Monday, October 17, 2005

NW Trip - Day 12 - South Oregon Coast

The parking lot at Heceta Head beach.

The parking lot and bridge at Heceta Head beach.

After a couple of days in Eugene, we continued our volcano and lighthouse tour, heading up to Heceta Head, 12 miles north of Florence.

Heceta Head is probably the single most photographed spot on the Oregon Coast—every gift shop has postcards and refrigerator magnets for sale with a picture of the lighthouse and the Keeper's House.

The Keeper's House was built in 1893 and is now a bed and breakfast. My Mass Comm. class spent three days on a retreat here in 1984.

The Keeper’s House was built in 1893 and is now a bed and breakfast.

I attended Lane Community College in the early 80s, and my college had a lease of some sort on the Keeper's House so that faculty and students could use the house. My Mass Communications class spent three days on a retreat here in 1984.

The Keeper’s House is considered one of the ten most haunted houses in America. We spent the three days exploring the beach, watching films, fooling around with a view camera and other camera gear, and looking for ghosts.

We took a lot of pictures, but never did see any ghosts.

A quarter-mile trail leads from the beach to the lighthouse, which offers dramatic views of the ocean.

A quarter-mile trail leads from the beach to the lighthouse, which offers dramatic views of the ocean.

Retirees volunteer at the lighthouses to give tours and provide info. Our tour at Heceta Head was provided by Wendell, who was very, very slow, which was more entertaining than the lighthouse.

By the time the tour was over—and thanks to Wendell, it took awhile—the fog had rolled back in. We had lunch at Honeyman Park, and drove on down to Coos Bay to spend the night at Sunset Bay Campground.

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