Before starting our volunteer duties at Big Sable, I thought it would be fun to the visit the Michigan UP and see some lighthouses in the eastern part. We left home on a rainy morning Sept 30 and it was an 11 hour drive to Brimley where we spent the night. The rain had stopped by the time we hit Flint and it was a beautiful drive the rest of the way.. After checking in to the motel, we went to the Bays Mills Casino. We had a 45 minute wait until we could be seated for dinner so we played the slots. About 15 minutes into it, the machine suddenly started adding credits and realized I had won over $100. Realizing I had just won gas money for the trip, I decided to stop and entertained myself watching Scot lose his $20. After breakfast in Brimley the next morning, we started on our way. It was a perfect fall day and I would say the leaves were pretty close to being peak. After seeing how well my son’s pictures from his small digital camera turned out on the Portmouth trip, I had decided I was going to get a digital camera and this trip was the motivator to buying it. I wanted an intermediate-level camera with good zoom capability and decided on a Sony Cybershot DSC-H5.

The first stop was Point Iroquois which was open to climb.





Here is the view from the lantern room:


The next stop was Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. It was such a nice place that we ended up spending more time there than I had originally thought. They sell great fudge there too.



This lens that is on display in the museum is the original 2nd Order Lens from the White Shoal Light that many of us saw last summer in Mackinac.

We were heading to Crisp Point but took decided to take a side trip to the Tahquamenon Falls Parks on the way. They were well worth the time. Here is the Lower Falls:



The Upper Falls were even more beautiful:



In order to get to Crisp Point, you have to travel about 20 miles on unpaved road. The lighthouse web site gives excellent detailed directions, but the road is uneven and narrow at the end. It takes about an hour to cover the distance one-way. You can decide whether it was worth the effort (I say “Absolutely!”). It was on this beach I waded into Lake Superior so that I could honestly say I have now been in all the Great Lakes.

By the time we were back on the main road, it was late afternoon. We arrived in Grand Marais shortly before sunset. It isn’t a very big town and as we were entering, we spotted the lighthouse right away. The moon is in a nice position behind it.



Before checking in to the motel, we drove into Picture Rocks and stopped at Sable falls.



We spent the night in Grand Marais and had dinner at the Lake Superior Brewing Company. I had a fantastic seasonal beer they make called Harvest Brew and I bought a jug to bring home.

The plan for Monday morning was to visit Au Sable lighthouse. H-58, the main road into the park was closed for repaving. We had 2 options to get to Au Sable: We could drive to the end of the paved section to the “Log Slide” and hike 2.5 miles to the lighthouse or we could detour about 15 miles on unpaved roads to the Hurricane River Campground and then hike on the beach about 1.5 miles. We chose the “Log Slide” 2.5 mile hike option. Within a couple minutes after starting on the trail we saw the object of our quest in the far distance.



Do you see it? At this point I was able to try out the full capacity of my new camera’s zoom for the first time. I was impressed!

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.

Nice shots. I love the fall colors.

A great trip and the new camera performed great in your hands, Doc.

I notice the format on all your photos is a bit wider that a typical W x H. Is that a setting on your camera or did you make panoramic photos by cropping them?

Mother Nature sure came through for your trip! Nice weather, nice colors. Thanks for taking us along. I think the post-reunion group I hung with saw each of these lights.

Beautiful photos. Love the fall colors.
Judy

Great photos and narrative, Doc! Keep them coming! Isn't it great when the weather cooperates?

Bob

WOW...what a trip that must have been for you!
Your new camera takes some beautiful pictures!
I would some day love to visit that area of the US and check out the lighthouses and surrounding areas.

I understand that there are many lighthouses in Michigan...like over 100?? How can you miss that at night? LOL!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, DocJ44!

BB

Really nice Doc! Looks like you had a nice adventure!

Thanks for taking us along on your journey.
Love the photos.
HCS

Very nice pictures.

Wonderful pictures and I love the fall colors. Thanks for sharing.

Great photos, Doc. Really like the Fall colors!

Love the fall colors around the lighthouses. John and I were there last year after the HL reunion. There is some really great lighthouse viewing in that part of Michigan.

How was your stay at Big Sable? Hope it was nice!

Great photos Doc John! The narration was excellent. Looking at your photos, brings back great memories of our journey there.
I'm glad to hear that you read my post and asked about the "Captain"! The guides at Seul Choix are great...I didn't get the gate unlocked for me-too many people. But they did let me tip the table upside down(the one in the assistant keeper's kitchen) so that I could photograph all the signatures of the keepers and assistant keepers.
If you took photos of inside the keeper's house-you need to look at them carefully. Quite often the "Captain" will not show up in plain view for you, but will be in your photos. He likes to show himself in the glass of the kitchen cupboards,the round mirror in his bedroom, and windows of the house. The other thing to look for is overturned silverware,cigars, and objects that have been moved on either the dining room or kitchen table.
Look forward to more photos. Hope your stint at Au Sable was enjoyable. We didn't make it there as I wanted...with time and road construction...just couldn't make it happen.

Doc, lovely shots. We usually get up to the UP the first week of October but it just hasn't happened the last two years with a new baby and new house. I'm insanely JEALOUS that you got to not only see the lens, but CLIMB Au Sable - I've been out there 3 TIMES and haven't gotten inside once, let alone see the lens - it's always draped off! They were short-staffed this summer so even though Fran and I made it out there in August, the lighthouse was closed.