We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to the southern Oregon Coast. We stayed just south of Bandon, in a room with a view.

We had easy access to the wide sand beach south of Face Rock, and took several long walks north and south over the next few days. We also drove south to Cape Blanco, and north to Cape Arago. Other than a bit of rain the day we arrived, we had fabulous weather – sunny and calm.

1/6 – Bandon Beach and Cape Blanco

We walked north to Face Rock in the morning.

After lunch, we drove south to Cape Blanco. We walked down to the beach, then along the strand line to the north, at approximately low tide.

Later that evening I watched the sun set from our room…

1/7 – Beaches to the north – Sunset Bay, Yoakam Point, Blastendorff Beach, Seven Devils Beach

We drove north to Cape Arago, but a recent washout closed the road, so we could only go as far as Sunset Bay. We started with a short walk there, then explored a few locations to the north.

We walked about a mile around Yoakam Point, looking at the view from various cliff overlooks:

We ate lunch and then took a walk at Blastendorff Beach.

Driving back south, we took a side trip to the Seven Devils Wayside, and walked on the beach there. We even saw someone panning for gold.

Back in Brandon, we took a walk along the pier. It was mostly deserted, with most shops closed. I was fascinated by the mosaic installation on the boardwalk.

Later, we walked out onto Coquille Point again, to watch the sunset. We met a large puffin sculpture there.

1/8 – Low tide near Bandon – Face Rock and Coquille Point

With low tide in the afternoon, this was a perfect day to walk north toward Face Rock and then beyond Coquille Point and look at tide pools, water, sky, and all the reflected permutations.

Later, we enjoyed another sunset from the Coquille Point Overlook…

We enjoyed our few days of calm weather and beach walks, a break from the ‘real’ world, and what was to come next in January.

Looking back: