Bangor Maine

Well 2 nights ago we were in Michigan and tonight we are in Bangor Maine and we will be in Canada tomorrow.

It has been a hectic 2 days with long hours on the road but we had no problems and arrived here safely.

Our lighthouse hunting of US lights is over for a few days and we will be visiting family and friends and of course seeing some Canadian lighthouses.

Stay tuned

Conestoga RV Park

I thought you might like to see this park.
We really like it and if looking for a place to holiday we would seriously consider this one.

It has wonderful mature shade trees and a very nice pool and the sites are large and flat and it is quiet.

Well our visit to Michigan will come to an end in the morning.

Holland

This morning we headed out early because this is one of the 2 days a week when we can visit and get up close to Big Red, the lighthouse in Holland MI.
Our directions were good and we had no difficulty finding the way to get to her.
We were there before the guard and we just went on and found it ourselves.

Walking to the light we saw that there was some construction happening. It is on the same side of the channel as Big Red so we were able to take a picture of the construction site.
Did you hear that William and Kate are planning to move to Holland Michigan?

.On the way back we asked the guard where I could go for a lighthouse stamp. He suggested the museum, gave us a map and instructions on how to find the museum. We were successful and I got a stamp for lighthouse number 251

July 24th

July 24^th,

More Michigan Lights today.

Firstly we went to South Haven. What a beautiful red light. It had a new coat of paint this year because there had been graffiti on it and wouldn’t you know there already was more graffiti appearing.

It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the walk out to the end of the pier. Across from the Big Red light was other breakwater light and it is green and white.

Next we drove to Saint Joseph to see the lights there. They have an inner and an outer light with a catwalk and it is rather amazing to see. The wind was up and the waves were crashing.

We ate our picnic lunch there and then we headed for Watervliet because we wanted to find CAYO. Cayo was the original maker of the Avion Trailer and his grandson is still in the business of repairing the Avion trailers

What a thrill is was to meet him. He did not have what we wanted but we chatted and took pictures and then we were on our way again.

More lighthouses and a full day.

Muskegon and Grand Haven

This was another amazing day. We left Whispering Surf and headed for Conestoga Campground. It is in the Grand haven area and we will spend three nights there getting lighthouses in the area.

We left Whispering Surf around 10:30 and we were settled and having Lunch in Conestoga by one o’clock. So it was a short day driving wise.

After lunch we headed out. This time we went north and we saw the lights at Muskegon first. There is not a museum and you cannot climb these lights so all we could do is take pictures. There are no stamps to get and no souvenirs to buy.

Muskegon Breakwater Light

Then we drove to Grand Haven. This is a beautiful double light  Unfortunately it is in another state park. If only we had known about the yearly admission for out of state people, We have already spent more that the years pass would have cost and we still have at least one more park to pay admission to.

Anyway we grudgingly paid the admission and walked out to take pictures.

Renovations being done right now.

 They have wonderful signs telling you about the 50 people who have died on this pier from being swept off of the pier in storms.

The wind is blowing today and waves are crashing over the pier..

We took some pictures and I came back to the truck and Ken walked out a bit further and took a few more pictures.

I did not find a place for a passport stamp which seems almost unbelievable. There just has to be a place to get a stamp.

We returned to our beautiful campsite and had super. This is a lovely campground right on the Grand river and it is a Passport America sight which makes it even more special.

Entry to Conestoga Campground

WOW!! I Did It!

Today we planned to travel to Big Sable Point Lighthouse. But the problem is the fact that it is a 2 mile walk to get to the light.I really didn't know if I could walk that four miles. I knew for sure that I couldn't walk it in 30 degree heat. The forecast was for a cool morning so we decided to give it a try. We found the park and paid another admission and headed down the path across the dunes. The walkway was well maintained and in spots it was actually shaded. it opened at ten and we were there at 10:05, which was pretty good.

The lighthouse was fabulous. The people volunteering were wonderful. They even gave us a private tour of their living quarters. We got stamps and bought Xmas tree ornaments.
We climbed the 130 steps all of the way to the top. Heart pounding again.We got stickers saying that we had climber to the top.
 That climb  following a 2 mile walk took its toll. I was bushed already

There are two ways to get to the light. You can walk the path through the dunes or you can walk along the lakeshore. We decided to walk the shore on the return. This was much harder to do. It may have been because walking in sand is difficult or it may have been because I was already tired from the first walk and the climb to the top of the lighthouse. For a while I wondered if I was going to make it. But I did make it!!!

We had lunch at Subway in Pentwater and then we went to take photos of the breakwaters there.

Our next stop was at the Ludington North Breakwater light.
I expected to take pictures at a distance. By now we are back to 30 degrees and I am tired from the previous climb and walk.
But it was not to be. This lighthouse has recently been restored and is now opened for tours and for climbing.
Besides that it is a half mile out on the breakwater so I would have to add another mile to my days total walked. I had come this far so there was not giving up now.

