A Favorite Escape - North Head Lighthouse! - Guest Feature!

Guest Post from my friend Sally Lee by the Sea...

Thanks so much for letting me feature your North Head Lighthouse story! This is one of my very favorite places to go on the Washington Coast.  Have witnessed some AWESOME storms at the Lighthouse, and down on the jetty, gigantic waves crashing against the cliffs at Cape Disappointment...

The century-old North Head Lighthouse, completed in 1898, sits atop a bluff in one of the windiest locations in the United States. Winds frequently clock at over 100 mph, guarding ships through the trecherous waters, known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The Lighthouse is a favorite stop for visitors and one of my favorite places in the world. This 65 foot tall conical lighthouse sits north of the mouth to the Columbia River in Southwest Washington. 

Since I live in close proximity, the Lighthouse is one of my favorite escapes, whether it be for sharing with friends and family or if I just need a break from life. A short stroll through the rainforest-like terrain provides numerous opportunities to view nature at its finest. We especially love to walk on the tiny Lighthouse Keeper's path which provides especially beautiful photo opportunities. The Lighthouse was designed by German-born engineer C.W. Leick and sits on solid basalt more than 190 feet above sea level so it provides glorious views of Oregon to the South and the Long Beach Peninsula to the North. 

Each changing season provides a new and unique experience. We trekked to the lighthouse after a freak snowstorm when the ground was covered in a lovely blanket of white.  Without a single other soul to be seen or heard from, the area was quiet, still and peaceful...even the ocean. During one of our summer visits we got caught in a fast moving rainstorm.  The storm produced fierce winds and rough seas that crashed loudly upon the rocky terrain below, however the Brown Pelicans flew around in utter delight and amusement. It was a sight that I'll soon not forget.

Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as 'The Graveyard of the Pacific'.

North Head has a neighboring lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, that is similar in shape, and painted in a unique stripe pattern so that the two can easily be recognized during daylight. This marking is called a daymark. Both lighthouses are fully functional and were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.

After the last keeper left North Head in 1961, the lonely lighthouse began to deteriorate. Luckily the Coast Guard restored the lighthouse in the mid-80s and opened it to the public under the direction of the Cape Disappointment State Park. The keeper's dwellings are nestled a half mile into the woods from the lighthouse itself, and have also been restored. Today, half of the dwellings house park personnel, but the other half and a single-family house are available for overnight stays.

If you venture to the Southwest Washington region, I highly recommend you stop by the Cape Disappointment State Park and especially the North Head Lighthouse where you'll feel like you're on top of the world.

http://www.funbeach.com/attractions/lighthouse-northhead.html

Please make sure you stop by Marie's blog - she's got great coastal ideas too!  http://www.sallyleebythesea.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Point Reyes Lighthouse

Love Saturday drives along Hwy 1 on the California coast, always discovering something new! We had driven by the signs before, but had no idea of the beauty that we were missing by not taking the 20 mile winding road down into the Point Reyes National Seashore, to arrive finally at the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse at the very tip. (Map)

We tried to make reservations to be there at sundown, as there is a special program twice a month for 8 lucky visitors to light the lighthouse lattern. It's a very popular activity, and the park starts accepting reservations the day of the event at 10:00 am - of course, I called right at 10:00 am, busy signal. By the time I got through at 10:10 all the spots were all filled up. Darn! Maybe next time...

Made a quick stop at the visitors' center and were absolutely amazed to find out that there are only 10 National Seashore Protected areas, and Point Reyes is the only one on the West Coast. So much wildlife to see; so many birds, including gorgeous, graceful hawks, herds of elk, and tons of sealife. Tom stopped the car several times to see if we could catch the hawks on camera, it was a futile effort.

Out at the lighthouse, (after you finally make it to the bottom of the 308 stairs!) it is possible to look down in the rocks below and see sea lions frolicking in the surf. Never get enough of

watching seals and sea lions - they always look like they are having fun..effortless in the

surf.

At Chimney Rock, when we were there last month, the elephant seals were bringing in their newborns. Wow, so awesome to be able to see

them in the wild! (promise to show more in a

future blogpost) I don't think that I have ever even seen an elephant seal, except on television. Can tell you this; we could smell them and hear them, long before we got to the end of the trail...

Finally, after driving for what seemed like forever over rolling hills and through dairy farms, we made it to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse parking lot.

Be aware, visiting the lighthouse is not for the weak of heart. (or too out of shape!) After parking in the parking lot, there is a .5 mile walk to the

visitors' center at the top of the stair case that leads down to the lighthouse. Enjoy the walk to the center, and the incredible views of the crashing Pacific Ocean! The day that we visited, the fog was extremely thick, almost a life of its' own - very eerie. As we walked through this stand of wild wind-whipped trees, the fog dripped off like rain.

Warning you now about the 308 stairs down, interspersed with long stretches of cement ramps, but thank goodness there are many view-point benches to stop and sit on the way back up! So worth the walk down though! Crashing waves and extensive 360 degree views of the Ocean.

Point Reyes is the windiest spot on the Pacific Coast, and the second foggiest on the North American Continent. It was both the day that we visited!

This light was first lit in 1870, to warn ships destined for San Francisco, of the dangerous
headlands at Point Reyes. I cannot possibly imagine how hard life must have been for the first lightkeepers! Wind, rain, fog, boredom and hauling coal up and down this cliff to keep the light lit.. oh my, not so glamorous.

The fresnel lens is still beautiful, although the outside of Point Reyes Lighthouse, has definitely taken a weather driven beating! (Still standing tho!")

For more information on the Lighthouse history - check out this link:http://www.nps.gov/pore/historyculture/people_maritime_lighthouse.htm

Here's one of our last looks at the incredible views as we ascended the staircase. The fog was lifting and fingers of sun stroked the ocean. Love this...