Milwaukee Lakefront

In the last post, I talked about cheering on Chris and Cassie during their marathon. I am proud to report that both of them finished strong and well before their estimated times. Chris finished in 3 hours, 32 minutes and 56 seconds; while Cassie finished in 3 hours, 33 minutes and a couple of seconds. Chris improved his time over last year by 20 minutes, and Cassie's time qualified her for the Boston Marathon. As for the performance by Dad and me as spectators, I'd have to say that we need to improve our times! :) We arrived at Klode Park (the 20 mile marker) to cheer them on. Dad dropped me off, he went to park the van, and I found a place to stand. Just as I got comfortable, turned on my camera, suddenly I saw the 3:35 pace marker with two familiar faces hot on the pace! I quick snapped some pictures, ran ahead to catch a couple more and then my runners were gone. I met Dad back at the intersection and said, "They already came through, back to the van we go so we can get to the finish line." Dad and I had plenty of time to spare at the finish line, picked out prime spots, and cheered Chris and Cassie the last few feet they had to run!

Following the race, the four of us hung out at Veterans Park for a while to partake in the post-race activities, enjoy some Milwaukee Lakefront brews, and let the runners recover (or stiffen up). By 1 p.m., we looked at our watches and said time to go because we had important games to watch - Brewer playoff game and Packer game. While waiting for Dad to pick us up at Veterans Park, a white tower standing strong in the blue sky and water caught my attention. Circling the white tower were numerous sailboats and seagulls. This white tower was the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse (MBL).

Feeling confident that the two runners were not going to move another muscle unless it was into the van, I wandered off to photograph the lighthouse as well as the numerous sailboats in the harbor. This photographic opportunity allowed me to capture the MBL in a different light and setting. Back in 2008, while at the Rascal Flatts concert at the Marcus Amphitheater, I snapped a couple of shots of the MBL at dusk. From the Amphitheater grass seats, you have a beautiful view of the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse.

The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse is one of three city of Milwaukee lighthouses – MBL, Milwaukee Pierhead Light and North Point Lighthouse. MBL was built in 1926 and replaced an earlier structure that was built in the 1890s. The current white steel plate structure stands 53 feet high on the Milwaukee breakwaters, which is comprised of three levels – the fog signal equipment housing, the keeper’s living quarters and the lantern. The lantern is a fourth-order Fresnel lens that flashes a red light every ten seconds. By 1966, the light became automated and was powered by electricity fed through an underwater system. Today the light is owned by the United States Coast Guard.

My historical information is courtesy of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Encyclopedia by Larry and Patricia Wright, pages 304-305. For more information or directions to the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse, visit: http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=243.

In closing the Milwaukee lakefront proves to be a great place to run and observe a beautiful lighthouse.