<p>So long story short we just returned from a Mexico vacation. Finally decided that if we ever get the vacation place we have been talking about it won’t be in another country (long story). We live in an area with beautiful weather but the coastline is unaffordable. DH read about some new golf courses in Bandon OR. It looks like there is some decent golf, some proximity to the beach for me, etc. We like small towns and don’t care about rain or cold. I love to walk on the beach but am not a surfer or major swimmer who needs a warm ocean or year round sunshine.
Any CCers familiar with the area?</p>
<p>We stayed one night in Bandon about 15 years ago. It was a stop as we made our way from Seattle to SF. It was recommended as a nice beach stop because of all the sea stacks. I remember zero about the actual town but the sea stacks did make a nice backdrop for family photos.</p>
<p>What is a sea stack? We are so hoping to visit the Pacific Northwest one day. Maybe a graduation gift to ourselves next year.</p>
<p>Sea stacks are isolated rock formations that are resistant to erosion. They seem to rise out of the water like mountains. If you do a search for sea stacks in Oregon you will find numerous photographs.</p>
<p>North and Central Oregon Coast (Newport and above) has been hit pretty hard in the housing balloon. Great rentals and homes for sale that I find unbelievable. I haven’t been to South Coast for a longtime but from what I have heard, green fees are reasonable, make reservations and best mode of transportation is a Beech Twin, minimum.</p>
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<p>Good, because you will likely get a lot of rain and cold - even in the summer. I grew up in Oregon, and the number of warm and sunny days you get on the coast per year can just about be counted on one hand. Even when it was a hundred degrees over in the Willamette Valley it would be cold, blustery, and overcast on the coast. You can bring your swim suits just in case you get lucky, but you are far mqre likely to need long pants, sweaters, and windbreakers.</p>
<p>coureur, I know it sounds weird but that sounds good to me.</p>
<p>ebeeeee - a couple of years ago I was looking to make my first trip to the Pacific Northwest, and with some solid suggestions from some people on CC, I decided to go to Cannon Beach. I absolutely fell in love with it, and am hoping to get back there again this summer/fall. I went around the first week of October, and only had one really bad day, weather-wise, where it pretty much rained the whole day. I used that day to go up to Seaside to do some shopping. The weather most days had highs in the upper 50s to low 60s, and there were always some rain-free hours that I could take a long walk on the beach. Do a google search for Cannon Beach. It’s a small town, not as touristy as Seaside… much more laid back.</p>
<p>If you are off the beach 100-200 yards, the weather becomes remarkably better. When the Valley is hot, the beach itself is cold and windy, much like SF and Oakland. Look for east wind (strong high pressure east of the Cascades) and a low pressure off the coast to have 80+ weather on the beach. A LOT of microclimates will determine weather niceties. Current weather is in the mid 60’s days and high 50’s nights. </p>
<p>BIG clam tides this weekend thru Wednesday. I am taking sister 1, clamming tomorrow. She rarely gets to use the family’s Pacific City house. </p>
<p>April/May and Sept/Oct are gorgeous weather months. Fireworks on the 4th begins at 10:00pm and this year looks like a dark moon and awesome stars.</p>
<p>Oregon coastal weather cams courtesy of KGW-TV and respective cam establishments.</p>
<p>[Live</a> Cameras | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington](<a href=“http://www.kgw.com/livecams/content.html?livecams_or_p3]Live”>http://www.kgw.com/livecams/content.html?livecams_or_p3)</p>
<p>For some reason Oregon has always been one of my top dream destinations. Have been as far west as Montana, but never made it to the west coast. I agree with ebee (post 7) cool and cloudy sounds good to me. Breezy (windy, even) is an added plus. Summer I can do without!</p>
<p>Does anyone else watch House Hunters? I find it interesting to see all the different areas of the country. They also have an International program where many people are looking to buy homes in other countries. It is interesting to see the prices. Some of the South American countries are quite costly.</p>
<p>mom60 of course I watch House Hunters! DH thinks I’m nuts but I like seeing the cost of places in different locations. The International version is interesting. While Costa Rica and Mexico are very popular with people from our area DH and I want to be in the US.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info everyone. Keep it coming. I’ll take a look at Cannon Beach but I know DH was interested in Bandon because of a good golf course there. We are trying to find a beach for me and a golf course for him and FL is not an option.</p>
<p>I resisted a TV in my bedroom for my entire life. About 4 months ago I gave in and my husband bought a mid sized flat screen tv for the bedroom. I find I flip the switch on about 9 pm for an hour or so. I go back and forth between the Food Network and HGTV. I think it might have not been the best idea since I find I am definitely reading less. And that TV is the reason I have not yet finished the CC June book club selection.</p>
<p>nothing wrong with the beach at Bandon. Entire Oregon beach (to mean high tide level) is a designated public road. Clamming in Coquille estuary and dunes recreation area just north of Coos Bay. Its tuna season.</p>
<p>I second the vote for the Cannon Beach area. We have a vacation home there. One of the nice things about the Seaside/ Cannon Beach/ Astoria area is it’s proximity to Portland. Th airport is easy to fly in and out of, it is a beautiful airport, one of my favorites in the world. It is an easy hour and a half drive from the airport to the Coast, and housing prices have slumped incredibly.
I am not sure where you would be coming from, but the roads out to the coast can become impassable during major storms. But the route 26 to Seaside/ Cannon Beach is usually open unless there is a disaster.
Cannon Beach is kind of like the Carmel of Oregon, with Seaside being Santa Cruz. Newport Oregon, further south, has a beautiful aquarium.
If you want more info, look for the magazine called Oregon Coast. It has info on the entire coastline.</p>