Bandon, Oregon

After leaving the Redwoods we traveled up the 101 to the cute little town of Bandon, Oregon. This stretch of Hwy 101 has to be one of the most scenic drives ever. I kept wanting Chris to pull over and stop so I could take pictures. I cannot get over how beautiful the Oregon coast is!

After several stops along the way we made it to our campground at Bullards Beach State Park. It was so nice to get back to a state park! From what I saw, we couldn’t stay at any state parks in California… every one I looked into had a size limit of 35 feet and we are 41 feet. Anyway, that meant that while we were in CA we had to stay in RV parks. The places we stayed were all nice, but we missed state parks. Oregon has a very impressive selection of state parks and I look forward to staying at as many as possible.

There was a trail behind our site to the beach and every time we walked there we had the whole beach to ourselves.

Nature trail on the way to the beach

The Coquille River lighthouse is at the state park so we went to check that out one day. It was so cold and windy while we were there so we didn’t stay very long. Actually it was cold and windy for most of the week that we were at this park even though it was June. I guess that’s normal for the coast.

Coquille River Lighthouse

After getting settled into our site I posted on Facebook where we were and then heard from my good friend Kelli from back home in Florida that she was also in Oregon that week for work. She just so happened to be staying 20 miles north of us! What are the chances? She drove down to see us one evening. It was so nice to see her! I love traveling but I sure miss my friends and family from home so her visit was a real treat.

There is a lot to do in Bandon! I took the kids on a field trip one day to the West Coast Game Park Safari where you can pet animals that roam throughout the park, and you can also pet baby bears and tigers and other typically dangerous animals during exhibits throughout the day.

We purchased food for the animals as we went in and the deer swarmed us the minute we walked through the gate.

I loved this donkey, he followed us around the park for awhile.

The alpacas were really fun to see. They have such a funny look on their faces!

Jesse and the alpaca making faces at each other.

There were lots of big horn sheep hanging around.

We got to pet a tiger, bobcat, lynx, fox and bear. They were all so cute! Especially the bear.

We were even able to hold some of the animals.

After the Safari Park we headed over to the scenic Face Rock Viewpoint. I’m telling you, the Oregon coast is breathtaking!

We finished it off with cheese samples and ice cream at the Face Rock Creamery.

Historic Old Town Bandon is also very cute, but unfortunately I only took one picture. Not sure why I didn’t think to take more!

We loved our first stop in Oregon and there is so much more to see. I’m so thankful that we will be spending a couple of months in this state. Stay tuned for more incredible scenes from this beautiful part of the country.