Grand Haven South Pier

I had two opportunities to go out with my youngest brother to do photography when we were in Michigan recently. This was taken on the second excursion, a miserable evening, cold and rainy. Grand Haven, a city on Lake Michigan, has two piers, north and south that mark the ends of the channel that leads to Spring Lake. We first walked the north pier, just visible with its green light, and then drove to the south pier and walked it. We were ready to pack up for the evening when the lights on the catwalk came on and gave us a reason to stay.

Grand Haven was deeded the lighthouses and pier by the US government and started a project to restore the catwalk and lighthouses. The restoration of the catwalk was recently finished and a lighting ceremony held. The catwalk was used by lighthouse keepers to reach the lighthouses in bad weather. We've seen ice on the pier to the height of the catwalk and waves as high as the outer light, so the catwalk certainly was necessary. The project to restore the lighthouses is on-going and the lights are not open to the public, though the pier is.