Resting atop a sea stack of basalt, more than a mile off the banks of Oregon’s North Coast, the notorious Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, (nicknamed “Terrible Tilly”), is the stuff of aged lore. Although long closed to the public, she still stands today, though battered and bruised, a testament to her storied past.
Tilly’s story began in 1878 when a solid basalt rock was selected as the unlikely location for a lighthouse off the coast of Tillamook Head. Danger and intrigue began almost immediately for Tilly. Before work even began, a master mason surveying the location was swept out to sea, never to be seen again.
Constructing Tilly was grueling work. Just accessing the rock was dangerous, not to mention the stormy weather wreaking havoc on the crew, their supplies, and their morale. In January of 1880, four months into construction, a perilous storm sent huge waves peppered with loosened rocks crashing over the work site, sweeping away the crew’s tools, water tank, and provisions. According to historical records, all the workers survived, but they were stranded for over two weeks waiting for new food, clothing and supplies.
Construction took over 500 days and just weeks before completion in January of 1881, the sailing barque Lupatia wrecked in heavy fog killing all 16 of her crew members. The only survivor of the wreck was the crew’s dog. On January 21, 1881 Tilly’s first order Fresnel lens was lit for the first time. Light keepers were assigned to duty, but for shorter than typical rotations — 42 days on, 21 days off — because conditions proved so harsh, both physically and mentally.
For decades, Tilly and her keepers withstood the ravages of the sea, but October of 1934 brought the worst storm on record, inundating the entire Pacific Northwest for four days. Tilly’s lantern room and Fresnel lens were smashed by boulders hurled by the storm. It was never replaced.
Tags: Tillamook Oregon Lighthouse USA Foggy Lens Photography Flickr Water Seascape boat Ocean Rock Landscape Photography #landscapephotography abandoned Explore
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I spent a good 2 hours at Cape Disappointment waiting for a rogue wave to appear. It was nice and grey with some rain but all my waiting just created this shot with the 3 seagulls flying through the scene. Not the epic wave shot I wanted, but I'll be back!!!! Kris
Tags: Cape Disappointment Washington USA Lighthouse waves Water Coast Coastlines PNW Fuji GFX Medium Format Foggy Lens Photography Flickr storm SKY wave Clouds
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I went down to the lighthouse and was hoping for a glorious sunset with some epic clouds. Well that didn't happen as you can see and I had to improvise. I decided to wait for the sun to hit the mountains on Vancouver Island to make a Sunstar / Starburst. It's one way to help decorate a plain cloudless sky!! Kris
Tags: Lighthouse Sunset sunstar starburst Foggy Lens Photography Fuji GFX Medium Format Flickr Water Seascape Rock Colors British Columbia Canada West Coast Vancouver Instagram Orange yellow sun sunburst sunlight sunset light Sunshine
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This area had a very interesting history including military applications as well as now a park maintained by the District of West Vancouver. The present lighthouse was built in 1914 on granite boulders jutting out into Burrard Inlet in West Vancouver, Canada. The concrete structure was considered at the time innovative in lighthouse design. It is now automated and still in use.
Tags: Lighthouse Park West Vancouver Foggy Lens Photography Landscape Flickr Fuji GFX Medium Format Canada British Columbia Clouds Beautiful #landscapephotography Colors Explore Water Rock SKY Trees Reflection
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Well I waited patiently on the rocks in the cold for the sun to peak though the clouds and light up the sky in a bright pink. But that didn't happen and this was the best I could get on that day, well that and the reflection shot I posted previously. Hope you enjoy them and let me know which one is your favorite and why!! Kris...
Tags: Lighthouse Water Vancouver West Coast Canada Foggy Lens Photography Flickr Clouds SKY Rock Tree Colors Landscape Photography Explore Kris Peterson
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