090908 - Bandon, Oregon

September 8th, 2009
Bandon, Oregon

Bandon in one of those little seaside communities you want to stop at to just walk around and enjoy the moment. It boasts having the smallest lighthouse on the Oregon coast, standing just 40feet tall at the mouth of the bay.
“Old Town” is just a couple of blocks along the water’s edge with small local restaurants and shops selling everything from bait to clothing to fudge. It is completely devoid of any recognizable chain or national fast food place.
Unfortunately Mother Nature was unaware that this was the Labor Day weekend and shed rain on and off for most of the long weekend. While it dampen our spirits a bit, on the good side, it kept many tourists away and so there were no crowds to contend with.

There is a lot of road construction going on – I guess it’s being paid for by some stimulus package – and that means lane closures with those pesky orange lane dividers to redirect traffic Sometimes they make lanes a little too snug for RVs and I “tapped one”.
When I got a chance to examine the point of impact, I had a right rear wheel fender flapping in the wind. It Is really more cosmetic than functional; a skirt of fiberglass tacked to the fiberglass body with a few pop rivets. Unfortunately, driving and flapping are not a good combination and if not repaired would probably fall off.
I asked Mike, the park manager if he could take a look at the damage for me and after a quick inspection, he disappeared and then reappeared with a handful of tools. In about 15 minutes he had stabilized the fender with a new pop-rivet and secured a metal brace to the frame. When I tried to pay him for the work he refused.
Another name to add to my thank you Christmas list.