Finding no need to scamper to higher ground for Tsunami survival, we depart Crescent City.
On our way toward the golf mecca of Bandon Dunes, we pass through Denmark.
Denmark, Oregon, actually. That’s notable to me because Sarah and I were married in Dragør, Denmark – just outside Copenhagen – and I speak a little Danish.
Jeg taler om lidt dansk.
Denmark, Oregon, was founded by first-generation Danes who developed a profitable dairy industry in the area. In 1915, the community had a sawmill (savværk), a cheese (ost) factory, a creamery (flødetøj), and a public school (skole).
In 1940, it had a population of nearly 100. But improvements to US Highway 101 bypassed the business district, and the community went into decline.
Today, it has nothing.
I dag, det har ikke noget.
***
Fifteen miles north of Denmark is Bandon, a town of about 3,000, mostly known for its golf. Bandon was named by George Bennet, an Irish immigrant, who settled nearby in 1873 and named it after Bandon, Ireland – his hometown.
Today, nearby Bandon Dunes is considered one of the top golf resorts in the US, if not the world. It has five seaside courses, all with incredible ocean views. An additional two non-traditional courses include “The Punchbowl,” a 100,000 square-foot putting course, and Bandon Preserve, a 13-hole par 3 course.
Twenty-five miles north on Bandon is Coos Bay, a city of about 16,000 with a history in shipbuilding and lumber products. It’s the largest city on the Oregon coast.
We pass through Newport, then the picturesque town of Depoe Bay, site of one of the more memorable scenes from 1975 Academy Award winner, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In this scene, the inmates from the insane asylum escape to go fishing in Depoe Bay. During the movie’s fishing interlude, Randall Patrick McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, offers the timeless line: “You’re not nuts; you’re fishermen!”
Depoe Bay, for some reason, claims to have the world’s smallest navigable harbor, covering about six acres, with a 50-foot-wide channel connecting it to the Pacific Ocean. It’s also known as the Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast.
From Depoe Bay, it’s only 10 miles to tonight’s destination, Lincoln City.
The city was incorporated in 1965, uniting the cities of Delake, Oceanlake and Taft, and the unincorporated communities of Cutler City and Nelscott – all adjacent communities on Highway 101. The name Lincoln City, honoring former president Abraham Lincoln, was chosen from contest entries submitted by local school children.
During the naming contest, the soon-to-be city was almost called “Surfland.” That’s what the majority of school kids in the area wanted. In 1999, a number of locals wanted to rename it “Beach City.” That didn’t stick, either. So, Lincoln City will apparently remain Lincoln City, for the foreseeable future.
A big annual event in Lincoln City is the Oregon Summer Kite Festival. This year the festival will be held on June 25 and 26. It will blow you away.
One other event in Lincoln City that could blow you away is the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic. Nelscott Reef is named for the former community of Nelscott that’s now part of Lincoln City. The reef is about a half-mile offshore at a depth of about 18 feet. The open ocean swells can reach up to 50 feet in the winter season. Nelscott Reef is Oregon’s big wave claim to fame.
The Big Wave Classic is a one-day event between October 1 and March 31. It’s called on three days’ notice to guarantee optimal conditions. The event is for experts only, a double-black run in the water. If the waves don’t kill you, the sharks might.
So much to do in Lincoln City. So little time to do it.
***
To view today’s route in Google Maps, click here.
My number today: 1,689.5 (displacement, in cubic centimeters, of my Harley. Vroom!)
What’s your number?
Riding With Gary 
California needs the rain…..you three didn’t!
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