Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 21

The morning dawned clear but throughout the morning, we had intermittent fog.  One tour would have decent visibility from the lighthouse tower and the very next tour could not even see the jetty adjacent to Battery Point.  So it went throughout the day.  

We had a gentleman come by to look at the ATV.  Its important to have this equipment for hauling purposes.  The machine works, but it helps to know little tricks to get it into gear or if the starter doesn't want to do its job!

Sharon came by to volunteer for the 10-11 schedule at 9:30 and we started tours at that time.  We extended them beyond 11 to accomodate an extra group.  It was not a long tour schedule today, but we had full groups for the time we were able to open.

We visited with volunteers, Bill and Gretchen Schmidt, at their 5th wheel in a local campground.  Gretchen made homemade clam chowder and bread.  We learned how to play the game Rummikub.  Rummikub is a tile-based game for two to four players, combining elements of the card game rummy and mahjong.  It takes some concentration, focus and a bit of creativity.  Bill and Gretchen are very good at it and served as good instuctors.  We had a nice visit with the Schmidts.  We work with Bill and Gretchen on tours more than any others, so we have come to know them and enjoy their company and sense of adventure.  

We returned to the lighthouse and did a few chores.  Teare vacuumed and balanced the drawer and I mowed grass.  We took a break from our work to watch the sunset. 

We enjoyed visiting with people as everyone was watching the sun settle down over the numerous rocks in this stretch of the California coast.  The people we encountered included a lady who lives out on the Alaskan Diomede Islands next to the Russian border.  She is one of a group of friends who meet every year and take a trip together.  We met a couple from Champaign, Illinois.  We also met a couple from Vancouver, Washington followed by a family from Maryland who operate a small farm. This was their first stop on the coast.  A guy from Tampa, Florida who left his wife and kids down on the tidal basin wandered over to the point and tried to sell us financial services.  All this while watching the sun set and does not include the many folks we met in the course of conducting tours.  This setting can be as social as you wish to make it.  Teare and I have really enjoyed this aspect of being here. 

The sun has set and my recap is nearly complete. The lighthouse keepers who will be replacing us phoned today to coordinate their arrival with our departure.  This served to remind us that we are now less than ten days away from the end of our lighthouse stay.  We hope you have enjoyed being vicarious keepers and we still have those ten days to enjoy together.

The light shines on this evening and all is well at Battery Point.

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 20

Brett and Betsy are back in Redding, Father’s Day weekend is over and it is time to get back to the business of lighthouse keeping.

After breakfast I cleaned the interior glass of the lighthouse tower.  In the kerosine era, the tower was referred to as the lantern room.  I fed Fred, the seagull, and as a show of thanks, he once again pulled grass and brought it to the picnic table where we usually have our conversations and dropped it on the ground.  Not sure we need nesting material, but I appreciated the gesture!  

Teare and I tore down the beds and then remade them after the laundry was done.  We tidied up for the tour day, and local volunteer, Sharon, was here by 9:00.  Sharon and I led tours for over two hours while Teare manned the gift shop and played tour control with the new arrivees.

The original 10-11 tour day turned into 9-12 simply because the tide permitted it and we were happy to do it.  Teare balanced the drawer and our tour day was over.

In the afternoon, I did some writing and Teare did some shopping and stopped by the Historical Society Museum for more gift store merchandise.  We had dinner and I decided to fit in a walk.  I visited with a woman from Frankfort, Germany and continued on my way.   As I was down by the beach, a car pulled up and a lady asked me if what she was looking at were sea lions.  I explained they were the structures put up to reduce the energy of violent waves.  I did tell her where she could always see sea lions.  She went on to say in a very excited voice that her husband and her had driven from Minnesota and this was the very first time they had ever laid eyes on the ocean.  Then she asked to verify that this was the ocean, I confirmed it.  It was fun to see the excitement in her face and she just wanted to share the experience.  I invited them to the lighthouse tomorrow for a tour and provided directions to the closest redwood grove only 10 minutes away.  Off they drove with my directions in hand while there was still daylight…so much for my walk before dinner…  

