Keeping the light alive
Christina Nellemann
(originally ran in the Reno Gazette-Journal, September 2001)As you round the corner of Devil's Elbow State Park you can see the hand that holds one of the prettiest areas of the Central Oregon Coast. Heceta Head is home to the Heceta Head Lightstation and Interpretive Center, a 100-year-old lightkeeper's house and lighthouse which is rated as the strongest light on the Oregon Coast.
Located 12 miles north of Florence, Oregon and sitting 205 feet above the Pacific Ocean the Heceta Head light was the safe and comforting beacon used by ships traveling along Oregon's perilous coastline during the beginning of the last century. The first order Fresnel lens (one of the few left in the world) casts out beams of light that can be seen 21 miles out into the ocean.
The light can also be seen from land by visiting tourists, however what most of them fail to realize is that they can arrange to spend the night in the historic lightkeepers‚ house, which has been converted to a Victorian style bed and breakfast.
The bed and breakfast has five rooms to choose from including the Lightkeeper's Room which is the only room with a view of the lighthouse and the Mariner's Room with a fantastic view of the ocean beyond the protected bluff. When guests check in they are greeted by either Mike or Carol Korgan, the bed and breakfast's hosts. Their house and their hospitality have been featured in publications such as Sunset Magazine, Oregon Coast Magazine and Gourmet Magazine. They were also featured in the PBS special "Staying in a Lighthouse". The lighthouse and the lightkeepers‚ house is now owned by the Forest Service and the Oregon Park Service, and managed as a B&B by Mike and Carol, who offer a lovely and unique experience.
From the bed and breakfast guests can walk up a trail to the lighthouse and take a tour of the 56-foot tower while learning about the life and times of the lightkeepers. After a walk in the brisk wind watching the nesting birds in the famous Oregon sea stacks, guests can either relax on the porch with a book, go beachcombing, pick blackberries and salal berries in the nearby woods or head into Florence where there are several restaurants which serve dinner. Seafood, of course, being the meal of choice for many visitors.
As it begins to get dark and the fog starts to role in guests gather together in the parlor around the fireplace and talk about the previous lightkeepers and their families. How the wives of the keepers were required to keep a ship-shape house just as their husbands were required to keep a ship-shape light station.
At this time, all guests are waiting for the night, when the lighthouse's multi-faceted lens comes to life, shooting brilliant beams of light out from its single bulb. The silver and gold beams cut through the misty night, bounce off the sides of the cliffs and disappear into the fog over the gray ocean. It is truly a magnificent sight and one that may only be seen by those who stay in the bed and breakfast.
In the morning it is tempting to stay curled up under the feather comforters and watch the seagulls fly by, but downstairs a seven-course breakfast is waiting. Each dish contains original Oregon delicacies and the whole meal lasts about two hours. The breakfast is different every time and may feature tastes ranging from blintzes to bagels and from frappes to fresh fruit always accompanied by a pot of hot coffee. Each dish is admired by the guests for its color and presentation and enjoyed for its fantastic flavor.
Guests can work off the gut-expanding breakfast with a walk on the beach or a book-reading session on the porch, but you can tell from the languid attitudes that no one really wants to leave. The light of the night, the comfortable rooms and the memorable meal will go with them and tempt them back again.
When leaving the bed and breakfast don't forget to write about your personal experience in the journals left in each of the rooms. One experience written by Bob and Mary Martin from West Linn, Oregon in the Lightkeeper's Room journal is the epitome of a visit to the Heceta Head Lightstation: "For one hundred years, ships at sea have seen this light and felt a little more secure. The light cast by your friendship and hospitality is just as valuable to those of us who travel by land. Thank you for keeping both beacons alive".
Travel Information:
Heceta House offers individual and group Bed and Breakfast accommodations all week long all year. The B&B is also available for special events such as weddings and corporate retreats.
Keepers: Mike Korgan CEC & Carol Korgan CEC 92072 Hwy. 101 South, Yachats, OR 97498 USA Reservations:Voice mail (541) 547-3696.
How to get there: Located halfway between the towns of Florence and Yachats (pronounced Ya-hots). Take US HWY. 101 North to Florence, Oregon. Heceta Head lies 12 miles to the north at mile marker #178 1/8.
Cost: Rooms run around $125 and include breakfast. Donations are appreciated. Funds are used for the upkeep of the lighthouse and the Heceta House. The rooms fill up fast so it is best to reserve your room several months ahead of timeWeather: Any time of the year is a good time to visit the lighthouse. September and October are the warmest and least windy months. Bring a jacket or sweater and long pants. When viewing the lighthouse at night it is a good idea to bring a warm hat.
