Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands
Rodeo Beach
After breakfast in Sausalito we headed back the way we came towards Point Bonita Lighthouse . This lighthouse stands at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, west of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is only open to the public of Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 12.30 – 3.30.
(Click on the photos for larger versions)
Part of the pleasure of going to this lighthouse is the drive along Conzalman Road to it. Once past Battery Spencer and Hawk Hill, the road becomes one way. Up to this point the views of the bridge, the city and the bay have been wonderful. After this point the views are still spectacular, looking towards the lighthouse and the ocean but the road itself becomes a roller coaster ride. Today though we were out of luck as the one way road was closed. We could see construction work and earth moving vehicles on the road ahead and surmised the recent rains had caused a landslide. There was a detour pointing off to the right to the lighthouse and beach. This route took us past the Marin Headlands Visitor Center and the Nike Missile Site. We also had a good view down to Rodeo Beach.
As we were very early and had time to kill, we drove past the lighthouse and Battery Mendell to the end of the road. Here the road dead ended in a car park with lovely views. To the south we could see the lighthouse and part of the suspension bridge leading to it. Just below us was Bird Island. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow strip of water and is a haven for seabirds especially corm0rants. The top is more or less flat and looks white in color but that is due to the guano which covers it. We could also see the stretch of sand which is Rodeo Beach with its cool lagoon behind.
I found a rather uncomfortable rock to sit on while I did some writing. Every so often I glanced out to sea in the hope of spotting some whales but was out of luck. The sun was shining but hazy offshore which meant we could not see the Farallon Islands today. There was also a bit of a breeze and as I did not have my sweater on I could not stand it for long. There is no protection here from the elements.
We drove back to Point Bonita lighthouse and parked the car. It was still half an hour before the lighthouse opened but already there were quite a few cars around. There is a half mile trail to the lighthouse which was open but only so far. To get all the way to the lighthouse there is a tunnel to walk through and that is kept locked until 12.30.
Instead of waiting in the car, we decided to amble on down the trail. Although the trail is short it is quite steep in parts. All the way along we had good views of the Golden Gate Bridge to the east. There were a few information boards along the way, mostly about the harbor seals which haul themselves out of the ocean onto the rocks and tiny strips of beach down below. There were warnings to stay at least 300 feet from them but you would have to go off the trail and clamber down steep dangerous cliffs to get anywhere near them. We did see a few trying to haul themselves onto the beach. The tide swept them in but then dragged them out to sea again. After a few tries, they eventually managed to get above the high water mark for a well earned rest.
At several spots the trail was just a rock bridge with the bay on one side and the ocean on the other. The waves are slowly eroding the rocks away and one day Point Bonita will be an island. Just before the tunnel we could see the remains of a slipway which was used for a lifeboat. It has obviously not been used for long time.
Once we reached the tunnel we could go no further so we walked part way up the path again to a bench where we plonked ourselves down to wait. Out on the water were several boats including a tug boat which did not move for a long time. Eventually we saw a ship being towed towards the bridge. It looked like a submarine but we were not too sure. The tug boat was obviously waiting to escort it into the bay.
Point Bonita Lighthouse and the only way to it.
At 12.30 we saw a park ranger walk down the path to unlock the door to the tunnel. By this time there were a lot of people waiting so we took our place in the line. The heavy green metal door was unlocked and we started to move towards the entrance. The tunnel is narrow and not very high and has been carved out of solid rock. Inside there are no lights but as it is relatively short we were not in the dark for long. On the other side of the tunnel the path is very narrow with a sheer rock wall on one side. Amazingly the cliffs were ablaze with all manner of wildflowers.
Ahead we saw the last barrier to the lighthouse – the suspension bridge. Neither Tom nor I have a head for heights and crossing the bridge will be a challenge. As we got closer we could see that the bridge was old and rusty which was not very encouraging. Only two people could walk across at a time which caused us some anxiety but we have come this far and will see it through. A ranger stood at each end of the bridge to regulate the number of people crossing. A sign nearby said the bridge was due to be replaced soon.
When Tom and I were next in line we had to wait for several people to cross back to our side and we chatted to the ranger. She told us the bridge was built in 1954. During our conversation with her she mentioned that the work on repairing the road would have to be finished before the bridge could be replaced. Now we know that the road closure was planned and not due to a landslide.
It was our turn to cross. Tom went in front and I followed. To keep my mind off what was below I concentrated on taking a video of the crossing on my Flip video camcorder. The crossing was OK until about the middle then it became scary because everything started to sway. I blindly followed Tom wishing that we would get there in one piece. Safely on the other side we took a deep breath and then started to worry about the walk back.
Originally the lighthouse was built further back and 0n top of a 300 foot cliff in 1855. It was soon realized that it was too high. Nobody had taken into account that when the fog rolled in the light could not be seen. A new location at the end of the point was chosen and in 1877 it was in operation. In addition to the light, a cannon was used as a fog horn and every half and hour during foggy weather the gun would be fired.
The lighthouse stands on a very small piece of rock and it took only a few minutes to walk round the base. I would have liked to spend some time just looking out at the view but there was no seat to sit on and, though the sun was shining, there was no shelter from the chilly wind. Several small rooms at the base of the lighthouse have been turned into a museum and it was fascinating to read the history of the lighthouse. There was a large map on the wall which showed the location of all the shipwrecks in the area, including the worst disaster of all in 1901. The steamer ‘City of Rio de Janeiro’ sunk near Point Bonita with the loss of all 128 passengers and crew.
It was time to face the suspension bridge again. Once again we had to wait before Tom and I could cross and the ranger told us that down below was an archway through the rock. The best place to see it is half way across the bridge. There was no way either of us was going to stop on the bridge to look down at it! As you can see from the photo above, Tom got a good shot of it from the other side.
We climbed leisurely back up the trail and through the tunnel, reminiscing about all we have seen today. It has been an exciting and interesting day.
May 31 2010 12:21 pm | Special Places
