Almost stepped on this little guy as he was crossing the trail...
And I saw Seven Devils Wayside Park...
Spotted this along the drive. Bet it's really pretty when the Christmas light are turned on!
What a cute little town and they have such a beautiful boardwalk with lots of wood carving art. Here are some of the things I found...
Had a salmon sandwich and a cup of chowder...
I checked with my son because he has a dorm buddy who is from Bandon, and he said Ray's Food Place is the spot that you can stay overnight in the parking lot without hassle. I stayed there 3 nights, and I rented a couple movies also.
I went out on the bluffs a couple times to see the sunset and meet new friends...
Elephant Rock...
My phone camera does weird things with the colors and makes the sunset look totally surreal...
I did some window shopping in the Big Wheel Market when I went in for squished pennies...
When I arrived at the Bandon Visitor Center, the guy there told me that June 1st and 2nd were free fishing days for the state, and that I could rental a crab ring at the dock and go crabbing for free! Well, I had never done that before, so I stayed in Bandon to enjoy the new adventure.
Look at this cool wall on the visitor's center... brick and stones...
Of course, I read the tide table incorrectly and showed up precisely at the wrong time... low tide. You want to crab about two hours before high tide to about an hour after. The water is not rushing and they are not digging themselves in. So I had some time on my hands, so I went down to the south jetty beach and looked for rocks, flew my kite for the first time, and took a nap!
So, I went back to Tony's Crab Shack to rent the stuff I needed at 4pm. High tide was just after 7pm. For $8 you get a crab ring, and a bucket with the measuring stick. Legal crab have to be males, at lest 5 3/4 inches across at the widest of their shell, not including the little horney tips. I had already picked up some chicken legs for bait. One of the guys on the pier had told me that seals like fish bait and will steal it, but won't touch chicken or turkey.
I met two wonderful couples, on each side of me on the pier... one older, one younger. We talked about a lot of things. Neither of them were catching anything of size, not even females. About an hour later, I caught another one, and this guy was almost 6 inches... well legal size. Since no one came by to ask, I kept them both. I took them back to Tony's and had them cook them up for a few bucks.
I took some other morning pics as well. While I was enjoying the cool morning breeze on the bluff, a lady, J. walked up to me and started talking. She was from upper Indiana and was also traveling by herself in a car she got from her uncle, staying at motels. A good friend was supposed to come with her, but then found out her daughter had cancer so she was taking care of her. J. proceeded to tell me all about this face injury she had with her jaw snd how she had so far been partly healed by God, and how she felt she had a healing touch. She said when she did that, she also felt healing and she asked if she could touch me. I allowed her to, and she just did a light massage on my shoulders, down my arms and my back to my waist. She turned me around and lightly touched my neck, shoulders and arms. That was all to it. I just kept praying "Jesus" through the whole thing which only took about two minutes. She told that when she turned me around, she envisioned about a two inch fire-y square hole and it was closing. I asked her if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and she said she didn't know, she thought maybe I would understand it. We talked a little more, and then I went my way. She had said she wanted to start heading back home to Indiana, but was waiting for the tornadoes to tame down before she made that trek. I got her phone number and plan to call her about mid-June to make sure she got home OK.
So I thought about that vision for a couple days. Right off, I don't have any idea. I was thinking that you don't want fire to come out, so closing was good. On the other hand, you don't want fire shut in either. I've since just prayed that if her intentions were from God that I'd be blessed and if they weren't, it wouldn't harm me.
Yes, I have met some very interesting people along this journey. People eager to talk and willing to tell you their life story, it seems.
I went out on the bluffs a couple times to see the sunset and meet new friends...
My phone camera does weird things with the colors and makes the sunset look totally surreal...
I did some window shopping in the Big Wheel Market when I went in for squished pennies...
When I arrived at the Bandon Visitor Center, the guy there told me that June 1st and 2nd were free fishing days for the state, and that I could rental a crab ring at the dock and go crabbing for free! Well, I had never done that before, so I stayed in Bandon to enjoy the new adventure.
Look at this cool wall on the visitor's center... brick and stones...
Of course, I read the tide table incorrectly and showed up precisely at the wrong time... low tide. You want to crab about two hours before high tide to about an hour after. The water is not rushing and they are not digging themselves in. So I had some time on my hands, so I went down to the south jetty beach and looked for rocks, flew my kite for the first time, and took a nap!
Look at these! Look how worn down the shells are, but through all that tossing and turning in the waves and sand, these shell sets are still connected! I think they are mussels.
So, I went back to Tony's Crab Shack to rent the stuff I needed at 4pm. High tide was just after 7pm. For $8 you get a crab ring, and a bucket with the measuring stick. Legal crab have to be males, at lest 5 3/4 inches across at the widest of their shell, not including the little horney tips. I had already picked up some chicken legs for bait. One of the guys on the pier had told me that seals like fish bait and will steal it, but won't touch chicken or turkey.
I talked to the Lord while I was hooking a leg into the bait hook, and told Him it would be really cool to catch a crab and that two would be awesome. On my first throw... look what I pulled in!
It was really close on the measurer, so after I threw in again, I took my bucket back to Tony's. The guy said it was what he would call, "credit call legal"... that you could maybe slide a credit card in between. He said if a Fish and Game Warden came by, I might get a ticket, or maybe just a warning since it was my first time, but I probably would not be able to keep it. I asked, "If we throw it in the pot right now, is it legal?" lol
I met two wonderful couples, on each side of me on the pier... one older, one younger. We talked about a lot of things. Neither of them were catching anything of size, not even females. About an hour later, I caught another one, and this guy was almost 6 inches... well legal size. Since no one came by to ask, I kept them both. I took them back to Tony's and had them cook them up for a few bucks.
