Umpqua River Lighthouse, Oregon [photos]

[rebeccmeister]

Following consultation with my brother, we stopped to visit the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Oregon, and took a tour of the lighthouse, which was mesmerizing. Apparently there aren't many lighthouses that let you stick your head up inside the lenses.

Lighthouse at dusk:



Example Fresnel lenses in the lighthouse museum, of the type used in the lighthouse:


Peering toward the glory:


Like a moth to a candle:






Note the white-white-red lens pattern, which is distinct for this lighthouse and would help ships figure out exactly where they were along the Oregon coast.

Catwalk surrounding the lenses:




Motor that now turns the lenses, replacing the original counterweight system:


Keeping watch for ships in distress:


The lighthouse was originally lighted with a kerosene lamp that required around 5 gallons of oil a day, which one of the three lighthouse-keepers would have to haul up the steps as one of their duties, along with keeping an eye out for ships in distress and keeping the lenses clean. That wick eventually got replaced by various styles of lightbulbs as the lighting technology improved. As our tour guide noted, that didn't necessarily extend the visibility range for the lighthouse, because of the curvature of the earth.



A good stop along our journey.

Comments

[shalpacafarm]

I’d never thought of lighthouse limitations being an argument for the curvature of the earth, yay!

[scrottie]

If you're sailing single handed on a passage, you have to wake up every 20 minutes and look around if you don't want to be run over by a container ship that just popped up over the horizon. For sure, people who are trying to blast themselves in to space to look at the earth are working entirely too hard.

Tho of course now days we have radar and AIS broadcasts... both of which without some kind of repeater have the same distance limitations but can at least only wake you up when something is there.

Line of sight limitations also mean that lighthouses get built on bluffs with majestic views.

Def recommend this tour. Tour guide seem completely prepared for us just standing there with our heads in the tiny glass universe and patiently let us just do that.

[shalpacafarm]

Also: https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/s33egs/turbines_below_the_horizon_this_should_shut_the/

[scrottie]

Oooh, pretty!

I wish flat earth were a harmless silly conspiracy theory instead of something co-opted by genuinely horrible people to sell horrible things.

[ihavenoarms]

nice

[cmcmck]

I do like a nice lighthouse!

[scrottie]

I bet Sauron goes up and sticks his head in his giant glowing eye at least once a week, just for the vibes.