USA/CA: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
Point Cabrillo Headland saw multiple shipwrecks in its treacherous waters until a beautiful lighthouse was built on top of the cliff in 1909. Originally powered by kerosine lamps, the lighthouse now has one of the most sophisticated lighthouse equipment in the world – third generation 4-panel Fresnel lens, containing 90 lead glass prisms and weighing 6800 pounds. The beam rotates once every 40 seconds, producing a flash every 10 seconds, with the Fresnel lens creating a beam that can be seen to the horizon and even beyond. But it’s not just the picturesque lighthouse that was awesome here – the coastal rocks were packed with lounging harbor seals, from spotted grey to almost white to almost pure black.
