Point Arena Lighthouse

The tower rose into the fog.

We couldn’t see it until we were practically on top of it.

A dense fog blanketed everything that morning – the farmland, the narrow winding road, the ocean, and the point where Point Arena Lighthouse stood.

We walked up the tower to the lantern room. (It’s only 145 steps to the top, which is not bad at all compared to some lighthouses we’ve been too.) Since the Fresnel lens is on display in the museum (located in the fog signal building) people area allowed to enter the lantern room where the 1^st Order Fresnel lens once stood and peer through the floor to ceiling windows. This is the only lighthouse where I’ve ever been allowed up to that room, so it was an exciting experience. And on such a foggy morning as this one, being in the lantern room was like being in the clouds.

The view of the ocean was obstructed. The view of the rocks was difficult to see. The view of the cliffs was just visible enough. And I couldn’t imagine being a lighthouse keeper or a captain out at sea in this fog. I kept squinting, trying to see something, but there was really nothing to see except the thick clouds of fog hanging around us.

We left the lantern room and went out on the ledge to have a look around. The wind cut through our sweaters and we couldn’t hear each other talk unless we were talking directly into the other’s ear. Particles of water sprayed on our coats, which was either from the ocean below or the dampness of the fog. The ocean, rocks, and cliffs were a bit more visible from here, but the fog still obscured the view.

It was amazing being that high, and seeing all we could see (as this is the only California lighthouse we’ve been to where they allow people to walk up the tower), but, once again, I couldn’t imagine being a lighthouse keeper in these conditions.

Point Arena Lighthouse was first constructed in 1870 out of brick-and-mortar. When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hit, it damaged the lighthouse and the keeper’s house to the point where they both had to be demolished and rebuilt.

The current Point Arena Lighthouse and keeper’s house are different than those originally built. The keeper’s homes are split into separate cottages while the lighthouse features a wider base and steel reinforcement rods encased in concrete, in the hopes that it will withstand an earthquake. This new lighthouse was operational by 1908.

In the late 1970s the light was automated and about twenty years later, in the early1990s, Point Arena Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Once down and out of the lighthouse, we walked the grounds. There’s a lot of beautiful plants and flowers there. We also saw a Great Blue Heron. He was on the path in front of us, standing proud and tall, until he flew away. His wingspan was great and he was a beauty as he soared through the fog, landing near the cliffs in a patch of plants and wildflowers.

And I can’t forget to mention the resident lighthouse cat – Arena Mina. She is one of the sweetest, cutest, and most helpful cats I’ve met.

Whether a foggy day or a sunny day, I believe Point Area Lighthouse is worth the visit. It’s full of history and the grounds are abundant in beauty. Plus, it’s the only California lighthouse, that I know of, where you’re actually allowed to walk up the tower…and up into the lantern room. And if none of that is of interest, then, at least pay a visit to Arena Mina. She’s just as lovely as Point Arena Lighthouse itself.

To see more photos of Point Arena Lighthouse and Point Area, you may do so by going here.

Point Cabrillo

We walked the path to the lighthouse in the early morning fog. It wasn’t a thick, soupy fog, but a heavy wispy one that resembles a person’s breath on a cold morning. The faint shapes of low hanging clouds could still be seen as we walked the paved path through a field of tall grass and trees.

It was peaceful, being the only ones on the trail.

Well, there was us and a coyote.

I wasn’t exactly expecting to see any, but I happened to look up and saw something dart across the path. It stopped on the other side, practically hidden, the tips of its ears just visible. The coyote peered at us through the tall grass, only for a moment, before trotting away.

We continued along the path, which I think was about a mile long. Birds of all kids flew about while small rabbits hopped along on their way.

And, of course, that’s when we found the sign cautioning people about potential mountain lion sightings in the area. (Coyotes are one thing. I’ve seen them before on multiple occasions, but a mountain lion is an animal I never want to come face to face with. So, needless to say, I was little…scared.) Luckily, we made it to the lighthouse (and back) without seeing a mountain lion.

 Once out of the thick of the field, the trail leads to multiple houses which used to belong to the lighthouse keepers. They’re painted in the same color scheme as the lighthouse itself and the one you are welcome to enter, as it’s a museum. The other houses are available to rent on a nightly basis.

Later in the morning, when we reached the lighthouse, fog still hung overhead. It shrouded the ocean, obscuring the view (even from the edge of the cliff). But this was real weather, not the bright, sunny days we always see in pictures. There was a part of me that wanted the sun, but the clouds and fog were what lighthouse keepers and those at sea had to deal with most of the time. So, to see the lighthouse and the ocean under these conditions was, in a way, something special. It, once again, brought about the reality of the hardships of being a lighthouse keeper and living in such an area.

Point Cabrillo, the place in which Point Cabrillo Lighthouse stands, has a long history – from the Pomo to Spanish explorers to shipwrecks.

The lighthouse was built in response to the numerous shipwrecks. They began construction in 1908 and a year later, in 1909, Point Cabrillo Light was operational.

But it wasn’t until 1935 when a foghorn was installed. (And based on the fog we saw they probably could have used one sooner.)

The Coast Guard had control of Point Cabrillo Light in 1973, at which point a modern rotating beacon was mounted outside on the roof.

In 1991 Point Cabrillo Light was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I love when lighthouses are recognized as historic places. They were built so long ago and are filled with so much history, as is the land they were built on. Lighthouses come from a different time, when people lived a different type of lifestyle. They breed a certain mystery and charm. The fact that any lighthouse is still standing today is a gift.

Today, the history, mystery, and charm or Point Cabrillo Light can be explored. And, when looking up into the light tower, the Fresnel lens still sits proudly in the lantern room.

To see more photos of Point Cabrillo and Mendocino, CA, you can do so by clicking here.