Door County LighthouseS
Transcription
Door County LighthouseS
UNITED S TAT E S LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY Lighthouse Bulletin ISSUED 4th Quarter QUARTERLY December 31, 2014 Fiscal Year Ending Door County LighthouseS By Nancy Houghton Photos by Jon Jarosh/Door County Visitor Bureau “It’s a classic day in Death’s Door,” murmured the sturdy, understated captain as he skillfully wove our boat The Shoreline through seas gathering from the north. Skipper Jim Robinson’s comment left me, a first-time Great Lakes visitor, questioning my decision to sign on for this excursion. “Death’s Door,” the infamous sixmile wide passage between Door County peninsula proper and Washington Island, is littered with shipwrecks, legends of woe and triumph, and is the stuff of fireside tales along the shores of Lake Michigan. A “classic” day in Death’s Door gave me a bit to ponder as I gazed upon the dramatic limestone cliffs and rugged outcroppings that gave the passage its name. Door County, a 70-mile-long peninsula protruding into Lake Michigan from the eastern flank of Wisconsin, is made up of rock that is unforgiving, to which the many shipwrecked sailors will attest. As a result, eleven lighthouses bejewel some 250 miles of coastline in this one small county, making one of the most dense concentrations of historic navigational aids in the country. Native Americans, early European explorers and American ship captains were acutely aware of the dangerous water passage stretching between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island, connecting Green Bay to the body of Lake Michigan. Native Americans originally named the passageway, and French trappers translated the moniker as Porte des Morts: in English, “Death’s Door.” This small strait is now strewn with an estimated 250 shipwrecks. While the currents can be Island Clipper passes Plum Island Lighthouse. tricky, and winds may shift directions on a whim, local legend holds that the French embellished the horror stories to keep other European trappers out of their fur trade. This and many other tales lend to the intrigue of the rich maritime heritage of Door County. The earliest lighthouses on the Great Lakes date back almost two centuries and are a reflection of not only engineering marvels but of human ingenuity and spirit. Thousands of wooden schooners burdened with coal, ore, stone, and timber plied the waters in the 1800s. Wisconsin, whose name means “gathering of the waters,” attracted settlers, fur traders, and fisher- men to its shores. As commerce grew in the Great Lakes, Door County became a crucial hub of seagoing trade. The oldest lighthouse in Door County is the Pottawatomie Lighthouse, where construction began in 1836. Perched on a bluff on the north shore of Rock Island, this isolated outpost helped delineate the route for ships traveling from the Great Lakes to the burgeoning city of Green Bay. This lighthouse was manned and in full operation until the early 1980s. A visit to the lighthouse includes a tour of the keeper’s quarters and a climb to the lantern room. Rock Island is accessible via two fer- Fiscal Year, 2014 Plum Island Range Lights. ries, or by charter, as in the case of my excursion on The Shoreline. In addition to the lighthouse hike, Rock Island offers a chance to tour the unique boathouse constructed by wealthy inventor Chester Thordarson in 1910 as part of the enormous summer estate he envisioned building on his 30 acres of land. The estate was never completed, but the grand boathouse, with its décor featuring carved characters from the Norse Runic alphabet, offers a glimpse into a by-gone era of elegance and largesse. Standing by the enormous stone fireplace in the Cream City brick building over the water one can envision the guests arriving by wooden motor-craft and disembarking in the covered moorage beneath the main room. Men’s and women’s changing rooms were provided on the boat level, and the guests would emerge into the great room ready for a candlelit gala on this private reserve. The second lighthouse to be built in Door County was on Plum Island, roughly “plumb” in the middle of Death’s Door. Accompanied by members of the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands group, better known as FOPPI, we disembarked for a walking tour of this island which is not currently open to the public. The original Plum Island Lighthouse was built in 1848, but was moved to the even more remote Pilot Island. Plum Island remained without a beacon for four decades, until the num- ber of shipwrecks and near misses caused enough alarm that a set of range lights were approved and built in 1897. Along with the range lights, the island boasted a fog signal and life-saving station. As the FOPPI folks will tell you, the life-saving station was a hub of activity in the summers when the families of the Coast Guard members would take up residence on 4th Quarterly Bulletin Plum Island and carve out a living on this bit of land in the middle of Death’s Door. Stories of rescues and the harsh life here are mingled