We have an extensive trip planned during which we should be able to see some lighthouses.

We are going on a cruise from Baltimore but we are leaving late enough in the evening that I don't think we will be able to see much in the Chesapeake because it will be dark (and also cold and maybe raining).

From there we go to
Bermuda (which I pretty much know about)
St. Martin (renting a car to go lighthouse hunting because I saw one there when we were there last time)
Aruba (done that)
Curacao (will try to go to the one that's a museum in town)
Georgetown
Cozumel (thought we'd walk out and see the one on the waterfront if it is still there. Are there any others that we should look for?)
Tampa

Driving immediately to Miami - visiting grandchildren

Leaving on another cruise - going to
Samana DR (any suggestions?)
Tortola (" " ?)
Antigua
Barbados (done that already)
St. Lucia
Cozumel again - taking a tour this time
Grand Caymen again

Then back to Miami and driving to MacDill AFB for one night, and then going to

Panama City for the week. What lighthouses are around here?

Then we will spend a night in Pensacola (we've been to that lighthouse) and drive to Baton Rouge and from there to TX.

The rest of the trip will be inland, unless there are lighthouses on the river near St. Louis as we will be there for two weeks.

Believe the Mark Twain lighthouse is in Hannibal MO. Art

Are you planning to look at some of the Texas lights? (The few that are left)

If you are, let me know and I can give some info about those lights.

Hope you have a wonderful trip. Sounds like it would be a blast!

For the Lights in Florida go to
www.floridalighthouseassocion.org
There are all the Fla. lights pluss a lot of other sites connected.Keep Florida Green Bring a lot of money!!!!
RIP

A busy and worthwhile trip you have plan! Enjoy and will await your pictures!

Travel safe!

P.S. Any room in the luggage for tag-alongs??

I don't think we will be on the TX coast. I'll look for the Mark Twain light.

So far I've only seen a couple of lighthouses in Cozumel and this one in St. Lucia, which I could barely get a photo of from a speeding mini-van



In St. Martin, I was looking for one that I thought I had seen, but all of the roads going in that direction were under construction so we never got there.

I had a vertigo attack in Curacao so I didn't go out any in Aruba and besides I think I've seen all of the Aruba lights.

This is the new lighthouse in Cozumel from the ship



This one was taken from a speeding taxi as we went by it. The taxi didn't slow down, but unlike the one on St. Lucia, I knew that we would pass it, so I was semi-prepared.



This is the old lighthouse which I took with a film camera in 1998


It is still there, but it was on the other side of the street, and I didn't see it in time to take a newer photo as it was buried behind buildings.



This was an attempt to get a photo of the flash of the lighthouse as we sailed out of Cozumel. I was in the dining room of the ship at the time, and I never quite got the digital camera to trip at the same time as the flash.

GrandmaR,

What is your anticipated date for coming to Pensacola/Mobile? Maybe I can find you a boat out to Sand Island and Middle Bay.


Here is my picture of the old Lighthouse taken last month 11/9/07.



And did you see this one from your ship? This one is on the North end of the island of Cozumel.


HELP Dave! What am I not doing now???

Your image program capitalizes the JPG extension - Dave

Shortcake, I will be in Pensacola only one night on the way to Baton Rouge after the first of the year. We did see Sand Island from the forts year before last and it is probably too short a time frame (we are driving in, spending the night and leaving early the next morning) to actually be worth trying to arrange a boat. We are on our way from Panama City to Frisco TX to visit grandchildren, and I wanted to see if I could find the apartment that we lived in when we were first married in 1959. I found the address in my mom's effects after she died last year. But thank you anyway - I appreciate it.

I did not see the lighthouse on the north end, but we will be in Cozumel again in a couple of days and I hope to be able to see something then. I'm glad to see the picture of the old lighthouse in town as it is now. I'll try to get a picture for myself when we are there next week.

We went down to the south end, and saw this lighthouse, which also has what they call a Navigation Museum with it - has a lot of stuff on Caribbean lighthouses, and also a display of a lighthouse keeper's home from about 1927.



I will have to get internet access where I'm not paying 40 cents a minute so I can post all the rest of the photos.

From the perspective of the cruise ship I could see that there was this thing that looked like a cross between a life guard stand and a lighthouse at the Government Cut end of Miami Beach



When I got to Cozumel the second time, I realized that the old lighthouse which was active in 1998 was now just a shell.

This is what I wrote about our second day in Cozumel:

December 25th - Christmas
The ship got in to Cozumel at 7 and we had a tour that started at 8:20 on the pier, and we did indeed tie up at the dock nearer to town (Punta Langosta). Bob went up for breakfast, but I decided to drink my cranberry juice and eat some bread and butter for breakfast. There was another ship at the pier we were at last time.

Bob got the two tours that we are taking today and tomorrow mixed up. He thought we were doing the sting rays today, but today is the Eco-jeep tour with snorkeling. He wore his swimsuit and didn't bring a camera. I took my underwater camera.

After we fought our way past the photo-op people at the gangways, we walked out along the pier to where the tours were to start. We found the Eco-tour guy and signed in and Bob showed his driver's license and got a Designated Driver wrist band. Then we were directed around to the other side of the building to take an escalator up to the balcony level.

The old lighthouse is in the center of the shopping area near the pier. I gather it is no longer active, as I can't see any light or structure in it and there is now a building between it and the water.



