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| South Haven South Pier Light 9/18/2017 dwm photo |
The road from light to light kept us close to the lake as we looked to check off our third light stop of the day.
I'm unsure how to count the range light combination in St. Joseph, but it seems fair to count that as one light, not two.
In any case, South Haven was thirty minutes up the road and an hour's drive beyond New Buffalo.
The dark red candle with the black lantern house stands at the end of a concrete pier. It isn't an imposing light, but it creates a presence which must be reassuring to boats on the water.
It looks good for a candle first lit in 1872.
These days, lights like the one in South Haven serve as the center of downtown.
They attract tourists, like me, to spend some time and money while enjoying the living history on display.
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| The catwalk is mostly decorative now, but when built it was often the safest way from beach to light. (dwm photo) |
For a city with fewer than 5,000 residents, the light is more of a life line for them than the boats.
South Haven is a delightful community with a clean and welcoming downtown. We didn't see much more than the light, since the next stop in Holland was nearly 50 miles north.
As you might guess, Holland got its name from the many Dutch settlers from the Netherlands. It still holds close to its roots.
Quite a ways north of downtown Holland, away from the local Dutch restaurant where we ate lunch and the large city park home to its very own Dutch Windmill, is the Holland Harbor Lighthouse.
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| Holland Harbor Lighthouse, Holland, Michigan 9/18/2017 dwm photo |
Its known as "Big Red." Automated in 1932, the large light guards the entrance into Lake Macatawa where it meets Lake Michigan.
The light is seven miles west of the city.
The best vantage point is on the north side of the river from Macatawa to Michigan where Holland State Park offers a place to park and walk along the opposite shore.
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| Clouds roll into Holland Harbor (dwm) |
Three stories tall and topped with the light tower climbing twenty or more feet above the rest of the house, it still manages to look small next to all the lake.
Back in its day, this harbor must have been jumping. Holland is still home to a variety of industries, including battery manufacturers, office furniture, yachts, and a Heinz pickle plant which processes 1 million pounds a day at its busiest.
I guess that makes sense, since a good lighthouse can keep everyone out of a pickle.
Next week, the Grand Haven and Muskegon lights.
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