Safe and warm in our cozy hotel, the kids and I stopped reading our books and headed to the window to look out. Below us the endless waves crashed furiously against the beach rocks and the rain pelted down. No one in their right mind would go out in this storm. Not even the seagulls braved the wind and the rain. But then in the distance, we could see it. A small, weaving figure floating across the sand. It was my husband and father of my children…bold, intrepid, some might say, idiotic. He was not going to be deterred by this downpour. He had dreamed of riding a fat-tired bike across the beach, and God willing, he was going to do it. He came closer, and of course we cheered and hoorayed and stoked his ego for daring to do what no other human around was willing to. He did a wheelie, rode next to the waves, pumped his fist at us and then rode on, and we went back to reading our books by the fireplace. That’s Ben-he’s the crazy to my mellow and the rabble-rouser to my rule follower.
We took the fam to Bandon Brewing Co. for dinner after Ben thawed his frozen digits with a long, hot bath. It’s always a struggle to keep the kids occupied while out to dinner but the kids were mesmerized by the pizza throwing at this place. The entertainment was top notch. They had a ‘viewing area’ for the pizza tossers which delighted the kids. The chef brought over kid sized balls of dough and taught them how to throw it. Although the distinction between pizza dough and play-dough is vague, throwing something messy in the air is not.
Lucky for us, the weather finally cleared a bit the next day and we were able to explore the tide pools and surrounding beach area. It was a freezing walk but we saw a beautiful rainbow, splashed through a few puddles in our rain boots and got to see the amazing sand labyrinth that local artists construct on the beach. Unfortunately, the kids were in meltdown mode by the time we got to the labyrinth so I didn’t take any pictures. Here’s a link to their website though with photos and draw schedule–Circles in the Sand.
Overall, I’d say bring your babies to Bandon if you are content to remain indoors and view the wild ocean from a distance…or…save the journey for a weekend when the weather is nice. Bandon–we’ll be back.
THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO DO NEXT TIME:
- Hike the Bandon dunes
- Tour the lighthouse
- Pet tigers at The West Coast Game Park (it was closed this time due to the rain)
- Take a polar plunge in the ocean — Ben only, no one else is crazy enough to do this
- Build sandcastles and driftwood forts on the beach
Under 6 Overseas 