California Road Trip 2019 - Bullards Beach State Park

Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Bullards Beach State Park
Site #C53 & C58
Distance: 134 miles
Duration: 2 nights
Cost: $29 + 8 reservation fee = $37/night
Weather: Sunny and upper 60s

We had a lovely day relaxing at our campground in Bandon. After breakfast, we decided to ride our bikes out to the lighthouse (only 6 miles round trip) and later took a short hike up to the Bullard Family Cemetery, which another camper recommended. In all the visits to Bullards Beach State Park, this was the first we had heard of this little cemetery of just a dozen plots. Perched up on the hill, surrounded by salal, shore pines, rhodies and huckleberry, we discovered it to be well-maintained (most likely by the state park rangers) and quite peaceful. We also explored the other campground loops, checking out the sun and shade situations for future visits. I always prefer a campsite with a lot of sun, especially on the Oregon coast, which never gets terribly hot. We did a little reading (outside in the sun, of course!) and later enjoyed our drinks by the fire. All in all, a nice start to our big road trip. 

Bullard Family Cemetery

Nice level site.

No neighbors on one side.

Sunny afternoon.

So nice to get out and ride.

We do love our campfires.

Cheers!

Bandon - Day Five

Bandon, Oregon
October 26, 2017
Bullards Beach State Park

After reading about all the great hiking trails at Bandon Dunes Golf Course, I decided to head over after breakfast and try a few. The Dunes is only a few minutes from the campground and it's gorgeous, reminding me of Torrey Pines with all the pine trees and sweeping ocean views.

I picked up a trail map at the main club house and set out on the Jamie McEwan Trail. The sun was shining and I was glad to be wearing shorts. It got pretty warm!

This trail leads from the Lodge along the top of the main resort dune ridge. The views of the golf course, with the ocean in the distance, were amazing!

Looking east (Highway 101 is just beyond the trees).

This invasive plant (Gorse) is still a problem in Oregon and I saw quite a bit on the trails. It may be invasive, but I still think it's very pretty.

Almost makes me wish I knew how to golf!

Finally some shade, although the sandy trail was still a workout!

Lovely view of the ocean.

I was surprised that there were very few golfers out on the links. Or on the trails! The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Ugh! This was harder than it looks.

Madrone Lake

You can only see their silhouettes, but there are two deer just to the left of the building.

Grabbed a bottle of water at the club house and headed out to hike the beach trail.

The beach was completely deserted (for that matter, the golf course wasn't terribly busy, either!) and I wasn't able to locate the shipwrecked schooner Acme, which ran aground on Halloween night in 1924. I enjoyed my walk, but was worn out and ready to get back to the campground. Walking through the dunes was a lot more difficult than I imagined!

This is a moderate hike, but the sand dunes make it even more challenging.

After lunch, we drove around in search of some fishing sites. We went out Hwy. 42S, which was very pretty. The trees and bushes were just beginning to show some fall colors and looked gorgeous in the late afternoon light. 

We came upon a herd of elk in a large field. They were pretty curious, watching us as we stopped to snap a couple of pictures.

We found this nice spot (Rocky Point Country Park) just a few minutes away from our campground and the evening glow on the river was so very lovely. I spied a huge blue heron, but he was too quick for a photo.

There is nothing quite like being near water, whether it's the ocean, lake or river.

Bandon - Day Four

October 25, 2017
Bandon, Oregon
Bullards Beach State Park

Another slow, lazy morning. I caught up on social media while Rod did a little freelance work. The campground was quiet and the sun was shining, giving promise to another beautiful day.

A room with a view. Sort of. Our site had plenty of shrubs, providing a decent amount of privacy.

We decided to go into town for lunch and went back to the Bandon Fish Market, a spot we tried a few years ago. Sadly, it wasn't nearly as good as that first visit.

We had planned to drive over to the beach, but the clouds were rolling in, so we headed over to Face Rock Creamery for ice cream. These are "small" servings! We were definitely not disappointed with this treat!

After indulging in all of that ice cream, I decided to go for a little bike ride. Sunshine, no wind and warm (but not hot) temps made for a beautiful afternoon ride. I could ride for hours on a stretch of road like this one!

I spotted a coyote in the field and quickly jumped off my bike so I could get some pictures. 

He was a little skittish and started to run off after he spotted me.

Once he found a safe distance, he stopped and looked back at me before heading toward the ridge. I should have brought my good camera with the telephoto lens!

Ah, back to my favorite lighthouse.

I love this huge piece of wood. I can't imagine it washing ashore, but in a winter storm, anything is possible.

A view of the town of Bandon from the lighthouse.

Evening glow.

No wind, so the river was very calm.

Another fun evening listening to Game 2 of the World Series. It was actually a very thrilling game. The Astros beat the Dodgers 7-6 in extra innings after five hours!

Bandon - Day Three

October 24, 2017
Bandon, Oregon
Bullards Beach State Park

It was 48 degrees when we woke up, but the sun was shining and it warmed up to 74 later in the day. After breakfast, I decided to take the truck and drive over to Bandon (about 10 minutes from our campground), while Rod worked on an editing project. I parked at the Coquille jetty and got some shots of the waves crashing over the rocks, as well as some pictures of the lighthouse. (You can never have too many pictures of a lighthouse!)

The waves were really big, with lots of spray blowing as they crashed against the rocks.

The South Jetty was built in 1906 to stem a rash of shipwrecks on the Coquille River bar. When the Oliver Olson rammed the jetty so hard in 1953 that the ship couldn't be pulled free, the South Jetty was extended by building right over the ship's hull. Now sailors complain the uneven lengths of the river's two jetties make the bar more treacherous than ever. (Oregon.com)

Signage about tsunamis. I pay attention to escape routes, but don't spend any time worrying.

There were a lot of huge trees and logs rolling in the surf. These can be quite dangerous to people in the water or along the shoreline.

I like this view of the Coquille Lighthouse from this side of the river. I wrote about here, as well.

I could live in this! 

I headed over to the Bandon Beach Loop and walked along the bluff trail and then down the path to the beach. The sun was shining and it was absolutely gorgeous!

Table Rock

My granddaughter and I have walked through some of these openings in the rocks at low-tide. It's interesting to see them from up above on the bluff, with the waves covering the sand where we walked a few years ago.

Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint

Do you see the face of a woman looking skyward?

According to a Coquille tribal legend, the face in Face Rock belongs to Ewauna, daughter of Chief Siskiyou, who had traveled here to a great potlatch feast in his honor. Ewauna had never seen the ocean before, so one night she sneaked to the beach for a moonlight swim. In the water she was grabbed by the evil ocean spirit Seatka. But she refused to look into his eyes, knowing that this was how he controlled his victims. Instead she fixed her stare on the North Star, and defiantly gazes there even today. (Oregon.com)

How about now? It's a profile and the mouth, which looks slightly open, is on the right. The nose is in line with the horizon.

This beach looks otherwordly!

The Southern Oregon Coast is composed of rock that began a billion years ago as a volcanic island archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The drifting of the continents has since "rafted" these ancient islands and reefs onto the Oregon shore. Many of the islands at Bandon are composed of blueschist, an extremely resilient rock prized for jetty construction. (Oregon.com)

Photo Credit: Oregon.com 

These are the cottages at Windermere On the Beach, which we've stayed in a couple of times. They are quite nice, especially the furthest one on the north end.

After I returned from my long walk, I puttered around getting ready for dinner and Game 1 of the World Series. 

It was fun to sit by the campfire and listen to the game on the radio. (Well, actually a radio app on my phone.)

An all-American evening. All that's missing is the apple pie!

Click on photos to enlarge.