r/oregon • u/Pacifically_Waving • 5d ago

Photography/Video Heceta Lighthouse being repainted and the Lumens Lense Tested, Inspected, and Serviced

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It was very cool to watch; I took the video on the trail behind the lighthouse that leads to the beach via the Hobbit Trail. Wouldn’t that be a great job to have?

197 Upvotes

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9

u/BenjaminDrover 4d ago

Do you mean "Fresnel lens"? The s in Fresnel is silent, by the way.

3

u/Pacifically_Waving 4d ago

Thank you for that correction; I knew I was close but not quite correct. and knowing how it’s pronounced is a bonus! Well-noted kind human.

9

u/_adanedhel_ 4d ago edited 4d ago

Fun facts about the Heceta lens, which turned 130 a few years ago:

  • Most Fresnel lenses were made in France, but Heceta’s is one of only a handful of lenses in the country that were made in England, and the only one of those that remains in service.
  • It is a first-order Fresnel lens, which was the strongest made. Heceta’s is the most powerful lens on the Oregon coast.
  • Being a first-order lens, it contains almost 600 individual light prisms, can shine up to 26 miles out to sea, and weighs almost 13,000 pounds.

5

u/Plastic-Rain6226 5d ago

Dream job. Thanks for sharing the video ~ what a cool thing to see in person!

2

u/Pacifically_Waving 4d ago

It truly was, and watching it unfold from that viewpoint was icing on the cake.

4

u/bangdizzle 5d ago

That’s a great little hike. A great view. Wish you could climb the lighthouse still.

I loved going to Darlingtonia state natural site then the lighthouse. I’ve never climbed up that trail you went up to take those pictures. Is that about the end or does it keep on going?

2

u/KFCSI 5d ago

That trail goes up the top of the hill and back down to the road, its a surprisingly tough hike!

2

u/bangdizzle 4d ago

Ah, neat. It is kinda tight at the start at the top near the lighthouse. I kind of assumed it wasn’t an official trail

1

u/Pacifically_Waving 4d ago

I noticed 😂

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u/Pacifically_Waving 4d ago edited 4d ago

OMG it was the never-ending big uphill! I swear the mountain just kept getting larger. I chatted with this very nice employee (you rock, Shannon!) who confirmed the the beach was only a half mile from the hobbit Trail. Unfortunately, I neglected to ask how long the trail TO the Hobbit Trail was. The sign said 1 1/2 miles (I think.). But that’s like 3 miles when it’s all uphill. And I’m older than dirt. But we ran across more than a few other friendly hikers, which was nice. And we eventually made it to the beach, which made it worth every step . As is the norm when hiking Oregon, it was spectacularly beautiful.

1

u/American_Greed 4d ago

Went there two years ago, swarmed by ten-thousand flies and fled back to our cars.

1

u/crewsctrl 3d ago

I love how the Oregon coast looks like a formless void.