with fond memories of family gatherings and even a woman giving birth on this remote island. Heading east a couple of miles from Plum Island, we approached Pilot Island which, as Captain Jim noted, “Looks like Alfred Hitchcock’s summer home.” The raucous cries of the black cormorants and the commotion of swooping, soaring white gulls created a scene reminiscent of Hitchcock’s classic film, The Birds. This three-and-ahalf acre pile of rocks marks the eastern entrance to Death’s Door and is known for its legendary shipwrecks, rescues, and numerous drownings. The lighthouse keeper’s log kept during the early 1870’s records over a hundred ships lost or damaged along these treacherous shoals. It is here we glide over three such wrecks, noting their staves and ribs layered like matchsticks on the rocky bottom. In its heyday, Pilot Island keepers maintained a complex including a pier, a barn, and a significant Cream City brick two-story residence with a 37-foot tower. As fog tends to envelop Pilot Island for scores of days each year, a foghorn-to-beatall-foghorns was constructed here. This compressed air, two-tone contraption was Pottawatomie Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Door County. Fiscal Year, 2014 Cana Island Lighthouse. the loudest on the Great Lakes and could be heard for over 12 miles. The keepers reported that this thunderous fog signal even kept their chicken eggs from hatching. Today, the remains of the structures are best viewed at a distance as the stench from the birds is smothering, and the trees have mostly died due to the toxins in the avian droppings. Door County offers other well-known lighthouses which are more easily accessed by land. The iconic Cana Island Lighthouse is strategically located between two highly-frequented harbors where ships sought respite before entering Death’s Door. Keeper’s logs recall gale-force winds and mighty storms, one of which, known as the “Alpena Gale,” wrecked seven ships near the island and produced waves which broke over the house and sprayed as high as the 86-foot tall lantern tower. In another log entry, Keeper Sanderson reports seeing a small boat embedded in an ice floe nearby. A father and son were spied collapsed in the craft, frozen to death. Unable to offer assistance, the keeper watched helplessly as the floe drifted on past the lighthouse. Today, a visit to Cana Island Lighthouse offers a chance to climb the 98-step spiral staircase to view the rocky shoreline below juxtaposed against the idyllic setting 4th Quarterly Bulletin inhabited by brave keepers and of being the last manned lighthouse on the their families. Great Lakes. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, built In addition to lighthouses, visitors to in 1868, guards the eastern Door County enjoy an array of offerings passage into Green Bay from such as the fabled “Fish Boils,” which Lake Michigan. Constructed features storytelling and a traditional feast of Cream City brick on a prepared over an open fire. Door County 50-foot limestone bluff, the is also noted for its bountiful crops and square tower houses a tencherries and cherry-based products from sided lantern room standing jams to wines. And, the Swedish-Icelan43-feet tall. Eagle Bluff was dic-Belgian-German heritage is evident home to just three keepers, the county-wide in the restaurants and craft most documented of which is stores. For local flavor, how about a stack William Duclon who served of Swedish Pancakes at Al Johnson’s with his family for 35 years. Restaurant in Sister’s Bay, where his The Duclons raised seven boys goats munch on roof-top sod, seemingly here and utilized each of them unaware of their high perch? for their subsistence living of A comprehensive tour invites us to go tending cows and chickens, back in time to explore each of Door hunting, and farming vegCounty’s lighthouses’ secrets and stories. etables. The boys had to carry A lighthouse tour of Door County offers a all the family’s water up from unique view into the romance, bravery and the lake below until finally, dedication of men and women who were with only a few young men keepers of the lights. left at home, a well was drilled and driven by a horse powering a treadmill. This self-sufficient family received supplies only once a year and always looked forward to the crate of new books in the delivery. Stories of this family include the disciplinary method of having the boys grab a can of paint and a brush whenever they got into trouble. When the keepers’ quarters were restored, it is said there were between 80 and 90 layers of paint on the walls! Further exploration of Door County included a stop at the scenic Bailey’s Harbor Range lights which have been restored and are on the beautiful grounds of the Ridges Sanctuary. Closer to the hub of Sturgeon Bay, The Sturgeon Bay Canal Station Lighthouse and North Pierhead Lighthouse bear witness to the opening of the Sturgeon Bay Canal to offer a quicker route to thriving Green Bay, and the Sherwood Point Lighthouse, with its unique red-brick exTop right: Plum Island Upper