Day 27, 27 June 2015

96 Visitors

Stairway from 1870 that leads up to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Today was our day off but we had to get up early in the cool overcast conditions and get off the island by 8 am before tides came in. The water was ankle deep at the very end of the sewer line walkway and I put on my Keene sandals to get across and saved my sneakers from getting wet. We went to the Apple Peddler in town for breakfast and we got their senior French toast breakfast combo. It was a nice smaller serving which was perfect for us. We took off north for Oregon and headed for the Point Blanco Lighthouse near Port Orford. We had camped here a few years ago but the lighthouse was closed at the time.

Cape Blanco 2nd Order Lens, It is 6 to 7 feet tall

It is the tallest lighthouse above sea level in Oregon and has a beautiful 2^nd order Fresnel lens. We were lucky to get a tour with just the 2 of us. They gave us a little history at the bottom of the lighthouse and then we climbed the wrought iron steps to get to the base of the great lens and then we continued up to see her up close. She was very pretty and slightly smaller than the 1^st order lens on Seguin. This rotating lens was installed in 1936 and operated with electricity. The lighthouse was built in 1870 and initially used an oil lamp to light a different 2^nd order lens, which didn’t rotate. This light is still run by the Coast Guard and has been in continuous operation since 1870.  Except for the light, a local non-profit group maintains all the buildings and grounds.  This is the way it was at Seguin Island last summer.  It was fun to see her and chat with the volunteers who worked there.

The Paris Made Lens was Produced in 1935.  Germans in WWII destroyed the
Lens Factory and it Never Reopened

We got some things in the gift shop and went on down the road to tour the Hughes house, which was where one of the keepers lived. It was decorated in the Victorian style and was very interesting to see. We got a phone call from Kim that she was in LA and trying to get up to Arcata via San Francisco. We went to the small fishing dock at Port Orford and had lunch a tiny restaurant, Griffs on the Dock, where I had a yummy crab melt sandwich as we gazed out the windows at the sea. We drove on south where we stopped for a half hour walk on the beach where we saw a nice arch not too far from shore and other neat rocks. A stop for adult beverages was made just over the border at a discount liquor store (it claimed to be the 8^th wonder of the world on its billboard) and onward we went to Crescent City where we made a stop at Safeway for a few groceries.

Cynthia by the Lens, It was Great they let you get that Close, Look but don't Touch

We got to our lighthouse crossing at 5:15 pm and the end of the sewer line was just out of the rising tide. People were leaving and teetering across the line and we made it across without getting our feet wet. People were still coming and going for a short while but it was nice to slip back into our historic abode and unpack our groceries and check on things. From the record of sales, it seemed to be a lighter crowd that showed up for tours and we think the weather stayed cloudy all day. We did get sunshine eventually in Oregon. I restocked a little in the gift shop and we had some cheese and crackers while we watched two episodes of our soap opera to catch up. The sunset wasn’t much and we relaxed in the evening with a bit of TV. Kim finally called us to tell us she made it to Arcata – yea!! She would drive up to the lighthouse tomorrow after getting a rental car. She had a few other things to do since this was where she went to college at Humboldt State. It was great to hear that she would be coming for a short visit. We were tired again from getting up early and our fun day. Off to sleep with dreams of rainbow prisms from a giant sparkling gem, turning gently to keep a guiding eye upon a foggy point and give quiet guidance to all who need her in a turbulent and unforgiving sea.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse after the Fog had Lifted