Last year for Thanksgiving weekend, we made a trip to Portland, Oregon. While we barely stopped on the way there, we took the longer but very scenic coastal road on the way back to California. Our last stop before the border was in Bandon, where we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.

The timing was almost perfect. We arrived a bit before sunset and were able to explore Bullards Beach State Park with its charming Coquille River Lighthouse.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1939, but was restored to its former beauty over the last few years.

From the lighthouse we could already see the famous rocks off the coast of Bandon. As the sun was already low, we hurried to get to the beach next to them. We arrived just at the moment the sun started to sink behind the most prominent rock.

It always amazes me how fast the sky colors change. Fifteen minutes after I took the previous shot, the scenery had completely changed.

It was surreal to see all these huge rocks outs there. One of them is called “Face Rock”. Unfortunately, we didn’t had enough time to go see it.

One of the last shots of the day looks more like a watercolor scene with its pastel tones and the painterly texture of the water and the sky.

This was an stunning sunset at a great beach. But Bandon is not only known for these rocks, it was also named one of the “Coolest Small Towns in America” by BudgetTravel in 2010. This is definitely a little town that we will visit again and spend some more time exploring.