Day 67 – May 16 – Moved to South Beach State Park

We moved up the coast about 70 miles to the town of Newport in South Beach State Park.  We arrived near noon and found two sites that were not reserved.

After lunch we drove to the Yaquina Bay Light.  This lighthouse was built in 1871 and was removed from service in 1873.  It’s short service life is due to the building of the nearby Yaquina Head Light.

 

The Yaquina Bay Light is located near where the Yaquina River hits the ocean in Newport.  Another one of the historic bridges is located near the mouth of the river, so we got a good view of the bridge.

 

Inside the lighthouse is a free museum run by volunteers and they were very helpful.  The building was furnished as it might have appeared when the light keeper lived there with his seven children.  It is a three-story home with a basement.

Next we drove to the Yaquina Head Light four miles north of the other lighthouse.  It is said the Yaquina Head Light was “an extraordinary bureaucratic bungle” and was scheduled to be built on Cape Foulweather miles to the north.  The mistake was discovered soon after the construction was completed in 1873.  Because the light in the Head Light was much brighter (visible from nineteen miles away) than the Bay Light, the Bay Light was deactivated.

 

There were some sea stacks near the lighthouse full of birds and a couple of seals.

Three seals on the rocks

 

We returned to Newport and drove around some and ended up in the historic section of town.  After walking around some, we returned home to the puppies.