Penny's favorite lighthouse is this one at Yaquina Head. Built in 1872, and at 93 feet is the tallest in Oregon. It marks the treacherous waters that surround it on three sides. Gone is the lighthouse keeper's cottage. It is now completely automated.
In addition to the lighthouse, Yaquina Head is a rich and diverse natural area. The rocks that present the extreme navigation hazard in this area also provide an excellent nesting ground for seabirds. The top of this one is covered by common murres. Puffins also call this place home during their nesting season. Ted would have loved to sample the insect and nematode flora in the dung that the birds left on the rocks. He saw at least five different species of flies as he took this photograph and is certain that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Below, on an adjacent rock, harbor seals bask in what little sun there was today. Harbor seals are smaller and less aggressive than their sea lion cousins. They are the least vocal of all pinnapeds lacking the raucous barking of sea lions.
Here is the lighthouse from atop cliffs to the north of Yaquina Head.
As evening sets, the lighthouse flashes its warning. All lighthouses along the Pacific Coast have specific intervals at which they flash so that they can be easily identified from the sea. The sequence at Yaquina Head is a flash followed two seconds later by a second flash. After a delay of fourteen seconds, the sequence is repeated.
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