On Lake Erie

I suppose I am starting this travelogue backwards, but it's my blog so I guess I can do that, right?

After leaving my friend Lorna in Buffalo I followed my GPS carefully out of the city and on to Interstate 90. But I soon realized that I was missing something I wanted very much to see: Lake Erie. Now on the way up to Buffalo I had veered off course to find the lake but was only able to see a little bit of it. I didn't want to miss it on the way home too, so I left the interstate and found Route 5, which traveled right along the edge of the lake. The exit I chose led me to Westfield and a small harbor.

Anchored in the harbor (called Barcelona or Portland, take your choice), I found this:

What is it? I wondered that too, but a sign explained its provenance:

Click the picture to read the details. Basically she was built as a replica, sailed, was admired by Queen Elizabeth II and now needs donations to restore her to her original glory.

The fog was impressive; the lake was so socked in that there was very little visibility. Somehow, this felt right and made me understand the need for a lighthouse. The Barcelona lighthouse was built in 1829 and was the first to be powered by natural gas that was run through wooden pipes to the light. It was decommissioned many years ago and today is private property, with no signs to tell its history. (While I respect the property owner's rights, I think it would be a nice public gesture to provide a little information about such an imposing landmark.)

I left the lake reluctantly and drove on, enveloped in the thickening fog. Soon I came upon this sign:

Really? Ripley, WV is the town closest to where I live, but this was Ripley, NY. And it was a completely different kind of place,

with fog shrouding a tiny downtown and no people or traffic visible when I passed through. A very small town indeed.

I pushed on down Route 5 and eventually the fog lifted. I followed the signs to a public access point on the lake.

Ahhh. Blue water, an almost limitless horizon, water lapping gently at my feet...it was just what I was looking for. I dawdled, picking up stones,

 

admiring driftwood,

 

picking up sea glass

and watching a gull bob on the water.

I'd had my water fix, so it was time to re-set the GPS and make tracks for home.

I brought back a few stones and sticks from the lake to create something to remind me of the small amount of time I spent by its shore. Maybe one day I will return to spend a week getting to know this lovely place. For now a few sticks, a bit of glass and some pebbles will serve to remind me of a place and a time that seemed suspended in the fog and the sun.