On The Road with Barb and Brad: 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.