B.I.D List fun...

A few years back I started thinking about things I would like to experience and came up with a B.I.D list (Before I Die List). Now, I know a lot of people prefer to call theirs a 'bucket list' but I'm not afraid of the word die and I don't like to cover the prospect of death up with slang titles so that's why my list is titled as it is. Some things on my list are as huge as others are small and I really believe that's the point for me... life is made up of big dreams and realities just as it is of small ones that matter just as much.

So, I wanted to share my list of life wishes that I am certain will grow and change over time... I also wanted to share an 'accomplished entry' of a list item realized. So far, I've only been able to star off four of my B.I.D goals but we all have to have a starting point, right!?

I have a special journal where I keep my list and write about each goal as I find opportunity.

85 Visit a lighthouse...  *Accomplished Friday, June 8, 2012.


A Visit to Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, Minnesota

It was on a whim that we turned off the highway and into the Lighthouse grounds. I had wanted to go and visit the lighthouse every time I had ever driven by the signs on our visits to America but this was the time of actual happening. We had driven for hours through POURING rain until only moments before the lighthouse turnoff when the rain settled into a thick and heavy fogginess.

We took a chance on the weather and the rain did hold off while we explored though the fog would stay heavy through the entire view which was sooooo thick it was impossible to see the lake only a few feet from where we stood... even greater did the fog deepen my understanding for the need of lighthouses!

Deciding to take the quick tour to be sure we understood everything was a good choice since I sometimes don't understand things so well. I was fascinated with not only how quickly (only eleven months) but also how dangerous it was to build the lighthouse and buildings; everything was shipped by boat and brought to site by boat a steam-powered hoist and derrick from the lake and up the incredible rock cliffs. I didn't fully appreciate the danger until we walked to the foot of the cliff and looked up from the shoreline of the now cleared and staired pathway... MASSIVE! I had expected the lighthouse to be taller but realized why it didn't have to be with how high off the lake it already was!

We explored the dynamite shed first. It was small and set away from the other buildings and had been built to (hopefully) be able to withstand an explosion. It was, thankfully, never tested on it's actual limits. There was a door that I really loved in there!

Next we visited one of the Keepers houses, there were three identical houses - which I really liked because it meant ALL the Keepers lived and were considered equal even though there was always one who had the Head Keeper title. I also loved that at Split Rock a family lifestyle was encouraged and the Keepers' families lived there with them in the months the children were not in school. The house was small with creaky floors and an extremely narrow stairway. I was most fascinated by the built-in ladder to the attic as well as the carefully brush-painted walls! I absolutely LOVED how it felt to be in that house, it was cozy and welcoming even after so many years having passed with no one living within those beautiful walls.

From the house I didn't want to leave, we went and visited the whistle room from which a whistle blasted every eighteen seconds for the boats and could be heard from five miles out from the shore. It still works and I would have appreciated a little warning before it sounded while I was inside... I survived the shock but I bet had my reaction been filmed it would have been a YouTube HIT!

I had wanted to save the lighthouse itself for last and was happy I had. The glossy-white bricked walls were stunning and the small area somehow felt incredibly open and inviting as we climbed the spiral, very narrow staircase up to the lens which was nothing AT ALL like I had always imagined; lens itself was made up of LOUVERS... Who knew???

Fascinating stuff and I am so glad we finally stopped in!

Because I collect key chains, I of course had to have one as a keepsake from my beautiful lighthouse adventure...

Split Rock Lighthouse is really quite a sight, so full of history in life and I am grateful I had the chance to get to know it just a little bit. If you've never been, it really is a stunning place and though it was weather that just didn't allow for us to take pictures on our visit because the fog was so brutal we could hardly even see the water while standing on the shoreline it was still purely magical for me. And I did find a postcard photo showing the lighthouse on a clear day...

Split Rock Lighthouse photo from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Do you have a B.I.D list of your own? What did you name your list and what super cool adventures do you have listed to accomplish?