Marblehead

Partially overcast day today, warm and humid.  Forecast called for rain this afternoon and possible thunderstorms.  So we will do the outdoor stuff while we can.

First destination was the Marblehead Lighthouse State Park where we strolled around the well-kept grounds and took a walk along the Lake Erie shoreline. 

Marblehead is a peninsula composed mostly of vacation homes around the outer edge and a giant limestone quarry occupying the center.  The quarry is really not visible except for a conveyor structure that bisects the town and juts far out into the waters of Lake Erie.  And there really isn’t a way to see it from the ground.  We talked to a guy mowing the lawn at the lighthouse who said we could see the quarry from the cemetery in town.  Leave it to the locals to know the best spots.

Mr. Lawnmower told us the best place to launch a kayak was right in front of the lighthouse, but that was rather far to carry from the parking lot so we drove back a half mile to Lucien Clemons Park, which had a small sandy area, perfect for launching.  We paddled out into Lake Erie and towards the lighthouse, making slow headway against the wind.  We made it around the point and then headed back as it was nearing lunch time. 

As we were nearing the shore we saw several snakes swimming in the water and later identified them as a Lake Erie Water Snake.  Non-venomous but they can get aggressive.  The ones we saw just wanted to swim away.  They really didn’t want their picture taken.

I’ve now paddled three of the Great Lakes: Michigan, Superior, and now Erie.  Ontario and Huron are still to come at some point.

Leaving the park, we drove to the St Joseph’s Cemetery, right across from the only manufacturer in town, Biro Manufacturing.  We had walked the road into the cemetery when a guy in a white pickup drove up and told us we were parked in Employee Parking for Biro.  And everyone was returning from lunch hour so the parking was needed.  It sure looked like cemetery parking.  He was real nice about it and gave us a ride on his pickup tailgate back to our RV.

We drove the RV into the cemetery and discovered that most of it was surrounded by thick vegetation that prevented a good view of the quarry.  From the air, however, the cemetery is small peninsula in a vast hole in the ground.

We drove to East Harbor State Park and hung out there for a while, waiting for the storm to start.  We could see it rolling over the lake and enveloping the islands in the distance and soon it enveloped us also.  Perfect time to make dinner, with the rain drumming on the roof.

We are staying overnight in someone else’s backyard in Port Clinton. Tomorrow promises to be a better day and we will go to another island.