The second lighthouse was east of Sturgeon Bay, some 30 miles north of Kewaunee. There is a man made canal that connects the east end of Sturgeon Bay with Lake Michigan, effectively making the Door peninsula an island. At the Lake Michigan end, the Coast Guard has established a modest presence that includes three separate lighthouses.
The first is in the center of the CG compound and so is inaccessible. The lighthouse is in use, and appears to be in excellent condition.
The second, and also inaccessible lighthouse appears to be a much more modern device. We took a quick shot just as a tug drifted by through the fog.
Following the tug got us to the last lighthouse, and probably the most useful, in that it is placed well out into the waters of Lake Michigan. Again inaccessible, but great to look at nevertheless, we took a quick shot just as the tug we had been watching passed by.
That's Mary at the end of the pier, where she could see
A different perspective of the lighthouse. The catwalk runs along the total length of the pier and into the structure, providing access during periods of high water.
A bit further up Highway 42 we stopped for a picnic lunch in the patio of Grandma Tommy's Store.
Where we had a choice of various goodies to sample.
Fudge Pies? Ice Cream Salsa? Fish Cheese? I dunno.
Roger and Mary needed to get their two little dogs home, so they headed back to Kewaunee while Donna and I bailed off the highway into downtown Sturgeon Bay. When you're visiting a waterfront town, where do you start? At the docks, of course. We got out of the tourist area and ran smack dab into a huge ship building operation, with the largest crane I've ever seen.
Use the power lines and chain link fence in the foreground to get some idea of the immensity of the equipment. The entire front section of the ship that is a-building below it is being held up by the crane.
The ship is being built from the middle toward each end, and appears to be a freighter with three fore and aft sections, and, I'm sure, a number of bulkheads across the ship. Entire pre-built sections wait to be fitted into place.
Thank you, Bay Shipbuilding Co, for the show!
As we left, we drove under the crane and took a photo through the sunroof. Note the American Flag flying from the top. The crane operator "rides" in the small glass pod hanging from the cross structure. I would hate to have to climb all those ladders and do all those steps!
A couple of blocks south on 3rd Ave got us to a yacht building operation. I didn't know that Sturgeon Bay had such a ship building industry, but it certainly does! This yacht, under construction, completely filled the building that it is in. Within just a few feet of the roof, and up against the front door, it was huge! It will be a work of art.
While waiting for the drawbridge on the old bridge over Sturgeon Bay, we saw something gold off to the left. A quick shot through the sunroof didn't help, so we stopped on the other side near the Maritime Museum to check it out.
And this is what we saw tied up just off the dock near the boat builder that was working on the other yacht!
A close up:
Next stop Monte Carlo?
Kinda made the blue collar tugs with their fist sized hawsers feel a bit drab.
Before we left the Sturgeon Bay area, I should mention that Donna and I got our latest Boston Terrier fix today! Just outside Grandma Tommy's a gentleman was walking his two BT's and we had to go over and say hello. A half hour and many licks and hugs later, we finally tore ourselves away! It surely is amazing what a bit of canine companionship can do! We tried to steal one or both of these pups away since we are traveling without a dog this year, and miss having someone to greet us when we get home. Our last two pups were Bostons, and as we travel, we continually look for either a rescue dog or a pup. In any case, today we were able to get a Boston refresher, and it felt good!
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