Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon

After a good night's sleep at the Hallmark in Newport, Oregon, we decided to kick off our day with a stop at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  

There are two lighthouses in Newport:  The Yaquina Head Lighthouse sitting on the north end of Newport within the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse sitting on a bluff overlooking the mouth of the Yaquina River.  We've provided information and links to each lighthouse below.
The 93 foot tower is located on a narrow point of land jutting due west nearly 1 mile into the Pacific Ocean north of Newport, at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.
Winds and rain have buffeted this lighthouse since its beginning in 1872. It took approximately one year, and over 370,000 bricks to construct Oregon’s tallest lighthouse.
The light has been active since Head Keeper Fayette Crosby walked up the 114 steps, to light the wicks on the evening of August 20, 1873. At that time the oil burning fixed white light was displayed from sunset to sunrise. Today, the fully automated first order Fresnel lens runs on commercial power and flashes its unique pattern of 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, 14 seconds off, 24 hours a day. The oil burning wicks have been replaced with a 1000 watt globe.


North of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse




Panoramic view


Seabirds nest among the rock formations

Common Murre flying/taking seaweed and moss to build nest


Door to lighthouse

The nightly vigil of watching the light is gone as are the resident keepers and their quarters, but the staff of the Bureau of Land Management, who are now responsible for the tower,will guide you through the lighthouse with tales of yesteryear.  We did not tour the lighthouse but did stop in the beautiful interpretive center to learn about the history of the lighthouse and the area.  We drove up to the lighthouse parking lot and roamed around the outside of the lighthouse.  The harsh May winds at the head were cold and uninviting so we drove back down to the interpretive center and took a walk to the south side of the building.
Walking tunnel under the road, south of the interpretive center

From the top of the bluff on the south side of the interpretive center, view of secluded beach


Harbor seals hunting around the rocks on the south side of Yaquina Head

Harbor seals hunting around the rocks on the south side of Yaquina Head

A piece of Oregon history sits atop a bluff at the mouth of the Yaquina River. It is the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, built in 1871 and decommissioned in 1874. It was officially restored as a privately maintained aid to navigation on December 7, 1996.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

It is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport. It is also the only existing Oregon lighthouse with the living quarters attached, and the only historic wooden Oregon lighthouse still standing. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Although all information about this lighthouse suggested it had been restored and was open to the public we found the lighthouse windows boarded up so we did not attempt to enter.

History lesson at Yaquina Bay

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse sits on top of a bluff overlooking the mouth of the Yaquina River

The structure is accessible via paved trails and a walkway that leads to the top of the hill within the Yaquina Bay State Park, at the north end of Yaquina Bay. Access-compromised visitor groups are encouraged to use the large parking lot at the back of the lighthouse (entrance at SW Government and 9th Streets).
The next stop on our Oregon Coast tour had us at Depoe Bay!

POPULAR DESTINATIONS >>

Image

Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
Image

Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
Image

Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,