Range. Above: Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. terior, holds the significance Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin Gulf Coast Sentinels, Sunshine, and Sand March 15 - 24, 2015 Note: This tour starts in New Orleans, Louisiana and ends in Fort Myers, Florida Our comprehensive tour of 27 Gulf Coast lighthouses begins on the Ides of March with our welcome dinner in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Our first full day will be a real adventure as we cruise out of Venice passing the remote lighthouses of the Mississippi bird-foot delta. After spending a second night in the French Quarter we will depart for the Port Pontchartrain and completely restored New Canal lighthouses before crossing the longest bridge in the world, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway. Following our visit to the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum we will head east into Mississippi and Alabama. The Round Island Lighthouse in Pascagoula has been restored since our last visit and it is always interesting to climb the only lighthouse in the country that stands in the middle of a four lane highway (Biloxi Lighthouse). Boats will be required to reach the only two standing lighthouses in Alabama, Middle Bay and Sand Island. Our trip out to Middle Bay, one of only two screwpile lighthouses in the country in its original location, will be aboard the Joshua, a 72-foot gaff rigged sailing schooner. Continuing along Florida’s Forgotten Coast, stops will be made at Scheduled Lighthouses lighthouses at Pensacola, St. Joseph Point (now with a lantern room), Southwest Pass (1839) Cape St. George, Crooked River, Itinerary Summary Southwest Pass (1871) and the recently moved Cape San Southwest Pass Entrance Blas lighthouses. An early start the March 15 - New Orleans (Welcome dinner) South Pass (Port Eads) next day takes us to the St. Marks March 16 - New Orleans, Louisiana Pass a l’Outre Lighthouse and out to view our first March 17 - Biloxi, Mississippi Gretna of several off-shore lights at Cedar March 18 - Fairhope, Alabama Port Pontchartrain Key. Boat trips to Anclote Key and March 19 - Panama City, Florida Tchefuncte River Egmont Key complete our tour of March 20 - Crawfordville, Florida Broadwater Beach these remote lighthouses. Our final March 21 - Cedar Key, Florida Biloxi day begins with a visit to the Boca March 22 - Ellenton, Florida Round Island Grande and Gasparilla Island lightMarch 23 - Fort Myers, Florida Sand Island houses for tours and lunch. In the March 24 - Flights Home Middle (Mobile) Bay afternoon our final lighthouse visit Pensacola will be to the Sanibel Island LightSt. Joseph house. This tour is a great opporCape San Blas tunity to spend a few extra days in New Orleans and reach some remote lighthouses as St. Joseph Point well as several that have been restored or moved in recent years. So escape the snow and Cape St George gloom of winter and head to the Big Easy and Bourbon Street in March for a lighthouse Crooked River trip that promises to be tres bien. St. Marks Cedar Key Anclote Key Other Scheduled Stops Tierra Verde Egmont Key Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum Boca Grande Entrance Rear Range Port Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island) Sanibel Island Single - $3,603 (Cash Discount - $3,495) Double - $6,061 (Cash Discount - $5,880) Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin Belgium & Netherlands Lighthouses and Windmills April 9 - 25, 2015 (17 days/16 nights) Note: This tour starts in Brussels, Belgium and ends in Amsterdam, Netherlands Belgium and the Netherlands are both relatively small in size geographically, yet they boast large concentrations of lighthouses. Our extensive tour of these two history-rich countries will feature a vast array of these vuurtoren, Dutch for “fire tower,” as well as traditional villages, windmills, and cheese markets. Our trip is aptly timed to view the colorful fields striped with tulips, hyacinth and gladiolas for which the region is known. Other Scheduled Stops After gathering in Brussels, Belgium, we travel to the charming cities of Ghent and Bruges. Heading out to the coast, we view the many lighthouses in the four North Sea ports Tour of Ghent and will continue north to the Netherlands’ city of Middelburg, a late 8th century fortified town with its Bruge Canal Cruise merchants’ mansions and old moats. Coast Lighthouse Museum The tour will pause in vibrant Amsterdam and then continue north to the West Frisian Islands in the Free day in Bruges Wadden Sea, before concluding the excursion back in Amsterdam. Kinderdijk (city of windmills) This comprehensive tour of Belgium and the Netherlands Rotterdam Maritime Museum promises a vast array of historic cities, authentic villages, and Escher Museum the many natural wonders of the coastlines and islands. Come Tour of Delft Itinerary Summary along and enjoy the architectural and cultural marvels from Free Day in Amsterdam canals to dykes and, of course, lighthouses! Amsterdam canal cruise April 9 