Heceta Head Lighthouse & More

The Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses (in Oregon? The county? The West Coast? America? The World? They didn't qualify).  It was originally opened on 30 March 1894 and was automated in 1963. It is 13 miles north of Florence and 13 miles south of Yachats, Oregon on Hwy 101.

The lighthouse is only 55 feet tall (approx - 17 m) but stands on a mountain making it 250 feet above sea level. We parked in the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. A $5 fee per vehicle is required for the day use area; this is waived if you are staying in the State Park.
 

Assistant Keeper's home from parking lot

 It's a nice .5 mile hike to the lighthouse. The Keeper's house is on the way up. There are 7 miles of trails to hike if desired. We went up the trail enough to get a good vantage point for photos.

College seems to have taken away Arielle's hiking ability

Check out the retro selfie stick

 We stopped and read each info board. Doesn't my baby girl Arielle, look thrilled to be home and in the midst of a homeschooling expedition once again? ::snort::

 

The views are stunning from this vantage point.

 

The tour guide was eating lunch, so we toured a few exhibits at the top and grabbed some photos....and waited for our free tour.
 

 

The tour was interesting. It was fun for those of us who had recently toured the Grays Harbor Lighthouse to compare notes. Grays Harbor is taller and operated by the Coast Guard. Heceta Head has a bigger lens - first order Fresnel lens and is run by the state parks - no longer an official lighthouse. Grays Harbor's beam can be seen for 6 miles; Heceta Head's for 21 miles.

She insists it was interesting and she paid attention

 

I was intrigued by the Keeper's Library. Big wooden boxes were filled with 40 books and swapped amongst the various lighthouses on a quarterly basis. This allowed entertainment in isolated places. Library boxes continued to services lighthouses until radio arrived.

 Yes, we used the "retro selfie stick," for some family photos. We don't really trust strangers with Michael's camera and I'd left mine at the Caboose. ::gasp::

 



F - De'Etta, Krista, Arielle, Stacia
B - Michael, Alex, Nolan

 

 This is a beautiful lighthouse.

 

 The assistant Lighthouse keeper's home is now a bed and breakfast.  We think we could happily have lived as lighthouse keepers.

Our next stop was Old Town Florence.  A trip to Florence must ALWAYS include a trip to Mo's. We had a window table and enjoyed visiting while we watched harbor seals.

 

We walked along the harbor...this boat caught my fancy....

 

This one caught Michael's. It was a good size....bedrooms et al. I finally told Michael I would not be o.k. moving onto a boat...not with my stomach.  ::grin::

 

We rounded out the day with naps, sand dunes and roaring campfires.

 

#WYFF Moving Down the Coast

 

It's Friday - and we're on the move.  We haven't found a prettier stretch of road than Hwy 101 - Pacific Coast Hwy - yet. It's winding - but we're taking it slow and only driving a couple of hours a day. This makes it much more enjoyable for Alex and I and our tummies. OK - the mifi with unlimited data also makes driving much more enjoyable. ::Snort::

Travel days are pure joy when you are on roads as pretty as Hwy 101.

 

 

Our lunch stop proved to be a good chance for Michael to take care of a bit of new maintenance needs.

 

We passed down the coast until we came to Jesse M. Honeyman Memorial State Park. It was a tight fit to get the Caboose and the Beast into our campsite. Michael is a pro...look at this....up on blocks....middle of the blocks....and we're level. We are very close to nature in this spot - trees/shrubs right up against the windows.

 

It's true - while the men figured out how to fit us into the spot, leveled us and hooked up....Stacia and I ran up the trail to see the sand dunes. This is another beautiful campsite.

 

Michael and I made a trip to Florence for groceries, while the kids waited for Arielle and Krista to arrive.

#WYFF is sponsored by Fulltime Families. View more of our Friday exploits by clicking the #WYFF tab above.  

"Michael" Update

I've been saying God is writing this story - a friend pointed out God has already written the story - and he's revealing it to us at this point. I think, in either case, the comfort is a loving, all-knowing God has a plan. Each sentence, paragraph, page and chapter contribute to the full plot-development.

It's no secret, we would choose to leave out the Parkinson's Chapter of this story, but we are coming to see God will be glorified in it and we will be matured in our faith as we walk it out. We are learning to live fully in the present and not borrow trouble from the future.
There are a few paragraphs in this chapter which have caused a bit of unease.

We were told a local physicians board would submit Michael's package of conditions to the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC), they would convene a medical board, decide on Michael's disability and help us work through the VA claim before they discharged him from Active Duty. This meant another 6 - 18 months of active duty. We weren't thrilled about going back on Active Duty.  We WERE thrilled at the idea that men and women, whose job is to work these claims through the VA system, would be handling the details.

We were surprised this week when we were told the local physicians board decided Michael should be "returned to duty," rather than have a medical evaluation board. His package was not forwarded to AFPC. This means he will report back to Beale, continue terminal leave and retire on 1 Nov as planned. He will pursue treatment and the VA claim on his own.  The local board felt, I'm sure, they were doing us a favor by letting us retire rather than brining us back on active duty.

This part of the story is done. We cannot change it. We will return to Beale, try to make connections with a VSO (Veterans Service Organization) which may have answers for us.  We know there are GOOD VA offices and people who work in the VA system who want to help vets. We are praying to find these people and offices. Some questions we are working through....we currently have a neurologist in CA who we trust. The plan had been we would be active duty and continue with her as treatment begins and then transfer to another neurologist when we were discharged and moved to a new state of residence. As retirees, we want to establish residency in another state. We need to decide if we stay in CA or try to find a reputable neurologist in another state. We also need to go to that state in November to get vehicles and licenses updated as we'll not be active duty any longer and must dot the i's and cross the t's again. ::grin::  We aren't sure if we need to submit our VA claim in the state we plan to be our legal domicile or if we can submit it anywhere.....and we have to be nearby for VA docs as well. Lots of details to consider - details which we thought would be taken care of at a slower pace while Michael was active duty.

