Lighthouses and Navigational Lights

I see the light across the bay,
I see the light not far away;
And I hear the music all around,
I'm gettin' closer to Portland Town.
So, Mother, won't you make my bed,
I see the light off Portland Head;
I see the light, I'm comin' 'round,
I'm comin' home to Portland Town.

Schooner Fare, Portland Town

Lighthouses and other navigational aides have been important to mariners across the millennia, and never more so than in the Great Lakes where treacherous rocks and narrow channels are the norm.  On our trip we found quite a variety of beautiful lights.  We thought they were pretty enough to warrant their own blog entry.

Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse, Youngstown NY [Lake Ontario]

Fort Niagara was a location of great military strategic and economic importance because it guarded the entrance to the Niagara River just across from Canada. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the river.

30 Mile Point Lighthouse, Golden Hill State Park NY [Lake Ontario]

We stopped for lunch at this state park hoping to have a view of the lake while we ate.  We were pleasantly surprised to find we had a lighthouse as well!

Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, Oswego NY [Lake Ontario]

It seems we found many of the lighthouses over lunch, and this one is no exception.  The lighthouse sits well off from shore along a breakwater that protects the entrance to the Oswego River. This is also the location of Fort Ontario.

Tibbets Point Lighthouse, Cape Vincent NY [Lake Ontario]

Our friends Bill and Gail had recommended that we visit this scenic lighthouse.  It sits on a long skinny point of land and marks the channel to the St. Lawrence River.  The day we visited it was very windy and raining sideways.  You can see the water droplets on the camera lens.

Channel Light, Wellington, ON [Lake Ontario]

We stopped at this lovely beach for lunch as we traveled across Prince Edward County.  This navigational light sits at the end of a breakwater and marks the entrance to the channel to the town harbor.

Presqu'ile Point Lighthouse, Presqu'ile Provincial Park ON [Lake Ontario]

The Presqu'ile lighthouse marks the entrance to a protected bay behind a long skinny peninsula that has been made into a lovely provincial park, where we stayed for one night.  Somewhere in history the lighthouse lost it top, and now only has a light sitting where a beautiful lantern room had once been. 

Tobermory (Big Tub) Lighthouse, Tobermory ON [Bruce Peninsula, Georgian Bay]

This lovely lighthouse sits on exposed limestone on the Niagara Escarpment lighting the channel at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula that is the entrance from Lake Huron to the Georgian Bay.  We stayed several days in Tobermory and a total of 4 nights on the Bruce Peninsula.

 

Lions Head Harbour Lighthouse, Lions Head ON [Bruce Peninsula, Georgian Bay]

Another lunch lighthouse, this one marks the entrance to the scenic Lions Head harbor at the base of the dramatic Lions Head Bay. 

Saugeen River Range Front Light House, Southampton, ON [Bruce Peninsula, Lake Huron]

We headed to Southampton in order to visit the last of the large towns on the Bruce Peninsula.  Imagine our delight to find this charming lighthouse marking the entrance to the river that flows through the town.  There was another lighthouse on an island off the coast as well, but the rain clouds and distance kept us from getting a good photo of it.