Day 2.

Departed Coos Bay at 5:50 a.m. on U.S. 101 South. Still dark. Arrived at Bullard's Beach at 6:19 (405.1 miles logged since yesterday) to catch Coquille River LH at sunrise. Bullard's Beach is not your typical beach. At the entrance are twisted, gnarly, moss-covered pine trees that give me inspiration for bonsai (another of my expensive, time-consuming interests). These give way to scrub Mugo pines and tidal pools. The lighthouse itself sits on a craggy rock at the end of the beach. Took photos up close, then got back on 101 and drove to Bandon for some across-the-river shots. Best photo place may be from River Road in Bandon, especially from the Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast. I didn't take such a photo myself because a car was parked in the way. There are these prickly plants with brilliant yellow flowers everywhere. Without these, the setting would be very bland indeed. Dead trees everywhere. Departed Bandon at 7:15

Back on 101 South, it appears to be clear what this area's economy is made of: timber, cranberries, myrtlewood crafts, blueberries and sheep. Arrived 8:00 at Cape Blanco, the westernmost point in the contiguous 48 states. 441.8 miles logged. The light is about 5 miles off of 101 and you can drive within a few hundred yard of it. The gates were closed when I arrived. Very windy, and about 40 degrees F. Trying to take a photo with a 200mm lens was a chore because of the wind, even with ASA800 film and fast shutter. Tripod was no help in this wind, either. Hiked down to the beach north of the light for photos. Good view of the light from there for a photo op. Tons of tree-sized driftwood at the high water mark. Beach itself is surreal with the early sun filtering through the heavy mist, striking huge rocks protruding through the surf. It's certainly no wonder why a lighthouse was needed here . Departed 8:45 (after an exhilarating climb back up the head from the beach!) and worked my way back up 101 northbound.

I learned what the road sign "Sunken Grade" means in Oregon: That part of the mountain on which the road had been constructed ain't there no more. Neither is the road, of course.

Gas is really expensive here: $1.45 for regular, 1.54 for Plus, 1.64 for Super. That's about 40% higher than what I'm used to paying at home.

Arrived at 10:00 at Cape Arago State Park. Could not see the lighthouse from there, but a great view otherwise. Could hear sea lions "barking", but even with a 200mm lens I could just barely see them. Nature has equipped them well to be heard above the roaring surf. Departed around 10:15. On the way back down from the head you can see Cape Arago Light. Stopped to take some photos. The area was marshy. No, it was a muddy mess. 500.4 miles logged. Tried to get a closer look at Arago, but the Coast Guard station gates were locked. Later, I found that my aperture had moved from the auto setting to 22. I hope the Arago photos come out OK. [NOTE: The photos turned out far too dark -- not worth posting]

Back at Coos Bay, I saw a guy out walking his Reticulated Python. It was a nice day for it. The wind died down, and it was about 70 degrees F. now.

Whoever this Coo was, he was sure a popular guy 'round these parts. Coos Bay (the bay), Coos Forest, Coos County, Coos Bay (the town), Coos River. And then there are the derivations: Siltcoos, for example. Departed Coos Bay around 11:00.

Arrived Umpqua River Lighthouse at 11:17. 531.5 miles logged. Couldn't gain access (Coasty wouldn't let me in -- he didn't seem to care that I know Sean.) The light is right next to the street, so I think I got some very good photos anyway. Very pretty lighthouse, and well maintained. Departed 11:40.

Grabbed some Golden Arches for lunch on the road (that's the worst part of lighthousing -- fast food.) Stopped at Lighthouse Gallery & Gifts. No HLs, but every other lighthouse line under the sun. Bought a tee shirt for my wife and some trinkets for the kids. Also bought the "Umbrella Guides" lighthouse books for Oregon and Washington. Excellent books. Highly recommended.

Arrived at Heceta Head at 1:15 p.m. 570 miles logged. A good place for photos is just north of the Sealion Cave. There's a small area there to pull off the road. There is a larger viewpoint a bit north of that. Probably safer to stop there. There is a $3.00 day use fee for Heceta Head. There's a short hike up to the lighthouse that will give you your day's exercise. Great place for photos. Be sure to take the path to the top of the head to shoot down at the lighthouse. Very nice perspective, if a bit cliché. No tours given today. Departed 2:15.

