Not the Lake: Two Harbors light

Two Harbors Light Station. Two Harbors, Minnesota.

I picked up a bad lighthouse addiction in Maine.

Fortunately, I know a good dealer in Minnesota: Lake Superior.

Here’s how I got hooked: The Maine Office of Tourism, American Lighthouse Foundation and the U.S. Coast Guard sponsor a Maine Open Lighthouse Day every September.  The event opens historic Atlantic Coast lighthouses for guided tours, special events and visits to usually off-limits places. It’s free and everyone is welcome

If you like quirky old buildings, maritime history and stunning ocean views there’s no better place than Open Lighthouse Day.

Jen and I were in Maine three years. We celebrated Open Lighthouse Day each September. The event took us into northern nooks and coastline crannies we never would have visited otherwise. West Quoddy, Owl’s Head, Fort Point, Rockland and Grindel Point.  A great way to explore the state.

Yes, New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Hollywood has the Oscars and Colby, Wisconsin has Cheese Days, but when you’re in Maine it’s Open Lighthouse Day.

So Jen and I missed Open Lighthouse Day this year, but fear not we are in the land of Split Rock.

Last weekend, we drove up to Two Harbors, Minnesota. A cozy little harbor town on Lake Superior with two giant iron ore docks and the oldest operating lighthouse in Minnesota. The light house is now a bed and breakfast, but it sits on a point near a public boat landing and is easy picking for photographers.

I snapped this shot on a chilly, overcast day in May. The wind roared off the lake like a freeway-grade snow plow. There was ice in the air. Anglers struggled to launch a large boat on the first day of fishing season. Few noticed the red brick building, a white light blinked every two seconds.

After taking the picture, I lumbered back to the truck and cranked the heater.

And thought about how easy it was to scored light houses in Maine.