We've been told by one doc to "continue living life" when he starts treatment and another doc seems to think he'll be incapacitated and needs to stay in the area.

The good news is as retirees, we can make our very own decisions about Michael's care and we aren't tied to the Beale AFB area for that care. There is also a chance that we'll be able to get back to Japan as missionaries sooner if we aren't active duty for the next year.

Fort Stevens

As we are staying in the state park, this was a totally free day of sightseeing. We toured the visitor center, watched a film on the bombing of Fort Stevens by the Japanese I-25 submarine in June 1942, and then walked and walked and WALKED around the ruins of Civil War Earthen  "Emplacements," WW 2 Batteries, and the remnants of a WW2 Army post. I had read Fort Stevens had a "replica of a Clatsop village." I eagerly watched for it as we walked around the beautiful compound.

 

 

Fort Stevens was named in honor of Maj General Isaac Ingalls Stevens, killed in action in July 1862. The fort was completed April 8, 1865, one day before the Confederacy surrendered at Appomattox. It went on to serve as an Army post in WW1 and WW2. `

This was a lot of walking and climbing. Truthfully, about 2/3 of the way through the day  (3 hours) I looked like Michael does when I'm shopping at the mall. All the batteries looked the same, I wanted to sit on a bench and wait for him and it seemed we'd NEVER get to the last item on the map - I think there were 39.

Japanese Sub I25 on OR coast

Playing Hogan's Heroes

"Powder Room"

A gun
 

Battery

 

Last to leave the chapel wherever we are
 

Dark tunnels and hallways - photo taken to illuminate area - thus Stacia's grip on Nolan

Stevens Battery

Hands on learning

 

 

I kept persevering as I knew we hadn't reached the replica of the Clatsop Village ....turns out it was #39 on the walking tour...then I saw it...a sign....and this is all that was there....I'm not sure one log counts as a replica.  At least it was at the site of the village....

This is not a replica of a Clatsop Village - but it was cool

 

Forgive the whine - I had one hour of sleep last night as Yuuki was determined to get outside and chase raccoons. They were tormenting her. I did enjoy the 0315 look at the stars as I walked her.  Maybe if I'd been more rested, I wouldn't have tired so quickly? I probably would have remembered to pack a lunch - which would have helped too. ::grin::

The area IS beautiful! The weather was WARM.  We learned lots of new things. We didn't realize Fort Stevens was shelled by a Japanese sub...and that it was the first time since 1812 that America had been attacked on the continent......We hadn't realized bombs were dropped by Japan on the forests in Oregon and Washington in the hopes of starting fires..... We were able to talk to a lady who was 5 years old when the attack came....her memories of black out curtains, birthday cake eaten in the dark et al, brought history alive.

Bandits at 9 O'clock

Posted by MEG

We had a nice evening sitting around the campfire, enjoying the  clear skies, eating s'mores.  Nolan and I played a round of cribbage.  I had a great night - Nolan probably does not want to go on the record on this one except maybe a bit of grumbling about a massive mugging.  (Yeah, you got to play to know what that is all about.)

 Everyone had gone inside.    It was around 9 o' clock when Nolan noticed a critter on the picnic table.  A raccoon had gotten up on the picnic table and stole a bag of graham crackers while Nolan and I were sitting not more than six feet away.  These were some rather bold interlopers.  We got a couple of pics before we called it a night.  Before going in, though, we made sure all of the compartments were shut and locked.

Fort Clatsop

Did you know the Corp saw only six days of sun during their stay at Fort Clatsop? They made more maps and journal entries at Fort Clatsop than any other location on their journey. Collectively, the Corps made 340 pairs of moccasins for their trip home during their stay.

 

We visited Fort Clatsop near Astoria, OR  today. Fort Clatsop hosts a visitor center with interesting exhibits and two film presentations: one from the perspective of the Clatsop tribe and one over-viewing the Corps of Discovery.  I found the varying perspectives captivating - both thinking the other group a bit rude and odd.  Admission fees are $3 in the winter. We were able to  use our National Parks Pass and get in for free.

Taking Jr Ranger work seriously

There are also two trailheads at the fort: Fort to Sea Trail  and the  Netul River Trail and paths to wander through the woods.

We found the replica of the fort, built by the Corps when they wintered here from Dec 1805 - March 1806, to be one of the highlights of the center.  The river is beautiful.

 

We wanted to find the canoe landing outside the fort. Michael opted to stay at the center- too  much walking the past few days. The kids and I  set off....

 

It turns out we were actually on the popular Netul River Trail and not on the way to the canoe landing at all. We did comment several times that it made little sense to land the canoes so far downriver. It was an invigorating two mile hike as we didn't want Michael to be alone too long.

 

On our return to the fort area we noticed the Canoe Landing SAYS it is only 200 yards....ah well...it was a pleasant hike anyway.  

 

This river is actually called the Lewis and Clark River, but the park labeled the trail the Netul River Trail to honor the Clatsop nation. This is the river the Corps came up when looking for a winter encampment in 1805.

 

Hiking the Netul River Trail was one of the activities listed for Jr Rangers. Stacia had visited enough of the sites and done enough activities to earn the "President" ranking as well as a certificate and a nice iron on badge.