Arrived at Yaquina Bay Lighthouse at 3:16. 612.1 miles logged. There was hardly any wind at all now. Beautiful day. Clear, near 75 degrees F. Finally, I got to go inside a lighthouse on this trip. All the others had been closed. I really wanted to go up to the lantern for the view, but the ladder was closed off. Quaint light. Nice restoration. You can see a lightship's Fresnel lens inside. Departed 3:50 p.m. Back on U.S.101, where I had been all day.

Arrived at Yaquina Head gate at 4:02. Everything (lighthouse, gift shop, interpretive center) closes at 4:00. Typical of one of my lighthousing excursions. 617.2 miles logged. $5.00 day use fee. Good photo vantage from Otter Creek Viewpoint. This is also a beautiful lighthouse in a lovely location . I loved this one. Here's a detail of one of the windows .

Outside the tower, facing seaward, is a monument that reads,



Departed Yaquina Head at 4:22.

Back on 101 again, I crossed the 45th parallel (halfway to Santa from the equator) at 5:13. It was becoming apparent that I would be racing the sun before day's end. Again, typical.

Arrived at Tillamook (the town, about 45 miles from the lighthouse of the same name) at 6:00. 682 miles logged. Lots of cows. Lots of cow smell. Turn left just north of Route 6 onto the 3 Capes Scenic Route. Almost hit 2 mule deer on the way. Arrived at Cape Meares at 6:25 (692 miles.) The sun was sinking low, and the reflection of the sun off the water and into the Fresnel lens and red sector glass makes for a nice picture. I had lots of time to contemplate it, too, as it takes about 5 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse, and the lantern is visible for the entire walk. The light is still a day mark, but the AtoN work is now done by a soulless gizmo called (as I would learn the next day) VEGA . Kinda looks like Sputnik atop an uninspired rectangular block structure. Departed 6:45. The race is on.

Arrived at my last stop of the evening, Ecola Park, at 7:40 to photograph Tillamook Rock Lighthouse in the setting sun. Just in time. Sunset is officially 7:55 this day! Set up the tripod and squeezed off a couple of hasty shots before the sun vanished into the Pacific. The lighthouse is really too far to photograph from this point, but I couldn't find a better place. Enjoyed being there all the same. A beautiful sunset to cap off a glorious day.

Arrived at the Four Winds Motel in Seaside, Oregon (Beachfront at 9th Ave., 1-800-818-9524, http://www.fourwindsmotel.com ) at 8:45 p.m. (760.3 miles logged in two days) to spend the night. From my room (#206), you can see Tillamook Lighthouse off to the left, just beyond Tillamook Head. No AOL in the area, so this travelog will not be posted until the following day.

This has been an exhausting day. Pre-dawn to post-dusk, straining to read road signs and maps while driving winding mountain roads, speed limits fluctuating wildly between 25 and 60 mph. I'd recommend that you take two days -- at least one and a half -- to do this trip.

Thank you to all who helped me plan for this trip -- I feel I was really well prepared.

Phrase of the day: Dead trees.

Reporting to you with a 24-hour lag time from Tacoma WA,

-Art [I'm a lumberjack and I'm O.K....]


Day 3.

Arose at dawn to photograph Tilly from the hotel window. At 7:00 I took a ride to find a better vantage for photos. Turned west on every intersection along 101 looking for a better way. Turned down some logging roads, some quarry roads, some private drives, and every side street I found. Returned to Ecola Park. Three elk crossed the road casually only about 100 feet in front of my car. Despite the low light, I took their picture (possible due to ASA 800 film.) I turned right just past the booth (where they charge you the day use fee of $3.00 -- bring exact change to feed the machine if the attendant is not there.) Followed signs for Indian Beach. This takes you out to the south side of Indian Point near Tillamook Head . Arrived at 7:40. At that point there is the head of a trail that I did not take -- no time -- but looks very promising for a good shot at Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. It's a six-mile hike, so plan a few hours in the park if you attempt this. Also, let us all know how you make out!

Returned to check out of the hotel (office does not open until 9:00 a.m.). Took a few more shots of Tilly (now nicely illuminated from the east) from the beach in front of the hotel. Departed at 9:03 headed north on (what else?) U.S.101.

Arrived at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria (1792 Marine Drive, 503/325-2323) at 9:35 (803.5 miles logged). Took photos of the lightship Columbia, hopped back in the car and left. Changed my mind after about mile, and went back to take in the museum. Very glad I did. Well worth the hour and the $5.00. The nominal fee gets you aboard the lightship as well. Click here to see a close-up of Lightship Columbia's lantern . Departed 10:35.

