“It’s a nice day for a white wedding,” bellows from the tinny gas station speakers overhead.
I smile to myself, envisioning Billy Idol’s mischievous half-sneer-half-smile under his platinum-blonde hair, gyrating on my cathode ray television – MTV logo in the bottom-right corner.
“This is fitting…” I think. What else would be playing at a Holiday Station in Duluth, Minnesota, at almost one in the morning?
I smile again, nodding in approval of the moment.
An entire work-day’s hours earlier, I was packing up my camera gear, preparing to drive to photograph the lighting of Split Rock Lighthouse for its 111th birthday. I enjoy the drive; I’m always on my way to a fun time. The only negative of the trip is my Armada has an exhaust issue, and is beginning to sound like a 1979 GMC truck. I only know this because I drove a 1979 GMC truck – complete with Swiss cheese exhaust – to high school. The sound of an exhaust system with a hole is awful. It’s the only thing I hear while I’m driving.
If you’re not a local, Split Rock Lighthouse beacon only lights up a couple of times a year – the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking memorial, and an occasional special event.
About forty-five minutes later than planned, I finally got to the lighthouse scenic overlook parking area. My friend and fellow photographer, Steve Hadeen, was patiently waiting by his car. I notice he’s dressed for the bugs. I changed out of my long pants and shoes, opting for shorts, sandals, and wool socks, at a rest stop an hour-and-a-half before my arrival. It was just too uncomfortable to drive with Fjallraven adventure pants on. I hop in the back seat and change back into my adventure pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt with another over it, slather myself in bug repellent, grab my headlamp, and a cap.
Neither Steve, nor I, had ever been to Day Hill, an area a short hike from the road where we are parked. It offers a view of the lighthouse in line with Ellington Island, a rocky, well, island, in the bay below the cliff Split Rock Lighthouse sits atop. I’ve tried to find this location for a while. The hike to the overlook is relatively easy.
Once we reached the top of Day Hill, and made our way to the far side, out to some rock outcroppings, I recognize the view to the lighthouse. This is the place I’ve wanted to find.
Early at Split Rock Lighthouse
After scouting locations to setup our gear, Steve and I decide to have a look around the area. In the opposite direction, away from the lighthouse, was an additional overlook facing south. Steve grabbed a seat while we watched the sun set. I thought it was a perfect moment.
