Point Reyes Lighthouse

Our last trip to the lighthouse was cold, foggy and windy, so it was wonderful to be there when the weather was clear and warm. Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent.

The lighthouse was built in 1870 and was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light. The lighthouse was then transferred in ownership to the National Park Service. On the short hike up the road to the lighthouse you can see incredible views like above.

Hawks and turkey vultures circled above looking for their lunch.

The trees are lovely and are bent from years of withstanding the high winds.

You have to walk 308 steps down to the lighthouse. An area 300 feet from the cliff was blasted with dynamite to clear a level spot for the lighthouse. It took six weeks to lower the materials from the top of the cliff to the lighthouse platform in order to construct the lighthouse.

Incredible views from the machine room in the lighthouse.

The lens and the mechanism for the lighthouse were constructed in France in 1867. The clockwork mechanism, glass prisms and housing were shipped on a steamer around the tip of South America to San Francisco.

The parts from France and the parts for the cast iron tower were transferred to a second ship, which then sailed to a landing on Drakes Bay in the Point Reyes Peninsula. The parts were loaded onto ox-drawn carts and hauled three miles over the headlands to near the tip of Point Reyes, 600 feet above sea level. The lighthouse first shone on December 1, 1870.

These are the automated lights that were installed in 1975. The 'rust' on the lighthouse is actually red algae.

The rocks below the lighthouse are home to all kinds of birds. When you first look it appears that the large rocks are covered by smaller rocks.

But upon closer inspection you can see hundreds of pelicans and murrets.

Seagulls, of course, and elephant seals basking in the sun.

The walk down to the lighthouse was a breeze. Unfortunately, we had to walk back up 308 steps. It is equivalent to walking up a 30-story building. Luckily, there are little rest stops that we took advantage of and were great places to get more views of the ocean.