Port Orford Harbor & Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Orford, Oregon has a population of about 1,000. We found the harbor unusual in that the boats are dry docked and lowered into the water each time they go out.

The white and gray gulls are adults, the brown ones are juveniles.



We were impressed by this huge rock at the harbor.

The harbor is not protected from the ocean and they get winds up to 100 miles an hour. There is a short jetty but it would take millions of dollars to build one strong enough and large enough to give adequate protection to boats.

These are working boats -- no fancy yachts here!

This boat went out Wednesday morning and got 1500 pounds of fish. They came in, unloaded and went out again.All sorts of people are talking about how good the fishing is this year and how well the salmon are running.

That doesn't show up in terms of eating reasonably priced seafood, though. You can hardly get even a basic fish and chips meal for less than $15.


This huge rock is in the water by the Visitor's Center. It's amazing where trees can grow.


We visited Cape Blanco Lighthouse that was a few miles north of town. Ed's National Parks' Golden Age Passport got us a free tour.

I never cease to be amazed at what people in the 1800's accomplished. In the early days, the fuel they used for the light was lard! Now, of course, they use electricity.

Cleaning all the prisms in this light was quite a job in the olden days. Now the Coast Guard cleans it every few months.
The setting of this lighthouse, as shown on the map to the right, is high and the cape protrudes on the coast, providing spectacular views.

The rocks that stick up out of the water are called seastacks. The colors on this one were rather unusual.

We saw more lovely scenes coming back.We have red hot pokers that bloom in Virginia in June. These in the foreground are booming now, in September.We also have Magic Lilies (Surprise Lilies) that bloom in July in Virginia. I think that's what these are, except the color is a bit more vivid than those at home.