July 11th
On this day, we (Tyler, Adrienne, Amanda, Zach, Bob and Laura, Tyler’s sister Alicia and her husband and kids) visited the coast at Bandon, Oregon, before the band headed on to Portland.
I have seen several different coasts in my life, and heaven knows I love the Outer Banks, but the Oregon beach just might be my favorite. The sand stretched out to the ocean, punctuated with pebbles and massive rocks jutting up through the beach, remnants of a volcano. Both water and sky were intensely blue. The waves shot freezing spikes of pain up my legs when I jumped in them, but that didn’t stop me from dashing through the shallows while singing the Chariots of Fire theme. Seagulls wheeled overhead, and creatures of all kinds haunted the rocks: barnacles, tube worms, oysters, mussels, purple starfish, kelp, crabs, and even a pod of seals, fat and gleaming in the sun.
We explored the tidepools and the craggy rock structures, wading through caves, sprinting over open sand, climbing up the rough stone to stand on top of the world. Steam rose from the sand, wisping over the shore in an eerie mist, while the sun blazed through mottled clouds above. I wore shorts and a hoodie, shivering in the wind. Every nook of the shoreline was a new adventure, every new sea creature we discovered was utter fascination. As we walked along the beach, I realized that I had to return— I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without seeing this coast again.
~Lisa Shafter
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