JOURNALS

This will be the most fun to relate. We all share a sense of accomplishment when we can research a project, then execute the shoot. I want to share mine...whether it was "finding" three lights in my home state...or whether it was a recent three day "light" holiday to New England...

Research for the New England foray? Essentially it was Ken Kochel's book and a online acquaintance. The book was factual. My friend was insightful. The two together were invaluable. Others, an architect from Ohio, an online friend in Indiana, and lighthouse society members from New Jersey and Chesapeake, they were all were gracious enough to help me. Their assistance was welcome and greatly appreciated.

I hope I can convey all the fun I had.

My "trip of a lifetime" was taken September 30, and October 1 and 2, of 1997. I planned to be in Connecticut at dawn at the first land-viewed light listed by Kochel. My plan was to amble up the coast, circle around Cape Cod, and attempt to reach the lights on Cape Ann. If I made each stop on the initial list I would be shooting 75 lights in 72 hours.

Compilation complete, research followed. It became obvious some paring would be necessary. For instance...it was clear I couldn't shoot the lights of coastal Rhode Island AND the lights around Warwick. It became obvious to me I shouldn't attempt the lights near Plymouth because it was unclear how accessible they were. I had to weigh that uncertainty against the time I had. It also made sense to skip the lights in Boston Harbor becasue I didn't want to be in city traffic in an unknown city and not know the kind of shots that were to be had.

Down to 65 lights, a few more scratches occurred...three for stupidity...one for exclusivity...and one because I was in a hurry and blew past it. These three days would be the most fun...the most enjoyment...the most satisfaction...I ever had without my family. I hope I can convey this with the words that follow...

DAY 1---SEPTEMBER 30

(Mileage 0.0 ... 2:58am)

I couldn't sleep. With a full day before me, I was hoping to not wake until 2:30, maybe 3am...but I couldn't. I watched CNN/SI...I watched HEADLINE NEWS..I watched LARRY KING LIVE. After watching Candace Bergen tell of Murphy Brown's imminent breast cancer, just this side of 3am, I left Ocean Grove. Northeast was my pointed direction. The stars were out in full array. I located Orion. I located the Big Dipper. I was away.

(Mileage 64.6 .. 4:14am)

I made the George Washington Bridge. SMASHMOUTH played at 4:00am on 92.3 FM.

(Mileage 96.9 .. 4:57am)

I'm sitting in Donut Delite in Stamford waiting for first light. At 5:18 I found my spot. At 5:49 I hear sunrise is 6:47. I can't wait here an hour. I also can not believe my stupidity. I planned this trip down to the mile, yet I did not check the time the sun comes up. I decided to skip the first three lights and join my schedule near 7am. These three...Stamford Harbor, Green Ledge, Peck's Ledge...they could wait for another day. An easy decision, these were the closest to home and could be done in a morning. I left for Fairfield, for Penfield Reef. Good Lord willing, this would be my only screwup today.

(Mileage 126.9...7:01am)

I arrived in the Lantern Point section of Fairfield. PENFIELD REEF was now first on my revised agenda. The area was private, parking limited. I found a restaurant lot, closed at this early hour. A short walk to the beach, the public access path was narrow, yet well marked. The light was in view dead ahead about half a mile off shore. The tide was at its lowest, a large sweeping sand spit exposed, allowing me closer than I could have expected.

The sun was just edging over the horizon. It wasn't cold, but was very windy. The lighthouse looked to be a two-story house with a lantern on top. I could see the general shape. Being a distance away, and wanting to stay dry, I couldn't make out details. As the sun rose to the left, I shot many pictures of the dawn. I've seen the sun rise so many times. I never tried to photograph it.

(Mileage 137.3...7:31am)

Still in Fairfield, directions to Seaside Park, where BLACK ROCK HARBOR LIGHT is located, were accurate but the park appeared closed. I found a way in and parked about a quarter mile away. Not only was the bold sunrise now gone, the wind blew and it was raining. Still at low tide, the breakwater was exposed. I walked it halfway to fill the viewfinder. It was a small white tower on Fairweather Island. The rocks and the water made for a good shoot.

Mileage 143.5...8:05am)

The grounds surrounding TONGUE POINT LIGHT are ugly. The manufacturing plant...ugly. The unpassable bridge...ugly. The black beacon...ugly. Soundview Park couldn't be found so I located a fishing pier on Pleasure Beach. The problem was the connecting bridge, which was out. I elbowed in between the fisher-people and shot back over Bridgeport Harbor. A black lighthouse on a cloudy day against a steel-gray building. The lack of contrast, of color, won't help these pictures one bit.

