Jeff Dennis and his family did some exploring around Baraga County this past weekend. The first photo was snapped at the mouth of the Huron River. So much going on in this photo, of course the airplane, which Jeff said he was told by campers at the mouth, that the folks with the plane were also camping somewhere in the area and that they had come and gone several times. Interesting…

And the second shot was taken near the Herman area. It’s a great shot with the tracks veering off to head in a different direction like that and the trees surrounding them all, both the tracks and Jeff’s family. It’s one of those photos that are worth a thousand words, since it could have so many stories developed from it.

Today’s video was published in 2010 and is about the visit to West Huron Island by the son of an assistant lighthouse keeper 75 years after he first stepped onto the island. Located in Lake Superior, the Huron Island Lighthouse is one of the most remote beacons in the world. The video also features the shipwreck Arctic, lost in 1860 near the Island.

Huron Island was one of the manned lighthouses that we Coast Guard guys maintained. The logistics run usually involved the cutter Woodrush from Duluth or the smaller 110' cutter Naugatuck from the Soo. It was quite a trip replenishing men and supplies to not only Huron, but to Manitou, Rock of Ages, and Passage Island in one trip, heavily dependent on the weather. This in 1970-71. I must be old, eh?

I've been to the mouth of the Huron River and at that time there was no way any plane could have found enough space to take off or land. I'm shocked at the changes.

Was wonderin' about that too, D.A.! Doesn't look like that sand bar is much of a runway and there's no low tide a-comin' either.

Maybe it landed on the frozen Lake and it's now waiting for the next winter freeze to take off?

Greetings:

Not knowing the make of the plane but knowing the design, the pilot (male or female) only needs the right wind and not much runway. Not a desirable "field" by FAA rules.

Four people with all their camping gear presents quite a different take off scenario. I have to assume that only a pilot and a passenger flew in, and the rest of the camping party came in a land vehicle.

JT

JT,

I agree with you that they could have landed in the optimal wind conditions. That works OK for landing but how can they know a strong head wind will keep going or return, from the correct direction, when they need to take off? Maybe those are a set of removable pontoons sitting on the beach close to the plane? Who knows? I'm still amazed.

Yep, that sure looks to me like a mighty narrow spit of land to land that plane on.

Too bad I can't zoom in enough to read the N-number on that plane, so I could find out the make and model and the owner's name, darn!