Friday, April 10, 2009

Horse & Wind

Yesterday we went horseback riding for the very first time! John and Tobi of Ross Ranch were highly recommended by the locals.


Meet Charlie (my horse for the day).

And meet Bo (Richie's horse for the day).


We had a 2-hour ride on the beach with a small group - just Richie, myself, John (our guide), and another couple.



We learned that horses aren't fond of walking on the beach. They struggle in the sand just like we do - except they have to move 1,000+ lbs!

We each had a saddle and helmet.
I learned that you never put your hand on the "horn," which is the knob at the top of the saddle. The balls of your feet are placed in the stirrups, which help you stay balanced.


We were instructed to hold the reigns with our secondary hand while keeping our primary hand to our side. And when you want the horse to go left, pull the reigns left; when you want the horse to go right, pull the reigns to the right; when you want to stop, pull the reigns back briefly and firmly say "Whoa!" and immediately let go once the horse stops. If you don't let go of the reigns - the horse will start to go in reverse... and as John says "You're out of luck, so don't keep pulling back on the reigns."





It took a few moments to feel balanced and comfortable on the horse, but once I got the hang of it, it was fun! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!













After the beach ride, we headed to Point Arena Lighthouse. I've always wanted to stay at a lighthouse - and this was our chance. We reserved the Head Keeper's Suite - which sounds fancy-smancy - but it is the only room at the lighthouse. All other rentals are houses that you have to rent for the week. It's incredible here! The views from our room are spectacular, and the wind is fierce!


This is such a homey place... I was telling Richie that this is the first place in a month where I feel comfortable enough to sit and soak in the tub. Aghhh...



We climbed 145 steps to the top where we were welcomed by 40+ mph winds. We held on tightly as the lighthouse slightly swayed in the wind, and we listened intently to Jim, a docent and President of the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, as he told us about this phenomenal light.


The 1906 earthquake caused significant damage to San Francisco, and was not gentle on Point Arena either, so the current lighthouse is not the original.


However, the iron staircase from the original 1870 structure was saved and used in the 1908 lighthouse, which I thought was brilliant! Engineers also placed a donut-shaped buttress around the base of the lighthouse for extra support in future earthquakes.







The Fresnel lens (1st Order) was removed for the 2008 renovations and is now housed in the Fog Signal Building. Jim said the lens was removed for a few reasons: Preservation and removing the lense allows the public to step into the lantern room (Coast Guard regulations do not allow the public into the lantern room if the lens is in it. I'm not sure if you've ever climbed into a lantern room with a lens, but the space is tiny, tiny!)



But a few of the locals told us that the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers were required to remove the lens because it was causing forest fires in the mountains... Eeek!
I suppose it could happen - especially if the lens is not rotating.

Point Arena boasts being on the closest point of land to the Hawaiian Islands in the Continental United States. There was a cute cafe with a sandwich board that had "Last Cafe 'till Hawaii" on one side and "First Cafe since Hawaii" on the other.



There was one fascinating yet disturbing feature of the Point Arena Lighthouse...

The museum shows photographs of the Devil's Cauldron - a natural bowl about 100 feet from the lighthouse, which was formed by a surge of waves below it. The photographs show the fast-eroding bowl over the years. The final two photographs are one month apart and display how an entire wall of the bowl has washed away!


While it is important for everyone to see the natural impacts of the ocean, I don't know that I would be sharing these photos while trying to fundraise for remodeling costs (Running almost 2 million dollars!). Unfortunately, this lighthouse might collapse in 20 years because the land is naturally crumbling around it. All the more reason to work on preserving it now... I suppose.

1 comment:

Nate said...

What happens if you hold the horn? :)