Super-fantastic Journeys

Mackinac Point sits on the southern side of the Mackinac Straights which is where boats pass though a passage connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Huron.  The Mackinac Point lighthouse is also referred to as the "Castle of the Straits" because of the construction of the keeper's house looking like the top of a Castle. Construction of the Mackinac Point lighthouse started in 1889 but funding was limited to creating a steam run fog horn.  The McGulpin Point Light was located to the west of this site but was not as visible as it needed to be to protect boats trying to navigate through the straits. It was not until 1892 that construction started on the light tower and the light was placed into operation on October 25, 1892.  Once the lighthouse was built it was realized that the fog horn building was only 71/2 feet away from the keeper's house, imagine trying to get some sleep with that noise, and they ended up moving the fog horn building a whole 15 feet to the east.  Great...

Located in Silver Lake State Park, this 107-foot tall lighthouse stands tall on the sandy shores of lake Michigan.  Built in 1874, the site for Little Sable Point required crews to build a dock into Lake Michigan to bring supplies, as there were no roads to the area.  The red brick color makes this light unique from others along this section of the Lake Michigan coastline.  The light still houses a third-order Fresnel lens manufactured in Paris, France.  The lens would rotate once every five minutes as ten different bulls eyes in the lens would cause the light to flash every 30 seconds.  Before electricity was available at the light, the keepers would have to wind up a 90-pound weight, suspended in the tower's walls providing the force to rotate the light. Today only the lighthouse tower stands on the beach.  The keeper's house was demolished in 1958 after electricity was run to the lighthouse; the light was automated and no longer required the services of ...

 We have visited San Francisco a couple of times, but we had never been out to Alcatraz Island, so we wanted to prioritize this.  The island is part of the National Park Services, and its notorious history as a prison sitting in the middle of the San Francisco bay is legendary.  Alcatraz housed some of the nation's worst criminals, and "The Rock" has been the subject of many movies over the years.   To visit the island, you take a ferry from Pier 33 on the San Francisco harbor.  This requires advanced reservations that you want to make sure you schedule well before our trip.  The ferry is operated by Alcatraz City Cruises .  The ticket was running $41 for adults and $25 for children when we visited.  This is an inclusive ticket price, and there are no additional park service fees collected.  The ticket will ask you to arrive at Pier 33 early for your scheduled departure.  I recommend following this suggestion as there are many peopl...

 The Point Reyes Lighthouse is located at the end of the hook of land that makes the Point Reyes National Seashore.  This 37-foot high lighthouse was first lit to guide ships in 1870 as they navigated past this point heading into or out of San Francisco Bay and along the California Coast. To get to the lighthouse today you will depart the town of Point Reyes Station on Sir Francis Drake Blvd and drive through the beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore.  Along the way, you can choose to stop and walk through the Cypress Tree Tunnel or stop at a number of the beaches that have access along the road.  You will have to make a couple of turns but the signs along the way will help you.  This area also has a number of dairy farms along the way, which you literally drive through and makes the drive interesting.  The drive is about 20 miles and will take you about 40 minutes to complete each direction.  Eventually, the road will end in the parking lot for the ...

 The Five Islands Lighthouse has not had a very easy life.  Currently located in a wonderful park overlooking the north shores of Minas Bay where you can enjoy the wonderful park views of the bay, this has not always been its home.   The lighthouse was first built in 1913 and was located on Sand Point.   The design is a pretty classic square house design that holds both the living quarters and the light itself.  The original coast to build the light was $750.  I wonder what the exchange rate was back then? The structure has been moved three times before arriving at its current locations.  The first two moves were because of shore erosion back in the 1950s.  It came to its current locations in 1996 after the property it was sitting on had been sold.  I am thankful that the community cared enough to save this lighthouse because it serves as a focal point in this stunning park. The views here a panoramic and the tides are amazing....

 The Terrance Bay lighthouse is located at the end of  Chebucto Peninsula between Halifax and Peggy's Cove.  The light is a square pyramid design with a balcony around the top.  The light sits 43 feet above the water and is painted with the classic red and white paint job of many of the Canadian lighthouses. Access to this light is a problem.  There is a dispute in the community and the property and the access trail that leads to the light.  The trail goes between two houses, and the house on the left is not very friendly to people cutting through to go out to the light.  I spoke to a local who was out on her daily walk and she said that we could walk out to the light but that the people would probably give us some trouble.  In the end, we decided that we did not need to deal with all of that and we got the best picture that we could, power lines and all. If you are trying to check lighthouses off your list, then the drive down the peninsula was b...

 Cape d'Or is located on a prominent point that sticks out into the Bay of Fundy near Advocate Harbor.   From this point, you can see the Bay of Fundy on one side and the Minas Channel on the other side of you.  On this point sits one of Nova Scotias lighthouses situated in an ideal spot for mariners.  Standing 30 feet tall and painted a classic red and white, the lighthouse is still operating today. In addition, to being an active lighthouse, the lighthouse keepers home has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast with amazing views of the water and rugged cliffs of Cape d'0re.  The green grass around the lighthouse is deceiving as there are rocky cliffs in both directions.  The cape was named by the French explorers because the cliffs have native copper deposits that made them look as if they were the "Cape of Gold".  This is a unique spot to watch the tidal rips as the tides change.  The rips can be quite large and one of the activities inv...

 Located less than an hour's drive from downtown Nova Scotia is the iconic Atlantic coastal town of Peggy's Cove.  The cove here is a small inlet with docks and a boat ramp that would provide fishermen refuge from the sea and a place to call home.  The prominent rock outcropping that protects the entrance to the cove also served as an ideal spot to build a lighthouse for navigation along the rocky eastern coast of Nova Scotia.  The first light on this site was built in 1868.  The first light was atop a wooden house and stood until 1914 when it was replaced with the current octagonal lighthouse with it's classic red and white paint job.  The lighthouse stands 49 feet tall and can be seen from 10 nautical miles away.  The light is still an active light and is run by the Candian Coast Guard. The location of Peggy's Cove makes it one of the most visited tourist attractions in the province of Nova Scotia.  While it is extremely busy it should be on you...