Hiking Slowly
I got a new job (Yay, me! And also...FINALLY!!) and one of the perks is that I get to have the whole month of July off. What does a girl do after a year of exploring? Yep, she takes herself on a road trip. The plan was to visit family, see as many states as possible, go hiking in some National and State parks, and see some East Coast Lighthouses. I made all the plans and hit the road. (When I say all the plans, I mean ALL the plans, on a bulleted list organized chronologically by day and complete with website links, driving times, addresses, hotel amenities, parking fees, entry fees, and reminders to eat, be patient in traffic, and to go with the flow. That's normal, right?)
On the morning that I was heading out of town, my family joined me on a hike in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. (Did you read about our Tahquamenon Falls adventure?) On the way to the State Park, we stopped to take a picture of the Mackinac Bridge and, as a bonus, happened to walk right past the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Since a big part of this journey was seeing lighthouses, I had to snap a picture and read a little bit about it.
If you aren't from the area, you might not know that the Great Lakes are GIANT. Like you can't see the shore on the other side giant, and people can actually surf on the waves giant (true story, in the winter, with ice on the water, look it up). Huge ships pass through these waters (some of the biggest shipwrecks in the US are in Lake Superior) and one of the major shipping lanes go right through the Straights of Mackinac, which runs between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. A light had been built 2 miles west in 1856 but was not visible in all directions, so a fog horn was built on this site in 1890 and the current light and dwelling was established two years later. The Mackinac Point Lighthouse shined her light for the first time on October 25, 1892, and could be seen for 16 miles in all directions. The light was decommissioned in 1958, and the building is now a Maritime Museum.
After meandering along the river, waking around an island, and stopping to have some lunch, I was off on my own and heading through Wisconsin to meet a friend for breakfast the next morning. My drive was gorgeous, a two-lane highway through a lush, green forest that curved close to the water and offered spectacular views. I must have said something about lighthouses at lunch because my brother in law said that I would be driving right by one in Manistique and could walk out on the breakwater to see it up close. He also said he would hunt me down if I went out there with ANY kind of weather coming in. So, checking the sky around me, and seeing nothing but blue dotted with puffy, white clouds, I headed out onto the sidewalk built on Lake Michigan.
In the early 1900s, Manistique was a boom town, with timber and pig iron shipping out daily. Local leaders convinced the Federal government of the harbor's importance, resulting in an east and west breakwater being built at the entrance of the river. The Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse shined her light for the first time on August 17, 1916, and was automated in 1969. She is just so gorgeous standing there with her bright red against the shades of blue in the background.
As I mentioned earlier, I was meeting a friend for breakfast and she was so kind to take me on a tour of her city, through the spectacular West of the Lake Gardens, and along the coast where I spied the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse. This was one of the few days where I was on somewhat of a timeline, so I just snapped a picture from the shore. Manitowoc, with a large river, was a shipping hub in the 1800s and had over 600 ships coming and going through the harbor each year. The original lighthouse had been relocated several times, causing structural issues. The building standing today was built in 1918 and has allowed the lightkeepers to save dozens of lives. Today it is privately owned but still open for tours. I love that there are multiple stories, so it looks like a house sitting out there on the lake. I'll have to go back to see this one up close.
Driving east, I headed toward Lake Erie. I had never been to this lake before, and when I stuck my toes in the water, I was surprised that it was warm. The first lighthouse I stopped at on this lake was the Michigan City Lighthouse. This one was on a breakwater, known as the "catwalk", so I was able to head out to the end and even got to walk around to the other side and look out at the open water. Built in 1904, she is the only public operating lighthouse in Indiana and is a favorite local spot for fishing and watching the sunset.
The last lighthouse on my Great Lakes tour was a big surprise. Actually, it was a little surprise because the Port Clinton Lighthouse looks like a child's playhouse. In fact, I drove right by it because I thought it was part of a play structure in the park. Built in 1896, this little gem was decommissioned and moved in 1952. The building standing today was restored in 2014 and resides proudly at Ohio's Waterworks Park for everyone to enjoy.
I just love lighthouses, almost as much as I love fireworks (I know, not good for the environment, but they're so sparkly). And now that I know there are some beauties on the Great Lakes, I will definitely be planning another trip along their Unsalted coast!