Arrive Brussels Zaanse Schans traditional village April 10 Ghent/Bruges Scheduled Lighthouses April 11-12 Bruges April 13 Middelburg Scheveningen Noorderhoofd Belgium: April 14-15 Rotterdam Scheveningen Zuiderhoofd Nieuwpoort West Mole April 16 Delft Van de Valk Pier Scheveningen Nieuwpoort East Mole April 17-18 Amsterdam Katwijk Lighthouse Nieuwpoort Lighthouse April 19-20 Den Helder Noordwijk an Zee Lighthouse Oostende West Pier April 21-22 Harlingen IJmuiden Nieuwe Zuiderhoofd Oostende “Lange Nelle” April 23-24 Amsterdam IJmuiden Oude Zuiderhoofd Blankenberge April 25 Flights home IJmuiden Lage Range Front Lightship Mayflower IJmuiden Hoge Range Rear Zeebruge Old Mole IJmuiden Nieuwe Noorderhoofd Zeebruge Zeeluis (Omookaai) IJmuiden Oude Noorderhoofd Zeebrugge (Heist) Range Rear Egmond aan Zee Lightship West Hinder II Zanddijk Knokke-Heist Lighthouse (replica) Huiduinen Kijkduin “Lange Jaap” Netherlands: Lightship 11 Texel light tower Nieuwe Sluis (Breskens) Range Rear Schilbolsnol Vlissingen Lighthouse Den Hoorn Kaapduinen Range Rear Eierland (Texel) Kaapduinen Range Front Lightship 10 Texel Zoutelande Range Front Vlieland Westkapelle Lighthouse Terschelling (Brandaris) Noorderhoofd Range Front Ameland (Bornrif) West Schouwen (Haamstede) Lemmer (replica) Westhoofd (Ouddorp) Urk Goedereede Elburg Brielle (Stenen Baken) Haderwijk (de Vischpoort) Hellevoetsluis Volendam Lightship 12 Noord-Hinder Paard van Marken Hoek van Holland High Range Rear Single - $6,287 (Cash Discount - $6,098) Scheveningen Double - $9,675 (Cash Discount - $9,385) Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin South Carolina & Georgia Lighthouses and Southern Charm May 2 - 10, 2015 Centering around the oldest cities in South Carolina and Georgia this tour is loaded with lighthouses, history and southern charm. We will visit every standing lighthouse in both states and provide ample time to explore two of the South’s most beautiful cities: Charleston and Savannah. In Charleston we will be staying at a hotel set in the original Citadel Military College in the heart of the historic downtown. Savannah’s free day will allow you to embark on a historic tour or browse the River Street boutiques just steps away from our hotel. Choose from historic forts, haunting cemeteries, classic southern architecture, parks, plantations, churches, museums and monuments. Add to this some difficult to access lighthouses as well as some good ol’ fashion southern cooking and you have the makings of a tour that will allow you to delete some things from your bucket list. Beginning and ending in Charleston, our first boat trip will be out to see the lights of Cape Romain, one of the few locations where both the new and old towers still stand. That same day we will cruise to a remote barrier island through a bird-watchers paradise to South Carolina’s oldest lighthouse, the Georgetown Lighthouse. Here you will have an opportunity to beachcomb and enjoy some shelling opportunities. Along the way we may encounter dolphins, eagles, and alligators. Leaving Charleston after a free day to explore on your own, stops will be made to view Sullivan’s Island, Morris Island and Hunting Island lighthouses and we will venture onto a golf course to see the Hilton Head Range Light. Speed boats and golf carts will be provided to tour Daufuskie Island before we head to Savannah. A free day in Savannah will be followed Itinerary Summary by two more boat trips to tour Sapelo Island and the elusive Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse. One more boat ride will take us out to get an up-close view of Cockspur Island and a water view of Tybee May 2 - Charleston Airport Island. The end of the tour is highlighted by climbing two wonderfully preserved and restored lighthouses May 3 - Charleston at St Simons Island and Tybee Island. It promises to be fun, entertaining, educational and loaded with May 4 - Charleston (Free Day) southern hospitality! May 5 - Hilton Head May 6 - Savannah May 7 - Savannah (Free Day) May 8 - Brunswick Scheduled Lighthouses May 9 - Charleston Airport May 10 - Flights home Old Cape Romain New Cape Romain Georgetown St Phillips (Fort Sumter RR) Sullivan’s Island Morris Island Hunting Island Hilton Head Rear Range Harbour Town Haig Point Bloody Point Front Range Savannah Harbor Sapelo Island Sapelo Island Front Range Little Cumberland Island St. Simons Island Cockspur Tybee Island Single - $3,495 (Cash Discount - $3,390) Double - $5,546 (Cash Discount - $5,380) Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin New Jersey “Plus” Lighthouses and Liberty June 1 - 8, 2015 Beginning in the “City of Brotherly Love” the Society’s 2015 New Jersey tour adds “plus” with our first tour of the new National Lighthouse Museum and a boat cruise to include some extra New York lighthouses. Along the way we will visit three of the tallest lighthouses in the country, the first one to install a Fresnel lens and the oldest lighthouse in the U.S. “Lighthousing” begins with two rear range skeletal towers at Tinicum and Finn’s Point, a visit to the East Point