On Saturday after the McGulpin Point ceremony in the afternoon I journeyed to Glen Haven to watch something I've dreamed about for a long time, the re-lighting of South Manitou Island Light, my favorite lighthouse.
It was an interesting proposition, witness the lighting of a lighthouse on an island miles offshore from the mainland. But with some big Nikon glass in my bag I was confident that I'd have the best seat in the house for the event. The closest photo I've been able to get to SMI from the mainland is this shot, equivalent to 1,200mm of zoom on my D300.
While we were waiting for darkness, we were treated to a very nice program by the NPS talking about the lighthouse and the Manitou passage. They also arranged to have a tall ship based in Traverse City come by and add some flavor to the event. It was an excellent touch.
On this frigid, windy night, the sun was setting behind the island, further limiting the photographic options. But I banged away a few frames as the re-lighting came closer and closer. We were all down on the beach shivering in the wind. Some people took snapshots with pocket point & shoots that almost certainly came out worthless, so I was glad to be set up on the tripod with the aforementioned big glass. By the time it was over, I had a bit of a crown around me looking at my shots on the LCD. (I was glad to show them)
I've watched the sun set over this dark tower too many times. It was exciting to know that that was about to end.
At the signal from the park Superintendent the honorary keeper at South Manitou would flip the switch, lighting the tower for the first time since 1958. That honorary keeper was Jack Sheridan, the great grandson of Aaron Sheridan, the first keeper of the present South Manitou Light, who lit it for the first time in 1872.
With the clear night, it was obvious that the sky wouldn't full dark for eons after the official sunset at 9:22pm, and with the howling winds it was decided to hit the switch at 9:52 and the Manitou Passage was again lit. It was an awesome moment.
