On the Pennsylvania Shore
I Visited Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Penn.
Colorful kites that are anchored on a beach at Presque Isle State Park fly in a strong, sustaining wind Saturday, July 27, 2024.
By Anna Krejci
Leisurely mornings in a lake house are a wonderful feature of a Great Lakes summer vacation. I was fortunate to be on such a vacation in late July when I stayed in a rental house that overlooked Lake Erie. As I woke up the first morning and looked out the window, I saw layers of blue. A blue sky stretched above an even bluer lake. The bedroom window had been open overnight and a whirling fan had circulated the air, which I enjoyed as I laid in bed. I went downstairs to serve myself a cup of coffee in a coral-colored, ceramic mug that looked cheerful against the aqua-toned paintings in the dining nook.
A picture of signal flags also hung on the wall. Such signal
flags are displayed on ships and boats, and they are recognized internationally. Maybe more so in the past, they were used by
sailors to relay information, including distress or warning signs, to other
boats on the open waters. It was another language to me, myself a city dweller,
and here, the signal flags had been made into nautical-themed artwork. How
lovely! I looked up the meanings of the
signal flags and found one, for example, that means “About to Sail;” it is a
white flag with a square, thick navy-blue border.
I felt like I was about to embark on a fun adventure. I was going to have two days of visiting
Presque Isle State Park, a 3,200-acre peninsula that reaches into Lake Erie. It
juts out just across from downtown Erie, Penn., with Presque Isle Bay and the
city of Erie being to the south, and the rest of Lake Erie being to the north. Canada
is on the opposite side of Lake Erie. The state park was only about a two-hour
drive from Cleveland, which was a comfortable distance to travel for a long
weekend getaway.
Our vacation was planned completely around visiting Presque
Isle State Park. I went with my spouse
and friends. We rented bicycles in the park. We canoed in the lagoon. We saw
kites being flown on a windy beach, and we rode the Lady Kate on a narrated
tour boat ride onto Lake Erie. We saw a monument to Oliver Hazard Perry, a commodore
in the War of 1812 who fought against Great Britain – and won – thus protecting
the United States’ territorial rights to the Great Lakes.
During the weekend, I couldn’t help but think how the color
white is so nautical and is also associated with summer. From my boat ride on the Lady Kate, I could
see white boats with white sails on the lake’s horizon. White is such a traditional color for boats –
it reflects light and doesn’t absorb as much of the sun’s heat as dark colors
would. A white boat is visible on the
blue water. The Presque Isle Lighthouse
on the shore of Lake Erie was also painted white for visibility. We had a self-guided tour of the structure,
which is now a historical museum. I was
most impressed by the white façade of the lighthouse. Once it had been the
color of brown brick, but was later painted white, so it was more distinguishable
to sailors seeking their way.
After days of venturing, during the evenings we returned to
the rental house and ate healthy, home-cooked meals that we made for
ourselves. The days ended with light
conversation, lively laughter and a card game or two. Eventually we dimmed the lights for the
night. I took one last glimpse of the
lake outside. The dining room curtains looked like sails that billowed in the
breeze. I turned in for the night, so content
and grateful for a weekend at the lake.
Presque Isle Lighthouse, which faces Lake Erie, can be seen
along the shore of Presque Isle State Park on Saturday, July 27, 2024, from the
Lady Kate tour boat. The tower of the
lighthouse was painted white to improve its visibility from the water.
A white sailboat crosses Lake Erie on Saturday, July 27,
2024. The photograph of the boat was taken
while on a tour boat ride on the Lady Kate, which took me on a 90-minute tour
of Misery Bay, Thompson Bay and Lake Erie off the shore of Presque Isle State Park.
Resources
Presque Isle Canoe and Boat Livery
http://www.presqueisleboatrental.com/
The Yellow Bike Rental Company, Inc.
http://www.presqueisleyellowbikerental.com/
