Imagine taking a long drive out of the cityscape of San Francisco. It leads you past huge ranches and through dodgy roads, until you get to the Point Reyes lighthouse. Well, almost.
You can see the Point Reyes lighthouse, but you’re not quite there yet.
In front of you are 300 steps guarded by fences on either side. The fences, you soon find out, are for a good reason.
You see that there is a warning sign at the top of the stairs that says:
CAUTION There is strenuous effort required to climb these stairs, which are equivalent to a 30-story building.
Some people stop here out of concern not for going down the stairs, but for the horror of going back up.
And who would blame them? The spot at the top of the stairs delivers a gorgeous view of Point Reyes and the ocean stretching out as far as the eye can see, with the lighthouse a dwarfed and distant part of the turbulent landscape.
The lighthouse itself was built because this is one of the windiest and foggiest places in the Pacific Coast. Shipwrecks were constant because the frequent dense fog would cripple the ability for ships to navigate such treacherous seas.
In fact the fog is so bad that Point Reyes lighthouse was even used in a movie called ‘The Fog’. The Fog told the story of a killer fog that threatened the lives of people living in a California coastal town.
In the old days the lighthouse keepers who were stationed at Point Reyes lighthouse felt that it was a lonely and tough place to be. Ironically, nowadays the place is often busy and it’s not uncommon to see a large crowd there, especially during whale watching season.
Not all in the crowd dares to venture down the staircase once they see it though lol. What do you think, would you stop here or keep going?
Wow, I would definitely have to take the stairs! (Although the warning sign is rather daunting… it’s hard to believe that the stairs are equivalent to a 30-story building!) However, the view from the lighthouse looks amazing, and I know I would regret not braving the stairs!