| We visited Yaquina Head Lighthouse,
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| | Small fissures and ponds held even more
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| Oregon early in the day to learn of its
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| | colorful and amazing species, green sea
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| history. Lighthouses were necessities of
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| | anemones, purple sea urchins too numerous
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| the nineteenth century. Rocky coasts and
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| | to count. Starfish came in all manner of
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| poor charting often spelled doom for
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| | size and color. The largest of these
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| ships. The lighthouse functioned to warn
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| | were as big as dinner plates and burnt
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| sea captains of danger and help with
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| | orange in color. Some were palm size and
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| location and navigation. Modern day GPS
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| | purple or grayish. Some starfish were
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| and satellites have made lighthouses
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| | attached alone to rocks while in other
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| almost obsolete. However, Yaquina Head's
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| | places they were tumbled together.
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| light shines today as it has for more
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| | One very fascinating creature at first
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| than a century through its Fresnel lens.
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| | looked like the basalt upon which it sat.
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| The lens's construction took place on
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| | Black, slightly domed and elongated, and
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| site and contains 250 pieces of glass.
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| | only partially covered with a row of
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| That alone makes it a wonder. Yet, the
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| | eight saddle shaped plates, one might
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| precision of its construction and pattern
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| | have overlooked it. Such is the Katy
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| allows the light to be seen 20 miles out
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| | Chiton, which we found in one small pool.
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| to sea. The lighthouse itself is made
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| | Chitons are what I would characterize as
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| from 400,000 bricks, is 93 feet tall
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| | living fossils. Surely, biologists refer
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| (tallest on the Oregon coast), and has no
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| | to these creatures as close to the
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| steel reinforcement. One can climb to
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| | ancestral mollusks. They attach
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| the top using 114 steps, which we did.
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| | themselves to the bottom of rocks in
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| We took a look at the cobblestone tidal
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| | shallow water and feed on algae.
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| pools while at high tide finding Harbor
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| | Chitons can move by way of their
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| seals basking on the outlying rocks.
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| | elongated foot.
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| Glaucous-winged, Western and Herring
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| | Of course, exposure at low tide means
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| Gulls rode the winds in and about the
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| | dinnertime for the gulls and cormorants.
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| cliffs. Brandt's Cormorants roosted on
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| | We watched as a California Gull spent
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| the larger, taller rocks, and Surf Scoter
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| | his evening at easy pickings. The
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| and Western Grebes rode waves as they
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| | cormorants were more active diving in the
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| washed in.
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| | shallows. There were a couple of Harbor
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| At 5:44 PM low tide occurred along the
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| | Seals curious enough to swim closer to
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| coast of Oregon this September day, 2007,
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| | shore, but not too close, to watch us
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| and we were drawn back to the tidal pools
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| | watch them. Who was the observer; who
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| in the evening. Tidal Pools are
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| | the observed?
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| fantastic marine nurseries. Living
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| | Experiencing the Yaquina Head Lighthouse
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| organisms which inhabit such must be well
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| | and its tidal pools at both high and low
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| adapted to the exposure that the ebb and
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| | tide was a highlight to our trip. We
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| flow of the tides dictate.
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| | would recommend to all this adventure.
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| At low tide, we were not only able to
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| | One would be astounded by all there is in
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| walk farther onto the cobbles but also
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| | this most unusual habitat. There is a
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| onto the basaltic rock platforms that
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| | profound appreciation, all at once, for
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| fingered their way into the Pacific.
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| | both the fragility of life but the
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| Upon these platforms were beds of mussels
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| | tenaciousness with which it occupies its
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| and shelves of Leaf Barnacles. How ever
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| | chosen niche. It is easy to note the
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| so dead looking the mussels and barnacles
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| | interdependence of living organisms in
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| appeared, they were not. Just waiting
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| | tidal pools. The concept of food webs
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| for the tide to roll back in when they
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| | and biomes are so apparent in this most
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| would open their shells and feed again.
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| | unique of environments.
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