OGDENSBURG OR BUST !!!

A decision has been reached. The second week of October I'll be heading first North, then West, to shoot lighthouses on the shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie. The initial plans say, beginning in Ogdensburg (NY) I can make it to Presque Isle(PA) in three days. According to MAPQUEST, it is 427 miles to Ogdensburg, 378 miles from there to Erie. Time to go to work.

Why this trip? I wanted to see if my site was on a new search engine. It wasn't but a site for the LIGHTHOUSE NUT was. I was intrigued so I looked. I found another link, "RUDY AND ALICE'S LIGHT HOUSE PAGE." My PENROSE book on Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses now has a personality, now has some form. The amount of lights I can shoot,and realizing this was as close as Maine, made this a no-brainer.

SEPTEMBER 27

I'm down for this trip. Over the past few days I've pasted directions to over twenty-five lights into a file. I'll cross-reference them with the Penrose book, then use MAPQUEST for distances. When finished I'll know what I can accomplish between early Tuesday morning and late Thursday night. I should easily make it thru Buffalo, probabaly make it to Erie, and if the travel gods are with me, Ashtabula (OH) is now the ultimate destination.

A second webebsite has been found. LIGHTHOUSES OF THE NY STATE SEAWAY TRAIL by a Tim Capone and a Chris Henderson. My journey now has a name.

I've been working on a time frame. My family thought I was nuts this past spring when I left at midnight to be in Newburyport (MA) at sunrise. Maybe they were right. I'm thinking about leaving from work Monday around 4pm. That would get me to the Ogdensburg area near 11pm. Sunrise is just shy of 7am. I could sleep six hours and be ready to shoot at first light Tuesday.

Refining my goal, I want to get as far as I can by noon Thursday. Right now that seems to be Fairport Harbor (OH). That would put me 499.5 miles from home, about 9 hours, closer than Claias (ME). I can do this. Potential trouble? It could only come from weather or traffic. Weather just "is"...traffic can't be planned for.

Wednesday is my last day off before the trip. There would be time spent at the Neptune Public Library making pages, compiling my book. I need to be ready.

I spent hours Sunday night preparing. Each light now has a page, succinct directions included. It'll save a trip to the library tomorrow. This morning I plugged four cities into the Weather Channel site, Ogdensburg, Buffalo, Erie, and Ashtabula. I can begin seeing the extended forecasts.

Sunrises will be approximately 7:30, sunsets at 6:30. I have an intenary planned. I'll tweak it tonight and have a handle on it by bedtime. I'll also be emailing two SEAWAY TRAIL sites to find if two lights are possible. One is Braddock Point, one is Grand Isle. They would fall in line, yet the book is fuzzy.

OCTOBER 7

I heard from one person and I can get to BOTH lights in question. I did one other intelligent thing. I looked up the Carter's log. They saw most of the same lights over two different trips heading from west to east. I reprinted them. Their observations are always good, always shorter than mine, and this helps with my timing and mileage.

Speaking of timing, I charted my trip yesterday. If I am accurate I can get to Ft. Niagara Tuesday night, maybe staying over in Niagara Falls. I can make Ashtabula Wednesday night and Fairport Harbor Thursday morning before heading home.

OCTOBER 11

My book is made. I'm packed. I'm ready. I bought a NY State road atlas for backup. The van just needs a once over. I'll be leaving for work 730am tomorrow morning, leaving work about 400pm, and arriving in Ogdensburg about 1030pm. In Prescott, Ontario, I'll be ready to shoot the first light at dawn.

There is one concern. The Weather Channel says "chance of showers" late Wednesday for points west. Since Thursday looks really good, worse case scenario, I work as long as possible Wednesday and stay flexible for Thursday.

BACK AND FORTH

THE SEAWAY TRAIL - PART 1
THE SEAWAY TRAIL - PART 2
RETURN TO INTRODUCTION

Email: spotncrokr@aol.com