(lighthouse has the sun behind it)

I could also see something that looked like another lighthouse or a castle to the north.



After 8:20 when we were supposed to be meeting, the man who signed us in came and marched us over to the parking lot. He said we were to be 3 or 4 to a jeep. We were only two, so the only other twosome paired with us - a man and his son from NJ. The man said he didn't realize that it was a stick shift (with 6 forward gears) so he let Bob drive. The lead jeep had the radios tuned to his microphone so he could talk to all of us. We were given instructions to stay together and not let the taxis into our group.

We came out of the parking lot and there was a sign which said "Disculpa Las Mosestias" blocking the road, but the guide got out of his jeep and moved it so we could pass.

We drove out of the town (over many speed bumps), and then out a fairly good highway to the south to Reserva Ecologica Parque Punta Sur. This is a turtle nexting area and a marine sanctuary which has salt water crocodiles and a lighthouse with a 'navigation museum' and a small Mayan building called El Caracol.

At this point, we entered an unpaved road which was reminiscent of the roads in Belize or Costa Rica. Lots of rocks and potholes. The last part of it was one way.

First we were to snorkel. Carrying my cane I seem to elicit sympathy and help, and the guide was concerned that I would not be able to complete the snorkeling. But Bob assured him that I couldn't walk very well, but I swam like a fish. Everyone got snorkels and fins, and we swam out past three swim platforms to a little strip of reef.

I was struggling (unsuccessfully) with my underwater camera. I later found out that my inability to take any pictures was because the batteries were shot (I had loaded rechargable batteries in it that morning, but they weren't up to the job), and I also had it set to rewind instead of to go forward.

Eventually I just gave up and swam along the reef and looked at fish. There were sergeant majors and blue tang, and one French angel, plus one of those puffer type black polka dot fish. Most of the coral was fan coral, but there was some fire coral and one huge brain coral at the end.

The guide was towing two of the smaller kids. There was a boat following us to rescue any who needed it. We came to the end of the reef and were to walk back along the beach, but the guide put me into the boat to motor back.

We could wash off, and we did have towels to dry with. There were bathrooms, and hammocks and kind of shells to sit in under umbrellas. I put on the Matzalan coverup which Beth brought me after I took off my dive skin. I was barefoot.

We got back into the jeeps and went back to the lighthouse




where I wandered around the Museo de la Navigation - I did not climb the lighthouse although we could have done that. At this point I also put my shoes back on.



In addition to a lot of information on lighthouses of the Caribbean and the Yucatan, there was also a room where a lighthouse keeper's house was set up.

I haven't gotten those pictures put up yet.

Today as we were driving from Pensacola to Baton Rouge, I suddenly saw that there was a lighthouse in Biloxi, we we made a detour to see it. As we turned along route 90, it was right there in front of us





It has a Fresnel lens



It had this painting





Since it is in the middle of the highway


plans are to make the area around it into a park and visitor's center by moving the highway over.

Thankfully, the Biloxi Light withstood the ravages of Katrina. That whole neighborhood was badly damaged.

I tried to get out to the Lighthouse and Museo de navegacion in Cozumel, but no one on the ship knew anything about it. I'd seen a writeup about the place in our newspaper and it seemed an ideal site to visit. I was afraid if I attempted it and had problems with transportation, I would miss the ship's departure so I opted out. The lighthouse there is Punta Celarain:

http://cozumelmexico.net/Celarain_Lighthouse.html

At the other end of the island (north), Punta Molas is an abandoned light:

http://cozumelmexico.net/Punta_Molas_Lighthouse.html

I'll try to post the rest of my pictures taken at Punta Celarain and the museo soon, but I'm still on this trip, and taking photos at the rate of 100-200/day.

Here's another picture of the Punta Celarain



And here is the Lighthouse Keeper's cottage there






and here are two of the posters in Spanish and English

Great pics and narrative, Rosalie !!!

I particularly like the photos of the keeper's house; seeing all those items makes it seem more personal and real. I'm looking forward to more of your pictures, Rosalie.

The photos of the inside of the keeper's cottage contrast greatly from those here in the states, both architecturally and in the personal living items. The sparseness and the simplicity of the furniture especially catch my attention.

A couple more photos of the Biloxi light

I saw the Pensacola light from the Navy Inn when we were staying there.



I was also able to find the apartments we lived in when we were first married

In 2008



Street in 2008



This was a photo taken by my mom in 1959 at the same place


After Pensacola and going to Biloxi, we visited Baton Rouge and the Port Allen Lock and then went down to the Plaquemine Lock which is a historic site and a Louisiana State park.

The ranger said something that I thought was interesting. He said "We are not a lighthouse, but we ARE a landmark". He pointed out that the lock house was faced with shiny white brick which reflected the light well. They even had to shift from burning coal to oil so that the brick would stay shiny. He said the lockhouse is still a landmark - it is up high on a hill and apparently can be seen from the river.



Even though this wasn't a lighthouse, I thought it was interesting.



The whole thing, inside and out, is this shiny white brick.

Home again. We came back a tad early because of an insurance misunderstanding. I asked whether I could put the rental car on our regular policy for the whole rental, and they said we could. But the policy only covered us for 30 days, and we had intended to have the car for longer than that. So we cut short the trip and came home. I got this picture of the spider on the Potomac from the bridge on US 301. (We were stopped for one way traffic because of construction)

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a great trip.