Iceland: Magical Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Mount Stapafell (Home of Elves). Rocky Point on Top is called Fellskross – a Viking Sign of Holy Powers

Svodufoss Waterfall

Icelandic Sheep in Meadow

Northern Coast of Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Seagulls on Cliff Overlooking Ocean

Arnarstapi Cliff Nesting Birds

Black-Legged Kittiwake Eggshell Dropped on Land

Ondverdarnes Lighthouse at Western Tip of Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Striking Skardsvik Golden Sand Beach in Black Volcanic Landscape

Snaefellsjokull Volcano and Orange Sky at Midnight in June

Snaefellsjokull with Dramatic Clouds

Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula is an enchanting place.  We find more places to go every time we visit.  The birds – the sky – the coast – and the ever-present Snaefellsjokull volcano make for a magical place.

In the Sjominjasafn Maritime Museum we saw a display with a beautiful quote by Halldor Laxness, World Light:

“Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there anymore, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands”.

 

San Diego: Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma Lighthouse

Rocky Tide Pool Area on Coast

Beautiful View of San Diego from
Cabrillo National Monument

Statue of Cabrillo

Point Loma Lighthouse

3rd Order Fresnel Lens In Lighthouse Museum

Prismatic Colors of Fresnel Lens

Overlook of Gray Whale “Highway”

A popular place to visit near San Diego is Cabrillo National Monument.   At the park’s southern end are some of the most accessible tidepools in southern California.  The rocky trails there overlooking the Pacific Ocean are very scenic.  Nearby stands a statue of Juan Cabrillo overlooking beautiful San Diego Bay.  It commemorates his landing there in 1542.  At the top of Point Loma Peninsula stands the old Point Loma Lighthouse.  It was in active service from 1855-1891, but was retired because the light was often above the fog line and was thus invisible.  A short stroll from the lighthouse leads to the Gray Whale Overlook.  It is an excellent place to watch for whale spouts in winter. 

Emma Minter, who lived at the lighthouse as a child in 1878, said:  “What had I for playthings?  The nicest in the world!  Pretty shells, colored stones, kelp babies.  It seems to me that I can remember every day of my young life there.”  

Information on visiting Cabrillo National Monument is at:  https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm

Iceland: Colorful Lighthouses and Coastal Scenery

Twin Gardskagaviti Lighthouses

Statue of Fisherman’s Lady Looking out to Sea

Orange Stafnesviti Lighthouse in Field of Buttercups

Reflection of Stafnesviti Lighthouse in Tidepool Nearby

Unusual Sandgerdi Lighthouse

Fish Themed Murals on Warehouse attached to Sandgerdi Lighthouse

Fisherman with Fish Mural

Fisherman with Eider Duck Mural

Fishermen in Boat Mural

Ladies Processing Fish Mural

Lighthouse Theme on Vitinn Seafood Restaurant Sign

Longrangar Lighthouse

Reykjanes Lighthouse on Hill

Gunnuhver Fumerole at Reykjanes “Smokey Point” Geothermal Area

Richard by Life-Size Great Auk Statue

Akranes Lighthouse

Elves at Entrance

Photography Exhibit Inside

Steps to the Top

Lantern Room at Top

View from Top

Akranes: Poster on Display of Lighthouses of Iceland

We love lighthouses, and we enjoyed seeing a variety of them in Iceland.  Some lighthouses have bright colors for best contrast with the landscape.  All sit in beautiful locations by the sea.  The Reykjanes Lighthouse is particularly scenic because it sits in a geothermal area known as “Smokey Point”.  The Gunnuhver fumerole there produces a surprising amount of steam.  A life-size great auk statue stands nearby, marking the location where the last great auk lived in 1844.  A recent article discusses the possibility of using DNA to bring the great auk back from extinction:  http://www.earthtouchnews.com/all-articles/2016/september/01/can-the-great-auk-return-from-extinction/.

The Akranes lighthouse is fun because we think it looks like a rocket ship (we may be biased because we live on the Space Coast of Florida and see launches all the time).  There is a wonderful photography/poetry exhibition inside by Mak Jurgen called “I Miss the Days Chasing Lights”.  He also plans to publish a book called “Vitar” (lighthouse in Icelandic) by 2020. The view from the top is spectacular!

