![]() ![]() On the migration path of "our" gray whales returning to the Bering Sea in March and April after migrating south to warmer waters in December and January, they can be seen off Agate Beach. For those who like to swim, beware the undertow, rip tides and 58 F temperature.īetter to gaze into a tide pool and all the creatures that live there - huge starfish, sea anemones and sea urchins. Now surfers have found it, but they're encased in Neoprene. See Alaskan whales pass by, delve into tide pools, hit a ballįor over 100 years, Newport's Agate Beach has drawn families for its majestic setting and big rollers. Also frequently spotted are black brants and pelagic, meaning mostly at sea, cormorants, pigeon guillemots, western gulls, black oystercatchers and bald eagles. Yaquina Head is also home to a mated pair of peregrine falcons, visible most days on the cliffs above the Interpretive Center. In addition, the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is home to one of the west coast's largest nesting colonies of common murres. The basement features an interpretive display with educational items and a video about the lighthouse history. Two flights of stairs lead to the watch room, but the lantern room is closed to the public. The lighthouse is open from October to February, noon to 4 p.m., except holidays, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you have never seen a Fresnel lens, it is a beautiful thing - almost art deco-like but also like a crystal spaceship.Īt 93 feet, Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest tower on the Oregon coast and shines its light 162 feet above the ocean and can be seen 19 miles out to sea. The oil-burning wicks have been replaced with an LED stack of 36 individual LED bulbs. Today, the fully automated first-order Fresnel lens runs on commercial power and flashes its unique pattern of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, 14 seconds off, for 24 hours a day. At that time, the oil burning fixed white light was displayed from sunset to sunrise. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse was built in 1872 and has been guiding ships ever since. Newport is on the central coast and a historic fishing and shipping town, so of course there's a lighthouse. ![]() Plus, you can fly direct from Alaska to Portland's sweet and user-friendly airport with a mere 60 gates and dodge the complexity of Seattle's 111 gates and that darned train-to-nowhere. With so many things to do, Newport, Oregon, is a perfect place for a quick getaway or a family reunion. It sits a thrilling 135 feet above sea level. You enter Newport via the impressive 600-foot Yaquina Bay Bridge, a combination of art deco and art moderne with touches of gothic architectural style that opened in 1936. ![]()
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