Last month I set out on a mission, dare I say, a quest. I wanted to shoot Big Red at Holland from the south shore instead of from across the river like we always have to. I got out my trusty gazetteer and tried to plot a course to get access to the south beach. I knew it was possible, because Gary did it and got some great photos.

To make a long story short, after a fair deal of driving in circles and swearing at private landowners, I found access to get to the beach. After a nice mile or so walk with my wife, I got some decent shots of Big Red. I need to talk with Gary someday and see if my access was anywhwere near his.

So, here is an image I made early in the evening, I went wide to try and get the ice, the breakwater lights, and the cloud formations above.




This one was later in the evening. I was hoping for better color in the sky, but I made do with what I had. I'm still happy tith them though. Hope you like them.

Great pictures, Mike! Sounds like you had a nice walk also. Great finish to what must have been a negative start.

Bert

Very nice Mike! That's half the fun of "lighthousing", the challenge of getting to certain lights. Some are easy, you just drive up to them, park the car and sometimes pay admission, kinda like going to the zoo as you usually wind up with a bunch of other critters around, usually the kind with multiple cameras hanging around their necks. Then there are the hard to reach, hard to access variety - makes for a real adventure.

The second shot is the my favorite. I love the silhouette of the light.
I remember when we went there. We figured out how to get there and then we found out that the lighthouse parking was INSIDE the gate, but we just parked a little around the bend where the "Marina Parking Only" signs ended. Besides, it was April, who needs to go to a marina in Michigan???

Jake, I thought of trying that, but I think that even the pedestrian paths are gated at that neighborhood. I don't want to have a run in with a surly security guard being paid minimum wage by a bunch of elitist yuppies. Does that sound like ranting???

Mike, the walk was worth it!(to me, anyway) I also like the second shot, a different perspective than we're used to. Gary & I went to that side last year but there wasn't access, and boy was it raining anyway. Great shots, Mike!!
Bud

GREAT PHOTOS,MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though you don't like the color of the sky on the bottom one, I like those gold tones that are in it....

For any of you that go to Big Red from the south, the Michigan DNR mandates that you have access to the lighthouse! The private landowners, among them Jay Van Andel of Amway fame, cannot stop you from accessing the light. It IS a registered historic site. It was really tacky that they put the lighthouse parking behind their security gate but, I guess what would you expect For a while, I was e-mailing the gov on a weekly basis. Maybe now that we have a new gov I should start again to try to get that travesty of ego remedied in some fashion. Probably won't do much good, but what the heck!

Gary

So Gary, what is the best way to get there without getting hassled by the yuppies? I plan to go back this summer, and I'd like to have a more concrete plan next time.

If you go on a weekend, arriving maybe 30-45 min before sunset during the summer, the guard shack is manned and they HAVE to give you access to the lighthouse parking spaces. Getting out is no problem... that aspect of the gate is automatic so you just drive up and if the guard is gone for the night who cares. From there, walk along the lakeshore away from the guard house. I generally then head west toward the lake when the road branches. Walk out between the summer cottages there and onto the beach and you're there. Of course some of the local yuppies will resent you trespassing on their personal beach and may well walk right through your photo in an effort to demonstrate just how rude they can be. One woman did that to me last year, I smile politely and thanked her for being so totally inconsiderate, which garnered me a dirty look but she didn't say anything. Hope tht this helps, Mike. I've been out photographing on the Outer Banks... sorry it took so long to reply.

Gary