After dinner, I dropped off the garbage and drove to Safeway to get a dog treat for the Schmidt’s dog, Ben, who we will be visiting tomorrow.  On the way back to the lighthosue, I encountered a family from Wisconsin.  When I told them I was the keeper, they wanted a personal tour.  They had no idea the tide basin was already filling with water.   When I explained this to them, they were less interested in the tour and more interested in getting off the island!   The Ohio State fan in me saw them scrambling like scared Badgers… 

Back in the lighthouse, I reset the spotlight timer, since daylight is lasting longer.  Today was return to duty day.  That said, it was a very good day.  We were able to live in a lighthouse and we had our personal island in the Pacific once again.  Where else can you meet a lot of new people who are in good spirits because they are on vacation or locals just enjoying the beauty of the surroundings?   Take care and a good night to all!   

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 19 Happy Fathers Day!

I know it is after the fact, but Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.  Special greetings to Bud, and brothers George and Jim. 

We enjoyed a blueberry pancake breakfast in the radio room this morning.  Thanks again, Teare!  Since the lighthouse was closed to the public again, we headed off to the Jedediah Smith National Redwood Park here in Crescent City, California.  Again, we had to step rock to rock because we waited until the last moment to cross the tidal basin.  We warned everyone we encountered that the tide was coming in.  

Jedediah Smith is just a beautiful park and the Stout Grove has several extremely large redwoods.  We had a blast exploring the trees as we meandered the trail.  The hike involves, serious redwoods, grassy trails, creek overlooks, and a portion of the return loop is on the park road.  It was my idea of a good time on Father’s Day.

After our hike through the redwoods, we drove over to St. George Reef Recreation Area.  This area is a huge expanse of grasslands which lead up to cliffs and grassy mounds which border the Pacific Ocean.  The St. George Reef Lighthouse is visible a distance out in the Pacific.  The lighthouse has been necessary over the years due to the danger to ships of the reef and shallow water in the area.  We hiked up and around the grasslands and watched the gulls and pelicans fly below us on our rocky perch.  I was able to shoot a photo of Brett and Betsy on a distant cliff.

We returned to the lighthouse and grilled some steaks.  It was tough to do this while tourists were milling about and we had more than a few suggestions that we should expand the invitation list for dinner!  We had no choice, as we wanted to grill and we also needed to eat dinner before the Cavs and Warriors faced off in the final championship game of the NBA. In the midst of this, we actually gave a private tour to the tower to a couple from Zurich, Switzerland.  Betsy also bonded with Fred as she did the honors in feeding him.   

The final game went our way and congratulations to the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS for earning the right to be called NBA CHAMPIONS!  Needless to say, all four of us were on the edge of our seat as the close game came down to the last few minutes.  We were happy to share the victory with two fellow Cleveland/Cavs fans in Brett and Betsy.  I am especially happy for son Billy who is such a great Cleveland sports fan.  For once, I do not have to apologize for influencing him as a Cleveland fan...

 Sadly, we had to say goodbye to B&B.  We appreciate the effort they made to make the trip over here with everything they have going on in their world right now. The two of them being here was a great Father’s Day gift in itself.  

Teare and I could not tear ourselves away from the postgame interviews and could only imagine what it must be like to be in Cleveland tonight!  

That said, we will never forget where we were when Cleveland finally won a championship!  

                                    In Warrior territory no less…

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 18

Thanks for your understanding of the break in the log for Fathers Day weekend.  Here is a recap:

Betsy and Brett arrived early but the tide would not permit them to cross to the point at 1:00 AM.  As I walked down the gravel path in the darkness, I shined my flashlight ahead.  To  my surprise, a skunk was glaring back at me!  Fortunately, he turned and ran.  His tail was up the entire way, but at least he was moving away from me and he did not discharge….  I proceeded down the path with a higher sense of awareness, my little flashlight sweeping any possible stopping point of my new acquaintance… I did not see him, but was disappointed to see the tide was still in which meant Brett and Betsy had to wait it out in their car after their four and a half hour drive over the mountains to get here.  I walked back to the radio room and leaned back on the couch for that next hour, but did not get any sleep.  When the phone rang again, I repeated my steps to the tidal basin and this time we were able to get B & B to the lighthouse….minus any critter encounters.

Teare made two egg souffles for breakfast.  We showed them around and then all drove up to Brookings, Oregon and  the Loeb State Redwood Park trail we had done the day earlier.  It was a perfect day for a hike.  Since it had rained overnight, the waterfall was better than the day before.  We enjoyed our hike and it was so good to have them with us!  

We stopped for sandwiches and drove north on CA Hwy. 101 to The Sam Boardman Park.  Here we did the Thunder Rock Loop and Beach Trail.  We stopped for a picnic lunch on the point of the cliff and we were blessed with another sunny day.  We explored the cliffs and waterfall, but unlike our prior visit, we went all the way down the trail to the beach this time.  This is a gorgeous sandy beach nestled in a rock encased cove and cliffs which rise from the beach to the beautiful green of the pines above.  They call it “secret beach” and when you are there, you have the sense that it is, indeed, your secret beach.  We walked it from end to end, then made the long climb back up the hill to the car.   We enjoyed the trail and the company.

We drove back to Crescent City and had dinner at The Chart Room Seafood Restaurant.  Betsy and I split the seafood linguini with mushroom sauce.  Teare and Brett had seafood combos.  The meal was tasty and the good news is we made it back to the lighthouse just as the first small streams of water were seaking the other side of the tidal basin.  We saw some beautiful starfish which the ocean had left behind in a tide pool.

We played euchre.  Not going to say who won, but Teare and I were satisfied with the outcome… ;) 

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 17

Due to the tide schedule, the lighthouse was closed all day.  Teare and I decided to seize this opportunity and explore new sites. We wanted to scout out some ideas for when Betsy and Brett visit this weekend.

We closed up the lighthouse and drove 20 miles up to Brooking, Oregon.  We had breakfast at Maddie’s Pancake House.  We began our hiking day at Natural Bridge Trail then followed that with a hike around Whalehead Beach.  We wanted to find a particular hike and stopped by the information center to get directions.  Good thing we did as the trail head was hard to find.  

We stopped by a Subway and picked up sandwiches with the intent of eating them out at Thunder Rock.  We did find the small parking area and trail head. This loop trail, that skirted the edge of the cliff was spectacular.  We found a grassy spot in the sun and had our subs and just soaked in the rays!  Next we did an attached trail that led to a waterfall.  This was a pretty good drop and return climb to the parking lot.  

We stopped by Harris Beach State Park and simply explored the scenery from a high rock perch in the middle of the beach.  There were also several rocks off shore here to look at as well. 

We ended our visit to Brooking with a drive and hike on the Rogue River Redwood Trail.  This was a 45 minute hike on the side of hills past redwoods, creeks, waterfalls, and lush ground cover of clover and fern.  We agreed afterwards this was worthy of a return trip. 

Back in Crescent City, we stopped at the grocery store for a few more items before returning to the lighhouse.  The tide was already coming in!  I had to scamper across the high rocks to keep from getting wet.  We could not have cut it closer…

Our son-in-law Brett phoned to say that he and daughter Betsy would soon be on there way to come visit us at the lighthouse. Their drive will take 4.5 hours and they will arrive sometime around 1-2:00 AM with stops.  Tide should permit them to cross by 2:00.  We have been looking forward to this visit and they will be our first personal guests to stay over in the lighthouse. 

Below please find selected photos of our excursions today!  We wish everyone a great weekend!  Due to Father’s Day weekend, our next edition may experience a one day delay. 

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 16 6.16.16

Hello!  Thanks for taking the time to visit the blog.  We hope all is well with you.  

We had our first storm last night.  The power of the storm was awe inspiring.  We have two spotlights which illuminate the lighthouse and the rain that I observed from the lighthouse tower was coming down sideways due to the strong wind that was blowing it in off the Pacific.  The higher waves created a white rim of foam in the dark sea below as the waves crashed on the rock below the point.

In an effort to keep things fresh, I will list the days events in bullet form.  This will keep it concise and also illustrate the highlights of what we both considered to be a great day.

The day had a bit of everything…

• a storm during the night
• a sunny day to follow the storm
• the date had beautiful even symmetry… 6/16/16 
• chores (mowing, weed-whacking, cleaning the lighthouse)
• visits with interesting people from all over the world just walking around
• a morning walk with my sweetie
• seeing Teare soak in the sun while reading her book
• great food - all homemade 
• tours with interested, friendly people
• a Cavs win in game 6!  
• a lunchtime conversation with daughter Betsy
• my pet gull, Fred, hung out with me
• our friends at Sully’s in Medina sent a group photo 
• I was able to share it all with the sweetest person I know - my wife Teare

Here is a photo of some “buoy art” we have at Battery Point.

Have a great day and we’ll visit again tommorrow.    

Bill & Teare

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 15

I woke up from a sound sleep a little before 2:00 AM.  A glance out the window revealed a star-filled sky over the ocean.  I climbed the tower steps to see the stars.  The moon, over 3/4 full, was dominating the night sky and casting a shimmer which I captured below.

The day dawned bright and sunny.  These past few days have been hard to read.  Mother Nature has not been paying attention to the “official tide chart” published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The tide charts are indicating the tidal basin should be under water but there are long periods of dry sand after it should be wet and then, barely wet, the tide recesses.  Our conclusion is that the daytime high tide is simply a lower high tide, verified by the charts, but further modified by the build up of sand and gravel on the tidal basin.

We worked for a good part of the morning…vaccuming, sweeping the staircase, laundry, and raking the gravel on the outside walkway.  We had our personal and lighthouse chores done and the lighthouse was “tour ready” well ahead of our opening.  

Yesterday, while conducting tours, there was a young man who spilled pistachios out of an open bag he carried in his jacket pocket all down through the spiral brick stairwell.  This morning I found pistachios on every level.  Later, as I swept the concrete walkway all the way down by the beach, guess what I saw?….a trail of uncracked pistachios…

I took a walk along the seawall.  At one point there was a paved road that went down to the water.  Here is a photo of that gorgeous place.

We did tours from 2-4 today, however, it was nearly 5:00 before our last visitor perused the gift shop and left the lighthouse.   

Here is a brief history lesson on how Battery Point came to have a lighthouse and how it got its name.  In the book Battery Point and St. George Reef Lighthouses, by Bert and Margie Webber, Crescent City was described as the only suitable place for a harbor in the northern most stretch of coast in California during the time of its initial founding in 1852.  Because the entrance to the harbor was dangerous and rocky, seamen and businessmen in the area believed the lighthouse to be a necessity.  The federal government had already designated selected sites for lighthouse funding, but Crescent City was not one of them.  Local promoters would not give up and the town was added to the coastal cities to receive funding for a lighthouse.  The lighthouse was built on the little island just off the mainland in 1856.  At that time to this day, access is possible only at low tide.

In Crescent City, the ship America burned in harbor in 1855, the year before Battery Point was built.  Later, men salvaged three brass cannons from the America.  These were placed on the point of land next to the island.  Three guns constitutes a “battery”.  Thereafter, the island was named “Battery Point” and the lighthouse was named “Battery Point Lighthouse”. 

We had dinner and I fed Fred and Ginger, our pet sea gulls.  The sun has already set and I see a storm out at sea from the radio room window.  Last entry in the Keeper’s Log:  The light is operational and we see a storm approaching.  Those ships still at sea will see us, know where they are, and be safer for it.             Signing off from Battery Point.