colony out on the rocks and walked to a few more viewpoints.  Then, thirsty from our explorations, we found a brewpub in nearby Coos Bay and enjoyed a Mother's Day beer.  Cheers!

The sun peeks out of the clouds, Bandon beach

Then it was on to Bandon, 20 miles down Hwy 101, where we checked into our motel and found some dinner (Tony's Crab Shack - my favorite!).

Rainbow between rain squalls

Bandon has one of the most scenic beaches on the Oregon coast.  The many craggy sea stacks that line its shores make beautiful images, especially when photographed at sunset.  My main goal for this trip was to capture a sunset on Bandon Beach.  So after dinner I grabbed my camera and headed to Face Rock Viewpoint to see what kind of sunset the weather would grant.

Lovely sunrays

At first things looked very doubtful.  It began pouring rain again, forcing Kim and I into my car.  And I'd neglected to consult the tide tables and discovered sunset coinciding with high tide.  Since at high tide there wasn't much beach to be found, that meant no images captured from beach level.  I'd have to stick to the viewpoints.  Once the rain let up I roamed around the bluffs above the beach looking for that perfect view and hoping that some light would break out of the cloud layer.

Rainstorm to the south

My luck held!  About a half hour before sunset, the sun poked out of a small opening in the clouds and streamed lovely sunrays onto the ocean.  It looked like God himself was illuminating the sky from his heavenly perch.  Then I looked behind me and discovered a colorful rainbow.  Another rain shower again forced us into my car.  But after it cleared the clouds began to light up in colorful orange and gold hues.  After not expecting much of a sunset due to cloud cover and rain, this was an unexpected surprise.

Beautiful colored clouds as the sun sets over Bandon beach

I ran back and forth between two viewpoints, trying to capture it all.  I'm sure Kim thought I was crazy, but being the good friend that she is, she didn't complain.  When everything finally faded into black, we headed back to our cozy motel room to rest up for another fun day at the beach.

Stay tuned for day two!