The Ridges

Light in the Upper Range light.
(see explanation below)

     Located in Baileys Harbor, just a short drive from our doorstep, is The Ridges Sanctuary. They recently moved into a new building that is spacious and charming. The Sanctuary is Wisconsin's first land trust and was founded in 1937 to conserve an original 40 acre parcel. Today it protects 1,600 acres of one of the most biblically diverse ecosystems in the state. What makes this area unique is the source of its namesake, the Ridges. Lake Michigan has changed its shoreline over the last 1,400 years. As the winds blow, deposits of sand are blown in and form a dune. Over time this dune grows and becomes vegetated with grasses then trees. As the shoreline changes, another dune grows and the space between the dunes, called a swale, becomes a marshy grassland. Years have passed and there are at least 7 distinct dunes running parallel to today's existing shoreline. The Sanctuary has built an extensive network of boardwalks and trails that you can walk through and see the diversity of plants and wildlife in this area.

     Above is looking down Sandy Swale, bordered by two forested dunes.

     Moss covered downed trees line the dunes floor.

Mini Mushroom inside a rotted stump

     Along the walk, I saw something that I had never seen before. As part of the property, there is a twin lighthouse setup called Range Lights. What makes these unique is the purpose and setup. Imagine this, leading into Baileys Harbor there is a narrow shipping channel that can accommodate ships with deeper drafts. Four miles from the harbor this channel is not marked except on maritime maps. So, as a navigational aid, these two range lights were built in 1868. The Upper Range light is located farther inland and sits 17 feet taller than the Lower Range light. The Upper Range light is White, the Lower light is Red. Now imagine you are coming into Baileys Harbor. You point towards the beacons and line up the lights... White one on top, Red one on bottom and both in line with each other. You see that, you are lined up with the deepest shipping channel and can confidently sail on into the harbor! Impressive! This uses lighthouse technology but isn't really a lighthouse. The Sanctuary folks are responsible to keep the lines of sight clear and in good condition as this is still an active navigational aid. They are working on restoring the Upper Range Light house and offer tours daily.

Upper Range light with Keepers quarters. Light is in the belfry .

View from the Upper light looking towards the Lower light and the Bay.
(neat effect of the light reflecting off the window)

Lower Light looking towards Upper Light
(can barely see the red light in the tower)

Upper Light looking towards the Bay

It's Cherry Time

     Above is the view from Ellison Bluff. This is more of the limestone shelf that lines the shoreline and was discussed in the previous blog entry. This is on the other side of the peninsula and the waters are actually Green Bay (the bay, not the city!) in Lake Michigan.

     Bordering the bluff is one of dozens of orchards that inhabit the peninsula. As you can see, it is time for the cherries to arrive! All over in grocery stores and roadside attractions you can find cherries by the pint, quart, bucket, or pie. I have done my best to eat my share of this wonderful produce this season. I get a pint and eat them while watching TV. I must admit that I'm up to a couple of pints a week!!! Going to be a sad day when the season ends (or we have to leave, whichever comes first).

Spending Time as a Tourist

     We were quite busy in the RV Park ramping up for the Fourth of July festivities. Since then, we have been, by my guess, running about 80% occupancy during the week and pretty much full on weekends. My major Projects have been whittled down to getting the doors in the Bathhouse/Laundry cleaned up and painted. Winter has been brutal and the doors have taken a beating. Lots of rust and pitting that has to be sanded before primer can be applied. Then I found that one coat of primer was not enough so had to add a second. Add to the mix the fact that it has been the wettest summer in recent memory, I have had to work around rain. It's taking forever to get this one project completed!! I hope I'm finished by the time we are ready to leave!

     We did, finally, take some time to be a tourist. One day we took a trip just up the road to the Cana Island Lighthouse. Built in 1869 and first lit in 1870, the light on this island has witnessed much of the history of Great Lakes shipping. There are many shipwrecks resting in the waters around Cana Island, both wooded hull and modern vessels. The light is a third order Fresnel lens that originally burned lard or whale oil. In 1945 it converted to electricity using a generator and batteries. In the 1960's an electric power line was installed. The lamp was converted to a 110 volt, 200 watt bulb on a unique rack. There are four bulbs on this rack which is designed to rotate and automatically replace a bulb in case of failure. It is still an active navigational aid to this day.

     As the name implies, the lighthouse is located on an island. Access to the island is via a tractor pulled wagon. There is a natural stone causeway that is just under the surface of the lake. It looks like you are driving off into the depths but you just splash across, all the while being regaled by facts and stories by your driver.

Another tour group approaches

The view over the drivers shoulder

     A 102 step circular staircase leads to the top of the lighthouse tower. The light itself is about 85 feet above the water and can be seen for 18 miles. It is different from many lighthouses in that the light beam is directed outward constantly. By that I mean there is no rotation of the light causing the familiar blinking pattern. It is solid all through its illumination cycle.

Looking up the staircase

Inside the light.

      In the photo above, you are looking inside the Fresnel lens at the light source itself. The small box in the center of the picture is the four bulb rotating device. You can see two of the bulbs on either side of the box. They are incredibly small considering that their light can be seen for 18 miles out! Just shows the power of the Fresnel lens design. 

The view from the top.

Walking along the shoreline of Lake Michigan at Whitefish Bay

     On another day, we took a trip to Whitefish Dunes State Park. Here the sand dunes line a stretch of Whitefish Bay. The dunes are among the highest in the state and are not common place. In fact they occur only in a few locations in Wisconsin lakeshore. Several trails line the beach and have been used by various human populations for about 3,000 years.

     Trails meander through beaches, wooded thickets, and open meadows. Benches are placed periodically so you can sit and watch/listen to the sights and sounds of nature.

    There is a mock up of an early tribal village. This showed how things would have looked 1,000 years ago in this area.

     Adjacent to Whitefish Dunes is Cave Point County Park. Here is dramatic evidence of a limestone shelf that extends all around Lake Michigan and on eastward all the way to Niagara Falls. This park is well known to locals but many tourists don't even know it exists. There is no admission fee and the trail has some spectacular views.

     For the brave (or foolhardy), there are opportunities to jump off cliffs to the waters below. All along the shoreline erosion has carved out caves and depression pools that lure the daredevils.

     Along a stretch of open shoreline, rocks of all shapes and sizes have been tossed by wave action. Here people build what I call HooDoos. We have seen similar structures all throughout our travels. You start with a big rock platform and each passerby selects a rock and places it on the base. As time goes on you have the various towers. Superstition says that bad luck will come to you if you knock over a tower, either on purpose or by placing your rock on it. Conversely, good luck will come to you after you balance your rock on a tower. Not sure if it's true, but I did build several towers just to cover my bases!!