August 28, 2017 Monday
The fact that we are both wearing long pants and have a jacket handy and the fact that the last four marinas we have stayed in were only about 20-25% full, I think, indicates that fall has arrived in Northern Michigan.
Local fishermen went out early this morning but returned reporting waves of three to four feet with white caps beginning to form on top. Their report, verified by the marine weather forecast, led us to sit tight and enjoy the island.
Presque which is French for a peninsula literally means “almost an island.” Only a narrow strip of land at the southern end of Presque Isle connects it to the mainland, we are close to the northern end at Presque Isle State Marina. We spent the day hiking and visiting two of Michigan’s 149 lighthouses. Michigan, with its 3,288 miles of shoreline, has more lighthouses than any other state and touring them seems to be a favorite past time in this area.
The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, 38-feet tall, was built in 1840 to guide tall ships into Presque Isle Harbor. Although there are many man-made safe harbors on Lake Huron today, at that time, the only natural harbor between Detroit and Mackinac was Presque Isle Harbor. With the growth of the lumber industry on the peninsula it became necessary to have a lighthouse that not only provided guidance to Presque Isle Harbor but also to the lumber yards north of the harbor, hence in 1870, a 113-foot “New Presque Isle Lighthouse” was built a mile north of the “Old Presque Isle Lighthouse.”
We climbed the one-hundred-thirty wrought iron steps to the catwalk of the new lighthouse for a wonderful view of Lake Huron and Grand Lake. After descending, we visited the museum and hiked to the old light house for a quick tour. The hand-hewn stone steps ending with a ladder to the catwalk proved more challenging than the one-hundred-thirty steps at the new lighthouse. We ended our hike with a walk on the harbor seawall delighted to have spent the day here.
We climbed the one-hundred-thirty wrought iron steps to the catwalk of the new lighthouse for a wonderful view of Lake Huron and Grand Lake. After descending, we visited the museum and hiked to the old light house for a quick tour. The hand-hewn stone steps ending with a ladder to the catwalk proved more challenging than the one-hundred-thirty steps at the new lighthouse. We ended our hike with a walk on the harbor seawall delighted to have spent the day here.
