It was about an hour hike and as we came out of the woods and up a brief dune, we approach the lighthouse from this angle:



We walked around the grounds for about 45 minutes. Here is the lighthouse from the opposite side:



And here is zoom view of the lantern room and the 3rd Order lens



The lighthouse had closed Labor Day, but there were rangers on the grounds doing maintenance. We were there for a while and we were the only people around. We talked to rangers about the work they were doing. It turns out that they had keys to the tower because as we were heading back to the trail, they called out to us and asked us if we wanted to climb. Of course we said “Yes!” So we got a “private” lighthouse climb. Here is the view from the lantern room toward the Grand Sable Dunes and up toward the “Log Slide” area where we started the hike.



It was almost 12:30 before we arrived back at the car and were on the way south to Lake Michigan for the final lighthouse of this UP trip, Seul Choix.



They have done a real nice job with this lighthouse and they have great volunteers. Because we specifically asked about the haunting and “The Captain” (thanks Debbie), one of the volunteers opened up the gate to one of the rooms. This room has a mirror that some have seen the Captain’s face in. We looked into the mirror…and…I didn’t see any face except mine. In connection with another thread on the forums, they pointed out their status as a finalist in the contest to receive new windows. I voted for them when I got home.

The afternoon was waning and we hit the road for Ludington. It was about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Seul Choix. So this ends the prelude to my Big Sable Keeper adventure….more to come.