(Late June – Early August, 2019) After visiting an RV service center in Medford, Oregon, to triage the jammed slide-out on our fifth-wheel and file an insurance claim, we made our way back to Bandon, one of our favorite spots on the southern Oregon coast. We looked forward to spending all of July enjoying the cooling sea breezes, exploring the historic port towns, and taking in the dramatic sights along this stretch of the Pacific coastline.

From Medford we took interstate I-5 north as far as Roseburg, then turned on scenic highway OR-42 to wind our way through the rugged coastal range to Bandon. At the town of Coquille, we turned onto the Coquille-Bandon spur road, OR-42S. This route is also quite scenic and saves about 10 miles or so vs. staying on OR-42, but I probably would not take it again with our rig. While the road is in good condition, it winds along the Coquille River and at times is narrow, has very sharp curves, and no shoulder – not the best road for a large rig – especially when meeting other RVs, semis, and logging trucks.

Around Bandon

Arriving in Bandon, we checked into the Bandon-by-the-Sea RV Park for a two-week stay. Given the popularity of Bandon as a vacation destination and the lateness of our booking, we were unable to reserve an entire month at any one park and had to split our stay between campgrounds.

This park was well maintained, featured many amenities, and had nice landscaping with a few whimsical touches. We particularly enjoyed the friendly staff and the July 4th BBQ potluck hosted at the campground.

Shortly after our arrival in Bandon, we were joined by our good friend, Ron S., who drove all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah, to take a short vacation on the coast. We really enjoyed hanging out with Ron and showing him around a few of our favorite places.

We especially enjoyed day-trips to Port Orford, Cape Blanco State Park & Lighthouse, Umpqua River Lighthouse, as well as to Bullards Beach State Park and the Coquille River Lighthouse. We also enjoyed long walks on the Bandon beaches, as well as visits to Old Town & Port of Bandon, the Bandon farmers market, and dining at Tony’s Crab Shack. (Ron, it was great to see you, again! Thanks so much for visiting.)

After Ron’s (altogether too short) visit we settled back into a relaxed routine of just enjoying summer-time on the coast, with many trips to the beach, day-trips to attractions along the coast, and dining at interesting restaurants around the area. Jasmine and Pepper especially enjoyed regularly trips to the beach where they could take long walks and romps chasing after balls in the surf.

Interludes – Trailer Repair Dialogues

For the duration of our stay in Bandon, we were not able to extend one of the kitchen/living-room slide-outs on our trailer, pending repairs. This much reduced our living space, but was still manageable, albeit inconvenient. During this time we had several contacts with the RV service center in Medford – once to relay measurements for the twisted support beam under the slide-out room, and again to learn that our insurance claim had been denied (reason – this is a structural issue not covered by the extended service plan policy – Ack!!!).

Waiting for the insurance claim to be filed (and denied) had already taken several weeks. We received an estimate on the repair from the service center – reasonable, though $$$ – and went ahead with scheduling the repair. Parts were ordered and tentative repair date was set for early August. Perfect.

Switching Campgrounds

After two-weeks at Bandon-by-the-Sea, we moved just a few miles to the other side of town and checked into the Coquille River RV Park for a three-week stay. This was a fairly basic, but nicely maintained campground just across highway US-101 from Bullards Beach State Park. The park only had water and electric hookups, but did offer a weekly pump-out service.

The campground was very popular with fishermen – many arrived with boats, trailers, and even more trailers with extra freezers to store their catch of fish and crab! We got to know several of the fishermen there – friendly folks – and were given several freshly caught/cooked crabs. Yum! A lot of work to shuck the crab meat from shell, but the crab salads & tacos to follow were excellent!

The stay at the park was good, except for one incident. While walking our dogs around the park, an off-leash border collie attacked Pepper. Pepper was fine – no injuries, other than being scared. The only casualty was my cell-phone – crushed while I was trying to separate the dogs and I tripped on the leashes. (Yes, we reported the incident to management who dealt with it – long story. I ordered a replacement screen for the phone, but was not able to repair it. Finally ordered a new phone at local Verizon store. Always such a pain to replace/reconfigure a phone!)

Around Port Orford

We took several day-trips south of Bandon both by ourselves and while Ron was visiting. Highlights include visits to historic Port Orford; Cape Blanco State Park & Lighthouse; and the West Coast Game Park Safari. Kim especially enjoyed the West Coast Game Park where she was able to feed and pet deer, play with a Lynx kitten, and see a chimp throw poo at several teasing college students (Ha!).

Around Coos Bay & Reedsport

We also took day-trips around Coos Bay and north to Reedsport. While Ron was visiting we enjoyed stops at the Umpqua River Lighthouse and Museum, the Umpqua Sand Dunes OHV Area, and lunch at the Seven Devils Brewery. Kim & I also enjoyed visits to the Cape Arago State Park and Shore Acres Park, near Coos Bay.

At Seven Devils State Recreation Area, we enjoyed watching a coast guard helicopter performing training exercises off the coast and over the beach and coastal hills. Exercises included flying search patterns, as well as rescuers & gurney baskets being winched to/from the beach and to/from locations on the scrubby hillsides. Fascinating!

Leaving Bandon – Trailer Repairs Delayed & Resolved

As our time in Bandon was drawing to its close, we were still dealing with uncertainty with our trailer repairs. About a week and a half before departure, the service center called to notify us they had received the replacement support beam, but were missing the support brackets. The repair shop was struggling to get a response & quote from the manufacturer on the brackets. The delay was dragging on and we extended our stay at the RV park – fortunately they were very helpful & could accommodate us. We ended up staying three extra nights.

Finally we received word the parts were available from the manufacturer and could be delivered by over-night air – the service center could get us in the following day for repairs. we authorized the shipment, booked reservations at a hotel in Medford, and prepared to leave the next morning.

The afternoon before we left Bandon, we received a surprise call from our Silent Valley Club friends, Margo & Dave. They were passing through the area and were stopped for one night at an RV park in Lakeside – about forty miles north on US-101. Well, we could not let this opportunity pass, so we took a drive to Lakeside to go visit and have dinner with them. Fun times! (Margo & Dave, so glad to see you – thanks for the hospitality – see you at SV in late November!)

The drive to Medford via OR-42 went smoothly (no, we did not take spur OR-42S!). We checked into our pet-friendly hotel, parked the trailer at a nearby truck stop, and checked in with the RV repair center the next morning. Problem – the over-night shipment had been delayed. Ack!

We waited several more days for the shipment to arrive – extending our stay at the hotel each day. (Gave us some time to look around Medford – found Lillie Farms Chocolates & Rogue Creamery Cheese Shop – yum!) Finally, parts were at the service center, we dropped the trailer off in the morning, repairs were completed by afternoon, and we now have a working slide-room. Yay!

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey.