Well, I finally got to go on my Gulf Coast/Florida lighthouse vacation, and it was a blast. The full purpose of this trip was to see as many lighthouses as possible and I saw, I believe, 16 of them.

First of all, I thank everyone for their advice and tips to my post before my trip. It was all very useful and helped make the trip a much easier and nicer experience.

I thought I would share a few of the pictures with this forum. Most of these lighthouses have been well-covered by many forum members, but I decided I would post some fresh photos anyway. Hope you guys don't mind. I also apologize in advance, as I am very long winded. So feel free to scroll past all my ramblings. haha

Now, on to the trip:

I put off the trip for nearly three weeks because of rain throughout Florida. It seemed it didn't stop raining in Florida during July. Finally, a little more than a week ago, the rain possibilities were a little lower and I was at the point in which I had to go now or wait at least six more months, so off I went. A friend of mine, Michelle, went with me on the trip. This was her real introduction to lighthouses. Entering the trip, she was a history buff and loved spiral staircases. Now, she's a new lighthouse enthusiast. A big part of my enjoyment during this trip was seeing her eyes light up as she heard the history of these lights, or as she climbed the many stairwells.

I left Texas early in the morning and my first stop was Berwick-Morgan City, LA. to see the Southwest Reef Lighthouse. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but this little light was much better than expected. It had a nice coat of paint and was larger than I expected.




Next I headed to New Orleans to get a shot of the Port Ponchartrain Light on the grounds of the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park. It's a funny, but sad little lighthouse. It's tucked away between buildings and, odds are, most people probably don't even notice that it's there.

I had read on Lighthousefriends about snakes on the property, but when I got there it was freshly mowed, so I decided to venture as close as possible. However, as I was about halfway to the light, a security guard found me - something else I heard would probably happen - and informed me I had to stay off the grass.




After leaving New Orleans, I headed across the causeway toward the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse in Madisionville. While I enjoyed the long drive over Lake Ponchartrain, I couldn't help but think about how difficult it would be if an accident happened on the bridge. Since there are no shoulders in most places, it must be a massive traffic jam during accidents or car stallings. How in the world would emergency vehicles get through the traffic to get to an accident?

Anyway, back on topic, the Tchefuncte River Light was nice. I wish I had clearer weather, but I was thankful it wasn't raining. It had a fresh coat of paint and I've heard they're working on restoring it and eventually opening it up to the public someday in the future. There's still a long ways to go, but the paint is a start. There's also a neat little museum on the road to the lighthouse that's worth checking out. Even better, you can make a donation toward the restoration there.

For this trip I rented a high-zoom 50-500mm lens because of this and a few other lights. This light can't be reached by land and, since I didn't have a boat, the nearest view was about a half mile away. This is why I rented the high-zoom lens and it worked wonderfully.

By the way, I'm going to give a plug now ... if any of you ever need to rent lenses, check out www.photorentalsource.com. The owner, Brad, worked with all my delays and provided fantastic customer service. Trust me, I don't plug a business on my own unless it was exceptional.

Anyway, I am rambling ... on to Tchefuncte River:




I then got back on Interstate 10 and headed to Biloxi. The city looks to be recoving well from Hurrican Katrina and was full of tourists. That was very nice to see. Because of the harsh daylight during my visit, the Biloxi Lighthouse itself wasn't too photogenic on this day. At least it wasn't for my amateur photography skills. Repair work is ongoing on the light so it had a flimsy construction fence around it. While that didn't help my photos, I am happy to see them get this light back to being a nice attraction.

Now it was time to really test my high-zoom lens. I was heading to Fort Morgan to look at the Sand Island Light and I didn't have a boat. I read it was around two miles out in the gulf, so I knew it might be hit or miss on getting a decent show. Making matters worse, it was very overcast on the island.

Once it was all said and done, I was pleased with what I got. It's not a spectacular picture, but it was closer than I expected. After shooting this lighthouse I've decided I really want this high-powered lens. Anyone have a bunch of money they want to donate to the "Bill wants a new zoom lens" cause? haha ... just kidding.




After getting the Sand Island shots - it was a sad lighthouse, by the way. I sure hope they can do something soon because it looks pretty rough - we stuck around and explored Fort Morgan. The fort was very enjoyable and provided many interesting photo ops.

By the time we left Fort Morgan, sundown was approaching. It was full-fledged darkness by the time we reached Pensacola. (Sorry Stephanie -- I would have loved to call and meet you, but it was late and we were on a time crunch).

I stopped at the Pensacola Lighthouse so I could try my hand at some night photography. I haven't done much night shooting, so I wasn't expecting much. But overall, I was pleased with the results. At least I was happy considering my night-shooting skills.




After this, we decided to call it a night and stayed in a small town between Pensacola and Tallahassee.

Next post: Day 2

Nice photos. I need to do a similar trip sometime.

On Day 2, we were up before daybreak so we could get to St. Simons, Ga early. This was the day I was really looking forward to because I've always wanted to see St. Augustine and Ponce de Leon up close and personal.

We arrived at St. Simons around 9 a.m. and I was really impressed. This turned out to be one of my favorite lights on the trip. I think I was kind of looking past it in anticipation of Augustine, to be honest. But it was a beautiful day and I had nice light. Even better was the fantastic view from the top of the light.






Now we were on the road to St. Augustine. Before getting there, however, we detoured down to Amelia Island to get a few quick, drive-by shots of the Amelia Island Light and St. Johns River.

The Amelia Island Light was exactly as expected. I saw the very obstructed view inside the neighborhood, as well as the "no trespassing" sign." Just as I had read, the best shot came from Fort Clinch State Park.


We then drove down A1A to St. Johns River. Because of the schedule, we didn't take time to see about going on the military base. Rather, I just took a few shots through the fence and moved on. I have shots without the fence in the photo, but I actually like the pictures with the lighthouse framed by the fence. Personally, I think it adds a little personality to the photo.

Now it was time for the big lights - starting with St. Augustine.

St. Augustine was just as magnificent as I thought it would be. I love the spiral painting. St. Augustine Island wasn't nearly as much fun, however. It was jam-packed with people and the traffic was fairly frustrating. The lighting was a bit harsh for photography, but I was just pleased to be able to visit this light in person.






A view looking up the stairwell.



And a view from the top.

Next stop was Ponce de Leon Inlet. And once again, this was an incredible light. Overall, this was the best lighthouse on the trip - just as I was told it would be. There were so many things to look at. Although I reserved plenty of time to explore it all, I could have spent all day here.

The climb to the top was great, as well. After already climbing two lights earlier in the day, it was a bit tiring tackling this one, which is the tallest lighthouse in Florida, but I made it. It was well worth the view.




The Fresnel lens room:



A few shots looking up the stairwell:




After Ponce de Leon we headed back - at the suggestion of a forum member - to St. Augustine to take the night climb/ghost tour. That was a blast. I had actually seen the "Ghost Hunters" episode that featured St. Augustine and knew the history. The best part of the tour, though, was after the night climb they give you around 45 minutes or so to "investigate" for ghosts on the grounds. I used this time to do some more night photography.

First, here's a view of St. Augustine Island from the top:



A couple of St. Augustine night shots:




That wrapped up Day 2. We stayed the night in Jacksonville to get a good night's rest before waking up and driving to St. Marks on the gulf side of Florida and the final day of the trip.

Nice job Bill, thanks for taking us along, it brings back some really good memories.. You did some driving in two days..

Thanks, for sharing your nice photos. Florida definitely has some fabulous lights.

I am looking forward to visiting St. Simons in GA one of these days. I have been thinking of designing a "Dixie Tour" of the lights we haven't seen in LA, MS, AL, GA, SC. Next year might be a good time as I haven't heard anything about any 2010 events.

Judy

Thanks Loved your pictures..

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. Now to finish up.

Day 3 started with a trip back across Florida to St. Marks. I had heard this was a beautiful refuge and it didn't let me down. I also had heard about the alligators, so I was a little tentative. Once I got there, however, I was so captivated by my surroundings it didn't bother me. I admit I did keep a watchful eye out for the sharp-teethed reptiles, but I didn't see any.

I was able to get the reflecting shot of the lighthouse in the pond we've all seen many times, which made my day. Before anyone says anything, yes, I did take some artistic liberties in this first photo by adding leaves to one of the palm trees.





We then cruised down the coast to Crooked River for a few shots.




Next was Cape St. George Island to see the newly-opened St. George Lighthouse. The preservation organization did a good job rebuilding this light. They've also built a nice park and visitor's center around the lighthouse, which is an extra added touch.

Wow Bill, you got some great pictures. I like the different perspectives that you took on some of the lights. I had never seen pictures of Southwest Reef Lighthouse. Great travel log to go with, thanks.

We're pretty tired by this point, but there was no doubt that we were going to push it to the end. The next stop was Cape San Blas. I was pretty disapointed with the photos here. One of the biggest problems were all the cars parked on the road by the lighthouse, so it was difficult to get a shot with both the buildings and the lighthouse without being obstructed by a vehicle.

But once at the top, the view was fantastic. One thing we don't see much in Texas is the forest extending all the way to the ocean. It was simply a beautiful sight.




On the way to the final destination - Pensacola Lighthouse (a daytime shot) - we passed right by the former St. Joseph Light. Although it has a different paint job than most of the pictures I have seen, I believe this is the lighthouse. At least this was the address I had for it. I could be wrong, though.



Then, after three days and thousands of miles, we were at the last lighthouse in Pensacola. We arrived too late to climb it, but it was one of the most scenic lights we visited on the trip. Personally, I wish I had more time to spend on the beach below the lighthouse. It looked very relaxing down there.





And there it is. Nothing was left but a long drive back to Texas. It was a trip I won't soon forget. We were very tired at the end, but it was more than worth it.

Once again, thanks for all the suggestions to help me get ready for the adventure. You have no idea how much help all your suggestions were! Thanks again!

Great pictures and commentary! Thanks for sharing!!
Rick

Thank is St. Joe Lighthouse. One day the lantern room will be added (so you have a before picture). The owner is a member of the Florida Lighthouse Association. He has restored this building by himself over the last 20 years. If was being used as a barn before.

Eric ... That is great to hear about the St. Joe Light. The house looked like it was in good shape when I went by it. It's nice to hear there are caring people out there like the one that owns the light. Thanks for passing along the information.