Mr. Ingvar Hreinsson has repaired all of Iceland’s 104 lighthouses spread out over 3,000 miles of coastline.  A recent article about him is at:  http://grapevine.is/mag/feature/2016/08/26/shine-a-light-the-icelander-who-repaired-every-single-lighthouse-in-the-country/

All of our posts about Iceland’s lighthouses are at:  https://naturetime.wordpress.com/?s=iceland+lighthouse.  “Viti” in Icelandic means lighthouse.

Long Beach, California, Scenery: Real and Fake

Point Fermin Lighthouse

Point Vicente Lighthouse

Lions Lighthouse for Sight

Lions Lighthouse for Sight at Night

Parker Lighthouse Restaurant

Whale Mural on Long Beach Arena

Fake Oil Island

Oil Island “Condo” Tower to Conceal Rigging

We enjoyed our visit to Long Beach, California, in August.  Some of the scenery was real, and some of it wasn’t what it appeared to be.  All of it was fun to see!

The Point Fermin Lighthouse is located 9 miles north of Long Beach.  This Victorian home is one of the oldest lighthouses on the West coast.  It was restored in 2002, and the house and colorful garden are open for tours.  Eight miles north, the Point Vicente Lighthouse sits on a cliff edge on the Pacific Ocean.  This now-automated and functioning light station was built in 1926.

At Long Beach Harbor are two unofficial lighthouses.  The scenic tower of the Lions Lighthouse for Sight is a symbol for fundraising activities for the blind.  It is lit up with colorful floodlights at night.  Another unofficial light sits in a tower at the top of Parker’s Lighthouse Restaurant.   Both functioning lights act as private aids to navigation.

Not to be missed nearby is the whale mural (Wyland Whaling Wall) on the Long Beach Arena.  It stands 10 stories tall, and was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest mural when it was painted in 1992.  The whales on it are life-size.

Long Beach is famously known as one of the top five oil fields in the nation.  Fake “islands” were created there in 1965 to conceal offshore oil drilling rigs and to enhance the natural beauty of the area.  The closest THUMS island (Texaco, Humble, Union, Mobil, and Shell) is located ½ mile offshore.  These unique islands were designed by Disneyland architect Joseph Linesch.  Each one contains fake buildings to conceal oil rigging machinery and real flowing waterfalls to obscure sound.  Each island contains about 300 palm trees and 300 oil wells, and a wealth of marine life surrounds it underwater.  The overall effect is so convincing that visitors regularly ask how they can stay there. The islands were named after the four astronauts who died in a capsule fire on a NASA launch pad in 1968 (Grissom, White, Freeman, and Chaffee).  The islands celebrated their 50th anniversary of operation in October 2015.  You can watch an interesting television show about the islands by Huell Howser of California’s Gold at: https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2008/01/10/oil-islands-californias-gold-10002/

Iceland: Colorful Lighthouses

Siglufjordur (Seal Fjord) Lighthouse on Arctic Ocean (North Iceland)

Nordurgardi (North Mole) Reykjavik Harbor Light

Stafnes Lighthouse. Reykjanes Peninsula near Reykjavik.

Engey Lighthouse on Engey Island in Reykjavik Harbor

Gerdistangi Lighthouse on Private Property Behind Old Stone Wall. Reykjanes Peninsula near Reykjavik.

Reykjanes Lighthouse. Iceland’s Oldest Lighthouse near Reykjavik.

Reykjanes (Smokey Point) Lighthouse Sits on Hill Overlooking Gunnuhver Geothermal Area

Close-up of Reykjanes Lighthouse

Grotta Lighthouse (west of Reykjavik Harbor)

Sea Glass Collected on Grotta Lighthouse Beach

Lighthouses in Iceland sit in incredibly scenic locations. Over 100 lighthouses and harbor lights can be found along the country’s rocky shores. Although some of the lighthouses are painted classic white, many are painted bright orange or yellow to contrast best with the black volcanic landscape and white snow in winter.  Another post about Icelandic lighthouses is at:  https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/iceland-best-climb-up-a-lighthouse/

Iceland: Best Climb Up a Lighthouse!

