Golf at Bandon Dunes

This year, for his birthday, Don decided he wanted to go to Bandon, Oregon to play a couple of the golf courses at Bandon Dunes. We had some beautiful weather while we were there and it was a really nice trip. Check it out!

I took the next two photographs off of the internet, because they are great shots of the resort.

We had a 9:50 tee time on Bandon Dunes Tuesday, September 5th.

Hole #16 is epic!

This is another one of their photos, but it really depicts the hole nicely.

That night, we had a delicious dinner in Bandon at Alluro. But, before that, we stopped along the coast and took some photos . . .

Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. Do you see the face on the rock at the right?

On our way to breakfast early Wednesday morning, we saw some turkeys. I mean REAL turkeys!

And a mama deer with two fawns.

We teed off on Pacific Dunes at 10:30 -

That evening, we had dinner at Edgewater. On the way back to the hotel, we saw the lighthouse.

Thursday morning, we had a 9:10. tee time at the newest course, Sheep Ranch . . .

It was another blue bird day!

Gorse . . . on the course. They have removed most of the gorse, thank goodness. It is a terrible hazard and it used to be ALL OVER the course . . . in the fairways and along the edges, in front of greens and next to bunkers. Everywhere! It's as painful to touch as it looks. There are still some plants sprinkled around the courses, but not nearly as many as they had the first time I played here, many years ago.

After golf, we drove to Port Orford, about an hour South of Bandon because our cadde, Keley, said we HAD to have their fish and chips. So we did! It was a great recommendation.

Touring along the coastline -

Keley's lunch recommendation was so good, we followed his lead on a hike to the ocean. It was called Blacklock Point Trail, and it was a 4 mile hike with a wonderful view of the ocean.

That evening, on our way to dinner at The Forge Steakhouse on property, we ran into more turkeys.

The following morning, the fire pit was blazing as we headed to breakfast.

We had the day off from golf and went sight-seeing, one again following Keley's recommendations.

Sunset Bay State Park

Shore Acres State Park

Next stop was Shore Acres Gardens, which were established in the early 1900's by businessman Louis J. Simpson. Simpson was the son of wealthy shipping and timber magnate Asa Mead Simpson, who founded the town of North Bend after his arrival on Coos Bay in 1855.

Shore Acres eventually included a mansion with ocean view, indoor swimming pool, large ballroom, spacious gardens, a modern farm and a dairy herd. the luxurious gardens featured trees, shrubs and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard Simpson's ships. Today, the park features 5 acres of formal gardens including a rose-testing plot and Japanese lily pond as well as ocean views and beach access.

Click on each photo if you want to see it enlarged.