Cleveland East Breakwater Light

On Sunday, Lori and I drove to the Cleveland area for a work related conference. We decided while we were in the area, we should check out some of the Cleveland Lighthouses. We had seen the Cleveland Lighthouses about 9 years ago on a trip back from Chicago to Morgantown, but it was pretty hazy on that particular day and we did not get a good view of the lighthouses.

Our trip got a little interesting when we pulled out the Garmin GPS. We had yet another experience with the GPS that was not exactly to our liking. See our Garmin post. We had driven to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then used the custom point of interest (POI) file I had originally downloaded whe I bought the Garmin. The Garmin got extremely confused with all of the roads near the Cleveland waterfront and on several occasions put us on the wrong street. It also kept telling us to make turns where there were no roads - only concrete barriers. We finally put the Garmin away and went back to the Cleveland Browns Stadium, next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The view was much better this time around as we had a bright sunny day with clear skies and temperatures in the mid 80s. But we were disappointed that we could not get any closer than we did because of the fences surrounding the docks. We had forgotten our regular camera, and had to use the cameras on our cell phones, which didn't work out very well. Those cameras don't have a strong enough zoom to get a really good picture. Also because of the fences, we were fighting to get a picture that didn't have the fence covering up the lighthouse. On top of that, the sun was hitting the water just right to put a glare on the lighthouse. Needless to say, we saw the lighthouse, but did not succeed in getting any great pictures. Maybe next time we will rent a boat and go out to the lighthouse to get pictures.

After the disappointing results at the West Breakwater Light, we decided not to go see the East Pierhead Light.

We have a trip scheduled in June to attend a wedding in Detroit. We are hoping to see the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse and the Port Huron Lighthouse, two new lighthouses for us. Hopefully, we will have better luck (and remember our camera) on that trip. Until then.....

New Lighthouse Blog

Today I came across a new lighthouse blog that I wanted to share with my readers. Yes, I know that by sharing this, I risk losing followers. The competition for readership is fierce. Just ask Ashton Kutcher. I especially run the risk of losing followers because of who writes this new blog - Jeremy D' Entremont. For lighthouse enthusiasts, you will probably recognize the name. Jeremy is, in my opinion, the premier lighthouse historian and photographer. He launched his new blog on April 1, 2009.

In addition to his duties as a lighthouse photographer and historian, Jeremy is the 1st VP of the American Lighthouse Foundation and the operations manager for the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. His long list of titles inlcude author and lighthouse preservationist. Truly an American gem when it comes to lighthouses.

Jeremy's blog, New England Lighthouses, will provide history, news and commentary on the lighthouses of New England. Please add Jeremy's blog to your follower list. I know I will.

Spotlight On: Cape Charles

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel from Norfolk, VA across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to the Delmarva Peninsula. When crossing the Bay Bridge Tunnel, one can view the Cape Charles Lighthouse from the highway on a clear day and thus, the inspiration behind this week's post.

The Cape Charles Lighthouse is not accesible by land. It sits on Smith Island on the north edge of the mouth of the Chesapeake. It is the third such lighthouse to sit on the site and is intended to compliment the Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach, VA on the south side of the Chesapeake's mouth.

Cape Charles is a skeleton tower light, which allows it to withstand the hurricanes force winds and waves. The original tower was a rubble stone tower that stood a mere 55 feet tall. It was commissioned in 1826 but was grossly inadequate for the job. In 1860 the second tower was commissioned. The second tower was a brick conical tower of 150 feet. However, the Confederate Army prevented the lighthouse from being completed until 1864.

Less than 20 years later, the Lighthouse Board was forced to replace the lighthouse a second time due to beach erosion. In the 20 years since the second tower had been built, the forces of nature eroded away and average of 30 FEET of beach PER YEAR! It would take another twelve years before the new lighthouse was completed and activated. At the time of its activation, the Lighthouse Board had implemented a numerical flash pattern. Cape Charles would have a 4-5 flash pattern. Numerical flash patterns proved two expensive to implement across all of the nation's lighthouses. Cape Charles was the second and last lighthouse to be given a numerical flash pattern. The other is Minot's Ledge which has a 1-4-3 flash pattern. When Cape Charles was completed, it became the second tallest lighthouse in the United States behind Cape Hatteras. It stands 191 feet tall.

My apologies

My apologies to the followers of this blog. We have been without phone and internet service for over a week due to an issue with Verizon. Unfortunately, I was unable to post during my lunch hour at work. I will try to catch up this weekend, but in the mean time, please accept my apologies.