Lighthouse and a tour of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse whose design resembles the Point Fermin and East Brother Lighthouses in California. The day concludes with a climb to the top of the beautiful Cape May Lighthouse (199 steps) and a visit to the museum housing the lighthouse’s first order lens. Our initial cruise of the tour departs the following day from Cape May for views of the lights in Delaware Bay (Brandywine, Cross Ledge, Fourteen Foot Bank, Miah Maull Shoal, Elbow of Cross Ledge, and Ship John Shoal). Upon returning to shore, we will spend the afternoon relaxing in Cape May, the nation’s oldest seashore resort. The next morning begins by climbing 228 steps to the top of Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, the first lighthouse built under supervision of the Lighthouse Board. If that isn’t enough, we will stop to see the first order lens from Barnegat Lighthouse and then climb Old Barney, the fourth tallest lighthouse in the country. Our day concludes at a much shorter lighthouse at Sea Girt, the site of the first radio beacon mounted in a shore installation Scheduled Lighthouses in the U.S. The next day is nothing short of historical as we start with a tour of one of the few remaining twin lights in the country located at the Highlands of Navesink. Built with two lights Tinicum Rear Range to distinguish it from the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, this was the first lighthouse in the country to Finns Point display a Fresnel lens. One of these lenses, a spectacular seven ton bi-valve lens, is on display East Point at the lighthouse, where you can climb one of the towers and view the oldest lighthouse in the Hereford Inlet country at Sandy Hook (1764), which will be our next tour stop. The remainder of the day will Cape May be spent on Staten Island visiting the Staten Island, Elm Tree, and Fort Wadsworth lighthouses. Brandywine Shoal Our “plus” day begins with a tour of the newly opened National Lighthouse Museum located at Cross Ledge the old U.S. Lighthouse Service “super” depot site on Staten Island where, at one time, equipMiah Maull Shoal ment was tested and all lighthouse keepers were trained. We’ll then catch a ride on the Staten Elbow of Cross Ledge Island ferry over to Manhattan and board another vessel for a 3 ½ hour cruise in and around Ship John Shoal New York Harbor. Some of the lighthouses included are: the Statue of Liberty, Great Beds, West Absecon Bank, Robbins Reef, and Romer Shoal. Tucker’s Beach (Replica) On our return trip to Philadelphia the Other Scheduled Stops Barnegat following day, we will take time to visit Sea Girt several historical sites in and around the Barnegat Light Historical Museum - 1st order lens Navesink city before heading back to our airport Cape May County Museum - 1st order lens Sandy Hook hotel for the farewell dinner. This excitNational Lighthouse Museum, Staten Island Conover Beacon ing tour will leave you with memories Historic Philadelphia tour Staten Island of a number of “pluses” including tall Elm Tree lighthouses, the Jersey shore, historical Fort Wadsworth locations, the National Lighthouse MuStatue of Liberty seum and, as always, the friendship of your fellow wickies! Robbin’s Reef New Dorp Prince’s Bay Itinerary Summary Coney Island Great Beds June 1 - Philadelphia - Welcome Dinner West Bank June 2 - Cape May Romer Shoal June 3 - Cape May Old Orchard Shoal (Ruins) June 4 - Neptune, NJ June 5 - Staten Island, NY June 6 - Staten Island, NY June 7 - Philadelphia - Farewell Dinner Single - $3,237 (Cash Discount - $3,140) June 8 - Flights home Double - $5,103 (Cash Discount - $4,950) a Fiscal Year, 2014 4th Quarterly Bulletin Summer Solstice Expedition to the Outer Hebrides June 14 - 29, 2015 The Western Isles of Scotland and Hebrides are remote, wild, and scenically one of the most spectacular corners of the world. Most of the lighthouses are located on tiny islands or remote cliffs which are only accessible by boats capable of safely navigating the hundreds of miles of narrow passage ways and bays. Exploring the Hebrides by boat is an adventure so very few people ever get the opportunity to take, because only a handful of small boats are equipped and rated highly enough to safely carry passengers. USLHS is very fortunate to have successfully chartered a former Norwegian ocean-going rescue boat, which has been lovingly converted to include six cabins designed for a dozen passengers. Yes, you read it right. We can take only 12 people on our midnight sun adventure, so an early sign-up is critical if you want to go. We can promise you a spectacular journey with the rugged Scottish highland mountains and the Cuillin peaks of Skye as a backdrop. In complete contrast the Outer Hebrides are kissed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, bringing aquamarine colors and white sandy beaches to the island of Berneray where we visit Barra Head lighthouse. The population of many islands has declined dramatically over the last 100 years. None perhaps more evident on our journey than the Isle of Canna, where there is evidence of human habitation for more than 9,000 years, but today only 12 full-time residents remain. Our adventure starts in Glasgow, Scotland, and a scenic journey northwest to the highland port of Oban. Here we board the vessel, our home for the next 10 nights. Every day crew members not only guide and hike with us on the islands, but they also dive for scallops and fresh seafood for our chefs to prepare. If you enjoy Itinerary Summary a single malt scotch you are in for a real treat, as we will be visiting the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. No boating June 14 - Glasgow Scheduled Lighthouses adventure to this corner of the world would be complete without June 15 - Tobermoray a stop at “The Old Forge” on Loch Nevis. The most remote June 16 - Canna pub in mainland Britain is only accessible by boat or a 34-mile Butt of Lewis June 17 - Hyskeir Tuimpan Head mountain hike. June 18 - Mingulay Upon returning to Oban, we travel to Glasgow and fly to Arnish Point June 19 - Ushenish Eilean Trodday Stornoway on the northern Isle of Lewis. Here we visit three June 20 - Moonon Bay Waternich Point lighthouses, plus the ancient Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, June 21 - Ascrib Islands Neist Point and the Callanish Stones - a 3,500 year mystery circle similar June 22 - Kyle of Localsh Ushenish to Stonehenge. June 23 - Inverie Barra Head June 24 - Grey Isles Hyskeir June 25 - Oban Canna June 26 - Stornoway Ardnamurchan June 27 - Stornoway Rona June 28 - Glasgow Eilean Beag June 29 - Flights home Kyleakin Ornsey Elean Chathastail Lismore Rubha Nan Gall Other Scheduled Stops Dunvagan Castle Castle Brochel Eilean Donnan Clannish circle of Stones 2 people - $13,918 (Cash Discount - $13,500) Fiscal Year, 2014 10 4th Quarterly Bulletin Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Lighthouses and Pasties July 11 - 20, 2015 Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is over 16,000 square miles of timber, wildlife, mines, waterfalls, mountains, inland lakes, and home to the 3% of Michigan’s population known as “yoopers”. With over 1,700 miles of shoreline on three Great Lakes connected by the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, the maritime history of the U.P. is replete with ship wrecks, lighthouses, and the production of more wealth (copper & iron) than the California gold rush. Beginning and ending in Green Bay, Wisconsin, our tour will completely circle the Upper Peninsula including Menominee, Newberry, Munising, Marquette and Copper Harbor. Lighthouse highlights include visiting the isolated stations at Crisp Point and Au Sable as well as viewing the off-shore lights on the islands of Grand, Granite, Little Gull, and Manitou. Along the way you will learn how to pronounce Seul Choix, marvel at the rock formations, waterfalls, and sand dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and ponder the splendor of the largest freshwater lake in the world. You will gaze out into Lake Superior at Whitefish Point where waves break together from two different directions and see the spot where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. After visiting the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, you will have trouble getting Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting melody out of your mind. Our tour will take you to the beacons that lit the Keweenaw Peninsula and guided ships through the Keweenaw Waterway. The area north of the waterway is known as Copper Island, because the waterway separates the northern part of the peninsula from the mainland. It is home to even more lighthouses including one with an unusual architecture at Sand Hills. And, if that isn’t enough to entice you to join us, we will also take you to a copper mine, picturesque Tahquamenon and Munising Falls, a bear ranch and the lighthouse at Big Bay Point where a murder rooted at the lighthouse inspired the novel and movie Anatomy of a Murder. Along with all this history and culture, we will include regional culinary favorites including wild thimbleberry jam, whitefish cooked a dozen different ways and, of course, the ubiquitous pasty (rhymes with nasty). By Scheduled Lighthouses the time you finish the tour Au Sable Grand Marais Range Lights Munising Range Lights you will no longer be a troll, Big Bay Point Granite Island Ontonagon which is Yooper for someone Copper Harbor Gull Rock Ontonagon West Pierhead who lives “under the bridge” Copper Harbor Range Jacobsville (Portage River) Point Iroquois referring to those that live Crisp Point Keweenaw Waterway Lower Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater below (or downstate from) Eagle Harbor Manistique East Breakwater Sand Hills the Mackinaw Bridge. So, Eagle Harbor Range Manitou Island Sand Point (Baraga) pack a pasty, your How to Escanaba Harbor Marquette Harbor Breakwater Sand Point (Escanaba) Speak Yooper book and make Grand Island East Channel Marquette Lighthouse Seul Choix your way to the “Toilet Paper Grand Island Harbor Range Mendota (Bete