I finally made it to Big Sauble Light House.
On my first visit, someone on the scooter forum mentioned that his daughter had planted flowers there, and I felt bad that I hadn’t gotten there to see them. I’d arrived somewhat late in the day, and only had time for a little hiking in the woods.
Last year I tried to rectify that, but the heat and my depression over the damaged brake lever prevented me from making it there.
This year I got there. It was a 4-mile round trip hike, and took me a couple hours all told. The season is wrong for the flowers, but I saw the plants.
On the way to the light I passed the “rustic” camp sites, which are a mile up the beach from the regular campground. They aren’t anything special, just some clearings with fire pits and pit toilets nestled among the jack pines in the dunes. But they fit the bill in terms of being in nature and getting away from the sea of RVs. And the gaggle of preschool kids in the site next to mine, taking turns shout-singing “Let It Go” and Sunday School songs. :/
I generally don’t mind the mobile-homers at state parks. There’s a saying among backpackers: “hike your own hike”, and they’re camping their own camp. I even envy them a bit sometimes, with their beds and all.
On the walk back from the lighthouse I was surprised by a young buck. I was walking down the dirt road, turned my head, and there he was: staring at me. He wasn’t more than 40 feet away. I slowly got out my good camera and got several shots of him, a few I which are OK. After a minute he walked away.
As I was congratulating myself for noticing him, I caught up with him… again not noticing him until I was almost on top of him. He was wary of me, but kept grazing. A couple of people approached from the other direction, and I pantomimed to draw their attention to him. From the look on her face, I wonder if she’d ever seen a deer in person before. Sadly she was unable to get out her camera before a family with a dog approached, and the deer bolted. I wished I could’ve given her one of mine. But I think her memory of it will last.