BEFORE
AFTER
AND AFTER THE AFTER
Fairly messy, but oh so yummy! If I lived close to crabbing, I'd try to catch them all the time. A year license is only like 7 or 10 dollars. Crabs right now are going for about $17 per pound, so I had a $35 dinner in front of me! It was way fun! :) Thank you Jesus for blessing me with the two crabs I asked for :)
* * *
Another site in Bandon is the lighthouse. I took pics from all angles, and took the little tour also. It is located on the North Jetty.
On Sunday, I went to church at the South Coast Assembly of God church. I enjoyed the service a lot. After the service we had an ice cream social to celebrate two young ladies graduating high school.
I went to the Face Rock Creamery again to see them make cheese. I had been there later in the afternoon two days before and they were done making some, but I purchased some Garlic Cheddar Curds and a bag of Rustic Italian Crustini... and there are few things as fun to eat as "squeaky cheese"!! If you have to try some if you never have... asw you bite them, they kind of rub on your teeth and make a squeaky noise. And garlic... YUM!! They give out free samples, so there are always lots of people milling about in front of the coolers.
* * *
One morning I got up way early, to see the sun rise on the Bandon rocks. Especially Face Rock. Here is how it came to be...
~The Legend of Face Rock~
Many,
many years ago, the legend begins, Chief Siskiyou from the far
mountains traveled with his family and other clansmen to the coast to
trade goods with the four tribes who lived by the sea they called
Wecoma.
In his honor, the four chiefs planned the greatest feast in all memory. They roasted bear,salmon, elk, and deer. Huge quantities of clams and mussels were steamed. Cedar back trays were filled with honey and red and blue huckleberries.
It was feared that Seatka, the evil spirit who lived in the sea, might cause trouble for the people and their guests. Armed warriors stood guard on the high bluffs.
The sea enchanted Princess Ewauna, the beautiful daughter of Chief Siskiyou. After the feast, when the people were sleeping, she slipped away from camp, carrying a basket with her cat and kittens nestled inside, and followed by her faithful dog.
The moon was full and the Wecoma ran silver. Ewuana, who did not fear Seatka, swam in the sea, farther and farther from shore. The dog barked a warning but it was too late.
The evil Seatka had captured the beautiful princess. The dog carrying the basket of kittens swam to his mistress and buried his teeth in the hand of Seatka.
Howling, he shook off the dog and threw the cats into the sea. Seatka tried to make Ewauna look into his eyes, but she refused to look away from the great, round moon.
When her father awoke, he raised the alarm. Everyone rushed to the shore of Wecoma. There they saw the lovely face of Princess Ewauna gazing skyward. Her dog was on the beach howling for the princess, and the cat and kittens were in the sea. In time, they all turned to stone, frozen forever, as they were that long ago dawn.
In his honor, the four chiefs planned the greatest feast in all memory. They roasted bear,salmon, elk, and deer. Huge quantities of clams and mussels were steamed. Cedar back trays were filled with honey and red and blue huckleberries.
It was feared that Seatka, the evil spirit who lived in the sea, might cause trouble for the people and their guests. Armed warriors stood guard on the high bluffs.
The sea enchanted Princess Ewauna, the beautiful daughter of Chief Siskiyou. After the feast, when the people were sleeping, she slipped away from camp, carrying a basket with her cat and kittens nestled inside, and followed by her faithful dog.
The moon was full and the Wecoma ran silver. Ewuana, who did not fear Seatka, swam in the sea, farther and farther from shore. The dog barked a warning but it was too late.
The evil Seatka had captured the beautiful princess. The dog carrying the basket of kittens swam to his mistress and buried his teeth in the hand of Seatka.
Howling, he shook off the dog and threw the cats into the sea. Seatka tried to make Ewauna look into his eyes, but she refused to look away from the great, round moon.
When her father awoke, he raised the alarm. Everyone rushed to the shore of Wecoma. There they saw the lovely face of Princess Ewauna gazing skyward. Her dog was on the beach howling for the princess, and the cat and kittens were in the sea. In time, they all turned to stone, frozen forever, as they were that long ago dawn.
I took some other morning pics as well. While I was enjoying the cool morning breeze on the bluff, a lady, J. walked up to me and started talking. She was from upper Indiana and was also traveling by herself in a car she got from her uncle, staying at motels. A good friend was supposed to come with her, but then found out her daughter had cancer so she was taking care of her. J. proceeded to tell me all about this face injury she had with her jaw snd how she had so far been partly healed by God, and how she felt she had a healing touch. She said when she did that, she also felt healing and she asked if she could touch me. I allowed her to, and she just did a light massage on my shoulders, down my arms and my back to my waist. She turned me around and lightly touched my neck, shoulders and arms. That was all to it. I just kept praying "Jesus" through the whole thing which only took about two minutes. She told that when she turned me around, she envisioned about a two inch fire-y square hole and it was closing. I asked her if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and she said she didn't know, she thought maybe I would understand it. We talked a little more, and then I went my way. She had said she wanted to start heading back home to Indiana, but was waiting for the tornadoes to tame down before she made that trek. I got her phone number and plan to call her about mid-June to make sure she got home OK.
So I thought about that vision for a couple days. Right off, I don't have any idea. I was thinking that you don't want fire to come out, so closing was good. On the other hand, you don't want fire shut in either. I've since just prayed that if her intentions were from God that I'd be blessed and if they weren't, it wouldn't harm me.
Yes, I have met some very interesting people along this journey. People eager to talk and willing to tell you their life story, it seems.
I wouldn't mind going back to Bandon some day to spend more time. I think crabbing had a lot to do with my enjoyment of the area. I think I was there 4 nights and 5 days all together.
:)
