EASTER 2 (1998)

Z's with me. The list is now complete for the two day...2nd annual...Easter Vacation Lighthouse Expedition. Maryland and Virginia will be our destination. This was after considerable thought. My older one's baseball schedule had him playing three games that week and I first thought of seeing them all. This meant day trips only. Then I realized it wasn't fair to Z (or me). So now we'll skip the third game, the Friday game, and be away Thursday and Friday, 4/16 and 4/17. We'll be back for Z's doubleheader the next day.

I need to research but the list looks like this:

• Havre de Grace (Concord Point)
• Craighill Channel Lights (3 of 4)
• Jones Point
• Fort Washington
• Newport News Middle Ground
• Thimble Shoal
• New Point Comfort
• Cape Henry (Old and New)
• Cape Charles (a peek)
• Assateague
• Liston Rear Range

Fifteen lights...forty or so hours...industrious for sure... attainable for us...

I posted a message regarding the Craighill Channel Lights. Guiding ships into Baltimore Harbor, books show four of them...land visible by three. I need to know if that land is accessible to me.

I first discovered Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses years ago. I was in the Asbury Park (NJ) Public Library and I found the de Gast book. I learned of JONES POINT and FORT WASHINGTON. Returning from Arlington one weekend, Mere and I found and shot them. I returned to that library today and wanted to find that book.

Also, while online, I located a Virginia lighthouse site maintained by CAPEHENRY2. I asked for suggestions. I also printed several pages because they included directions to the lights.

Easter Sunday...I heard from "Al" who passed along three sites about Baltimore and the Chesapeake. I emailed the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I emailed the lady in charge of the excursion boats around the channel. I emailed the City of Baltimore.

APRIL 13

CAPEHENRY2 replied today. Good stuff here...

• He says Thimble Shoals and Newport News Middle Ground are viewable but that a good zoom is a must.
• He says that yes, Jones Point and Fort Washington are still open to the public.
• He says if we can fit Matthews (Va) and New Point Comfort into the trip. do it...it's a bit out of the way...but he found it worth the effort.
• He also forwarded information about museums and lightships. Helpful, but there will be no time for them.

I heard from LHSMAN1, my internet guide. He saw the posting and relayed detailed instructions on viewing three of the four Craighill Channel Lights. Also, after studying the maps, I decided New Point Comfort will be a go and the Liston Rear Range Light would not. I also bought me a present today. A new camera lens is now mine, a 28-300mm Vivitar for my Minolta SLR.

The CBF lady replied. There wasn't much help there but she tried. Z and me, we made our pilgrimage to Shop-Rite for goodies. The van was cleaned...the van was loaded...and we would be ready for an early start. If all goes as anticipated we should be staying in Virginia Beach tomorrow night, getting through the Tidewater lights before dark.

We left OCEAN GROVE a few minutes ahead of schedule. A bit hazy...a bit foggy...there was NO sighting of ORION or the BIG DIPPER...but the tank was full and we were heading south.

Always, the DELAWARE MEMORIAL BRIDGE is the first landmark. We're making excellent time. Light is gradually showing itself to the point where, approaching the toll, the most magnificent sunrise was witnessed in my rearview mirror. A giant sun ball, bright yellow and orange, appeared rising above the first layer of clouds, appearing whole, then disappearing, top to bottom, into a second layer of clouds. It was gorgeous and over as quickly as it began.

7:26am - MILEAGE 134.7

Exiting I-95, a quick, heavy downpour struck yet was over before we finding the light. CONCORD POINT, in Havre de Grace, was how I remembered it, short, white and made of stone. Too many years ago when I first saw this light, I was disappointed in its short stature. It wasn't until researching this trip and actually looking at a map, that I realized the the logistical significance.

Today the surrounding area had changed. Memory didn't recall a stone promenade fronting the water surrounding the lighthouse, landscaped and flowered. The problem? One side curved away from the light, the other side ended by private property. This meant there would be no "wet" shot. While not raining, the sky was gray. The sun was trying to work its way through, rays piercing the clouds. Hopefully this will make a striking photograph.

