As if Newport’s variety of excellent fresh seafood and craft beers, along with a picturesque harbor and marina was not enough to make it a great place to spend the week, it has not one, but TWO lighthouses!   I would typically appreciate any one of those things as an ideal stopover spot, but to have them all in one place?  Along with my new friends Linda and Chester offering evening drives along the coast and fresh ground steak burgers??   Well, it was a heavenly hang-out for a week…

Cool bike rack in Newport Harbor.

Newport is perfectly positioned; flanked on the west by stretches of gorgeous Pacific Ocean beaches like Agate Beach and historic Nye Beach, and on the east by the beautiful Yaquina River and Bay (pronounced “Ya QWIN a,” like Dr. Quinn.)    At the mouth of that river atop a bluff lies what is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport, Yaquina Bay Light, built in 1871.   It is the only Oregon lighthouse with the living quarters attached, and the only one remaining constructed of wood.

View from Yaquina Bay Lighthouse front porch

Beautiful Yaquina Bay Bridge, constructed in 1934 by bridge engineer Conde McCullough, who built most of Hwy 101 bridges.

Yaquina Bay Light is also Oregon’s shortest lived lighthouse,  only in service as a lighthouse from 1871 to 1874.   In 1873, plans to build a First Order Light at Cape Foulweather eight miles to the north had to be scrapped due to poor landing conditions and no accessible roads.   The materials had to be offloaded at Yaquina Head, only four miles away, so that is where the lighthouse was constructed.   Since Yaquina Head was a stronger light, the government extinguished little Yaquina Bay Light in 1874, and it was never lit again until 1996, when it was restored as a navigational aid.  The Lighthouse is now protected as a part of Yaquina Bay State Park.

View from front dining room of Light Keeper’s quarters.

Just a fifteen minute drive north past a Safeway, a Walmart, a Fred Meyer, and a Starbucks, you come to Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, where at the far tip, you will find Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, Yaquina Head, built in 1873.   This is a fee area, but the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass gets you in, and in fact, the nice lady at the gate gave me a fancy hang tag to hold the America the Beautiful pass, suspended from my rear view mirror.

Otter Rock Viewpoint

The Devil’s Punchbowl

Unfortunately, the only shot I got of Chester and Linda…atop a bluff at Cape Foulweather.

Unlike other lighthouses where tours are ongoing, Yaquina Head Light only offers four tours a day, with no tours on Wednesdays.  The number of tickets per tour are limited to sixteen participants.  Tickets are free, and can be obtained at the Interpretive Center, but they book up fast.   Get there early, but if you have to wait for your tour, there is plenty to see and do.   The Interpretive Center has several displays on marine life as well as a day in the life of a light keeper.

Or there are plenty of trails to hike, some with wildflowers.   Or overlooks offering lots of wildlife viewing.

Tiny black specks on top of rock are hundreds of “Common Murre” seabirds.

Another way to pass the time while waiting for your tour is to explore the Tide Pools, filled with purple urchins, green anemones, and orange and red starfish.   These tide pools make me think of Life’s Little Adventures, as it was first through our beach walks on Cape Blanco that I learned what a beautifully intricate ecosystem a Pacific Coast tide pool can offer!

CONGA!!

I have taken a lot of lighthouse tours, and I have to say, the tour at Yaquina Head was by far the most entertaining tour yet.   We were met at the door by a petite, bubbly woman in period costume (think Sally Field personality, with equally good acting skills!)   She was dressed in a long, floral dress, lace up boots, and a knitted shawl.   She portrayed the role of an assistant light keeper’s wife, and never once broke character the entire tour!   She was so convincing when gazing out the window describing her home, the assistant light keeper’s quarters (no longer standing) that if I didn’t know better, I would swear she suffered from dementia (resisting the urge to pat her on the arm and say “No, Dear, your house is no longer there.” Haha!!)

I never tire of the view of these floating spiral staircases, as they remind me of nature’s perfection in a Nautilus shell.

Gull roosting in lighthouse window is NOT happy about our visit!

In this “audience participation required” tour, the main light keeper was away, while her husband, the assistant light keeper had taken ill, so she had to take on the duties of maintaining the light, and was enlisting our help.   At one point, she asked if anyone knew what kind of oil she was using.   Since I had just come from the Interpretive Center, I answered “Pig fat,” to which she replied enthusiastically, “Oh!  You must be a light keeper’s wife, too!,” I replied, “Only in my dreams.”   It was a lively, entertaining hour!

View from atop Yaquina Head Light.

I returned again to the promontory on more than one occasion, just to stare at the stately beauty as the sun went down.   She reminds me of Cape Lookout on the North Carolina Coast.   When I visited last summer, I made a blog post, where I described the showy personalities of the five Outer Banks lighthouses.  Once I reached Cape Lookout, my interpretation was “Cape Lookout is the serious one.  No time for such frivolities, this one has a job to do!”

I got the same feeling from Yaquina Head Light.  Yes, you can visit.  Yes, you can take my picture.  But then be on your way, as I have an important job to do…