Jim and Barbara's Genealogy Trip Day One-September 8
 
We traveled up I-35 from Kearney to Cameron, Missouri where we went east on U.S. 36.  We had breakfast just west of Hannibal, Missouri.  We then crossed the mighty Mississippi River into Illinois and journeyed on I-72 until we reached the capital of Illinois, Springfield.  At Springfield we joined I-55 and went north to Joliet, Illinois.  At Joliet we joined I-80 and after about 20 miles we ran into our first problem of the day.  I-80, I-294, and I-94 and being reconstructed and to make matters worse there was a wreck.  Surrounded by trucks of every size, we spent the next hour moving very slowly eastward.  We finally broke out of the traffic jam in northwestern Indiana and when I-94 went northeast away from I-80, we knew we were in high cotton.  We arrived in Benton Harbor, Michigan a little later than we wanted to but it was still light.  For the first of numerous times during the trip, we got lost trying to find our motel. 

Outside of my family, sports, weather and genealogy, I love most to visit lighthouses and they had an old beauty in St. Joseph Michigan just west of Benton Harbor.  We also got lost trying to find the road to the lighthouses, but eventually we got there.

 

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A view of the southeastern coast of Lake Michigan from the beach at St. Joseph Michigan.  Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

Looking west from the Beach at St. Joseph, Michigan we get our first look at the lighthouses. The lighthouses are located at the mouth of the St. Joseph river as it empties into Lake Michigan. Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

Looking east northeast from the beach we could see some beautiful homes adjacent to the beaches along the shores of Lake Michigan. Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

We had to walk along this concrete pier out into Lake Michigan to get to the twin lighthouses. The outer light was constructed in 1906, replacing an 1859 lighthouse built on a hill overlooking the river. The inner light was added midway along the pier in 1907, creating a pair of range lights.  Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

The lighthouse is automated now.  It has a fourth order Fresnel lens which is still in operation.  Click on the image to see a larger view.

 
 

There was a moderate breeze blowing on shore that generated a few waves that overtopped the pier. Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

A view of downtown St. Joseph Michigan looking east from the concrete pier.  The St. Joseph river widens as it leaves the confines of the city.  Click on the image to see a larger view.
 

This outer marker was located on the opposite side of the river channel.  Click on the image to see a larger view.
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