Yep, that was my view of the sunrise over Lake Huron off the hotel balcony. But let me back up...While I am currently a New Yorker, I was born and raised in Michigan. I absolutely love my home state- so this summer my family and I are taking a trip to visit some of our favorite destinations in the Great Lake State. I can't wait to blog about every special spot!
Our trip started in Mackinaw City. While this part of the state is best known for the gorgeous Mackinac Island, there are several other attractions that I absolutely love! First is the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse.
I am particularly interested in lighthouses at the moment (given my summer plans), so I was really excited to check out this beauty. Built in 1892, this beacon worked tirelessly to keep ships from harm as they navigated the harrowing Straits of Mackinac. Inside, the lighthouse has been reconstructed to reflect life as it was in 1910.
This fourth order Fresnel lens was original to the structure, and magnified a kerosene lamp until the conversion to electricity in 1929.
The lighthouse had been beautifully restored, and included several teaching aides as well as memorabilia.
But I think the best part of the light house was right through there and up those stairs!
Yep- I'm talking about the tower. As we climbed the 45 foot climb to the top, we were able to sneak a view out of the portholes along the way.
And once we made it to the top were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Mackinac Bridge.
Talk about an awesome sight! From this vantage point you could see for quite a ways in any direction, including straight across to the island. Here's a shot of my brother in front of the bridge.
But back to the lighthouse! Since the lens was displayed downstairs, this was all that was left of the light mechanism in the top of the tower. When the lighthouse was still in use, a turning mechanism was anchored here that spun the lens (this particular lighthouse had a flashing light). The mechanism had to be wound by hand every 5 hours- can you believe it?
After we had enjoyed some time at the top, we climbed back down the tower and checked out the rest of the site.
In addition to the lighthouse there was a fog signal building that had been converted to a gift shop...
As well as an outbuilding that informed visitors about the Great Lakes shipwrecks.
After we had seen everything at the lighthouse, we walked down to the water's edge.
My brother amazed me with his rock skipping skills (seriously- he's really good at it!)...
And I marveled at the Mackinac Bridge. If you're not familiar with this roadway, let me give you some facts: opened to traffic in 1957, it is the third longest suspension bridge in the world spanning 26,372 feet total. As a suspension bridge, it was engineered to endure tremendous weather conditions; the center of the bridge can move up to 35 feet east or west due to high winds. Talk about some serious engineering!
And we took a moment to enjoy the beautiful beach before we were off to our next exciting destination!
Thank you for stopping by- I can't wait to share more photos of my beautiful home state! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a festive 4th of July!