A non-related note...Exiting town, Z found radio station 94.7 FM. What we heard was foul. The male dj was trying to give away free Pearl Jam tickets. He suggested a group lewd act...but maybe not because the argument between "accuracy" and "distance" couldn't be settled. And how, he wondered, could women be included, thus eliminating half the listening audience. Are you kidding me?

8:36am - MILEAGE 181.9

LHSMAN1 is always accurate. Leaving I-695 at the Sparrow Point Exit, I rode Rt.20 and took the right fork towards Fort Howard. Here the CRAIGHILL CHANNEL UPPER RANGE LIGHTS would be visible. LHSMAN1 said to enter the hospital grounds but we chose to park at Fort Howard Park, adjacent to the hospital. We parked a short hike from the water. The front light was visible thru the trees.

The sun now out, the temperature was climbing. Changing into shorts, I put an extra roll of film in my pocket. We hiked past the fort ruins, over the embankment, to the water's edge. An unobstructed view of the front light was slightly to the right. Rectagonal, red and white striped, it had a blinking light a third of the way down from the top. It was unique, kind of looking plopped down on the spot. The rear light was not visible. To get closer, Z suggested I climb through a hole in the fence. I took off my shoes, got my feet wet, and walked the promenade that fronted the hospital. I thought I saw the rear light and started shooting. I kept walking, maybe quarter mile more, to get closer look. I then saw the real REAR RANGE LIGHT way, way back in the corner of the channel. It appeared similar the CONOVER BEACH BEACON here in NJ. I took a few more pictures and also shot more of the front light, now directly in front of me, so close I felt I could almost touch it.

Now satisfied, I walked back, got wet again, went back though the fence, and retreated to the van. Z took the route thru the fort. It was time to find the lower lights.

Backtracking along Rt. 20, left-forking this time, we landed on Miller's Island. Seeing water I turned right, turned left, and the LOWER RANGE REAR light was before us. I was not prepared for the size of it. IT WAS HUGE !!! Sitting in mid-channel, I took many shots from the fronts of some very beautiful homes. A slim tower, the lower half was white, the upper a reddish-brown. It was crowned by a black lantern. Supporting it on a base in the water was a skeletal frame painted to match the coinciding portion of the tower. In the haze, far off to the right, was a speck of a light (maybe the LOWER RANGE FRONT LIGHT) From the closest possible spot I shot it...maybe twice...but it was still far, far away. I tried one more spot for the "big" light and then we pointed towards Washington, DC.

Leaving Sparrow Point, the Key Bridge was our route south. Crossing, I spotted the light at Fort Caroll off to the left, sitting in the middle of the river. Since stopping was not an option there was no way to shoot this light this time. I'll have to ask LHSMAN1 about that. Following I-695 to the merge with I-95, we coexisted with I-495 through Washington, DC. MD 210 took us to Fort Washington Road and that led us to the Fort where FORT WASHINGTON LIGHT was found. With no admission fee during the week, we drove the path as far as possible, so we thought. Walking downhill to the Potomac, the setting, with the river behind the light, was near perfect. It was small, white and wooden. Actually, the light was incorporated into this bell tower, replacing the original structure, years ago.

Turning to walk back up the hill we saw a parking lot a few hundred yards to the left. This is where all the fisher-people parked. We never saw the road that led down there. Of course for us it was all uphill back to the van...but the scenery along the river...and in the Fort area...was beautiful...and made the trudge more bearable.

11:42am - MILEAGE 273.2

A short ride back to I-95, we crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, made a couple of rights, then a , which brought us to the JONES POINT LIGHTHOUSE. Rather plain, it looked like a one room school house with a lantern on top. Nothing, though, surpasses the beauty with the Potomac as a backdrop.

It should be noted that Z got stuck in a tree here....

It should also be noted that, within two minutes, we were on the time schedule I planned the night before. Instead of heading back to the Interstate, we looked for Route 1. We needed gas...we needed lunch...we needed a restroom.

