It’s National Lighthouse Day today, August 7th, 2025. So I have to share with you the tallest lighthouse we visited on our summer sabbatical trip. It’s the Point Arena Light Station on the Mendocino Coast!

I drove the curvy roads to the shore. There was a big parking lot in front and we quickly joined a tour walking to the top of the 115′ tower. There was an elderly woman that walked the tower with us and she had impressive endurance.

The first order fresnel lens is housed in the fog signal museum to protect it from earthquakes. The middle of the first order lens is different than other first order fresnel lenses I have seen. This type of lens is characterized by its concentric annular prisms that focus light more efficiently than traditional lenses, which reduces weight and improves visibility. The Point Arena lens featured three dioptric panels (outside) that were partly split in two (see photo below). This unique arrangement allowed the lens to create a distinctive “light signature” of three double flashes per rotation. The value of the unique fresnel lens is $3.5 million and it was built in France.*

I met a granddaughter of Bill Owens and she guided me to the biography on him entitled “The Last Lighthouse Keeper: The Seasons, Storms and Shipwrecks of California’s Bill Owens, by Stuart McDowell“. What a fascinating life he and his family led!

The lighthouse had its 150th anniversary in 2020 and a really wonderful logo and brass plaque can be viewed inside the base of the tower.

I bought a long sleeve t-shirt that I like very much, it’s a very soft cotton, and a few other items to support the museum and light station. You can also make donations on their website.

The light station also has two special “employees”. One is known as Arena Mina, a black and white cat who is their Guest Relations Manager and Rodent Control Specialist. And her sidekick Tasi, the canine Guest Relations Co-manager. What a delightful team! We did not see either of them on our visit, however everyone deserves a day off. You can also stay in the historic keepers cottages. We will do that next time!

Happy National Lighthouse Day to everyone!

*Lens info source: Our tour guide that day. The museum has knowledgeable staff because the family of Bill Owens still live in the area and work the museum.