4814. See the lighthouses of Door County

When planning the Door County trip, one of things Bonnie wanted to do was see the lighthouses. We happened to be up in Door County for the Door County Lighthouse Festival which happens in spring and fall. The festival included different tours you could take to see the lighthouses. We opted for a two hour boat tour. It seemed like a nice way to see the lighthouses and spend an afternoon.

We boarded the small boat in Bailey's Harbor. The boat theoretically could hold 40 or so people but they kept it to about 20 so we would be comfortable. I honestly don't know how they could fit 40 people on the boat unless we were on each other's laps. It only had seating around the perimeter of the boat which the guide assured us, it didn't matter which side of the boat we sat on, we could still see all the lighthouses.

The first set of lighthouses we saw were the Bailey Harbor Range Lights... from a good distance away. The range lights guided the boats into the harbor back in the day. If the lights aligned you had clear sailing into the harbor. If they didn't, you better get them to align or risk running across the many shoals that litter the peninsula and becoming another shipwreck.

Our captain steered us over a couple of the shipwrecks in the area and like when we kayaked many years ago, they were difficult to see. All you really saw were dark shadows that they claim to be wooden beams and hulls of ships that ran into trouble coming into Bailey's Harbor. Maybe with some good scuba gear, one might be able to identify the shipwreck. To us it looked like Lake Michigan.

Motoring right along, our guide got us as close to The Bird Cage Lighthouse as he dared without hitting those shoals and grounding (or sinking) us. The Bird Cage Lighthouse got it's name for the bird cage like structure at the top of the lighthouse where the light was house. It is need of repair and it was hard to see because it was hidden behind trees.

The last lighthouse on our tour was the Cana Island lighthouse which is world famous for it's design. The actual light is so large you can walk in it and stand up... after walking up 82+ steps to get to it. Not that I would know.. we never got off the boat. I would have loved to see this lighthouse up close and personal. I would have loved to feel the temperature difference out on the observation deck which I was told was like 15-20 cooler than in Bailey's Harbor. I guess I will have to wade out there some other day.

It was a nice boat tour if you don't mind seeing 3 lighthouses from a distance. I honestly thought I was going to get a lot closer than we did... like actually docking at them. Silly me. It is not a bad tour but I wanted more... more lighthouses.. closer to them.. a bigger boat.. something to make the $52 worth it.