Pair of Gardskagaviti Lighthouses (the “brothers”). Reykjanes Peninsula near Reykjavik

Gardskagaviti Lighthouses and Old Fishing Boat

Looking up Gardskagaviti Tower (Iceland’s tallest lighthouse)

Key to Gardskagaviti Tower (says ­­­­­”Thanks for Your Support” in Icelandic)

Richard at Bottom of Stairs

Gingko Leaf Circle

Leaf Art Design

Row of Saved Thermometers

Richard Unlocking Trapdoor Bolt to Top of Tower

Pam Climbing onto Viewing Balcony

Fresnel Lens in Gardskagaviti Tower

Coastal View Looking East

Coastal View Looking South

View from Tower of the Older Red and White Striped Gardskagaviti Lighthouse

Older Red and White Striped Gardskagaviti Lighthouse

One of our favorite experiences of our trip was visiting the pair of Gardskagaviti lighthouses on the Reykjanes Peninsula (near Reykjavik).   The taller lighthouse of the pair (known as “the twin brothers”) was built by U.S. servicemen who were rescued from a sinking Coast Guard ship. It was presented as a gift to the Icelandic people for saving their lives. At the museum next to the lighthouses we were given a key to climb up to the top of the tower (the tallest in Iceland). As instructed, we unlocked the door, went in, and then relocked the door behind us. We had the entire place to ourselves! The acoustics were incredible – the tower is essentially a giant tube that acts like an echo chamber. I remember reading once that lighthouse keepers often sang inside their towers because the sound was so amazing.

As we climbed up we enjoyed art displays on the walls and a display of saved thermometers. The top of the tower was especially unique. Richard had to unscrew a bolt to unlock the trap door leading to the balcony surrounding the Fresnel lens. What a view!

Afterward we locked everything back up and turned in the key. The smaller and older red and white striped lighthouse beside the tower was once used for bird migration studies.  Birds commonly seen at rocky Gardskaga Point include eiders, turnstones, gannets, red shank, and sanderlings. This lighthouse experience was one-of-a-kind and great fun!

California: Piedras Blancas Lighthouse

Piedras Blancas Light Station

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Tower with Beacon

The Piedras Blancas Lighthouse was built in 1875. The top of the tower was sheared off during a fierce storm in 1949. Afterward an automated beacon was placed on top of the shortened tower and it was returned to service. Currently the lighthouse is undergoing restoration. Visitors can only access the lighthouse grounds by guided tour. Especially popular is the “Sunset and Whale Watching Tour” every March.

California: Scenic Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Scenic Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point Lighthouse with Yellow Buttercup Oxalis Flowers in Spring

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Coastline

Pigeon Point’s Perilous Rocky Coast

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Welcome Sign

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Tower and Flag

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Tower Front with Starburst

Pigeon Point Back of Lighthouse with Flowers by Fence

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Fresnel Lens

Pigeon Point’s Ocean View

Harbor Seal on Rocks below Pigeon Point

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Tower in Fog with Sun Halo

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Tower Top with Fog Shadow and Rainbow Prism

Fogbow Nearby

Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Infrared

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is located along the scenic San Mateo coast south of San Francisco.  The lighthouse was built in 1872, and is named after the clipper ship “Carrier Pigeon” that went down off the point. The ship even had a gilded pigeon as its figurehead.  Pigeon Point’s original name was Whale Point, because whales are frequently seen offshore.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of the tallest active lighthouses on the west coast (150 feet above sea level).  Its Fresnel lens flashes a rotating beam of light once every 10 seconds.  The lens has 1,008 glass prisms, and weighs over 4 tons! 

Sometimes light stations use fog horns in addition to light signals to warn ships away from the coast.  Early settlers around Pigeon Point Lighthouse described the fog horn as sounding like “an asthmatic old bovine” or “stuck hog”.  The light station’s dock was used by rumrunners and bootleggers during Prohibition in the 1920’s.  Tens of millions of dollars in whiskey were brought ashore during that period. 