The bridge from Astoria, OR to Ilwaco, WA is impressive. Not good if you are afraid of heights or long bridges! After the bridge, turn left onto 101 and then follow WA Route 100 to North Head Lighthouse Road. Turn right and follow to the parking lot at the end. Arrived at 11:06, 823.9 miles.

North Head is a quick walk from the parking lot. Very photogenic also. Lovely tower & support buildings. Climb the hill above the light for the best photos. Watch the snakes. Tower was closed for servicing by USCG. Had a nice chat with one of the AtN boys. His team is responsible for maintenance of Cape Meares (his personal favorite) Destruction Island and Cape Flattery, in addition to North Head. Departed 11:45.

Backtrack to WA 100 and turn right. Follow this to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse parking lot. Arrived 11:56, 826.0 miles. Rigorous walk up to the lighthouse. Really windy up there. Took some good close-ups. Where the trail branched, I went toward the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center to see if I could get a better shot from there. Great look at the mouth of the Columbia River from there. Not such a great shot of the lighthouse though. From there I did notice a road running along the north jetty. Back in the car, I set out to find the road. Turned west off of WA100 into the campground. Just past the campground is a parking lot (on the left) that is a great spot for photographing Cape Disappointment. Better, in my opinion, than going all the way up to the light itself.

It was there that I learned the origin of the names "Cape Disappointment" and "Ilwaco." I was replacing the roll of film in my camera absentmindedly. I opened the camera and in one ohnosecond I realized that I had not rewound the film. There it was, in bright sunlight: ASA800 film, fully exposed. I slammed the cover shut reflexively, but of course it was too late. With ASA800 film especially, a single photon can kill 10,000 rolls. All of my photos for the day -- Tilly, LS Columbia, North Head, Cape Disappointment, elk, Columbia River -- all gone. Disappointed at Cape Disappointment, one ill wacko at Ilwaco.

What to do? Re-shoot Cape Disappointment from the jetty (no way I was going to climb the trail again). Leave at 12:51. Go back and re-shoot North Head, too. Arrived at 12:55, departed 1:10 (already knew the best places to shoot from.) LS Columbia, elk: gone. Fortunately, my sunset pictures of Tilly were on another roll. Lost the morning shots for good though. 829.2 miles logged. Headed back onto U.S.101. [POST-TRIP NOTE: I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had actually only lost about 1/4 of the photos from this roll]

Arrived South Bend at 2:13, 873.2 miles. Turned onto Route 105. Could have stayed on 101, but this proved to be a good choice of roads. Good road condition, low traffic, few towns, long straight sections and ample opportunity for passing. Good thing. I had been stuck behind School Bus #22 for about 20 miles on 101.

Got off at South Bend for gas after passing Bus #22. There was a series of signs leading into town as the speed limit dropped from 60 to 25 mph:



They mean it. The town is merely a wide spot in the road, but in 5 miles or so I saw 5 patrol cars!

When I got back on the road I found myself again stuck behind good ol' Bus #22, and unable to pass until Route 105.

Followed 105 into Westport, where it turns into Montessano Road. For Gray's Harbor Lighthouse, follow the signs for "Westport Light State Park." Turn left onto W. Ocean Ave. Look for the public lighthouse viewing platform on the right side of the road. Don't blink! Most people's decks are larger than the platform. It is a good shot from there though. Arrived 2:55. There is a trail just west of the platform that looks promising for photos, but the light is completely obscured by trees. Don't bother. Instead, drive all the way out to the beach on W. Ocean. From the parking lot there you can get another good shot of the lighthouse. Departed 3:20 for Tacoma. Arrived at the Sheraton 5:55 p.m (slowed greatly by construction just south of Aberdeen on 105), having logged 1013.2 miles so far. If you want to connect between Gray's Harbor and Olympia, Tacoma or Seattle, Route 12 to Route 8 to Route 101 to I-5 is a great way to go. Four lanes minimum, 60 mph speed limit the whole way. Most welcome after 2 days of U.S. 101!

I will spend the next few days at "work" in Tacoma. The lighthouses will continue to amass on Monday, I hope.

Word of the day: oysters.

Reporting live from lovely downtown Tacoma, where I cannot connect any faster than 20kbps,

-Art [Lord, I was born a ramblin' man]

[This message has been edited by Art (edited 05-08-99).]