A long day of travel.
Our flight was early (7:20) and PIT a total zoo. We had all had forgotten how busy things are on Monday mornings and this was no exception. Our flight routed through Midway with a short and uneventful layover EXCEPT – a defective water bottle spilled on my laptop & fried the motherboard. Bummer.
Arrival in Portland was a little after 11:00 a.m. local time (Pacific – a 3-hour difference). The final approach to Portland International (PDX) was great with fantastic views of Mt. Adams & Mt. Rainier to the north and a very close fly-by of Mt. Hood to the south.
After lunch at the Great Notion Brew Pub (a championship brewery noted for their IPAs & sour brews) in Portland we headed south (past innumerable Cannabis shops) towards Bandon. It’s an interesting, but long, drive – some 4-1/4 hours. The route for the first half of the trip is through the Willamette Valley, between the Coastal and Cascade ranges. Just south of Eugene, the ride bends towards the coast for a beautiful drive through a knife-edged canyon carved by the Umpqua River. Lots of Douglas Fir, & and elk viewing area are along the route. After a short stop at ‘Beverage Barn’ in Bandon for provisions (growler fills & spirits), we arrived at the Bandon Resort.
Staying on one of the resort properties allows for early tee booking & discounted green fees. We opted for the ‘Lily Pond’ cottages – almost reasonable & a short walk and an even shorter shuttle from the main lodge with it’s dining & pub options.
Since our arrival was too late to get in a round on one of the main resort courses we headed over to the ‘Punchbowl’, and 18-hole, 100,000 square foot (2.3 acres) putting course designed by Tom Doak and modeled after St. Andrews ‘Himalaya Course‘. It’s great – there’s a bar shack next to the course with beverage service and beer stands on each of the tees! The game for the day was straight stroke play – gross. Rick secured the game point with a dramatic come-from-behind win.
We dined at McKee’s, a Scottish style pub next to the resort’s lodge.
