Yesterday Lake Huron was calm, clear, and beautiful. Today it is covered in whitecaps, created by the high winds and heavy rain. After 1 ½ hours of driving in the rain we arrived at Presque Isle Lighthouse. We visited Presque Isle last year, but decided that this was a must stop as it is one of our favorite lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The rain gods must have known this because the rain stopped just about the time we arrived!
Presque was built in 1871 and is 109 feet tall with 131 steps. This was the first lighthouse that Cheryl climbed (one year ago today), and we both made it to the top again today…tah-dah!! Due to the high winds, we were not able to go out on the catwalk around the top.
In 1905 a second dwelling was added to the property to house the extra people needed to operate the steam powered fog horn. The house has been completely renovated from the basement to the second floor. The inside is beautiful with heart of birch flooring, clear yellow pine woodwork and doors, period paint, and period furnishings.
Our next stop was in Cheboygan, MI which is home to the Cheboygan River Front Range Lighthouse. This lighthouse worked in conjunction with a smaller lighthouse called the Cheboygan Crib Lighthouse. A ship could tell its location by how the lights lined up.
While in Cheboygan, we were able to see the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinac WLBB-30. This is the only heavy ice breaker on the Great Lakes. It is 240 feet long and can plow through 32” of solid ice at 3 knots.
We are staying in Sault Ste Marie, MI for the next three nights and will be traveling to Canada tomorrow.
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