The Battery Point Lighthouse: End of a Quest!

Redwood National Park → Crescent City
43.4 mi (69.8 km)

This is it, everyone!

Five and a half years ago, I stumbled upon the Lummis Home in Pasadena and began a grand adventure to see the 1,110 historical landmarks of California. When my brother, George, disappeared, he hinted that he was searching for history. I thought that by visiting the historical landmarks, I might find him too.

The adventures up and down the Golden State have been incredible, and I’ve totally fallen in love with my adopted land. I’ve learned so much about history and photography that will take me far into many more journeys to come. Now, though, it is time for this adventure to end at Landmark #951-2, the Battery Point Lighthouse.

Built in 1856, the Battery Point Lighthouse takes its name from the cannons salvaged from a nearby shipwreck and fired from this point during Fourth of July celebrations. Already remote in the far northwestern corner of California, it is only accessible during low tide. Luckily for me, that tiny strip of time coincided with the sunset!

So I walked up to my last plaque. I thought of all the landmark hunters I’d met who had been here before: Donald Laird, David Schmitt, and Denis and Beatrice Delja, whose own journeys had guided and shaped my own. I also thought of the landmark hunters who were yet to step here, the ones who had emailed me for directions to Carved Rock or who recognized me on the trail at Tomo-Kahni! Truly, this had been more than just a quest for my brother!

And yet, as I stood in front of the final plaque, I still wished that I could have shared the experience with someone. George was clearly not here. My mom is still in Incheon, my other brothers are still in Utah, and the friends I’ve met along the way, are still along the way. Apart from the whipping wind, it was quiet here at the lighthouse, the end of a journey with no grand celebration.

Or so I thought.

As I turned around to hike back to shore, Woodchuck and Flatty sprang out of nowhere and gave me a huge hug! I hadn’t seen either of my brothers since the Winter Solstice, and I had no idea they knew where I was!

A howl in the distance meant Moro was coming, and she’d found Chubblet, the missing lion!

From the sky swooped Terry Theflyingsquirrel and his new neighbor, Fwatty the bat, and even the alien from Po-Pohl warped into this dimension!

It was so amazing! We danced wildly to a song about merengue-dancing cows and frolicked until the sun went down. All those feelings of loneliness and sadness evaporated, and I was filled with joy.

A post shared by Bill Beaver (@billbeaverproject) on Oct 1, 2016 at 10:58pm PDT

As the sun set and the tide started to creep back in, it was time to bid farewell to the Battery Point Lighthouse. Now that I have seen all of the historical landmarks of California, I am now more determined than ever to help them stay historical. I’m going to start raising money, interviewing helpers, and even write a book about the experience! The more people that get interested in history, the more they’ll be able to retell these amazing stories into the future!