Pure Michigan.....................

Saturday & Sunday, July 9 & 10, 2016

Greetings!  We are in Coloma, Michigan, at a very rustic RV Park (and that is being kind).  No sewer hook-ups, no cable, no satellite and no Wi-Fi!  Jim and I have had quality time together (maybe just a little too much .........Just kidding.)  We traveled from Otisville. Michigan to this location yesterday and arrived in the early afternoon so we had time to view three lighthouses

The first lighthouse actually consisted of two lighthouses, the St. Joseph North Pierhead and the St.Joseph Pier Inner located on Lake Michigan.

St. Joseph Lighthouses

The original St. Joseph Lighthouse sat on a bluff overlooking the harbor.  In 1955 it was razed to make room for a parking lot.  The current lights belong to the City of St.Joseph who acquired them in 2013.  They are used to guide ships into the St. Joseph River which can be navigated for 60 miles up river.  The original lighthouse was built in 1832 just months after the first lighthouse was commissioned at Chicago.

The third lighthouse we saw yesterday was the South Haven South Pier Lighthouse. It was built in 1872 to mark the entrance to the Black River so that pine, hemlock and oak could be harvested and shipped to various ports.  As the lumber was cleared, it was replaced with peach and apple trees and blueberries.  The Historical Association of South Haven acquired the lighthouse in 2012.  The keepers house belongs to the Maritime Museum.

South Haven Pier Lighthouse

Back to "camp" to spend more quality time together, we planned our lighthouse visits for today.      July 10- We started out with breakfast at McDonalds where this beautiful Corvette was showcased.  Jim thinks it was a 1954.  It sure was a beautiful car!

What's for Breakfast at Mc D's today!

Our first lighthouse after eating breakfast was the Holland Harbor "Big Red".  Due to religious oppression, Rev. Albertus Van Raalte led a group of 60 Dutch Calvinist separatist in 1846 from the Netherlands to America.  After a stop in New York, they set out for Wisconsin, but a early winter caused a layover in Detroit.  There they heard about available lands in Western Michigan on the banks of Black Lake, now know as Lake Macatawa.  Holland today is know for its' lovely setting on Lake Michigan and - you guessed it - its' annual tulip festival featuring over 6 million tulips.  In 1847,the area was a swamp, but despite hardships and insects a settlement was established.  The government refused appropriations so the locals built, by hand with picks and shovels  a canal to link Black Lake with Lake Michigan.  In 1859 the Steamboat "Huron" was able to dock at Holland.  This is a very popular Summer vacation spot and the traffic was tricky to say the least!

Holland Harbor

"Big Red"

We then headed to Grand Haven to see the Grand Haven South Pierhead Entrance and the Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner.  We did see the lighthouses multiple times as we circled around the beach area for a parking spot so we could get out and take pictures, but it was not meant to be.  We tried for well over an hour and there wasn't even space to park a smart car!   Very disappointing as we were going to visit a sister of one of our friends back home who lives here, but the traffic put us way behind schedule.  If it wasn't traffic, it was draw bridges :(  Here is a picture from Lighthouse Friends.com to show you what they look like):

Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner

Grand Haven South Pierhead Entrance

That's Not Sand

The first settlers (Religious) arrived in Grand Haven in 1834 from Macinac.  In 1835, the settlement was platted and named Grand Haven in recognition of its' safe and spacious harbor.  The outer light was built in 1873, and marked the entrance to the harbor. The Inner Light was built in 1907 to act as the Rear Range Light. 

We next ventured to Muskegon, Michigan to see the two lighthouses there.  As with the others it was crowded at the beach and there was a Volleyball Tournament going on, but we did manage to find a parking spot and walked a short distance to take the pictures.

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The Muskegon South Pierhead

The Muskegon South Breakwater

The South Pierhead was built in 1903 and was painted white.  In 1917 it was repainted red.  It is used to mark the entrance to the harbor.  It in conjunction with the outer breakwater light, make up a set of range lights.  

The name Muskegon comes from the Ottawa Indian term "masquigon" meaning marshy river. Muskegon Township was nicknamed "The Lumber Queen of the World". 

Muskegon was home to more millionaires than any other town in America during the late 1800's when  its' lumber helped rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871.

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures of the day:

Beautiful House overlooking the water

Boat Parade

Anchor on bluff overlooking the town of Grand Haven

Another drawbridge!

Til next time......................

Canada Once Again....

Friday, July 8, 2016

Today we headed towards Canada, stopping first at Port Huron before we crossed the bridge. We visited the Lightship Huron LV 103.  This lightship was built in Morris Heights, New York and was launched in 1920 as Lightship 103.  From 1935 until 1970, she was stationed at Corsica Shoals six miles north of the Blue Water Bridge and three miles from the Michigan shore.  The purpose of the lightships was to warn ships of rocks and shallow water where there was no lighthouse.  In 1970 she was withdrawn from service, the last of 22 lightships on the great lakes. In 1972, she was enshrined on the banks of the St. Clair River at Pine Grove Park in Port, Huron where she now rests and serves as a museum.  In 1989 she was designated a National Historic Landmark. 

Lightship Huron LV 103

History of the Lightship

Museum Entrance

Thomas Alva Edison Memorial.  He was born close to this site.

