Category Archives: Year 10

Crisp Point Lighthouse Lady Aurora’s Keeper’s Dance

Year 10,

Molly and I are camped out on a remote Lake Superior wilderness shoreline … about 20 miles by water from Whitefish Point and 18 miles by a small dirt road to the nearest pavement. The Northern Lights were not forecast to shine last night, but Lady Aurora decided she wanted to dance in honor of our 10th season serving as Crisp Point Lighthouse Keepers. This gig does not come with a keeper’s residence. Our home is a 3 person pup pitched 20 yards from the big lake.

At 10:00 pm while getting ready to hunker down into my sleeping bag, I decided to take a quick peek through the tent’s window out over the lake … green glow! I put on my warm clothes to keep me warm against the 23 mph winds and 50F temperature and ventured forth into the night. By 10:30 pm (sunset was at 8:00 pm) Lady Aurora decided to dance … a sub storm!!! Here was her performance.

10 Minutes before Sunset … the same night (perspective … west of lighthouse)

10 Minutes after Sunset … the same night (perspective … east of lighthouse)

Crisp Point Lighthouse Bound!

Year 10

Guess where Molly and I are headed?! It will be our tenth year serving as lighthouse keepers at this remote outpost on the wilderness shores of Lake Superior. One drives a 20 mile long dirt road to reach the light, and that is only after another 20 miles driven along a smaller paved road. The lighthouse is 1 hour and 20 minutes to the nearest town of Newberry, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. I guess we will not go out for pizza! Round trip to any services is 2 hours and 40 minutes. We pack in everything needed and stay the duration.

Only the keepers are allowed to camp at the lighthouse. There is no keeper’s residence. Here is me next to a campfire from a few years back with the lighthouse in the background. We will be at Crisp Point during a low light period (not quite new moon). I am hoping Lady Aurora decides to dance!

I Can’t Believe I Ate the Vole Thing! (Broad-Winged Hawk)

Year 10

Yesterday while on Admiral Road in Sax-Zim Bog I saw a Broad-Winged Hawk dive into the roadside trail grass. Moments later it emerged with a vole and flew up onto a near branch. I had always thought (obviously incorrectly) that Broad-Winged Hawks needed to tear their prey apart and eat its food in chucks. Not!

Right now, if you spend any amount of time in the woods, it is highly likely you will find raptors hunting. On my way back to Duluth I discovered a flock of Northern Flickers being repeatedly attacked unsuccessfully by a pair of immature Peregrine Falcons. This particular battle went on for almost 10 minutes … fun to watch.

Here is the sequence of photographs I took of a Broad-Winged Hawk eating a vole. It then flew directly onto the other side of Admiral Road, still very near me, but into the sun. I left it hunting for more food.

I can’t believe I ate the Vole Thing! (Broad-Winged Hawk)