Bastendorff Beach

We’re back! After five nights of shopping, dining out, catching a movie in the theatre (gasp!) and just generally enjoying life in lovely Eugene, we’ve wandered back to the coast. We just can’t stay away. Originally after Eugene the plan was to head east across the Cascades and spend some time in Bend chilling on the dry side of the mountains. But then for a variety of reasons we changed our minds. We had some issues finding a place to stay there, and the 2.5 hour drive from Eugene plus another 4.5 back to the coast was not very appealing. What it really came down to though is that we want to explore more of the coast. Since the weather seems to be deteriorating rapidly, we’re feeling that the push is on, and if we really want to see the southern Oregon coast there’s no time to waste. Which brings us here to Bastendorff Beach, just a few miles south of Coos Bay.

Ahhh…I never get sick of this view

Bastendorff Beach is another gorgeous Oregon beach flanked by a rocky jetty on one side, and a long cliff that juts out into the ocean on the other. We spent two nights at the Bastendorff Beach Park. It’s a nice county run campground tucked back in the woods on a bluff overlooking the beach. There’s four loops of RV sites, a tent area and few cabins. Some of the spots near the back of the park are very shady and sloped, but there’s a good amount of privacy between sites. We drove the loops a few times before picking a large, level site at the end of loop B.

Our large, level site

We never really got a chance to enjoy the outside area of our large private site because it rained during most of our stay. We got lucky on Sunday though, and after a rainy drive from Eugene, the rain let up and it remained dry long enough for us to visit the beach on Sunday afternoon.

Phineas and his tennis ball. Look at that slimy tongue!

Us on the beach

The tide was out so we walked all the way to the cliff at the south end of the beach where we discovered some tide pools filled with sea anemones.

Coastal cliff

Tidal pools

Pretty green sea anemone

When we went back today it was near high tide and you couldn’t get anywhere near the tidal pools without going for a swim. The cliff was also partially underwater which explains the cool patterns in the rock that we noticed during our first visit. The constant movement of water as the tide goes in and out must sculpt the rock into these fascinating shapes.

Swirly rock

Hole in the cliff

After our walk Tim noticed a sign in the parking lot that said 24-hour parking was allowed. Free parking on the beach! We are all over that. We ended up staying at the campground Sunday and Monday night and then moved down to the beach this morning. It was a good choice. Yesterday and last night it rained almost non-stop, but this morning it cleared up and the sun came out just in time for us to enjoy our new 24-hour home.

Look at that view!

Looking out the front door

It doesn’t get much better than this

Wondering if we’re coming out to play

Looking cute by the door

Too bad we can’t stay longer, but now we know to be on the look out for 24-hour beach parking. Tomorrow we’re heading a little ways north to explore the Oregon National Dunes for a few days!