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