On the Road with Geno

Today, the San Luis Obispo Bike Club (SLOBs) led a ride to the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse for a private tour. For an interloper, I was lucky enough to finagle an invitation and join the group for the tour.

The P.B. Light Station is located six miles north of San Simeon, on 16 spectacular acres out on a jut of land off Hwy 1. The early Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo gave the name Piedras Blancas, meaning white rocks, to the area due to the brilliant white color on the rocks from eons of bird droppings.

By the mid-1800s, maritime traffic along the coast warranted the need for better maritime safety. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson signed the Lighthouse Reservation Act to authorize the construction of 8 lighthouses on the west coast, one of which was Piedras Blancas.

The lighthouse was completed in 1875. It originally stood 115′ tall and housed a first-order Fresnel lens. A two-story Victorian lighthouse keeper’s home was constructed the following year.

In 1948, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake heavily damaged the lighthouse and shortly thereafter, the lantern room was removed. The tower was capped with concrete and a 36″ aero beacon was installed in its place. The tower structure now stands 75′ tall.

In 1951, the irreplaceable Fresnel lens was slated for destruction, but avid volunteers from the Cambria Lions Club acquired and restored the lens. It is now housed in a glass building on display in West Cambria Village. The cost of replication is estimated to be at least $2 million. A priceless piece of history was saved by an enthusiastic group of volunteers.

The Lighthouse Station property is now controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. There are plans to renovate and restore the most significant buildings to the 1875-1940 period. A major project is the stabilization of the tower and restoration of the lantern room. Volunteers have already replaced many non-native plant species with native plants. The old fire house has been restored into a visitor center. The rotunda of the lighthouse tower houses many historical displays and artifacts.

Thanks to Jackie for leading and organizing the ride and to Carole Adams, a PB docent, for an extremely informative tour of the lighthouse. And thanks to the SLOBs for letting me interlope.

> See more of my Piedras Blancas pics

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