Cape Arago Light

Coos Bay, is the largest city on the Oregon coast. We decided to take a drive out to Cape Arago Lighhouse. Newmark St takes you out of Coos Bay and through the fishing community of Charleston. The main catch here is Crab and Oysters. From Charleston, we followed signs for Cape Arago lighthouse and Sunset Bay State Park. The Simpson Reef overlook came up on our right and we pulled in.

The reef provides a small barrier to the open sea. The habitat here is one of the most important marine mammal and seabird colonies on the northwest coast. Normally the overlook provides a viewing opportunity for seals, sea lions, and many seabirds. Today there were no seals in view and the birds were all huddled amongs the crevasses in the rocks.

It's really raw and the wind will knock you over! We watched amazing waves pound against the rocky point of land across the reef. We passed the state park which was closed due to flooding from all this rain. Further down the road we found the Arago Point view. The sea is so angry. This is one Oregon lighthouse that you can't get up close to. It is protected by a locked gate maintained by the Coast Guard. The light tower is 44 ft hight and was illuminated in 1934. In terms of service this is the newest lighthouse, earlier structures were built on this site in 1866 and 1908. Both were lost due to erosion and weather.

We left the point and drove to Bastendorf Beach. The miles of uninterrupted beach and ocean views were fantastic. We followed the beach road to the end where it turned to dirt. We saw a number of cars parked next to the jetty so we decided to go see what was going on. As we pulled up a huge spray of water leaped over the jetty wall followed by a bigger spray. Getting out of the car we could see 8 ft waves roll into the jetty where it meets the bay. Soon another exploded against the wall. As the waves rolled and broke the wind, still about 35 mph, blew the water from the crest of the wave into the air.

Back in the car we headed back to camp. We had dinner at the casino tonight, played blackjack and was home by 10pm. The wind has picked up again and is really shaking us and rippling the slider awnings. We decided to bring the sliders in... we'll be glad when the wind calms down.

Pictures: Simpson Reef, Arago Point View & lighthouse in distance, Arago Point View, Bastendorf Beach Waves (2)

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