When you think of beaches, you might imagine sunny skies, warm sand beneath your feet, and blue ocean as far as the eye can see. But there’s another side, darker, moodier, but beautiful still.

We’ve been taking a relaxing drive through Southern Oregon and exploring the coastline we’ve heard so much about - Bandon in particular. We found ourselves gently swept along the trail by sand whispering along like multi-threaded strands converging towards a river delta. The dense fog draped the shore in white, with rocks peering through the cloudy sea here and there, slowly appearing and disappearing like a mystery.

During low tide, we discovered tunnels along the wide sandy expanse. It was so quiet here with not a soul in sight other than the three of us (my husband, me, and our dog Yoshi). The tunnels gave way to a hidden cove, inaccessible by any other way. It felt like we had found a little piece of zen, tucked away in nature.

Although dark, the sand was surprisingly warm. We walked along the shore in companionable silence for long stretches of time, without a care in the world - if only for those moments. Yoshi had fun exploring and sniffing the endless smells, while we took photos along the way.

In some ways, it felt like another planet here and perhaps something one would consider Mars-like from the movies, except for the surrounding water I suppose.

The coast was lined with rock structures, both grand and small. I loved the textures of the rock and reflections in the sand, with the sounds of waves softly crashing onto the shore.