Last week I shot these photos of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation has opened the restored second and third floors of the lighthouse and is conducting limited tours.

Short History of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was originally built in 1848 and was only 65′ tall. The original lighthouse was powered by whale oil.

In 1868, a new lighthouse was build an equipped with a first order Fresnel Lens. The new lighthouse was 151′ tall and the light could be seen for 22 miles.

In 1892, with erosion within 70′ of the lighthouse base, the decision was made and the lighthouse was moved one mile inland to its present location.

In 1939 the Coast Guard took ownership of the lighthouse.

In 2000, stewardship of the lighthouse was transferred to the 45th Space Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, making this the only operational lighthouse owned by the US Air Force.

In 2004 restoration began, then on April 29, 2007, the lighthouse light was re-lit and is visible throughout Cape Canaveral.

Tours of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

If you want to view the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse yourself, tours of the lighthouse are available on a very limited basis, A tour may be arranged by contacting the 45th Space Wing Public Affairs at 321.494.5945 or 321.494.5949.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse & USAF Missile Museum Tour »

More Florida Lighthouses

I recently had the opportunity photograph Space Shuttle Atlantis at Launch Complex 39A during KSC Family Day.

The STS-125 mission will return the space shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 11 days and five spacewalks, the shuttle Atlantis’ crew will make repairs and upgrades to the telescope.

The White Ibis is common in the Space Coast, many times in the late afternoon you’ll find them feeding on mole crabs.

I shot this photo the morning of a scheduled launch at Kennedy Space Center. The STS-119 mission will deliver to the International Space Station the final set of solar arrays needed to complete the station’s complement of electricity-generating solar panels, and through them provide the space station with enough power to accommodate its expansion to a full crew of six in 2009.

Discovery lifted off Launch Pad 39A at 7:43 pm which was 15 minutes after sundown. The smoke trail left behind by Discovery turned a bright golden yellow when the Sun’s rays hit it.

On any given Saturday in the late afternoon, me and my Valentine like to kick back on the beach in Cape Canaveral, FL. There is where we both sit together and enjoy a small meal, then have our favorite Captain Morgan with Dole’s Pineapple/Banana/Orange juice.

It’s time’s like these that I know how lucky I am to have found the love of my life and how much I love our life together.

Happy Valentine’s Day Baby!