Bandon, Oregon, U.S.A. (August 14-16, 2008)

Bandon is a small coastal town in southern Oregon, where the Coquille River meets the Pacific Ocean. Although the area was inhabited for years by the Coquille Indians, the town of Bandon was founded in 1837 by Irishman George Bennet, who named it after his native home in Ireland. The fishing and timber industries were Bandon's economic mainstays until the 1980s; today, its focus is on tourism, wood products and agriculture - in particular, cranberries.

Most visitors come to enjoy Bandon's beautiful coastline, where the beach stretches for miles, and one can wander among the craggy rock formations and flocks of seagulls for hours without passing another person. In summer, the coast is often blanketed in a thick fog that deters all but the hardiest swimmers but is perfect for long, contemplative walks followed by hot cocoa with marshmallows.

A patch of blue sky breaks through the fog over Bandon beach

Beach cottages allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the Oregon coast from the warmth of the fireside

Bandon's Old Town has plenty of fish-and-chips stands offering homemade clam chowder, fresh oysters and, of course, hot fish and chips. More adventurous types can catch their own supper with crab pots and fishing gear rented along the harbor .

One of Bandon's many interesting rock formations; the person to the left of the rock gives a sense of scale

The incoming tide erases my footprints in the sand