...anyone that has been to Bandon Dunes, Or

[rstyle]

Planning a trip with my wife in July to Bandon Dunes. Flying from Fl. so a long painful trip.
Should we drive straight down to Bandon from Portland through Eugene or is it worth staying in Portland overnight and then spending a day driving along the coast on Route 101? Never been to that part of the country.
Thanks

[immts007]

Planning a trip with my wife in July to Bandon Dunes. Flying from Fl. so a long painful trip.

OMG, take the coast route if you have the time... the Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

[erova]

i have only made the trip driving down the I-5 from Portland, so I can speak to the fact the drive isn't THAT interesting through Eugene, but once you turn off 5 and start heading west through the timber farms and winding streams it's a really scenic drive.

plus you're going through a few vineyards and the like while you're on 5 so it could be worse, and you still get about an hour or so along the dunes before you get to Bandon proper.

since IMMT is an oregonian, you have to take his word to take the coastal route, but i wouldn't say your life is going to suck if you have to take the i-5 from portland to bandon...

[raygrinberg]

An ex-Oregonian here. The drive down the coast from Portland can be very congested in the summer. An endless caravan of RVs. 101 is primarily two lanes going through many towns with many stoplights. On the plus side it has some of the most beautiful scener in the world. If possible, think about taking two days. Spend the night in either Newport of Florence. The Rogue Brewery in Newport has OUTSTANDING beers. Sandpines is a very nice and affordable (compared to Bandon's rates). I guess I would hate for you to feel stressed and trying to push it on what should be a good time for you.

An alternative is to fly into North Bend/Coos Bay on Horizon and avoid most of the drive. I-5 is pretty dull from Portland to Eugene. You can also go to Roseburg on I-5 and head over to the coast from there.

As you probably know, Summer weather on the Oregon Coast is usually 60s and windy. That will feel pretty chilly compared to Florida. Bring appropriate clothing!

[UWSig]

The Oregon coast is beautiful. And Portland freaking rocks. I would suggest going out in the Pearl District. Very cool.

And Bandon is probably the nicest course I've ever played. Put on your walking shoes, but well worth it.

[rstyle]

Thanks for the responses. they have been very helpful
In my reading I did find out that the Oregon Coast highway (101) is the busiest tourist highway in the U.S.!!
We arrive about noon from Florida (in Portland) an maybe drive a few hours and spend the night someplace and finish the drive to Bandon the following day.

[jimmizu]

Bring rainwear, I was there in August 2 years ago and it rained . . . both days we played!

[nevets88]

I took the coastal route down and the I-5 back north. Yes, the coastal route is slower, but much more enjoyable, especially if you like looking at panoramic rocky shores, beaches, big haystack rocks, seals, lighthouses, etc...

Here are some great photos:

http://search.pbase.com/search?q=ore...ch+Photos&c;=sp

[immts007]

Bring rainwear, I was there in August 2 years ago and it rained . . . both days we played!

I think jimmizu got very unlucky... summer rain is pretty rare in that area.

But hey, better safe than sorry.

[negcx]

I've actually played there a handful of times since it opened and encountered summer rain on several occasions. One day I even played 36 holes in the pouring rain. But I gave up on rain gear; after the first round I just put on a T-shirt and shorts and embraced the fact that I was going to be drenched.

Coming from Florida I'm sure it's worth going to Portland and Eugene. Both are unique towns well worth investigating. If you're a member of a country club you may want to have your pro try to set you up to be able to play Eugene CC, as that's also a fabulous course -- I believe one of the top 100.