(Mileage 149.2...8:21am)

Heading past the Sikorsky Aircraft plant, STRADFORD POINT, in Lordship, was the first light I had previously visited. So many years ago it was in need of repair; faded paint, peeling and chipping. Today it was beautiful. Painted red and white, the beam was flashing on this gray, dark, wet morning. Though 'no trespassing' signs were posted, the gate was open. I walked the grounds and shot the lighthouse from all angles. It was the first light this day with a keepers' quarters on premise. Coupled, the pictures should be good despite the deteriorating weather.

(Mileage 175.0...9:13am)

I didn't remember the NEW HAVEN LIGHTHOUSE being on the side of the river it was. I didn't remember the lighthouse in New Haven being within a beautiful park. I didn't remember the lighthouse in New Haven having a second name, FIVE MILE POINT. I certainly didn't remember a sister light, the SOUTHWEST LEDGE LIGHT. The "Point" Light is an octagonal stone tower. The "Ledge" Light is a sparkplug on a caisson at the end of the breakwater.

Lighthouse Point Park is a beautiful facility, even housing a carousel. The heaviest rain of the morning was now falling, the wind blowing it sideways. Between the two lights was a four-legged open-ended structure that allowed me to dryly shoot in either direction, capturing either light. As the squall eased, I climbed rocks city-side of the tall tower, allowing me coupled shot of both lights.

(Mileage 191.3...10:12am)

FAULKNER ISLAND LIGHT is off the coast at Guilford. Actually, it is way, way off the coast and far too far for any picture that will resemble a lighthouse. I'm learning that research will use the phrase "located off the coast." Sometimes the light is right there. Sometimes it isn't. This wasn't. From the municipal docks I shot quickly, maybe three or four frames, then continued east.

(Mileage 215.6...10:52am)

The main road through Saybrook leads to a private enclave called Fenwood. The light at LYNDE POINT is located inside and 'light seekers' are not overtly permitted. The first time I shot here, it was from a cinder path next to a causeway. This time "MARINA 1" was there, which had docks and piers extending into the river. The view was far better.

Many years ago, on my first trip through, Saybrook was my first reference regarding a 'breakwater light.' The OUTER LIGHT was not as clean a shot as I remembered it. I found a seawall with a clear view but not a close one. I shot and moved on. I noticed the weather trying to clear.

(Mileage 244.7...11:26am)

Approaching New London, I was lost for the first time. Directions to this point were outstanding. They were just as good here except I missed the Shaw Street turnoff. I circled and recircled about until I regained my bearings, made another pass, had traffic backed behind me, but went slow enough to find it. The connecting roads brought me to the waterfront.

Last time the NEW LONDON HARBOR LIGHT was exposed to the beach. You could shoot "postcard" pictures of a lighthouse landscape. Today there were three beautiful homes surrounding the white tower on the beach side of the road. I took the best shots possible, both east and west of the light, then turned my attention towards the river.

Sitting in the middle of the Thames is one of my favorites, the NEW LONDON LEDGE LIGHT. Always wishing for a stronger telephoto lens, here is where I missed it most. The light resembles its postcards. It is a unique 2 1/2 story red brick structure with a lantern on top. I took a few pictures then noticed something large and black gliding through the water. Why I would think shark is beyond me. This object was huge. It was a submarine, half submerged, heading down from Groton. I had never seen a live one before and I was impressed.

One last item to view and after being lost I didn't cross the river to get a closer look. There was a tower visible. I made the assumption this was the Avery Point Tower from the UCONN campus mentioned in Kochel. It looked as far as the Faulkner Island light, so again, I didn't waste a lot of film. I shot. I left.

(Mileage 258.8...1:00pm)

As in Saybrook there is Fenwood, in Noank there is Morgan Point. The MORGAN POINT LIGHT is listed in every book.I have a picture taken from a great distance from my prior visit. This time I could get no closer than the entrance to the community. Roadwork was being done, which precluded sneaking in. Coming back up the road I noticed a rooftop lantern on a large old home. I across the street at the Noank Boat Yard and looked closer. A light at one time for sure, I snapped a few of what I dubbed the PEARL STREET LIGHT. The lantern room looked to be a reading or sewing room now.

(Mileage 264.00...1:36pm)

The light in MYSTIC is a replica of one found on Nantucket Island. It is a small, white, wooden tower and it sits on the grounds of the Seaport Museum. The dilemma was to shoot it without paying to get on Seaport property. I found a bridge on the eastern way into town. With the tall ships as background this should be a pretty picture...

(Mileage 271.3...1:58pm)

I couldn't begin to describe the wind at the point in Stonington. Exposed on three sides, it was fierce. You could see a hazy WATCH HILL to the east. There was also a light in the harbor. Believing this is LATIMER REEF, I did my best to shoot it in the face of the gale.

