In 1999 a large helicopter lifted the lantern off the historic, but badly deteriorated, Cape Mendocino Lighthouse and flew it 35 miles to the village of Shelter Cove. The rest of the lighthouse, disassembled at the site, soon followed by truck. Within a year the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse Preservation Society had restored, painted and fitted new glass into this now 146-year-old … [Read more...]
#18 – Punta Gorda Lighthouse
If there had been an Alcatraz of lighthouses in the early 1900s, the Punta Gorda light station would have been it. It was as isolated and lonely as a frontier settlement. The lighthouse keeper spent the winter months there virtually in solitary confinement, when flooded streams and harsh, windy conditions kept the site cut off from civilization. Even during the pleasant summer … [Read more...]
#19 – Pacific Ocean Fishing
Shelter Cove is one of California’s premier ocean fishing destinations. Fishermen come for the salmon, which are found close to the shore here May through August. Anglers also catch an abundance of ling cod, rock cod, halibut, albacore and surf perch. They can launch a boat from the cove, which Point Delgada protects from the northwesterly winds. Visitors can buy fishing l … [Read more...]
#20 – King Range and Lost Coast Trail
The King Range National Conservation Area is unlike any other place in the continental United States. Here, in this 35-mile long, 68,000-acre stretch of coastal wilderness, the mountains rise directly out of the sea. King Peak tops out at 4,088 ft., and is only 3 miles from the ocean. The Conservation Area extends between the Mattole River in Humboldt County to the northern … [Read more...]