Grise) Whitefish Point Capital of the World” – Green Grand Island North Menominee North Pier Bay, Wisconsin! Other Scheduled Stops Itinerary Summary July 11 July 12-13 July 14 July 15 July 16-18 July 19 July 20 Green Bay, Wisconsin Newberry, Michigan Munising Marquette Houghton Green Bay, Wisconsin Flights home Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Marquette Maritime Museum Munising Falls Quincy Mine & Hoist Oswald Bear Ranch Tahquamenon Falls Single - $3,485 (Cash Discount - $3,380) Double - $5,938 (Cash Discount - $5,760) Fiscal Year, 2014 11 4th Quarterly Bulletin Door County Sentinels and Shipwrecks August 2 - 8, 2015 The Door County Peninsula of Wisconsin is flanked by 300 miles of craggy coastline along the shores of Lake Michigan. Its surrounding islands and treacherous passageways were the stuff of legends for 19th and 20th century sailors. Consequently, 11 lighthouses were built, making Door County home to the most lighthouses of any county in the country. Our 2015 Door County tour will explore these, as well as the lighthouses surrounding beautiful Lake Winnebago. Our tour begins and ends in Green Bay. In addition to some 29 lighthouses, we will have a chance to visit the fascinating Door County Maritime Museum and tour the fully restored 1960s era Great Lakes tug John Purves. We will be boarding a retired fire boat for one of our lighthouse excursions. And of course, no visit to Door County would be complete without an authentic fish boil, a traditional feast of local fish cooked over a dramatic fire, accompanied by pageantry and storytelling. This tour offers an exciting opportunity to explore lighthouses protecting Wisconsin’s coastlines on both Lake Michigan and Green Bay, as well as scenic Lake Winnebago. Along the way, we will hear the Other Scheduled Stops tales of the area’s early native inhabitants, French trappers, and the intrepid sailors and lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes. We will sample authentic cuisine introduced by settlers from Belgium and Scandinavia, Door County Maritime Museum and enjoy photo opportunities of well-preserved lighthouses, historic farms, and extraordinary natural Thordarson Estate beauty. In typical U.S. Lighthouse Society fashion, this is sure to be a memorable trip. Itinerary Summary Scheduled Lighthouses Grassy Island Range Lighthouse Sherwood Point Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Bailey’s Harbor Range Lights Old Bailey’s Harbor Cana Island Eagle Bluff St. Martin Poverty Island Plum Island Pilot Island Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse Chambers Island Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse Neenah (Kimberly Point) Bray’s Point Asylum Point Fond du Lac Calumet Aug. 2 Aug. 3-5 Aug. 6-7 Aug. 8 - Green Bay Ellison Bay Green Bay Flights home Single - $2,882 (Cash Discount - $2,795) Double - $4,928 (Cash Discount - $4,780) Fiscal Year, 2014 12 4th Quarterly Bulletin Northern California Lighthouses Farallon Islands to St George Reef September 22 - October 1, 2015 From the Bay to the border with Oregon, come and enjoy the most complete tour of Northern California lighthouses we have ever been able to offer. Journey with us to the amazing San Francisco Bay including Alcatraz Island Light, and out to the Farallon Islands for a photo opportunity of a truly remote light station. Explore the famous “Fisherman’s Wharf” and see the 1st order Fresnel lens from Farallon Island Light on display there. No lighthouse trip to Northern California would be complete without walking through the long tunnel and across the suspension bridge to Point Bonita, or a hike down the cliff paths and 300 steps to the Point Reyes Light. The northern California coastal landscape is rugged and wild, and among other beautiful lighthouses, this tour will provide the unique opportunity to photograph up close the most expensive lighthouse built in the U.S.—St. George Reef—which we will be seeing via vessel. Our days are filled with 17 lighthouse adventures and magnificent coastal scenery including Scheduled Lighthouses monumental redwoods and local wineries. From Mendocino to Sonoma to Humboldt Counties, your Northern California tour promises to be exciting and memorable. Lightship RELIEF (LV605) Oakland Harbor East Brothers Island Itinerary Summary Yerba Buena Island Lighthouse Alcatraz September 22 - Oakland Lime Point Lighthouse (remains) September 23 - Oakland Mile Rock Lighthouse (remains ) September 24 - Crescent City Fort Point September 25 - Crescent City Point Bonita Lighthouse September 26 - Eureka Farallon Islands September 27 - Fort Bragg Point Reyes Lighthouse September 28 - Jenner Point Arena Lighthouse September 29 - San Francisco Point Cabrillo Lighthouse September 30 - Oakland Table Bluff Lighthouse October 1 - Flights home Trinidad Lighthouse Battery Point Lighthouse St. George Reef Other Scheduled Stops Simi Winery Redwood Grove Del Norte County Historical Society Museum Single - $3,794 (Cash Discount - $3,680) Double - $6,129 (Cash Discount - $5,945) Fiscal Year, 2014 13 4th Quarterly