This is our 2nd summer trip to Bandon. The boys had such a great time crabbing, clamming and 4 wheeling the sand dunes last year that they immediately requested to return in 2016. I rented a house this year because there was so much crab and clam processing that it made renting a motel room not practical. Our house was one block from the beach and less than a mile from the marina where my boat was in a slip. It had 5 bedrooms, 2 baths and sleeps 15! I definitely did not want a house that big but it was one of the few available for our week.
The trip was planned for early Tuesday morning departure but when I got home from work on Monday the boys were so excited to go that they begged to leave right away. I figured that might not be a bad idea to break the 6 plus hour drive in half and stay overnight in Medford. We packed the truck and boat and left with in an hour. A few minutes after we left, I got a call from home saying that Emma really wanted to go too so I turned around and went back home to pick her up. I’m glad she decided to go. I think it was a great experience for her. She loved the clamming and riding on the sand dunes the most. The crabbing was fun to for her but the weather was so windy that even crabbing in the bay there were swells and whitecaps. She got a little motion sickness so that made it not as enjoyable for her. Even the boys were getting a little sea sick.
We could have easily caught more crabs but since Emma was getting motion sickness on the boat, we decide to have her and one boy crab off the dock while the other boy and me crab in the boat. We would set the traps then go back to the dock and swap boys, then go pick up the pots/traps and reset them then go back to the dock and swap boys again… REPEAT…… Tougher to pull pots and work the boat at the same time. It was manageable and still fun because Emma still got the do some crabbing. By the end of the trip we tallied 79 keeper sized crabs. We ate almost 20 of them while we were there! On Friday we drove to Charleston and clammed in the morning. We got 4 full limits. That’s 80 clams. That night we ate fresh crab, fried clams, steamed clams, clam chowder, fresh farmers market corn and garlic bread.
There is a creamery in Bandon called Face Rock and it serves up excellent ice cream. The ice cream servings you see in the pics are CHILDS portions! AND it costs $2.00!
We packed it up and started our long drive home Sat. morning. We listened to The Andromeda Strain audiobook on the way home and that made the drive go by a little easier. Again, we are already looking forward to going back next summer!
I enjoyed the information you posted . We went to Bandon 2 years ago but returning with family this year. Is there any information you can give me on the clamming and the dunes? Best places to go? I have 3 kids all 11 years to 19 yr of age. They really want to try the dunes this time. Loved crabbing off the dock but thinking about a boat this time. Thank you for your time. Shelly O’Connell
Hi Shelly,
When are you going to go to Bandon again this year? We will be there the week of July 29th. The easiest clamming is in Charleston. There is access under the bridge in town. We always get some clams but it’s best at a minus tide. We go to Steves ATV just north of Koos Bay. They have always been good and they have helmets and all for you to use. You either have to reserve the bikes or quads you want or get there early. Nothing like crabbing out of a boat. Much easier to get limits. If you have your own boat, there is the time you will need to wash everything down at the end of the trip. You kids are old enough that you can delegate that to them :)) If you need anymore info let me know. Wayne