Trip To Bandon, OR

After lightening, fires, wind, rain, sand storm, black cows, bumper bunnies, snow, police lights, driving all night and sleeping in a rest stop for two hours. After a dirt road detour and a 16 hour drive we finally made it to see Grandpa Steve(Josh's Dad and Step Mom) and Grandma Glenda in Bandon, OR.   It was our first visit up there together and we had a very interesting and wonderful trip out the first week in October. We had very gracious host, lots of rain and we saw loads of great places.  Josh was able to help out and get the Lights back on in their house and a new floor in the bathroom after solving the water leaking.  It was a very well rounded trip and we for sure enjoyed our time in Oregon. We do love that neck of the woods.

This is on the pier in Bandon, OR. We had a fun time playing tourist here.  Grandpa Steve's house is actually a few miles south of town. It was great to go into town and get to know the area better.

 They have these awesome wood sculptures all over the pier, the kids loved them.

 Coquille Lighthouse... a view from the pier.

 The kids being safe before walking down on the floating dock. They learned a lot about crabbing from some locals that were so nice to us.

 Grandpa Steve and Josh stopped to get a fresh oyster shot at Port-O-Call. YUCK!

 We stopped for lunch at the fresh fish and chips place right on the pier. It was perfectly yummy!
We went shopping in town a bit. We stopped at this great candy store, a local torrist place and the toy shop. I enjoyed it very much, not so much for Josh. Though, I did pick up this great little turtle. I seem to be collecting Sea Turtles every where I go. I think it has become me totem animal. I adored this little town.

 We stopped to let the kids run around on this great playground in Bandon on our way to the beach. They had teeter-totters.... I couldn't stop giggling. We had lots of fun playing here.

 The last time I was on a teeter-totter I was living in Georgia.  Hee hee!

 This is Coquille point... it has a good view of the lighthouse from the south end. It was a beautiful beach and we had lots of fun exploring here.

 Of course, just like every where we go. We brought home a lovely collection of new rocks. Grandpa Steve also gave the kids some of his that he had collected and polished. We for sure came home with more weight in the car than we arrived with.

 We had set the camera up to get a family photo... just as a big wave came up and got us... this is the shot we got the first time. Olivia's midsection and me in the back ground grabbing Jorja.

 This is our second try! At least you can see our faces.

 We went with Grandma Glenda one day to Misty Meadows, this great little store that makes their own jams and honey.  You can watch the honey bee hive inside the shop, it was fun to see them settling in for the winter and moving slow.  We sampled lots of yummy things here and had a hard time deciding what to bring home.  Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs did a show here and it was fun to know this was just up the road from Grandma and Grandpa. It was very interesting to drive past all the cranberry bogs and fields of berries right off the highway.

 Just south of Grandma and Grandpa's house is this great animal park. It was so fun to walk in  with the animals. They even let you get close and pet some of the more rare animals. Like this baby tiger and leopard. The tiger liked Jorja's red coat and kept coming up to bat at her and play. She didn't like that much and wasn't as brave after that. I was in awe of being able to pet one of my favorite animals. Of course I didn't get a picture of the three of us petting the tiger... but he was very handsome.

 We were also able to get close and personal with this sweet possum Rosie, a skunk and a two twin ferrets.

 After the animal park we went on a drive with Grandma Glenda to see some of her favorite sites, this one is a great view of the bay and light house to the north. It was raining cats and dogs though and we didn't get to adventure out very far.

 Olivia was the first one to use the toilet after Josh fixed it.... so I made her take a picture.

 Josh in the kitchen with the lights on! They were without power in the kitchen for almost a year and Josh was able to figure it out and get the lights on. We cheered and celebrated after we saw the light!

 The day before we left we headed south on HWY 101 and stopped at the town just south called Port Orford at a couple of Grandpa Steve's favorite sites. Battle Rock was our first stop and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was so nice to see the sunshine and have a beautiful day out on the beach.

 Jorja looking like her daddy!

 Josh and his Dad... with a great view!

 This was our second stop at a beach just north of Port Orford. Josh and Olivia got wet not paying attention to a big wave that came in. It was already a chilly day and they got pretty wet up past their knees.  We spent time looking for agates here and playing in the sand.

 I loved being able to see all our footsteps in the fresh clean sand. It as a beautiful beach. I brought some home with me just to make sure I wouldn't forget. Most of the sand I got from Jorja's shoes.

 This is the Cape Blanco Lighthouse between Grandpa Steve's house and Port Orford. Two light houses within thirty miles, GORGEOUS!   It was very windy and cold here when we stopped, but the view was amazing!

 We did eventually have to leave and the 16 hour drive home was also very interesting. The snow was loads of fun the closer we got to home.  At least the kids were able to sleep through most of it.

Josh was a trooper driving the whole way! I tried to be the best co-captain as I could... but I tend to sleep easily in car rides over thirty minutes. He was such a trooper. It was a beautiful drive through southern Oregon and we look forward to spending more time there. We have fallen in love with a tiny town called Lincoln just outside of Ashland up the mountain. It's one of those great places you can't see the houses... just a dirt road with a bunch of mailboxes off the small highway.  One day I want to live like that, I want a house off a dirt road.
We had a great trip and can't thank Steve and Glenda enough for all they did for us. They went out of their way to make us comfortable and Glenda fed us like royalty!  It is a trip we will not be forgetting any time soon.