Bulletin Downeast Maine Lighthouses and Lobsters October 6 - 12, 2015 At the mention of the phrase “Down East,” one envisions quaint fishing villages, snug bays, and myriad lighthouses studding tree-lined shores. Our 2015 Maine tour brings you all this and much more. This lighthouse adventure is timed such that we will travel during the peak of fall colors, and we’ll be there when Maine’s famous lobsters are in season. We’ll begin and end in Bangor and head north to historic Campobello Island, the former summer home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an island in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada. We will overnight in Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town in the continental United States, whose region features the East Quoddy, West Quoddy, and Mulholland Lighthouses. We’ll then head to Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, our base for three nights. Bar Harbor was New England’s premier summer resort in the 19th century and boasts estates built for some of America’s most influential families. Our exploration of this region includes a tour of Acadia National Park, Maine’s quintessential natural setting featuring rocky coastlines, mountains, ponds and marshlands where wildlife abounds. And, we have arranged two jet-powered catamaran cruises from Bar Harbor to maximize viewing and photographing of the area’s many offshore lighthouses, including Great Duck Island, Baker Island, Bear Island and Egg Rock Island as well as Bass Island and Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse. Along the way, we hope to spot the many whales, porpoise, and seabirds—even puffins—who frolic in these rich coastal waters. We have also allotted plenty of time on your own in Bar Harbor to walk, shop or even soak up the history aboard a stately horse-drawn carriage. Scheduled Lighthouses Lighthouses, lobsters, fall colors, and abundant wildlife are sure to intrigue and entertain even the most seasoned traveler. East Quoddy Itinerary Summary Book now to join us in October for the Down East and Acadia West Quoddy Head Maine tour. Mulholland Oct. 6 Bangor -Welcome Dinner Little River Oct. 7 Lubec Baker Island Oct. 8-10 - Bar Harbor Bear Island Oct. 11 - Bangor- Farewell Dinner Egg Rock Oct. 12 - Flights home Great Duck Island Winter Harbor Bass Harbor Head Petit Manan Moosepeak Nash Island Pond Island Prospect Harbor Other Scheduled Stops Roosevelt Campobello Park Acadia National Park Single - $2,784 (Cash Discount - $2,700) Double - $4,742 (Cash Discount - $4,600) Fiscal Year, 2014 14 Tour Registration 4th Quarterly Bulletin If a tour is full, we will return your check and place you on a standby list. Standbys are notified on a first come, first served basis when openings become available. I am interested in the tours that I have checked below: GULF COAST Number in Party Number in Party ______ MICHIGAN’S UPPER PENINSULA March 15-24, 2015 July 11-20, 2015 NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM ______ DOOR COUNTY April 9-25, 2015 ______ August 2-8, 2015 SOUTH CAROLINA & GEORGIA ______ NORTHERN CALIFORNIA May 2-10, 2015 ______ September 22-October 1, 2015 NEW JERSEY “PLUS” ______ NORTHERN MAINE June 1-8, 2015 THE HEBRIDES ______ ______ October 6-12, 2015 ______ June 14-29, 2015 Send registration form with deposit to: U.S. Lighthouse Society, 9005 Point No Point Rd. NE, Hansville, WA 98340 USLHS Tour Policies • Tour prices include all coach and vessel charters, lodging, admission fees and most meals. The price does not include air fare. A 3% discount off the listed price is provided for cash payments. • A deposit of $200 per person is required to reserve space on all tours. Payment is due in full upon receipt of invoice. Deposits are refundable only if a reservation is cancelled 75 days prior to the beginning of the tour. • Once full payment has been received, cancellations 30 days or less prior to the tour date are subject to a $100 per person cancellation fee. Any non-recoverable advance payments will be deducted prior to any refund. Please do not combine tour deposits with other payments such as membership dues. However, deposits for several tours may be combined in one check. Tour prices are subject to change. Please see the Society website for other tour policies. Total Amount Enclosed $ _______________________________ Check Number: _________________________________ Credit Card info: (check one) Visa ___ Mastercard ___ Discover ___ Number: __________________________________________________ Exp. Date: _______ 3-digit code: _____ PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY AND COMPLETE ALL FIELDS THAT APPLY. Participants (Names as you would like on name tags) ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Street: _______________________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________________ State: __________________________________ Zip: __________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________ Fax No.: ______________________________________________ Email: _________________________________