Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Last week, I was in Newport, Oregon.  Gail had some business to attend to in Washington for a few days, but we were able to enjoy some of Oregon's beauty over the weekend.

We just had to stop at the "Mushroom House" in Sutherlin.  It was a real throw-back to the 60's.

The wet Oregon weather brought out this local on the walk out to the lighthouse.

It always seems to be spring on the Oregon coast.

The lighthouse is on a rugged headland with offshore rocks that provide refuge for seals, and resting and nesting areas for seabirds.

The lighthouse is the tallest in Oregon at about 90 feet.  It has been recently restored.

The docent at the top explains the working of the Fresnel lens.

This is looking up at the actual lens which is perfect enough to send light 19 miles with just a 500 watt bulb.

Only one at a time is allowed up to the lens. 

The stairway is most amazing as it is all cast iron originally supported only at the landings.  Because cast iron gets brittle with age, and the stairway was only designed for light traffic, it has been further supported and only six people are allowed up at a time.