Toledo Ohio, The Glass City.

Yesterday I came across a couple of photos of another one of my favorite lighthouses, The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse. I have not visited this light up close yet, but I have visited it from shore many times. Depending on the haze, you can view this light from many points at Maumee Bay State Park. To see the ammenities this park has to offer, please click HERE!


Many deer wander around @ Maumee Bay State Park.

Maumee Bay State Park is my favorite "quick getaway" that has something for every mood. For a day trip, you can come to enjoy a nature walk on either of the 2 or 3 mile boardwalks through meadows, marshlands, and forest.


The boardwalk trails @ Maumee Bay State Park.

We love to go in the late afternoon and see how many deer we can spot on our hike. Other options are the pools, the beach, or the resort itself. The dining room has one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and basil that we have ever had. Taylor has become quite attached to the playground as well. She knows exactly where it is and which way to go when we arrive.


Taylor not wasting any time getting to the playground @ Maumee Bay State Park.

The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse's Fresnel Lens was moved to Maumee Bay State Park Lodge May 13, 2008 and is located in the main lobby. I found out on the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Preservation Society website that Jim Woodward moved the lens from the lighthouse in 1995 and moved it again from COSI in 2008. COSI is a hands-on science center that used to be in Toledo, but is still operating in Columbus Ohio. The Fresnel lens was enclosed in glass as required by the Coast Guard July 2, 2008. I was there a week before it was moved there, then again a month or so as well. Unfortunately, I didn't walk inside the lobby until after the glass was placed around it.

Photo uploading soon
The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Fresnel Lens @ Maumee Bay State Park.


The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse from Maumee Bay State Park.


We have visited this park during the hottest days of summer, and yes, even the frigid winds of winter. My sister, when visiting from Arizona, puts this park on the top of her "must see" places. I honestly cannot say when I preferr to visit, I love to visit here any time of year.


The frozen waters @ Maumee Bay State Park.

I have yet to see the Toledo Harbor light up close yet, but by summer's end I will. They have the Toledo Lighthouse Festival the 11th and 12th of July this year, and have all types of activities planned, including boat rides out to the light. I hope to see Turtle Island Lighthouse (ruins) up close as well. We were even at the festival last year but never knew about the boat rides! We actually went to see the summer fireworks and listen to the music.To see a copy of the event flier, check it out HERE!

Until next time,

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I wanted to take a moment and thank all of our new followers-- welcome everyone to our blog! I hope everyone can come back again and stay a while!

Now, on with our journeys...
This fall our family was given a few extra days of play than originally anticipated. Our family, working with the automotive industry for years, has felt the wrath of our weakened economy. We were hit by intermittent days off and lack of work lay-offs. So, to make our days a little brighter we planned another day trip to visit "the thumb" of Michigan. We left early on a Friday morning heading north to Bay City Michigan. It was another long car drive, but we were packed and ready to go. Boy was this going to be a long day!

Our first stop was the Saginaw River Rear Range Light. I called the day before our trip to inquire about visiting the lighthouse, but my call was never returned. What to do? With only two major highways going north into the thumb, we were going to be in the vicinity of the light anyhow. Matt and I talked it over and decided to see if we could view it from afar. Without any clear cut directions to the light, we had to use our detective skills once again. Unfortunately, there is not much to see, and we did the best we could. Access to the light is only available when the Historical Society is working on restoration. Next time we're up this way I'm going to call further in advance to see if they will be working at the light.


Our view of the Saginaw River Rear Range Light through an old factory yard.


After this disappointment, we had our sites set on traveling the coast up to the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse. Driving up the coast was very beautiful. The bright blue waters were a gorgeous backdrop for all of the beautiful cottages along the bay. With the light being offshore, it is viewable for miles along the coast. At every clearing we would peer out to see if we had a good shot yet. We lucked out when we came across a park just outside of Port Austin. Here we could walk out a long boardwalk/pier that took you offshore approximately 1/4 mile. From this we got a few pretty decent distance shots.


Port Austin Reef Lighthouse from a distance.

Taylor really didn't care for the catwalk, especially because she could see through it. So to keep her moving and make it not so scary for her, she got a ride from daddy.


Taylor & Daddy--the best seat in the house!

On our walk out we met a very nice couple constructing some sort of rock formation. They told us they had been working on this for a couple of hours or so, and were contemplating every move fearing it may topple. They didn't mind that we stopped and admired it for a while with them.


Here is their creation--almost 5 feet tall!


We had to let Taylor get some of her energy out from our long car ride, so a stop at the playground was mandatory. She played on the jungle gym and swings while mommy and daddy enjoyed the view. But as the saying goes...all good things must come to an end! So we hopped back in the jeep and headed off to our next stop, the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse.

The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse is off the beaten path between the villages of Port Hope and Port Huron Michigan. Located in Lighthouse County Park, the light isn't the only attraction we encountered. There were deer were everywhere! We really needed to stay focused on our driving so a deer didn't wander out on the road. Taylor had a blast watching all of the deer standing right outside her window!


Three deer wandering around the park area.

The lighthouse itself was very picturesque. I wish I wasn't rushed. I'd love to have spent more time here and maybe take in a tour as well. (the tours were done for the day by the time we got there--what luck!)


The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse.

Matt and I agreed with so many deer we didn't want to travel too much at dark. If we had seen this many deer now, imagine those same deer traveling at night. So we wanted to continue on before dark. We had four more lighthouses on our agenda for the day, and the daylight hours were slipping away.


The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse from different angles.

So we continued on...

More to come...