This is not your typical geocache. There is not a container or log hidden at the posted coordinates. So no need to poke around the area arousing suspicion. In order to claim your find, just follow the simple requirement at the bottom of the cache listing.
This virtual cache is available ONLY during daylight hours.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse was first lit on December 20, 1870 making it Oregon's oldest original light station. It is on a cape which juts into the Pacific Ocean about 6 miles west of US 101 and is the westernmost place in the state of Oregon. The lighthouse itself is only 59 feet tall, but is situated a couple hundred feet above the crashing waves below making it the highest light on the Oregon coast.
Even though this is much more accessible today than back in 1870, it is still a desolate area exposed to the elements. On nice days, the you have the impression that you can see forever. On foggy days, it can be tough to see more than a dozen feet around you. But on windy days, you might find it difficult to even walk from the parking area to the lighthouse. Hold onto your hat.
The lighthouse is still in continuous operation but no longer requires a lighthouse keeper. However from April through October, volunteers offer tours of the lighthouse along with a wealth of information about the history of the it and the people that built and operated it over the decades. At only $2 per person, it is well worth it. One does not need to pay for the tour in order to obtain the required logging information, but doing so allows you to see the fresnel lens up close and get a great 360 degree view from up top.
Presently, there is no admission charged to be in the state park or to walk the mowed grounds surrounding the lighthouse. Please do not go past the marked areas into the unmowed areas. There is a gate about 1/3 mile from the lighthouse. If you arrive and the gate is closed BUT it is between sunrise and sunset, you may walk to the lighthouse. There is parking both near the lighthouse and outside the gate.
LOGGING REQUIREMENT
On the outside of the lighthouse tower, near the base, is a sloped metal transition band running around the tower at about waist or chest high. It is painted a drab green in contrast to the white bricks above it. From up close, it is possible to see that this band is not one continuous piece but made up of multiple segments seamed together. Count how many of these vertical seams were used to create this transition band along the perimeter.
When you log this cache as found, DO NOT include this information in your log, instead either email or message us through the geocaching site with the number of seams making up the band. No need to wait for verification.
Please help keep this cache going by not making armchair finds easy. Logs will be deleted if the logging information is included in them. Logs will be deleted if an answer is not provided within a timely manner. We ask that each “found it” log be accompanied with its own verification email.
We appreciate cachers that post pictures of the lighthouse or the surrounding vistas. It will give us the chance to see what it looks like at different times of the year.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.