The lighthouse is currently undergoing an $11 million restoration.  The first step (completed) was to remove the Fresnel lens from the tower and put it on temporary display in the Fog Signal Building.  The second step (underway) is to stabilize the tower.  The future third step will be complete restoration of the tower, which will begin once funding is secured.  Progress updates are available at:  http://www.calparks.org/whatwedo/improving/pigeon-point/

Florida: Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Brick Path

Spiral Stairs

Lens Room

Light Beacon Inside Fresnel Lens

Jupiter Inlet Ocean View

Jupiter Inlet Bridge View

Antique Postcard of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was first lit in 1860.  It was built to warn ships of the reefs offshore Jupiter, Florida.  The 108-foot tower sits on top of an ancient Indian shell mound.  The view from the top is quite scenic!  A live inlet beach webcam is at:  http://www.evsjupiter.com/main.htm

Santa Cruz Lighthouse and World’s First Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Lighthouse is Home to the World’s First Surfing Museum

Surfing Museum Entrance

Surfboard Display at Surfing Museum

1960’s Photograph at Surfing Museum

The Santa Cruz Lighthouse is located at the north end of Monterey Bay.  It was in service from 1870-1948, and had a steady red light to warn mariners of danger.  The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1967, and it is now home to the world’s first Surfing Museum.  The Surfing Museum contains surfboards, photographs, and other memorabilia.  It overlooks “Steamer Lane”, a world class surfing hot spot that was dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve in April 2012.   The earliest surfboards were made of redwood.  The wooden boards could be up to 12 feet long, and weigh over 100 pounds!

Point Montara Lighthouse

Point Montara Lighthouse and Red Hot Pokers

Point Montara Lighthouse and Ice Plants

Point Montara Infrared

Point Montara Fishing Floats

Point Montara Shark Sign

The Point Montara Lighthouse sits on a rocky cliff south of San Francisco. At first only a fog signal was installed on the bluff.  The signal alone was not enough to stop shipwrecks, so a 30 foot cast-iron lighthouse tower was erected in 1928.  In 1970 the light was automated, and in 1980 the buildings were leased to a youth hostel. 

California: Point Reyes Lighthouse

Point Reyes Lighthouse

Point Reyes Tower

308 Stairs to the Lighthouse

Point Reyes National Seashore

The Point Reyes Lighthouse sits on a tip of land in northern California that juts 10 miles out to sea.  This location is the windiest place on the Pacific coast, and the second foggiest in North America!   The highest wind speed ever recorded was 133 mph, and 60 mph winds are common. Lighthouse keepers sometimes climbed on their hands and knees up the stairs to keep from being blown away.  Weeks of fog are common in summer, as reported in a journal in 1885:   “Fog, fog, and nothing but fog.”  In 1887, the local newspaper reported that “the fog sirens have been in operation for 176 consecutive hours now, and the attendants look as if they have been on a protracted spree.”  During winter storms, ocean spray shoots 200 feet into the air. 

 The lighthouse itself is a 16-sided 37-foot iron tower that is anchored to the cliff with large bolts.  The tower houses a 3-ton Fresnel lens composed of 1,000 hand cut prisms and bull’s eye glass. The light was first lit on December 1, 1870.  Its beam is a white flash every 5 seconds.   In 1975 the Coast Guard installed an automated signal at the point, and the lighthouse was turned over to the National Park Service.  Getting to and from the lighthouse is quite an effort.  There are 308 stairs between the observation platform at the top of the hill and the lighthouse below.  Walking back up is equivalent to walking up the stairs of a 30-story building!

Florida: Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Lens Exhibit Building

Lens Exhibit Display at Ponce Inlet

Pair of Fresnel Lenses at Ponce Inlet

Illumination Display at Ponce Inlet

Blue Lantern at Ponce Inlet

Hanging Lantern at Ponce Inlet

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Station is a National Historic Monument.  The station is unique because the lighthouse has survived along with all seven of its original buildings.  The Lens Exhibit Building is truly exceptional – it contains one of the finest Fresnel lens displays in the world! 

