By Steve

We're on the Oregon coast. We were here three years ago and enjoyed it so much we thought we'd return this summer. When we were last here, we missed a section of the coast that's kind of in the middle of the state, so we're now making sure we see all the areas that we had missed.

Oregon has a lot of lighthouses along its coastline. Most of these were built around 100 years ago and provided much-needed navigational help along a coastline that can be pretty rocky and unforgiving. I'm sure these lighthouses have seen their share of disasters and unusual events. Some of these lighthouses are now in state parks and open for tours during non-pandemic years. Some are purely historic, while others are still operational, their whale oil and kerosene lamps having been replaced with incandescent lights, and now LED lights. To a certain extent, if you've seen one, you've seen them all. There are just so many common elements: they are usually situated on on outcropping of land, and there's a tower with a spiral staircase to get to the top, where you'll find a Fresnel lens rotating around a light source. What makes them different from each other are the sites where they are located.

The Heceta Head lighthouse, pictured above, is considered one of the more picturesque ones. (Heceta is pronounced "ha-see-ta", not "heck-a-ta" as we had long thought.) The lightkeeper's house has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast, making the location ideal for important occasions, like a wedding.

It is situated on Heceta Head, and has a dramatic view looking down the coast to the south.

To enjoy this view, you just have to make the relatively short hike out to the lighthouse and find a spot on this convenient bench, as Jane has done.