Blue Water International Bridge (US to Canada)

Time going and returning this time was much shorter!

Entrance to Canada

 

Corunna Rear Range Light

The Front and Rear Range Lights were built in 1889 to guide mariners past the head of Stag Island in the St. Clair River.  The two lights were originally located in the town of Corunna.  After many changes and modifications over the years, they were finally discontinued in 1982.  The Rear Range Light was purchased by the Moore Museum and moved just over 5 km to its' current location at the Museum.  No buyer could be found for the Front Range Light and it was demolished. The modern Corunna Range Lights (Replacements)  were discontinued in 2004 due to GPS. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring a little bit and purchasing some souvenirs.  Here are some pictures of sights along the way. 

There are beautiful flowers everywhere in the small towns and around the homes on the Great Lakes

View going over the bridge of the Port Gratiot Lighthouse which we visited earlier this week.

Til next time.........................

Smitten with the Mitten

I'm starting out todays' blog by sharing some pictures of the Convenant Hills Spiritual Retreat and Campgrounds.  I did find out today that the facility is run by the Free Methodist Church of the U.S.  The Free Methodists share a distinct call to scriptural holiness that results in a life of sacred service to God and people.  Their mission as a church is "To love God, love people, and make disciples.  Their vision : "  To bring wholeness to the world through healthy biblical communities of holy people multiplying disciples, leaders, groups and churches.  Their strategies include : Embrace all, Disciple Deeply, Cultivate Health,Develop Leaders, Multiply Ministries, Go Global, Honor Fruitfulness,  Engage Urban, Partner Strong.  For more information go to fmcusa.org

Cross at entrance to Covenant Retreat and Campground

John 3:16

Chapel

Can you find the Turtle? 

Now on to the lighthouses of the day.  The first lighthouse scheduled was the Saginaw River Rear Range.  After over an hour of searching, we could not find any place to get a clear picture of the lighthouse.  It is located on Dow Chemical property and therefore we were not invited in..........

We even went to the Coast Guard Station across the river and they graciously let us on their property to see if we could see the lighthouse from their property, but the marsh weeds were too tall to see anything.  Disappointed, we moved on.

After ending that lighthouse hunt, we made a short stop to take pictures of the the Navy Destroyer USS Edson (Not Edison).  It was commissioned in 1958 and decommissioned in 1988.  Home port was Long Beach, California.

USS Edson - Navy Destroyer

Amphibious vehicle from USS Edson

Our next lighthouse was located two miles off shore in Port Austin, Michigan.  Fortunately it was a clear day and we were able to get some pictures.  They are not the best of pictures considering the distance.  This lighthouse was finished in 1878 to mark several shallow underwater rocks.  In February 2013 the Coast Guard deeded the lighthouse to the Port Austin Reef Light Association.  The nickname of this lighthouse is "Castle on the Lake"

Port Austin Reef Lighthouse

The next lighthouse, Pointe aux Barques, located at the extreme northeast tip of Michigan's "Thumb"

The English translation is Point of Little Ships.  In 1849, Catherine Shook became the first female lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes after her husband Peter drowned.  The original lighthouse was built in 1849  and replaced in 1857 and still stands today and is an active navigational aid.

Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse

History of the Lighthouse

Assistant Keepers House

The Lantern Room

The next lighthouse we visited was Harbor Beach.  In 1885 the Corps of Engineers built a three mile long breakwater in order to produce a safe harbor on the western edge of Lake Huron.  The lighthouse marks the eastern entrance to the Harbor.  The lighthouse was built at the same time.  On July 2010, it was transferred from the Coast Guard to the Harbor Beach Lighthouse Preservation Society who were stewards of the light since the early 1980's.

Harbor Beach Lighthouse

Dual flags are seen all along the lake shores along the great lakes except for Lake Michigan

Harbor Security

We unexpectantly came across an unlisted/unknown lighthouse as we were going down the road to see the Sanilac Lighthouse.  It was not on the water side of the road so we weren't sure it was a legit lighthouse.  The White Rock Memorial Lighthouse  was built as a private residence and  as a memorial to the 1856 White Rock Lighthouse which was destroyed by fire in 1871.  White Rock was the largest town in the territory in 1776.  It was a busy port prior to the 1871 fire.  The light is not a replica of the original but is similar in design.  White Rock today is little more than a wide spot in the road.  So sad............

White Rock Memorial Lighthouse

On to our last lighthouse for the day - The Port Sanilac Lighthouse was built in 1886 at the midpoint between Fort Gratoit and Port aux Barques.  It stands 59 feet tall and the keepers house is attached. 

Jeff Shook, founder of Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy and owner of St. Clair Flats Canal Range Light Station, purchased Port Sanilac Lighthouse for his family in 2014 for $855,000.  While he plans to use the property as a vacation home, Shook's great-great-great-great-grandparents were the first keepers at Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse which we saw earlier today.  Shook is investigating the idea of opening the lighthouse to the public on a limited basis. 

Port Sanilac Lighthouse

Guess where we had a late lunch/early dinner?  Haven't been to one of these in years! I won't bore you with how yummy the food was..............that wouldn't be nice! (the strawberry pie was AWESOME! Couldn't help myself!) 

Big Boy

Til next time.........