Florida: Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse - Starting to Climb 203 Steps

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse - Looking Down Inside of Tower

View from Top of Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse was built in 1887.  Its brick red tower is 175 feet high – Florida’s tallest lighthouse!  If you climb 203 steps to the top of the tower, you will get a spectacular view of the Atlantic and Ponce Inlet.

Florida: St. Augustine Lighthouse

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Standing at the Base of the Tower

Climbing the Tower's Spiral Steps

St. Augustine Lighthouse View from the Top

Red Lantern Room at the Top (Fresnel Lens Inside)

Light Beacon Inside Fresnel Lens

St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874. The 165-foot tower has a black and white spiral on the outside, and a red lantern room on top. Its Fresnel lens flashes once every 30 seconds. If you climb 219 steps to the top of the tower, you will get a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean and historic St. Augustine!

Florida: Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

Cape Canaveral Fresnel Lens

Cape Canaveral Fresnel Lens Close-Up

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has stood at its present location in Florida since 1894.  An outside stairway leads up to the original third level entrance.  After automation in 1993, its Fresnel lens was moved to Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum in Daytona Beach. The lens weighs 1 ton, is 12 feet tall, and produced a light that could be seen up to 22 miles away.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse sits on restricted Government property, so tours were only available previously from 2011-2013 through Patrick Air Force Base – 45^th Space Wing Tour Program.  Tours were suspended in June 2013 due to Government budget cuts.  As of January 8, 2016, tours resumed from Exploration Tower in Port Canaveral.  For information, go to: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/12/30/cape-canaveral-lighthouse-begins-new-tours/77838060/  (phone Sunward Tours at 321-453-3994).  Bus tours are also available periodically through Kennedy Space Center (https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/). For current updates about the lighthouse, go to:  http://canaverallight.org/  

An outstanding book on the local history of Patrick Air Force Base (covering its beginning in World War II, including a description of enemy submarines offshore) is “Banana River” by Barbara Marriott at:  https://www.amazon.com/Banana-River-Stories-Diaries-World/dp/1624320066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509151348&sr=8-1&keywords=banana+river

A cute 1950’s spoof on the “launch” of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLaMyg3rC0c

California: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

Point Cabrillo Fresnel Lens

The Point Cabrillo Light Station (south of Fort Bragg) was built in 1908.  Rugged weather in the area typically includes high winds, heavy fog, and drenching rains.  The isolation and beauty of this remote location is dramatic!

California: Point Arena Lighthouse

Point Arena Lighthouse

View from the Top of Point Arena

Original Point Arena Fresnel Lens

The original Point Arena Lighthouse was built in 1870.  It had to be rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.  After automation in 1977, the First-Order Fresnel lens was relocated to the current Visitor Center. The lens is 6 feet wide and has 666 hand-ground prisms. It has three sets of bulls-eyes that originally emitted a double flash every 6 seconds. The current value of this lens is over $3.5 million!

California: Point Bonita Lighthouse

Trail to Point Bonita Lighthouse

Hand Carved Tunnel of Rock

View of Golden Gate Bridge

Point Bonita Lighthouse

Point Bonita Suspension Bridge

Close-up of Point Bonita Lighthouse

Lantern Room with Fresnel Lens

Sea Lions on Rocks Below

The Point Bonita Lighthouse sits at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, California.  It has been in continuous operation since 1877.  The lighthouse is reached by a steep half mile trail through a hand-carved tunnel of rock and over a suspension bridge.  The suspension bridge mimics the style of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance (note the bridge was recently rebuilt and reopened to the public on April 14, 2012).  The Fresnel lens is composed of ground glass prisms arranged in rings around the light source.  Its steady white beam can be seen up to 18 miles at sea. Point Bonita is a spectacular windswept landscape of land, sea, and fog.

California: Point Pinos Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse in Monterey

Rocky Coast across from Point Pinos

Red Buoy Light in Point Pinos Museum

The Point Pinos Lighthouse was built in 1855 to protect ships from Monterey’s rocky coast.  It is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West coast.  The building, lens, and prisms are all original to the building, although the cracked tower was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.  In 1879 Robert Lewis Stevenson visited the area.  He wrote that the lighthouse keeper enjoyed the elegant pursuits of piano playing and oil painting.