Stopped at a Rest Area

One of the other things I like about the turnpike is the little rest area/ restaurant things they have along the way.  Although it seemed like they were updating a bunch so it seemed like they were few and far between.  At any rate, we stopped at one and as I was heading back to the car, I noticed some trees and decided to get some pictures of them.

 I'm not sure what kind of trees they were, but I liked the flowers on them.  I thought they looked pretty.

 A closeup of the flowers.  I think I really like the way the purple flowers set off against the green background.

 Another angle of the flowers.

 I tried to get another closeup.

 I think I like this one the best.

 Just a shot of the branch against the sky.

 I tried to get some pictures of the surrounding area but not to much avail.  The barrier between the two sides of the freeway didn't help.

 But I did like this shot.

And the moon looked really nice.

Pics from On the Way

My mom took these pictures since I was driving.  I like the looks of Pennsylvania so I had her take a couple shots.

 We took the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the Pennsylvania-Ohio Border to the Harrisburg Exit.  I think I've posted the history of the turnpike fbefore, so I'm not going to go into too much detail about it.  However, it was started in 1940 (although technically before then).

 This particular tunnel is going through the Allegheny Mountains and was originally supposed to be used by trains.  The railroad that was going to use it failed, so they turned it into a turnpike.

 Here we are entering the tunnel.  I think because they were going to use it for a railroad, the grading is alot nicer than some of the other east-west highways.

Inside the tunnel.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

I don't remember if I got a shot of this before or not, so I'll post it.  It's not a very good shot of the memorial.  I think to get a good shot of it, I will need to take a ferry to it.  At any rate.

The Perry's Victory Memorial is in Put In Bay, Ohio.  It is the site of the victory of Oliver Hazard Perry over the British Fleet in the Great Lakes.

The Memorial itself is 352 feet tall and is the world's most massive doric column.  It was constructed from 1912-1915.  Beneath it are the remains of 3 British and 3 American officers.  It is among the tallest memorials in the United States.  The memorial celebrates the victory of Perry but also the lasting peace between the US, Britain and Canada after the war.

Currently it is closed because of some deterioation but supposedly it will reopen July 1, 2012.

Some Shots of Lake Erie

These are just some shots of Lake Erie from the lighthouse.

 It was kind of windy on the lake, so it was a little on the rough side.

 It is pretty rocky around the lighthouse and I was trying to get a shot of the waves crashing over the rocks.

 Another spot.

One more shot of Lake Erie.

The Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder

As we were heading towards the lighthouse, we passed a dock and I saw a ship docked there.   I didn't think I'd be able to get a picture of her as she was in a bad spot that I didn't think I could get to.

Well that changed as I was taking pictures of the lighthouse.  As I saw the Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder pulling out.  She's been on this blog before, so I wont go into her details.

There was a nice pile of rocks and I kind of liked the contrast.

She was turning around to head out into Lake Erie.

As she gets ready to go out.

As we were leaving town, I saw a spot where I could see her clearly.  So one more picture of her.  Normally, I do not like the articulated tug ships but this one is okay, I guess.

Marblehead Lighthouse

I went to Pennsylvania over the weekend with my mom.  She suggested that we take Ohio Route 2 for part of the way so that we could follow along Lake Erie.  Unfortunately, it is still too far inland to follow Lake Erie.  But we took a little detour to get to Marblehead Lighthouse.

 Marblehead is the oldest continuous operating lighthouse on the American side of the Great Lakes.

 In 1819, the US Congress recognized the need for navigational aids along the Great Lakes and set aside $5,000 for the construction of this lighthouse. 

 The tower was originally 50 feet tall and constructed from the limestone from the area.  It is 25 feet at the base of the tower and narrows to 12 feet in diameter at the top.  The light was originally powered by whale oil and there were metal reflectors behind the light.

 In 1858, the whale oil lights were replaced by kerosene and the metal reflectors replaced with a fresnel lens.

 In 1900, the tower was heightened by 15 feet and a clock like mechanism was added to spin the light around.  The fresnel lens was improved as well.

In 1923, an electric light was added which improved the intensity of the light.  In 1946, the Coast Guard took over from the civillian lighthouse keepers.  In 1958, the light was automated.  In 1998, ownership was turned over to the State of Ohio although the Coast Guard still maintains the light.  The light has a green color which distinguishes it from air beacons.

I'll have to admit, it is a pretty neat light.

Teaser Pic From Strasburg Railroad

I took a train ride tonight. Got quite a few pics I was happy with.


As always more pics when I get home.

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Location:Pennsylvania