Point Montara Lighthouse – one of 680 functioning lighthouses in the United States (with only a single manned: the Boston Light, this country’s first, on Little Brewster Island) – guards a picturesque promontory along one of the world’s most beautiful highways: California State Route 1, a designated All-American Road.
Built in 1928, the Lighthouse at Point Montara (Latitude: 37.536 N, Longitude: -122.519 W) stands a mere 30 feet, yet is visible as far as 14 miles out to sea. It continues to aid ship and sailboat captains in safe passage through rough Pacific waters and symbolizes for many – even landlubbers – both truthful warning of danger ahead and affirmation of correct course. The lighthouse is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.
A hostel, run in partnership with California State Parks, stands on the lighthouse grounds. When we explored the site, a Filipino club or extended family had rented the premises for a celebration, complete with ethnic music and cuisine. What better scenic and more affordable place for a reunion!
In the hostel gardens, I took this photo ~ rt ~ of Amaryllis Belladonna (Brunsvigia rosea), which grows wild in the Central Coast and Bay Area regions. Originally a native flower of South Africa where it is called “March Lily,” the Pink Lady has become a harbinger of autumn in California. The Belladonna also appears in coastal forests, its color a pastel pink, almost white. The variety pictured here is strikingly vibrant, like its nautical neighbor, the lighthouse.
For information about lighthouses worldwide, visit Lighthouse News.
Also read: Lighthouse symbolism in the American landscape, published in the American Geographical Society’s magazine, Focus on Geography.
