July 18, 2018
Southwick Beach State Park, NY to Fair Haven State Park, NY
Day 13
Weather: Sunny
We left our campsite at 7:15 a.m. under cool conditions having to put on my jacket. However 5 miles in it had warmed enough to removed it. We continued on Hwy 3 and started to encounter rolling hills, but we did have a consolation tailwind.
Much like Hwy 5 on last year's trip along Lake Erie we encountered abandoned motels dating back to before the interstates diverted the traffic away. But to our delight the traffic is on the interstates and we have enjoyed relatively light traffic conditions.
Just as we rolled into Port Ontario at 9 a.m. we saw Brandy's Diner so stopped for our second breakfast. During our travels earlier in the trip we had not found these small town diners so it was good to finally get into the rhythm of riding 20 miles then stopping for that second breakfast.
Refreshed, we cycled another mile and turned off to the Salmon River Lighthouse at Selkirk. The lighthouse is privately owned and offers accommodation but no tours of the inside. We met the owner Abe who stamped my passport.
Salmon River Lighthouse
In the early 1830’s government engineers deemed the Salmon River mouth at Selkirk suitable for a harbor and requested funds for a lighthouse.
A stone two story structure was built with an octagonal tower protruding through the roof. The lantern room has eighteen 9” X 12” light panes and the original light had 8 lamps and reflectors.
The light was first lit in August of 1838, and a short time later, two 1000-foot piers were constructed at the mouth of the Salmon River.
In the mid 1850’s the light source was upgraded to a sixth-order Fresnel lens.
A canal was proposed from the Salmon River to Lake Onieda and then connecting to the Erie Canal linking Selkirk to Buffalo and New York via the Hudson River. The canal was never built and the relevance of Selkirk as a harbor diminished.
No longer needed, the Salmon River Lighthouse was deactivated in 1859.
The lighthouse was sold in 1895 and later converted to a hotel.
On August 6, 1989, the lighthouse was re-activated as a Class II navigation aid using a solar power lamp. The light is listed as Port Ontario Light.
It was re-opened as a guest house in 1995.
As the lantern room was never upgraded with new window panes, it is one of the only remaining lighthouses with the birdcage style windows in the lantern room.
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As we rode through Oswego county the shoulder on Hwy 3 deteriorated, but we soon turned on to Hwy 104B where conditions improved.
We then turned off onto Hwy 1, and we followed the curvature of the lake the wind came at us from the side. Also as it was a minor road the rollers got more frequent and steeper. In hindsight we should have just stayed on Hwy 104B and 104 as the traffic wasn't that bad to warrant diverting to a minor road.
As we approached Oswego, I remembered there was a Walmart nearby so diverted over to the 104. Cameron spied a McDonald's and as we were both hungry and tired from the hills we ate and spent an hour or so at there working on the computer.
After stocking up at Walmart, we rode straight into Oswego turning after the bridge on 1st street to ride out to the Oswego Pierhead Lighthouse. There we got a distant view and also obtained a stamp from the H Lee White Maritime Museum. As the hour was late we decided not to tour the museum.
Oswego Pierhead Lighthouse
The first lighthouse at Oswego was an octagonal stone tower built in 1822 on the east bank of the river just below Fort Ontario.
Once the Oswego Canal was opened in 1828 linking Oswego and Lake Ontario to the Erie Canal, the port grew and a new lighthouse was planned. The second lighthouse was an octagonal stone tower, attached oil house and part of the pier on the west side of the harbor. The tower stood fifty-nine feet tall.
In 1841, the first lighthouse was sold and dismantled.
During 1868 and 1869 the following improvements were made; the tower was raised fourteen feet, now standing at seventy-four feet, a new lantern room was installed, a third order Fresnel lens was installed replacing the forth order lens that was installed in 1855.
By 1871, the pier had been extended and a mast had been erected on the end with a light. A cable ran back from the mast to the upstairs window of the lighthouse so the lantern could be sent out to the mast using a pulley system during bad weather.
In 1872, this system was replaced with a wooden framed tower and sixth order lens. An octagonal iron tower, replaced the wooden pierhead beacon in 1877.
During the 1870’s a outer breakwater was built to protect the harbor. In 1881 the iron tower was relocated to a crib built just inside the breakwater and the light increased to a fourth order lens. An assistant keeper kept watch over this light until 1887 when two keepers were assigned.
On April 15, 1917, the seventy four foot tall Oswego Lighthouse was decommissioned. The iron breakwater light was renamed Oswego Light Station. In 1921, this light was converted to run in electricity.
Unfortunately, in 1927 the out of commission octagonal stone tower was demolished.
During dredging work in 1931, the iron breakwater tower was decommissioned and a temporary light was put in place. This light was replaced in 1934 with a metal structure built on a crib with a thirteen-foot tower in one corner. The light was a fourth-order Fresnel lens with an overall height of fifty-seven feet.
The lighthouse was automated in 1968 with the Coast Guard personal leaving. In 1995 the lens was removed and is now displayed at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum.
The lighthouse is now owned by the City of Oswego and there are future plans to open it to the public.
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We headed out of Oswego once again on country roads next to the lake but encountered more rollers so checking the map we decided to forego any more minor roads and headed towards . I'm not sure if it was any better as I failed to see much cut and fill but we convinced ourselves this was the best decision even though the mileage would be longer.
We finally reached Fair Haven State Park at 5 p.m., after encountering one last steep hill before the turn off.
Once we set up our tents we walked down to the beach for a swim. The water was colder than yesterday so we didn't stay in to long.
After, it was dinner, laundry and eventually forced to the tents by some mosquitoes.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 608 miles (978 km)
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