2015 PNW trip day 15: Seaside to Bandon, OR

Before we left Seaside, OR I took a stroll through downtown and along the oceanfront promenade. The public plantings along Broadway Street, the main drag, were remarkably varied. I found quite a few of the foliage and flower combinations to be truly beautiful. Hats off to Seaside for not going the dime-a-dozen route.

Public plantings along Broadway St. in Seaside, OR

The oceanfront promenade in Seaside has got to be one of the most pleasant places to take a stroll on the Oregon coast. This was one place I wished we’d had more time to explore. The good thing is Seaside is only 80 miles from Portland—an easy add-on to a solo trip to Portland I’m planning for later in the year.

Oceanfront promenade in Seaside, OR

Oceanfront promenade in Seaside, OR

Oceanfront promenade in Seaside, OR

As you can see from the map below, we stuck close to the coast today. Highway 101 offers unsurpassed coastal views, and there are many places where the beach is right off the road. California’s coastline is beautiful, but I think Oregon’s is even more spectacular. You’ll see what I mean below.

I didn’t have time to stop at a single nursery on our trip, but here’s a photo of a promising-looking garden center just south of Seaside:

Dennis’ 7 Dees in Seaside

I could have posted dozens of photos of the Oregon coast, but I didn’t want to bore you to tears. Here are some of my favorites:

View of Manzanita, OR

Perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius)

When I saw this on top of a car advertising a thrift shop in Wheeler, OR, I immediately thought of the song “Plastic Jesus.” But Kathy Stoner of GardenBook pointed out that’s it’s actually Joseph, husband of Mary. Goes to show you how much I remember from my catechism classes!

I also loved this mannequin in the same car. The only thing you saw were the shoes. Maybe it’s the shoes that are for sale?

Alsea Bay Bridge in Waldport, OR, one many Depression-era bridges on the Oregon coast built under the Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Heceta Head Light (top left) and Devil’s Elbow (right)

Heceta Head Light

Heceta Head lightkeeper’s house

Central Oregon coast

View of Pacific Ocean from Cape Perpetua, at 800 ft. the highest point on the Oregon coast

View from Cape Perpetua

View from Cape Perpetua. The structure at the bottom right is the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center.

Alder forest at Cape Perpetua

View of the Oregon Dunes north of Florence

Our home away from home for the night was in Bandon, one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. Bandon has all the amenities travelers could want while still retaining an authentic “hometown” feel—a combination that is getting ever rarer.

The coastline around Bandon is particularly scenic. My favorite spot is the Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint (what a bureaucratic mouthful!) off Beach Loop Drive. We like it so much that we’ve rented a house there twice, just a short walk from the overlook.

The views from the headland are out of this world, and the colors at sunset were everything I was hoping for. As I was taking photos, I struck up a conversation with a local who said that this was the best sunset they’d had in months. See for yourself!

This will be our last night on the road. Tomorrow we’ll head to my mother-in-law’s just south of the California border where I’ll immediately resume work. It’s been a fantastic trip full of visuals that will stay with me for a long time.

Look for detailed posts on the gardens I visited starting next week.

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2015 Pacific Northwest trip index