September Lighthouse Trip

Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse

Oh we froze on this one, even though it was early September, Sept. 7th to be exact, it was very cool and the wind was blowing so hard.  I only wore a jacket and the farther out the pier we went the colder I got.  I was so cold it was almost a test of endurance just to finish the trek to the end of the pier and take pictures as I went.  The wind blew so hard at times it caught in my clothes and moved me on the pier.  A storm was coming in and they were expecting bigger waves later in day.

I love the texture in the rocks on this shot.  It seems as you could almost reach out and touch the hard rough rocks. 

 I finally arrived at the light.

The view was beautiful from the pier along the beach.  I thought about walking up close to the sailboats and shooting them with my wide angle but by this time I was so frozen I really just wanted to get back in the car so I could warm up a little.  Every time I see this picture I think I should have walked up the beach for the shot.  I must do it when I go again :)

Some boats we saw as we were leaving  Muskegon.  I loved their bright colors combined with the cloudy sky.

We could see this boat far off but couldn't get any closer to it.

This was a museum we saw along the way.

September Lighthouse Trip

Grand Haven Lighthouse, Grand Haven MI

     My friend Jennifer and I wanted to go on a trip to take pictures of lighthouses.  We got up very early and traveled 2+ hours in hopes of reaching the first lighthouse about sunrise.  The sun had just popped over the horizon and was shining like a spot light on one of the Grand Haven Lighthouses. There are actually 2 different lighthouses on the same pier.... one is just farther out along the pier. Both are beautiful lighthouses and I always enjoy walking out the pier taking pictures as I go of the lighthouses and the fisherman that are always on the pier.

We were so excited as we arrived on the beach and saw how beautiful the clouds were and how the early morning light was shining on the lighthouses.  Storms were approaching and the waves were crashing pretty hard at the far end of the pier.

This one was shot from the beach as well as the one above.

Another shot from the beach as the early morning light and the storm clouds are constantly changing.  If you closely at this one you can see how hard the waves are breaking against the far end of the pier.

 A shot as we walk out the pier.  You can see both lighthouses in this shot.

This one is just shot from the opposite side of the pier, compared to the one above. 

We are getting closer and closer to the first lighthouse.  As you can see there are always lots of people walking on the pier.

A fisherman fishes from the pier.

Up close to the first lighthouse.

 

 

This is the second lighthouse.  I usually love to walk just beyond it on the edge of the pier and turn around and shoot it with the taller lighthouse in the background and the shoreline.  Today the waves are crashing really hard so the water is splashing on the pier making it too dangerous to shoot much from beyond this one.

 

 

You can see how hard the waves are crashing here.  The fisherman just continues to fish, as the waves break hard against the far end of the pier sending water spraying high into the air .

Evidently he has fished this spot often and knows just exactly how close to the end of the pier he can position himself and still avoid being sprayed and swept away by the crashing waves.