Category: Dungeness

Inside the lighthouse

For me the most exciting part of being a volunteer lighthouse keeper at the New Dungeness Light Station in 2011 was — no surprises here — going inside to explore the lighthouse. As you can see, the building is well maintained by the volunteers of the New Dungeness Light Station Association who took over operation and maintenance of the station after the U.S. Coast Guard recalled its last keeper in 1994.

It’s a long climb to the top of the lighthouse but it’s worth the exercise. This is the rotating beacon. Click here for photos and information about lighthouse history.

This view from the top looks west, back down the spit that connects to the Dungeness area bluffs off in the misty distance.

The lighthouse stairs are eye candy.

The lighthouse up close

Yesterday’s post about the New Dungeness Light Station prompted me to look at some of the photos I took while I spent a week as a volunteer lighthouse keeper in 2011. I’ll share a few shots with you so you can explore this beautiful spot without the long walk. Volunteers are driven here via 4-wheel drive vehicles, bringing along all food and provisions for their week’s stay.

The two story residence has three bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and a basement that includes a clothes washer and drier, extra beds, games, and basic supplies. Linens are provided and keepers launder those they’ve used before leaving.

Unless a larger group reserves the entire house those sharing the dwelling will typically collaborate and share cooking and meals. It’s a good way to get to know the other keepers. The kitchen is stocked with most things cooks might need.

There’s a small but cozy reading room on the top floor with a selection of books. Although volunteers are expected to perform a variety of tasks around the property, there’s time to curl up with a good book, walk around the area, watch the abundant wildlife or marine traffic, and unwind.

New Dungeness Light Station

I recently showed you the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the U.S. here. The New Dungeness Light Station, shown above, is at the end of the spit, about a 6 mile (9.65 km) walk. I took this shot across Dungeness Bay (which is formed by the Spit) with a long lens. To the right of the lighthouse is the keeper’s residence where guest lighthouse keepers stay for one week stints.

The Spit

The Dungeness Spit is shown here in the distance. You’re just seeing a piece of it because it’s part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and as sweet as he is our dog is not allowed there.(He comes along on our walks.) In the foreground you can see the sandy bluff of Dungeness Recreation Area.

The Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the U.S. It’s 6.8 miles (just under 11 km) and juts into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on its north side. On its south side it forms Dungeness Bay. In places it is narrow enough that it is impassable at high tide. The Spit leads to the New Dungeness Light Station at its tip.

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. And this photo shows one of the many things I’m thankful for: Dungeness Recreation Area. We live where we do because it offers ready access to the Recreation Area trails which take us along marshlands, through forested areas, and near the bluffs and water views. The trail above skirts the campgrounds and is one that has been pushed inland by bluff erosion. There are peek-a-boo views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca through the trees on the right.

This stretch of trail offers some open overlooks. Benches and picnic tables invite people to stop and stay for a while.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow celebrants!

Mother Nature does her thing

We walk in the Dungeness Recreation Area a lot. When we first came to Sequim we walked a trail that led us along the bluff from one overlook to another, and then beyond, to the north and south. The overlooks afford views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Victoria and Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the distance. Over the years first one section of the sandy bluff and then another and another still gave way to forces of erosion. The overlook shown above started its slide last June, shown here. A month or so later it looked like this. Today, above, there’s a fence where the trail has been routed inland. You can see the approximate location of the former trail where the wooden fence is in the distance.

Vegetation was cleared to allow more parking. The former overlook is in the distance at the left of this photo.