• We self-served the gas once I figured the credit card payment system.
• We found the restroom
• We ate the traditional lunch of Extra Crispy Strips and Wedges from the Colonel.

What wasn't forseen was the difficult return to I-95. Just above Richmond we needed to bear left towards Williamsburg until we reached local roads to begin the search for Bavon, Va. After two false starts and a lengthy trip down a slow Rt.1, we found a way back to the Interstate. We lost 30 minutes.

Mileage 416.7 brought us SMASHMOUTH for the first time this day and for the fourth time "Closing Time" by SEMI-SONIC. It appears this will be the song of this trip. The directions from CAPEHENRY2 were perfect. I just didn't read them. At the end of the main road there were three choices and two would be wrong. Without hesitation I drove the wrong ones first.

I was surprised and I was disappointed. I was aware NEW POINT COMFORT LIGHT was off shore, but the feeling I got from reading was the observation deck was at water's edge. The deck was in the middle of an ecological preserve and the water was still a distance away. The shot was much farther than anticipated. The new lens proved valuable, but the distance limited creativity.

While I was shooting, Z was observing. There was a slew of snails and fiddler crabs playing in the wet sand below the deck. He thought they were more interesting than the light and there may have been truth to that. There was little to be done except point and shoot.

What was fun was stopping in downtown Matthews, Va, at Shibley's General Store. It was old fashioned, a wonderful place to browse. I got postcards for Shirley and me. I got magnets for mom. I got a shirt for Mere and I got Mr. Pibb for Z. We mailed the cards from the Matthews Post Office. It was time to move on.

We tried...really tried...to find NEWPORT NEWS MIDDLE GROUND LIGHT before dark...but we just couldn't. No matter how I tried to read that map, no matter how many times I read CAPEHENRY2's directions, it just made NO sense to me, and after two passes and much head scratching we gave up for the night and decided to attack fresh in the morning. The FAIRFIELD INN of Hampton would be our home for the night. We registered, then checked out the mall across the highway. We ate,checked in at home, and got back in time for "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

DAY 2

Morning brought a dilemma. Bad weather was moving in. Should we stay inside until it passed or shoot what we could and take the chance? We decided to shoot, changing the order just a bit. Rain was expected by 9am. Using advice from an email, that the NNMG Light was far off shore, there would be limited visibility under the best conditions. I decided we would first shoot OLD POINT COMFORT, on dry land, before the rain, and take our chances on lights less visible later on.

The weather was cool and overcast. Rain was definitely coming. The bay was gray and choppy. So was the sky, only many many shades of gray, the colors of impending wetness.

I thought the light at OLD POINT COMFORT was taller. Research would show it to be just 54 feet tall. Located within Fort Monroe, the sentry directed us to the light and waived us through the gate. We passed the living quarters of senior officers and they were beautiful homes. We drove along the water. It was rough. We found the light. It was short.

I found a pier, the Jefferson Davis wharf, and took my water shots. I found an embankment near the battery, allowing me some eyelevel pictures, an angle not often found. The keeper's home was landscaped and flowered, making for some very pretty shots. I used much film here.

There was good news...there was bad news

The good news was this time we located the viewing area for the NEWPORT NEWS MIDDLE GROUND LIGHT. Last night we kept bailing out of 16th Street early. We needed to continue to the intersection of Chesapeake, just as the directions stated, to the park commemorating the offshore spot where the Monitor fought the Merrimac.

The bad news was that the prediction of 9am rain was accurate. Arriving, lightning and thunder was with us. Waiting it out was an easy decision. We had no where else to be. I parked facing the water but as hard as I stared I couldn't see the lighthouse. As bad as visibilty was, the light wasn't shining through, either. A little before 1000am, down to a fine drizzle, the sky lightened. Leaving dry comfort, I walked out on a pier. I could now see the light.

More bad news? The admonition of "CAPEHENRY2" was correct. You need a powerful telephoto lens. My new one proved inadequate. I saw a shape/ I shot at it. That's about all.

...and a totally unrelated note...16th Street and Chesapeake joined at right angles at the park in Newport News...16th street...heading south...went right through a depressed area...Chesapeake heading west along the water..was the road of affluence...the contrast was that stark.

