Oregon & Washington
Click on the images to
see a larger version.
Oregon & Washington
Click on the images to
see a larger version.
Cape Arego Lighthouse-Charleston, Oregon-This lighthouse is located near Coos Bay, Oregon, which is where I intend to live someday... The tower is forty-four feet tall and one hundred feet above the sea. The U. S. Coast Guard has "No-Trespassing" signs posted so getting a close-up of this lighthouse was not easy, but I managed ;) I have been to this lighthouse four times.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse-Port Orford, Oregon-This lighthouse is located at Oregon's highest and most westerly point. The original lens is still in service. It is almost always very windy here and because of that the trees are bent in some very interesting shapes. The view is spectacular from the cape with all shapes and sizes of rocks in the water and on the shore...I have been to this lighthouse two times.
Cape Meares Lighthouse-Cape Meares State Park,Tillamook, Oregon-This 38 foot octagonal brick tower stands on a bold headland 232 feet above the pounding breakers and has a light that is visible for up to 25 miles. In spite of rumors that the lighthouse was mistakenly built on Cape Meares instead of CapeLookout, 10 miles to the south, records show that both capes were examined and this was determined to be the better place. I have been to this lighthouse three times so far and it is now open to the public for tours.
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse-Tillamook, Oregon-This light was first lit on February 1st, 1881 and served until 1957. Landings here were, and still are, very hard and dangerous. It took 18 months to prepare the foundation and build the one-story dwelling and square tower. This site is famous for it's storms and through the years the keepers there had their nerves severly tested by the turbulent seas. During a storm in 1934 the lens was smashed. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957 and has been through a series of private owners since then. It is currently being used as a columbarium with tiers of urns bearing the ashes of the dead. I have seen this lighthouse several times from a distance.
Umpqua River Lighthouse-Winchester Bay, Oregon-This lighthouse is 65 feet tall and has been active since 1894. The tower's light, whose focal point is 165 feet above the sea, has been automated and is still active. The light is beautiful in the dark as it flashes a red and white pattern. I have been to this lighthouse four times.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse-Newport, Oregon-This lighthouse, first lighted August 20, 1873 is 93 feet tall and flashes it's light from a height of 162 feet above the Pacific Ocean. In it's early days this light station was known as the Cape Foulweather light because, Cape Foulweather, which is 4 miles to the north, is where the lighthouse was to have been built. However the materials were inadvertantly landed at this point and this is where construction took place. The light, with it's original lens in place, is still active. I have been here four times.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse-Ilwaco, Washington-Ironically, the ship carrying the supplies to build this lighthouse was wrecked just below on the Columbia River bar. It was finally illuminated in October, 1856, and still shines to this day. It is 220 feet above the water. The tower is fifty-three feet tall and overlooks what is probably the largest maritime graveyard on the coast. I have been to this lighthouse three times so far.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse-Westport, Washington-This lighthouse was built not only to guide ships into the harbor, but also to light the dark coast between Cape Disappointment to the south and the Destruction Island Light to the north. It is 107 feet tall and the light can be seen for 23 miles. The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not.
