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Friday, June 24, 2016

Lighthouses - Five on Friday

I'm joining in with Amy over at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

With our trip coming up tomorrow I thought I'd share a little about the lighthouses of Michigan. If you've visited my blog before you've seen pictures of lighthouses here. Since leaving work last year hubby and I have been visiting them. I really love history. In England it's really easy to find historic places, turn around and you bump into one. Here in America, not so much. It's a much younger country and Michigan became a state in 1837. It's not so easy to find history. But Michigan does have lighthouses. In abundance.

There are 129 lighthouses in Michigan - more lighthouses than any other state. Four of the Great Lakes border Michigan - Huron, Superior, Erie and Michigan. I think it's going to take us quite a while to see them but we are determined to do as many as we can.

I'm not going to overload - just share five. Four of them we've visited and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of them. The fifth is one of those we hope to visit on our way up north.


South Haven Lighthouse. This is one of the closes to us. It was built in 1872. The picture above was taken in the summer.



I love these views of this lighthouse. We visited again in the dead of winter. You can see how in the winter the lake is all frozen over and even the back of the lighthouse had ice on it. This was my first visit to Lake Michigan when the lake was frozen.

You can almost see the frozen waves. Or is it just my imagination?

St. Joseph Lighthouse

This is another one we visited in the winter. We have yet to visit in the summer yet. It's on our list. Our son lives really close to it so no excuses!

It was built in 1832.

Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse

I think it's the romantic in me that likes this one. It is (apparently) privately owned though I think it is by more than one person. I like the thought of being able to live in the lighthouse though it needs a lot of restoration! It is quite remote though.


We saw it when we took a trip on the Pictured Rocks tour.

Au Sable Point Lighthouse

This was one we visited in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There was quite a walk along a mosquito-laden path before we reached it. Luckily we had plenty of spray. You could see swarms of mosquitoes follow as we walked along.



The view from this one was so beautiful. It seemed like the very edge of the world. I imagine having to stay here in a harsh Michigan winter with the bitter cold and snow blowing off the lake.

Point Betsie Lighthouse

This is one we hope to visit on our way up north. This is not a picture I took. 



This picture is taken from a really cool lighthouse website that shows you all the lighthouses in Michigan. Map of Michigan Lighthouses  .  You can click on different parts of the map to see lighthouses in different parts of the state. It's a really great website for anything Michigan Lighthouse.

 We have so many more to visit. We have done a lot along this side of the state and some up in the Upper Peninsula but only one on the other side of the state. Next year we hope to take a trip over that side of the state to do some more. There are also some that you can only see from the water so it sounds like a few boat trips are in our future!

Thanks for looking. I love reading comments.



24 comments:

  1. Lovely collection! I've always dreamed to live in a lighthouse...
    Greetings from Germany

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  2. I've enjoyed reading about and looking at your five lighthouses, all very different but through history so important. The third one looks different to the others but perhaps that is because you mention that it is lived in as a home rather than used as a lighthouse now.

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  3. What a lovely collection of Lighthouses, I think I can see the waves on the first one. I love lighthouses too, we have one on the Wirral that looks to the mouth of the Mersey - we love it. Have a lovely weekend xx

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  4. How interesting, they look the same but quite different from lighthouses in the UK. I can see frozen waves in the first one too. Have a great trip.

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  5. I love the lighthouse frozen during the winter. I agree, it does look like frozen waves. I hope you can journey to your light house up north. Enjoy your week.

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  6. All great lighthouses, but I was enchanted by the two winter scenes. It really does look like frozen waves what a wonderful experience to see that. Have a great weekend.

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  7. I love lighthouses. We go all over the coast here to see them. I love painting lighthouses. Hadn't realized that 4 of the Great Lakes border Michigan. Went to a wedding in Detroit once, that's our only visit to Michigan.

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  8. These are lovely, especially the one caked in snow. It sounds like you've got lots of other lighthouses to visit as well. :-)

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  9. I have only seen lighthouses in Maine not Michigan but they are just as interesting especially in the snow. I really like the ones with houses attached it would be fun to vacation in one of those I think.
    bon weekend
    Maggie

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  10. I really enjoyed your wonderful series of photos! Those light houses are so lovely. Especially I like that frozen one.

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  11. I too live in Michigan, and about 5 years ago, my husband and I decided that we would work to try and see every light house and light station in Michigan. So far we have see all of them on the east side of the state, many in the U.P. and some on the west side. A couple of years ago we took a two week camping trip to try and see as many as possible. We knocked 21 off our list on that trip alone. I love that we share this love of lighthouses, they really are so unique and different. :) Next week we are heading to Muskegeon and Ludington to knock a few more off the list. Maybe we'll cross paths sometime!

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    1. The Ludington ones are great. We went there a few weeks ago. We went up to the top of them. The one in the state park is gorgeous and the views spectacular. I did a post on it when we went. We're off on travels again so not sure what date that was. It's nice to find someone who appreciates them too!

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    2. I just saw the post on the Whitehall Lighthouse. We have missed that one in our travels! We'll have to add that to our list! I need to start doing a better job of documenting on my blog. I love your posts! (Sorry about spelling Muskegon wrong earlier, I haven't had my coffee yet. :)

      How did you like Traverse City? I'm originally from T.C. It's a beautiful place to visit. :)

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    3. We love it up that way. We're actually on our way up there now. We'll be camping at Leelanau state park tonight near lighthouse before heading to the UP tomorrow.

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  12. They are beautiful aren't they lighthouses! I have never seen one frozen in like that before. I am sorry to be so late visiting, we had a minor domestic drama yesterday - nothing serious in the end, all ok - but I didn't get a change to do any blogging. Thank you so much for taking part in Five On Friday, I do appreciate it! Hope you are having a great weekend!

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  13. I wonder why we're all so crazy about lighthouses? Maybe because they represent safety in a storm? I've never figured it out, but I'm an admirer, though I live in the middle of the country with not a lighthouse in sight.

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  14. Lighthouses awaken the romantic in me. I'd love to spend some time in one. Here on Vancouver Island we see lots of lighthouses and it's interesting to see how the local architecture of your area affects the design of your lighthouses and visa versa. The privately owned lighthouse fits so well into its woodsy setting.

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  15. Thanks for your post, Sharon! I did not realize there are so many lighthouses in MI !
    I hope you are able to visit them all and share your visits with us :) I think I saw frozen waves on your wintery lighthouse! For fifteen years I lived a few blocks from the Saugerties Lighthouse on the west bank of the Hudson River in NY. For seven years I lived in Crescent City, CA, and enjoyed the Crescent City Lighthouse and the St. George Reef Lighthouse. Photos and sketches of lighthouses decorate the wall of my room...interesting beacons of hope for safety!

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  16. Wow - how many lighthouses, will you visit them all?

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    1. There are 129. We're going to try for as many as we can but some are out on small islands so it is a matter of finding how to get to see them. My husband's aunt has visited all but one!

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  17. Hi Sharon really cool seeing all these lighthouses and wow it surely must get very cold there in Michigan I feel cold looking at it!
    Thanks so much for sharing.
    Shaz in Oz.x

    {Shaz in Oz – Calligraphy Cards}

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    1. It gets really cold. Still not sure why I moved here!

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  18. What a great collection of lighthouses. I love to see them. Yours have so many different structures and they are all awesome to see.

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