Route 60 connects Newport News...where we were...to Norfolk...where we were heading. Across and through a smaller version of the Bay-Bridge Tunnel, the first exit is for Ocean View Drive. Along this road would be the best spot to see the THIMBLE SHOAL LIGHT. Parking at the first spot, I climbed the dune and looked. CAPEHENRY2 was right again. A red speck, far, far into the water. I shot a few then returned to the van.

The "Hanks" were next...

10:59am - MILEAGE 585.6

CAPE HENRY LIGHTHOUSE-THE OLD AND THE NEW. I was here once. I don't remember the visit but I have pictures. East on Route 60, we passed a dozen 7/11's on the eighteen mile trip, arriving at Fort Story's sentry post. We were ID'd, told to buckle our seat belts, and given directions to the lights. The weather was warming and blue skies were peaking through.

We shot HENRY JR from all angles as we walked past. At 165 feet it is as majestic as any of the Great Atlantic Lights but whether it is the uniqness of its checkerboard daymark or the proximity of its predecessor, the feel of a Barnegat...an Assateague...a Hatteras...it just isn't there. Still, it is imposing and was still working as we arrived.

HENRY SR is still unique. Just 90 feet in height, being on hill he gives a taller appearance. Open to visit, we climbed it, looking to the bay as well as to JUNIOR. Made of nautural colored brick it had both look and a feel. Though uneasy with the climb, Z and I did it.

Both feet back on land, we walked to an observation deck along the dune so I could get pictures of both HANKS in the same frame. The sun was was out and it was getting hot. Shorts were were coming out, sunglasses were now in order.

Cape Henry guards the southern entrance to Cheasapeake Bay. Cape Charles patrols to the north. CAPE CAHRLES LIGHT stands on an island off the north end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It is a skeleton tower much like Marblehead or Fort Mott. I knew it could be seen in transit but was warned against stopping. Z had the camera ready for an attempted shot but THAT look was so quick he didnt get it. It wasn't the worse thing that could have happened but was a shame because of the distance we traveled.

On a hunch I pulled into a rest area at the north end of the Bay-Bridge. I went to one end, then drove slowly along the perimeter. There between two stands of trees was an unobstructed view of the tower. Though far away, it still was closer than either of the lights in the bay from earlier today.

Heading north, Route 13 was the way to ASSATEAGUE ISLAND. Crispy strips and tacos was lunch in Accomac. Before the turnoff for Chincoteague a bank thermometer read 82 degrees. We turned East at T's corner, Rt. 175, heading east past the NASA complex and over the causeways. On the island the temperature had dropped to 64.

We paid admission to the park and headed to the Assateague parking area. A quarter mile down the path was the light, beautifully trimmed in red and white. Actually you can see the light over the swampy area on the way into the park, standing high above the trees. It is the focal point from anywhere. We surrounded it to take pictures, using more than a roll. We drove out to the beach looking for other vantage points. We saw lots and lots of deer...and not hidden...but on the side of the road..nibbling...primed for pictures...and a heron...or egret..posed in profile...and the ponies...a herd of ponies out there ...pictures..lots of pictures...the best was definitely the last on this trip.

3:46pm - MILEAGE 707.8

It was time to head home. We stopped at T's Corner, Rt.175 and Rt.13 to find Tee's for A, Z, and Mere because the beach shops were not well stocked. We always stopped here on the return from the Outer Banks but its been remodeled since August and we could find nothing we wanted. We heard SMASHMOUTH at 701.9. We also heard of a sale at Sunshine Skate, Surf, and Sport, Salisbury Mall, Maryland. I told Z if it was on the way, we would stop. It was, we did, and gifts were had.

9:14pm - MILEAGE 950.4

We are home. We missed the "Back to Oz" weather in Delaware and the tornado alert in South Jersey. We hit a zone where we could call home on the cellular. We Nathan'd at the rest area and got to Ocean Grove as quick as possible.

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Email: spotncrokr@aol.com