Here's a few pics from two of my three trips to Point Reyes lighthouse.



A stubby lighthouse (37 feet high), with a BIG 1st Order lens. It doesn't need to be tall because it sits on top of a 262 foot cliff.



Sooooo...you people who have climbed the 268 steps at Cape Hatteras thought you had it tough. Try 338 steps!



Only 108 more steps to the bottom!



Finally down and getting a shot of the 1st Order lens.

Great shots.
I hope to get to California again one day to see it for myself!
Thanks for sharing.
HCS

From my 2001 trip. The lighthouse was in dire need of new paint and some TLC. It got just that in 2004.



A closer look at the lens.



Oh goody! Look what I have to climb to get out of here!



Only 220 steps to go, but a great view looking back.



Only 100 steps to go, but WOW! What a great sunset!



Finally back up top.



A nice shot of the beach on the way back to the car.

Just spectacular! Awesome shots-would love to see it in person. The climb makes me a little nervous-I have a fear of heights. It takes me awhile(alot of help and patience from my husband)to go up-coming down is a breeze. Thanks for sharing...another light to add to my list to see!!

Here's the history of Point Reyes Light and the huge First Order Lens from the National Park Service Point Reyes Site

They provide you with some warnings before decending to the lighthouse - it's not the going DOWN that's the problem, it's the 80 story climb back up!

Thank you for the link to the history of this light. I found it very interesting and informative. Especially about the winds-wow. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the keepers used to crawl down on their hands and knees tied to ropes to keep from being blown away. Does that ring a bell?

I suppose that after climbing up 80 stories-the legs would feel like rubber. Oh..my aching knees!

I've got to go back there for the climb down. John and I were there a few years ago and the ranger wouldn't let us down to see the lighthouse. We arrived 20 minutes before closing time and were told that you needed at least 30 minutes to go down and back up.

I was totally bummed after the slow and winding drive to get there. It doesn't look that far on the map from S.F. but it is a slow drive.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful images. My husband Matt and I visited there on our one year anniversary in 1998 and then I dragged my mom out there in March of 2003 for an incredible sunset from the top of the stairs.

Great photos of one of my favorite lights. Thanks for sharing.
Judy

Nice to see the before and after shots. I think we will set aside a full day for this one.

Great shots of beautiful lights!
When we wee there several years ago with the Tampa Bay Harbour Lights Collwxtor's Club, we went there and it ws so foggy that we couldn't see it. What a disapointed busload of lighthouse
lovers!

I've never seen this light. Hope to some day. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice shots, Brindfan! Seeee, you are finding many ways to get those posts.

Jen, that is totally awesome!

Thanks for the link, John. I haven't seen a single light on the West Coast. One of these days.... When one of my daughters was around six, she would say "One of these days we sure are going to do a lot of things!"

We visited point Reyes a few years ago and made the hike down and up. It is quite a challenge to walk those steps. Thanks for posting your pictures.

Great story here Brindfan! It's like we're with you w/o the wind, and the huffin and puffin'.
Bob

LOL! Actually, all three times I have been to Pt. Reyes, there has been little or no wind, and no fog.

In fact, when I first visited the lighthouse in 1999, that was the first day it had been open in a week because of high winds and hard rains.

For those who want to visit Pt. Reyes, you GOTTA do the night walk! During night walks you get to enter the lens room and witness the lighting of the Fresnel lens. It's quite a sight to be standing a foot away from a 1st Order Fresnel lens and watching it come to life. Night walks are the only time the Fresnel lens is used. All other times, a hideous twin rotating DCB-224 Aerobeacon is used that is mounted on a post to the right of the lighthouse.

Unfortunately, my pictures of the night walk were destroyed before I ever got to see them. The exposed rolls of film were damaged by the USPS when I mailed them to Kodak for developing. All the film was exposed to light.

However, it does give me another reason to go back and visit Pt. Reyes again.