The light in STONINGTON is one of my favorites. Made of stone, the tower is attached to a 1 1/2 story structure now museum. I always remember it being larger than it is. I paid my way in, took my pictures both inside...where it was calm...and outside...in that wind. I then navigated the narrow streets on my way to Rhode Island.

(Mileage 283.3...2:42pm)

The lighthouse at WATCH HILL sits on land jutting into the Atlantic, surrounded on three sides by angry water. The gates were open so I surrounded the tower and quarters for many shots. Odd to me, this was a square stone tower, not a conical one. Attached was a two story keeper's house. It amazed me that throughout this trip, no matter how vicious the waves, if there were surrounding rocks exposed, there were fisher-people on those rocks.

There was a dirt road that turns in towards the lighthouse. It was an ordeal to find but find it I did. Twisting around to the light, it brought me closer than I remembered. Leaving town I stopped at a gift shop. I wanted Carla and Diane postcards and a magnet for mom. The woman behind the counter told me the oldest carousel in the United States was housed across the street and did I want to see it? I thanked her, but declined and continued east.

(Mileage 313.6...3:58pm)

Light and dark...the contrast was striking at POINT JUDITH. There was a bright side, the sun side, with clear definite shapes and colors. There was a dark side, away from the sun, where the colors seemed to meld and shape seemed less defined. "Judy" was shot from ALL sides. I even shot the bell. Since PINEY POINT and the shot of Z with the fog gong I shoot ALL the bells. Point Judith is odd in two respects. The color, top half brown and bottom half white...and the shape, more triangular than conical. Watch Hill was visible to the west, Beavertail to the east.

(Mileage 333.6...4:45pm)

I became aware of diminishing daylight. I had maybe two hours left, maybe around 7pm. I knew I wanted to finish with Beavertail Point today so I could start in Newport in the morning.

In Wickford I followed perfect directions and found the light at POPLAR POINT. I was spooked by admonitions of private parking tow-away zones. Not seeing anyone, I parked as close to the public access walkway as I could and just about ran to the beach. The light was to the right and in a pretty harbor setting. Marking the entrance to Wickford Harbor, the light was a beautiful home with a lantern on top. Ideally, a walk out on the breakwater would have yielded beautiful pictures. The scare tactics of a tow-away threat paralyzed me to just step on the beach, get the light in my sights, and click a couple of times. I almost ran back to the still-parked van.

(Mileage 346.4...5:22pm)

Under the Jamestown Bridge, as I crossed onto Conanicut Island, PLUM BEACH LIGHT was sitting below, a rotting white sparkplug. I found the connecting streets, including the dead end at the river. It was a tight shot between trees but the light was visible. Only one view was available so creativity was at a minimum. Getting out of there was another matter. Twice I tried and twice I failed, succeding only in making a complete circle. Exasperated, I finally had to re-cross the bridge, turn around on the mainland, then come back onto the island.

(Mileage 360.6...5:54pm)

CONANICUT LIGHT was a pretty building but not much of a light. It no longer had a lens or lantern, but was a pretty red structure trimmed in gingerbread. If I had read the book more carefully, I might well have decided to pass on this one.

Mileage 372.1...6:14pm)

I made it to BEAVERTAIL POINT, just as planned, but it wasn't easy. From Conanicut I saw no signs. I just headed south through Jamestown. As I passed the Fort Getty area, it rang a bell, but I couldn't remember why. Going by instinct, and trying to keep the water in view, I came to Beavertail.

It was worth it, too, because the sunset was spectacular. There were more colors than crayola and I did my best to frame the tower against the sky. It was an eerie feeling, too. Stepping out onto the foundation of the old tower the mood was incomparable. There were fisher-people down on the rocks testing their skill and luck. There were couples sitting on blankets, huddled together against the wind. Point Judith light was working to the West...Castle Hill to the East. A passenger liner was exiting Newport Harbor...and the sky was ever changing.

I stayed there until almost complete darkness, just watching. I started the day with a beautiful sunrise off Penfield Reef and ended it with a spectacular sunset here at Beavertail. After a ill-prepared start, I accomplished almost everything on my list for the first day.

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

I Registered at the Newport Best Western

I called Mere to let her know where I was

I found Momma Leone's pizza across from the 7-11. It was delicious; extra cheese with onion and pepper.

Looked over my notes and realized Fort Getty was home to DUTCH ISLAND LIGHT. There would be no going back for this one. There will be another day.

Back and Forth

Trip of a Lifetime Day 2
Trip of a Lifetime Day 3
RETURN TO INTRODUCTION

Email: spotncrokr@aol.com