After the first hill in the coast range, the fog disappeared, the sun dried the pavement, and we had the road pretty much to ourselves. An hour later we headed down the hill into Newport under a bright sun and balmy sky.
We headed north and turned into Yaquina Head, a high point of land jutting into the Pacific that we had not visited since a parking fee was instituted 20 some years ago.
Surprise, my Golden Age Passport got us in free. We skipped the Informational Center and drove straight to the lighthouse. Second surprise, unlike years ago the light house was open. We climbed 114 cast iron steps to the light.
The lookout at 93 feet is the tallest on the Oregon coast, the light can be seen 19 miles out to sea.
Once an oil light, it is now electric, some 130,000 candlepower, with a unique pattern: 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, 14 seconds off. The view through the windows at the top is sweet.
We wandered the headland, watched gulls, looked for spouts but were told by a docent that the whales were 20 miles out, probably enjoying the fine weather too.
We stopped at the visitor's center and looked at a model of the lighthouse.
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