Bandon is the awesome little town that I’m calling home for the summer. Population of around 3,000, it’s situated right where the Coquille River runs into the ocean. Since I’ve spent a few weeks exploring now, and here are a few of my favorite things that I’ve found:

Lighthouses and Wildlife

There are 11 lighthouses are the Oregon Coast, reminiscent of Oregon’s rich and long history as a haven for sailors and fishermen alike. The youngest of these lighthouses is the Coquille River lighthouse, constructed in 1891. It’s located in Bandon by the north jetty of the Coquille River, in Bullard’s Beach State Park. The lighthouse is open to the public, and there I learned about the hard life of a lighthouse keeper. I tried to imagine the days before electricity, when the lives of sailors depended on one man walking miles in a storm to remain awake and alone throughout the night to shine a light out to sea, and guide sailors to safe harbor.

Walking down the north jetty by the lighthouse, I looked up to see a very curious Harbor Seal staring straight at me, about 100 yards away. He was really loving the wave action that day – he made loops out to sea, down back to the beach, and back across to the rocks where I was sitting. I watched him for a while, thinking how cool it was that this was his home and how much I wanted to make sure that I did something to conserve these waters to make sure that he, and all other marine organisms, could enjoy their waves.

Sea Stacks

Bandon is also famous for its sea stacks, which are like giant columns of rock right off the coast. They’re formed by constant wind and wave erosion against the headlands for millions of years. Here in Bandon, there are sea stacks at varying sea-levels, some on the sand itself, and some jutting straight up from the ocean. With the changing tides, every trip to the stacks is a brand-new experience. Below are a few photos of the same rocks, but at different tide levels:

In Bandon, Face Rock, which is just to the right of the pictured photos, is one of the famous sea stacks. I’m hoping to catch this beauty at sunrise or sunset before I leave.

Coos Bay, Independence Day and the Music Scene

It’s hard to talk about Bandon without mentioning the larger town of Coos Bay that lies about 20 mile north. North Bend and Charleston are right next door, making for a pretty big coastal town (many people that work in Bandon commute from Coos Bay, and most people in Bandon drive up to Coos Bay pretty often for groceries, restaurants, movies, etc.) Aside from having a Safeway, and the awesome 7 Devils Brewery (named after 7 Devils Sea Stacks, just north of Bandon; I tried the delicious Quebecan dish Poutine there, French fries with cheese curds and gravy),

they also have the Mill Casino on the bay, where they had an incredible fireworks display on the 3^rd of July. I think just about the whole town came down to see the show, and so it was incredible to see people hanging out, playing Corn Hole (very popular here), or throwing a football. Neighborhoods all around the Bay set off a few fireworks too, making for a spectacular light show.

The actual 4^th was, amazingly, even more incredible than the fireworks at the Mill. Bandon had an all-day music festival set up downtown by the dock. There were over 6 bands that ranged from “Irish Reggae Folk” to “Gypsy Jazz”.  We enjoyed walking around the cute artsy stores downtown, Ice Cream from Face Rock Creamery, and when it began to get dark, they even had a fire dancing show. It was probably some of the coolest fireworks I’ve ever seen, as the sunset turned into the firework display over the ocean.

While Bandon seems like a little blip on the map, this tiny town has a lot to offer. I’ve been meeting super nice people every day, and I definitely know that I’m going to miss exploring the town and seeing the magnificent wildlife and sea stacks.