In Memory of James A. Gibbs, January 17, 1922 - April 30, 2010. Mr. Gibbs died at his home, "Cleft in the Rock Lighthouse."
Yachats has its very own lighthouse, "Cleft of the Rock," built in 1976 by noted author, historian, and former lighthouse keeper (Tillamook Rock,) James Gibbs. The lighthouse is privately owned and is not open for visitors (unfortunately) but the cache is located close to a good vantage point for pictures and viewing. .
Mr. Gibbs designed the lighthouse as a smaller replica of the Fiddle Reef Lighthouse (1898, now dismantled) near Victoria, B.C. and it was recognized as an "aid to navigation" in 1979 just after the anniversary of Captain James Cook's discovery and naming of the Cape on March 7, 1778, St. Perpetua Day.
The lighthouse sits upon a shell midden (a mound of shells from feasting on mussels and clams) left behind by the Siuslaw, Alsea and Yaquina tribes that inhabited the region before the westward surge of settlers. The tower stands 34 feet and the lighthouse sits 110 feet above sea level just below Cape Perpetua. The light beam can be seen 16 miles at sea and was originally used by the Canadian Coast Guard at Solander Island of the coast of Vancouver Island before being installed at the "Cleft in the Rock." The signal is alternating white and red flashes every 10 seconds.
Mr. Gibbs loves all things maritime from lighthouses to the history of the sea and the Northwest Coastal area. His home ("Cleft of the Rock") contains museum quality items from ships, historic West Coast lighthouses including two fourth-order Fresnel lenses, and a "haunted" ship’s wheel from the helm of the Tugboat Katy to list a few. He has authored twenty-one books, many on the lighthouses of the Pacific and the "entities" that inhabit them providing the interesting legends that surround most lighthouses. Also entwined in tales are discussions of the many shipwrecks that have occurred along the Oregon Coast.
The cache is a quick grab but the pull-off is along a curvy part of Highway 101 as it approaches Cape Perpetua from the North. There is also a pull-off from the South direction; however, it is "dicey" crossing 101 in the curves. PLEASE use extreme caution when stopping along Highway 101, especially during "tourist" season! BYOP
If you are trying to complete the Scenic Yachats tour to earn the Yachats Geocoin make sure you record the password which is on the inside cover of the cache. The Passport can be viewed and printed at goyachats.com/Geocaching. See GC4FTEN for details.
You are looking for a 2x4 round pill container.