Let There Be Lighthouses
April 30, 2018
Part Three of the Birds, Blooms, and Winding
Roads Tour. Part one is here, part two is here. Click on photo to make it bigger.
One of our winding roads led us to Point Arena Lighthouse.
Originally erected in 1870, it was destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake and rebuilt two years later. It’s the tallest lighthouse on the West
Coast (115 feet), and you can climb to the top. (One other lighthouse, Pigeon
Point, is the same height, but it’s not open to the public to climb.)
The area around Point Arena Lighthouse was spectacularly
photogenic. We glanced at the lighthouse itself, snapped its photo, and spent
the rest of our time there stalking birds and taking pictures of wildflowers,
seals, and tossing waves.
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| Indian Paintbrush |
After lunch and a wander through Mendocino:
We found ourselves at Point Cabrillo Light Station. Construction began in 1908, and the light was
turned on for the first time on June 10, 1909.
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| The lightstation |
We didn’t see any
whales or sea lions off the point, but we did see some wildlife:
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| White-crowned sparrow |
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| California ground squirrel |
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| Looking back toward the lightkeepers' houses from the lightstation |
You can stay in the lightkeepers’ houses—I would love to do
that. The views would be spectacular.
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| Looking toward the lightstation from near the keepers' houses |
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| Ocean near your front door |
I was going to lump the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
into this post, but I think I’ll save it for later. You’re not tired of
vacation photos yet, are you? (Don’t answer that!)
8 comments
No I’m not tired of vacation photos!
ReplyDeleteGood! I've got one more batch for you!
DeleteLoved your post. I have a thing about lighthouses and we've visited many. Your photos are spectacular!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Claire. The settings for both these lighthouses were so spectacular it was hard to take a bad picture. Have you ever stayed in or at a lighthouse? I think that would be fun!
DeleteJust lovely...I see you are very happy when you are following winding roads/
ReplyDeleteRita--I AM happy following the winding roads...until I get car sick :).
DeleteOh Kathy - lovely lovely pictures. I enjoy seeing the lighthouses and the ocean. Looks like you are having great weather too. Take care and have a super day.
ReplyDeleteWe had beautiful weather, and were expecting rain, so we lucked out. Thanks for letting me share!
Delete