Towering over the Pacific, Heceta is one of those sentinels of nature that will take your breath away. Jutting 1,000 feet straight up from the water, Heceta Head can be seen in the distance from the beaches of Florence. Heceta Head is named after the Basque explorer, Bruno de Heceta, who explored the Pacific Northwest in the 1770s under the flag of Spain. The lighthouse sits on the cliffs of Heceta Head along Hwy 101 north of town. On a recent morning after breakfast, my wife Tami and I drove to the north edge of the county and visited the Heceta Lighthouse, an easy 20-minute drive from Florence. Reaching from the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean, Lane County is among the most popular destinations in our great state – a place where you can catch a trout on the famous McKenzie River in the morning and enjoy the sunset on a Florence beach that same afternoon. The entire area is filled with natural wonders, they attract artists and photographers from around the world and the lighthouse itself is the most photographed lighthouse in the world. The master keeper’s home was moved away when the lighthouse went electric as it required less maintenance and a small crew. At one time, two homes stood on the site of Heceta House. ![]() On many days, seals can be seen sunning on the rocks below the lighthouse. The lighthouse has been fully automated with a modern 1,000-watt quartz bulb and is currently the brightest beacon on the Oregon coast.The view from the lighthouse level is world-class and characteristic of what many people imagine the Oregon Coast to be. And currently, funding to keep up this part of the lighthouse is tough to raise, so right now the only access to the inside of the lighthouse is the main floor, and then only during talks guided by volunteers who have a vested interest in the preservation of the area. Heceta Head Lighthouse is not just for the historian, or a cute place to take pictures, it satisfies the romantic in all of us.īuilt in 1892, the main stairwell to the lighthouse can no longer be used because of wear and tear to the structure. Heceta Head LighthouseĪ historic lighthouse you can actually spend the night in? Of course! And why not? You can even get married here if you are so inclined. This is also one of the prime whale watching spots in Oregon. When you are done gawking at the awesome natural wonders of Cape Perpetua, stop by the nearby visitors center for more details information about the area. When the water slams against it with enough force, it shoots up through the hole and sprays ocean salt water dramatically over a dozen feet in the air. Located just off of a pull-out along the road at the water’s edge, the spout is a natural hole in the jagged inlet, where ocean waters rush in and beat along the rocky edge. Very nearby to Thor’s Well, and much easier to spot is Spouting Horn. When you do find it, it’s pretty cool to just watch for a few minutes. However, at low tide, you can walk right up to it. We were there at a time when the tide was just coming up, so it was too dangerous to approach Thor’s Well up close. It was only when I saw a photographer pitch his tripod in a certain direction that I honed in on it. It took us awhile to even find it because there weren’t very many other people around at the time (also, there are no signs), and it’s a few paces off of the paved trail as you approach the rugged waters. As with any sinkhole, it’s not the hole itself that is dangerous, but the water running through it. A staggering number of photographers have risked life and limb to get spectacular close-ups of Thor’s well, at high tide. Both are mere yards from each other, just south of the Cape Cove Trailhead. You can find these at Cape Perpetua Scenic Area on the Oregon coast, just a few miles north of Florence, Oregon. Spouting horns and elusive sinkholes, that’s what! So what makes a relaxing weekend on the Oregon coast turned into an outdoor adventure? ![]() The best time of year to experience the coast is in the spring or late fall, the shoulder seasons. Most people do this on the weekend, where they can plan a more relaxing itinerary, and that’s what we do. You really have to take in the magnificent Oregon coast in smaller snippets to appreciate it fully. And that is only if you don’t make ANY stops! Just recently I learned that it takes about eight long hours to drive from Astoria in the north, all the way down to Brookings near the northern California border. The Oregon coast has such a wide variety of attractions that it really takes time to explore it fully.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |