Light Hearted 246 – Cristina Alonzo: O Camiño Dos Faros (The Lighthouse Way) in Spain

10/08/23 • 57 min

O Camiño dos Faros, or The Lighthouse Way, is a 125-mile hiking route in Galicia in the northwest part of Spain. The route passes nine lighthouses, as well as forts, fishing villages, beaches, and important landmarks in the portion of the coast known as A Costa da Morte. National Geographic called the Lighthouse Way an under-the-radar gem, and The Telegraph called it “one of the 50 best adventure vacations in the world.” The Lighthouse Way is divided into eight sections, with an average hiking time of nine hours per section, allowing for time to stop along the way for meals and photos. The route is steep in places and is considered of medium difficulty. A view on O Camiño dos Faros The organization known as the Association of O Camiño dos Faros was created with one goal: to make O Camiño dos Faros a reality and to preserve the hiking route for people to experience, with maximum respect for nature. The guest in this episode, Cristina Alonso, is the president of the Association of O Camiño dos Faros. She also has a personal connection to lighthouses, as the daughter of lighthouse keepers. Two of the lighthouses on O Camiño dos Faros

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Light Hearted ep 245 – Pete Lesher, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum campus (courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.) The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, explores and preserves the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource accessible to all. The museum’s collections include historic watercraft dating back to the 1860s, maritime paintings and prints, ship models, a Chesapeake region folklife collection, and a dozen historic vessels still afloat on the Chesapeake Bay. Hooper Strait Lighthouse (courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.) The museum is also home to Hooper Strait Lighthouse. Constructed in 1879, it was once one of the bay’s famed screwpile lighthouses. After its automation in the 1960s, the Coast Guard considered destroying the structure. With support from the Historical Society of Talbot County, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum stepped in to save the lighthouse. It was moved to shore and arrived at its final home on November 9, 1966, and it opened to the public in the following year. Pete Lesher (courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.) The guest in this episode, Pete Lesher, is the chief historian and ambassador at large for the museum.

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Light Hearted ep 247 – The Twin Lights of Thacher Island, Massachusetts

The historic twin light station on Thacher Island, off the east side of Cape Ann in Massachusetts. is one of the small number of lighthouse sites in the U.S. that are designated National Historic Landmarks. In 1771, there were nine lighthouses in operation in North America. The original twin lighthouses built on Thacher Island in 1771 were the first built to mark a dangerous spot rather than a harbor entrance, and they were also the last lighthouses built under British rule in the colonies. The two granite towers that stand today, 124 feet tall, were built in 1861 and fitted with first-order Fresnel lenses. The north light was deactivated in 1932. The twin lights of Thacher Island, Massachusetts In the 1980s, concerned citizens of Cape Ann formed the Thacher Island Association and chose a caretaker to live on the island. The Town of Rockport's Thacher Island Committee in partnership with the nonprofit Thacher Island Association maintains and operates the island, including both lighthouse towers. This episode includes historic audio recorded in the 1980s, as well as audio from a recent visit to the island with co-host Sarah MacHugh. Sarah spoke with Syd Wedmore, chairman of the Thacher Island Town Committee. Co-host Sarah MacHugh (right) on the way out to Thacher Island. Syd Wedmore, chairman of the Thacher Island Town Committee.