Smile - You're on a Boat!

For our 3^rd anniversary in June, I beat my life-long fear of water to go on the RI Bay Cruise Lighthouse Tour.

Rob worried that I would freak out at some point – cry, panic, threaten the captain to pull over or lose an appendage.

I think I did embarrass Rob a bit… by repeating, “This is awesome! I’m on a boat! Take a picture of me on the boat! I’m on a boat! This is awesome!”

Yes, I nearly drowned as a child. But I didn’t remember it for 15 years, so I’m probably naturally afraid of water. Specifically, large bodies of deep water. The thought of being in anything bigger than a basic backyard pool (above ground) terrifies me. Torture, to me, is an IMAX undersea adventure – I’d give up my own mother after the opening credits. And I love my mom.

While I’ve never wanted to be in it, I still find the ocean beautiful and calming. I love having my feet in the sand, walking the Marginal Way, listening to the waves at night, and touring lighthouses. So, during our first trip to Maine, Rob suggested taking the Nubble Lighthouse boat tour. After a furious head-shaking I said, “Never gonna happen.” No boats. Ever. Go alone.” He sweetly insisted for the next year that he’d convince me to try it. To which I would respond, “You’re so cute! But no.”

He became devious, showing me pictures of stunning lighthouses… that could only be seen by boat. He also started throwing my past fear-defeats in my face, reminding me how exhilarating it is to be brave, and succeed. The nerve!

Then my co-workers got in on it, telling me how they felt the same, but the Block Island/Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket ferries are different – you don’t even know you’re on a boat.

I started saying, I’ll think about it; I’m working on it; I need time.

I needed three years. But I did it. I got on the boat, I stayed on the boat, I said “Wheeeeee” during heavy turbulence.

I pwned my fear.

Now I want to do it again!

And I know I could not have, and would not have, done it without Rob.

 I squint a lot. Super-sun-sensitive.

We’re heading up to Ogunquit in 2 weeks. There will be a Nubble Lighthouse tour. Oh yes, there will be a boat tour!

~Jen

Next post: less Jen, more RI Bay Cruise Lighthouse Tour.

...and a few more words from Jen

I admit it – before Rob, I had no interest in lighthouses. They existed and served a purpose for others, not me. They never caught my eye aesthetically either. That was, until our first summer trip together when Rob took me to his childhood vacation area in Ogunquit, Maine.

Before driving back home we stopped a few miles away to see the Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick. It is the picture-perfect grand-daddy of lighthouses. Imagine the white-picketed love child of an idyllic farm house, mini-Victorian, and cozy suburban nest connected to a classic light-topped cone instead of a garage. Now, transplant that image to its own pile of rocks a few feet from a rocky shore and you’ll understand why I fell in love with lighthouses right there. I guess before that I just hadn’t seen the right one.

Which is how I felt about Rob too!

It was Rob’s idea to “hunt” lighthouses – a day trip based around traveling to and taking pictures of local lighthouses, but I was definitely on board! We plan a Saturday (weather-permitting, of course) around a section of coastline or a particular lighthouse, research how many are nearby, and print Google maps. Along the way we stumble upon many other places of interest too – shops, clam shacks, revolutionary war forts, the usual.

What about GPS, you ask? Surely you nerds are not so old-school and self-reliant as to find your own way? To which I say, first, damn straight, and second, GPS will not help you during such quirky and detailed treks. Lighthouses do not have street addresses and can be difficult to find. Rob’s lighthouse books and the “Definitive Lighthouse Sites” (at right) are indispensable. Some are on private or government property at the end of unmarked dead-ends, or hidden on the edge of quaint coastal cul-de-sacs.

For those that can only be seen by boat, there are more bay cruises than there are Dunkin Donuts in a square mile (well, almost).

Besides good weather and a full tank of gas, you need one person to drive (Rob) and one to navigate (me). You both must have patience and the ability to work together. If one of us misses a street or takes a wrong turn, it doesn’t matter – we just go back. Sure, we do our share of cursing other drivers, and Google maps done us wrong a few times, but as long as we’re still on dry land and conscious, we’ll get there. You have to enjoy the journey too.

In her book Assassination Vacation, Sarah Vowell compared her treks to various sites and items related to presidential assassination to medieval pilgrimages to see holy relics. Rob and I feel that way about lighthouses – we just have to see them! Granted, we don’t travel hundreds of mile on foot, and there’s no blessing for good health at the end. But these are relics, of coastal America’s hard-working past – when a simple flashing light could save an entire ships’ crew and a community’s existence.

Modern technology has mostly ended their usefulness. Highways, GPS and glowing cityscapes along the coasts have replaced burning fires, gas lamps, and electric lamps for navigation. But their beauty is undeniable and enduring, and Rob and I can’t get enough. We are so close to this region’s majestic yet humble monuments, and ever trip has been a memorable blast for us. We hope you enjoy reading about our adventures, and are inspired to start your own lighthouse hunt.

-Jen

A few words about our blog...

Lone sentinels that stand against the night.

Beacons of hope for wayward mariners.

Silent witnesses to the jubilation of finding safe harbor.

      

       Lighthouses fascinate and intrigue people for many reasons. For me, I find that they are a unique reminder of a bygone era…a time when the seas were a more dangerous, treacherous place to travel without the benefit of GPS, sonar, radar, or telephone. The desperate, tempest tossed sailor of past centuries may have had a compass to locate latitude and longitude, but a spinning magnetic needle offered little comfort in the middle of the night during a monsoon. The possibility of shipwrecking upon hidden cliffs or outcroppings loomed ever present in the minds of these men. And it is here that lighthouses proved invaluable in guiding ships toward safer shores…and seaman toward longer lives.

       In a less practical sense, I just think these buildings look amazing! There’s a sort of childlike wonder I feel when looking at a lighthouse that I don’t get when traveling through our 21st century world of drab, angular, cookie-cutter architecture. Give me an 80 foot tower with a 4^th level fresnel lens over a duplex any day! I look at each lighthouse as a work of art and, with that in mind, try my best to learn as much as possible about each one.

       My decision to embark on this great lighthouse hunt began in Maine. There I visited the Wells Lighthouse Depot, hailed as “the World’s Largest Lighthouse Gift Store!” And that’s no understatement. Anything lighthouse related can be found there, from mugs to towels to miniatures to cutlery, etc. For me, the key purchases were a set of giant guidebooks to the lighthouses of New England and the U.S. Atlantic Coast. I spent hours studying painstakingly researched descriptions and directions to hundreds of lighthouses stretching from West Quoddy Point, ME to the Florida Keys. For a self-respecting nerd like myself who loves giant compendiums of accumulated data, this was nirvana.

       After finishing the book, I began to dream of a time in the distant future when I would embark on a journey taking me up and down the eastern seaboard to personally catalogue each lighthouse listed in my guides. Of course, such a vision seemed like a pipe dram without the proper motivation and somewhat dull without someone to share my excitement upon locating each lighthouse. However, my problems were soon solved when I hesitatingly mentioned this quirky dream to my girlfriend Jen after dating her for some time…and feeling safely convinced she wouldn’t spurn me for conceiving of such a nerdy excursion. To my pleasant surprise, she was completely on board and our journey began.

       Now, almost 3 years and over 25 lighthouses later, we invite you to join us as well. Each lighthouse will get its own special entry along with photos, history, directions, and “awesome anecdotes” related to the day’s hunt. Jen and I hope that you enjoy the blog and stop by often…because we still have so much more to explore!

-Rob