Sunday, November 13, 2011

Port Huron

Last Sunday I headed up to Port Huron to the Great Lakes Maritime Center with a friend. This is also the headquarters for boatnerd.com. I took much more care in the pictures I shot and although I still shot a fair number of pictures, I was very conscious of setting up most of the shots and taking more time instead of just firing off pictures.


On the way up we pulled off at a little park as he'd noticed the American Century had passed our destination. We got there in time to see her just as she'd rounded a bend in the river.



This gull was riding the ridge along the front of the park. It would pass downriver into the wind very slowly, turn and zip back upriver and repeat the process.



The Saginaw downbound as she passes the Maritime Center.



The H. Lee White as she heads upbound. The Emile is docked on the Canadian side of the river.



This river empties into the St. Clair River just above the GLMC. An old railroad bridge still exists, though the rail lines are long gone. You can see the counterweight that is used to raise the bridge. It used to lead to a ferry that took rail cars across the river to Canada.



On the south side of the small waterway there is where the bridge used to go to. There are some park benches there so you can sit and watch the boats.



After leaving the GLMC we stopped by the lightship Huron. The Huron entered service in 1920 and was decommissioned in 1970. Lightships were in effect floating lighthouses and were stationed where it was too impractical to build a lighthouse. She was purchased by the city of Port Huron in 1972 and turned into a museum.



Just a short way upriver is the Blue Water Bridge connecting the United States with Canada. This was the only picture I got as the last set of batteries for my camera died.



We then stopped at the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. I snagged the batteries out of my friend's GPS and took one picture. The lighthouse is undergoing repairs and repainting, which is understandable considering the structure was built built in 1829. This makes it the oldest lighthouse in Michigan and the second oldest on the Great Lakes. The light was automated in 1933. This is the second lighthouse in the area. The first was built in 1825, but collapsed in a storm in 1828. The current location makes it easier for ships entering the St. Clair River to spot.

2 comments:

  1. You missed the link for boatnerd though. I love that shot of the Huron.

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  2. Fixed it. Glad you caught it. I was zoning out last night.

    Thanks. I liked that shot too. Or are you just saying that because you're in it?

    ReplyDelete