In today’s world of expanding options for remote golf destinations, just getting there is a big part of the process. As anyone who’s ever made pilgrimages to Scotland or Ireland can attest, the journey is what you make of it.
The journey to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon should start – and end – with pie.
As Bandon and other courses such as Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia or Sand Hills in Mullen, Nebraska, or Barnbougle in Tasmania have proved, the best golfing ground is not always in the most convenient places and often require hours of driving just to get there from the nearest reliable airport.
We’ve made the 4½-hour trek to and from Portland International Airport and Bandon Dunes three times now, and the thing that makes that drive tolerable isn’t just the prospect of bucket-list golf at the end. It’s the pie.
Like Buddy the Elf, we simply had to stop in to see if it was worthy of such a boast and congratulate the folks at Don’s Main Street Family Restaurant on the accomplishment.
On our first trip to Bandon 10 years ago, we needed sustenance en route. Passing through the coastal town of Reedsport about an hour north of Bandon, a blue ribbon on a sign caught our eye. “Award Winning Pies” the marquee claimed. “You can get fish and chips and a nice pie – that’s all you can ever ask for,” said Ron Green Jr. the first time we pulled in.
It absolutely was deserving. Chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut cream, lemon meringue … every one of the dozen or so different scratch-made pies available that we tried was excellent. Even better, Don’s mantra strikes a chord: “Where it is never too early for pie, or too late for breakfast.” As long as those cravings hit between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., it’s ready for you seven days a week.
On subsequent Bandon trips, stopping in Reedsport for the night – and pie in the morning – has been baked into the itinerary. The Economy Inn may not be five-star lodging, but it’s a half mile down Route 101 from Don’s Main Street. (Plus, our queen triple room did have a full-size refrigerator, just in case you needed to stow anything in a crisper drawer overnight.)
We were waiting outside the door when Don’s opened at 8, and the place was packed by 8:30 on a Sunday. And as good as the pie is, the breakfast and its friendly servers may have been even better. It’s been in business since 1973 for a reason.
Sated with omelets, hash browns and pie, we made the final hour-long stretch to Bandon Dunes. A whole sour cream lemon pie made the last leg with us and got divvied up a couple of days later over lunch at Charlotte’s BBQ on the range. And those of us who went home through PDX made a quick pit stop in Reedsport for one last slice to hold us over until the next Bandon pilgrimage.
If you’re not one of those folks who truncate the journey to Bandon Dunes by flying into North Bend, do yourself a favor and make room for pie. You can thank the good folks at Don’s Main Street later.
Scott Michaux
E-MAIL SCOTT
All Photos: A.P. Sachs