 This one is very different in that the base is shaped like the bow of a ship. The reason is to help break the force of the waves as they hit the lighthouse. This one has just recently been opened and it is run by the Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association as is the previous three that we visited.
Inside there are ladders to get from one level to the next and eventually to the top, it does not have a circular staircase.It has 4 levels so away we went. I got a stamp for my book and a sticker saying that I had climbed to the top of this one also.

We head south again tomorrow. More lighthouses are waiting to be photographed and climbed.

Little Sable and White River

We left our camping spot early because we had reservations for Whispering Surf and we hoped we could check in early and get going on the light house hunt early. But it was not to be. We got here but they wouldn't let us check in early. bummer
Anyway when we got to our spot we left right away and headed for Little Sable lighthouse. It is the
highest in Michigan but it is in a state park so we had to pay admission to the park as well as a fee to climb the light.
The light is amazing. It sits right on the sand and there are 130 steps to climb.

The view from the top was really spectacular. But my heart got quite a workout doing the climb.

Next we had a quick walk out to the Pentwater Breakwater lights. The houses bordering the canal were definitely high end.

Next we were off to the White River Light Station and Museum. We had to do it today because they will not be open tomorrow which is Monday. This is newly restored and it has been very well done. the gift shop was very tiny but I was able to get a stamp and some magnets.

Mission Point

Old Mission Point

This is July 20 and we are still at the fairgrounds. Because it is Saturday and peak travel season we thought finding a campground tonight would be very difficult so we decided to spend one more night here. And besides we had not yet been to Old Mission Point.

We planned to get away early but we ended up chatting with Nancy and Tom.

We finally got away and headed for Mission Point. It was north of here through more beautiful countryside. Again we passed by vineyards, farms, summer homes, beautiful estates and lovely lakeside vistas.

The lighthouse is at the very top of the Mission peninsula and it is a grand old place.

Very well restores complete with a gift shop where I was able to get another stamp for my passport. They did not have a Xmas tree ornament however.

Ken and I climbed the tower and enjoyed the view. In the distance we could see what we were told was the automated buoy that replaced the lighthouse when the light was decommissioned.

There has been a change in the weather and it is finally cool, mid seventies is where I like it.. It was actually cool up in the tower which was a first. Towers are usually very hot and quite stifling.

After leaving the lighthouse we explored a bit more, shopped for groceries and then returned to the trailer.

It was definitely nap time.

Tomorrow we are on the move again, There are 4 more lights in the Ludington area that we want to see.

Frankfort and Manistee

This was another wonderful day. We left here and headed south and west to Point Betsie. This was a light I had seen pictures of many times before so I was eager to see it in actual fact.

The drive was similar to yesterday in that there were grand homes, lakeside cottages well kept farms and charming little villages. When we arrived at Betsie there were lots of people there and we were given a number for our turn to climb the tower. While waiting we explored the museum which was very well done. We walked the grounds and because the waves were so high we couldn’t get out into the lake to take a picture from that side. But we got many many more pictures from just about any angle. This lighthouse can be renter by the week. A maximum of six people in a group can rent the Keepers living quarters for 2000.00 in peak season or 1500.00 in the off season.

Of course I visited the gift shop and I was able to get magnets and one more Xmas tree ornament

Our turn to climb soon came and we went to the top. The guide was very friendly and the opening was not particularly wide so we had to be careful not to bump our heads or scrape our backs. The view made the climb well worth the effort and the wait.

A special thing to note about this area of Michigan is the fact that Baby’s Breath is a noxious weed. It grows everywhere and actually ruins the dunes and they have to dig it out. And to think we pay 5.00 for a few stems of it.

Before we knew it noon had arrived and we had to get going if we were going to get to the other lights we had planned to visit today.

Just a short distance south of Betsie Point was Frankfort. Here we viewed 2 different breakwater lights. In this community as well as many others they have a north breakwater with a light at the end ans well as a south breakwater. We did not walk all of the way out to the light because to get there we would have to walk along a very long breakwater and the waves were crashing over it sometimes.

This little community also plants thousands of flowers along its main street. I still wonder who takes care of them all. But they do add to the beauty of this little community

The south breakwater has been renamed the Elberta breakwater to avoid confusion because each one is in a different town.

Our last light for the day was to be the Manistee breakwater light. Our direction to get there were lacking to say the least.

So after taking a few wrong turns and being hot and tired and frustrated we decided to have lunch , It was already two o’clock. During lunch we hooked up the netbook and checked a map of Manistee.. Just like Frankfort there is a North and a South breakwater light here.

We walked out, took our pictures and decided to spend some beach time. Here they has a wonderful facility with change rooms and tables and walkways to the lakeshore.

We spent about an hour in the water and it cooled us off quite nicely.

It is supposed to be cooler tomorrow and I am happy about that. We will be here again tomorrow night,

 Mission Point lighthouse and Old Mission  Point  here we come.