标签灯塔下的文章

涅迪克角灯塔上的节日彩灯，缅因州 Holiday lights on Cape Neddick Light in York, Maine (© Walter Bibikow/Alamy)

A holiday beacon of light

This classic New England scene is Cape Neddick Light, one of Maine's most iconic lighthouses, all lit up for the holiday season. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hundreds gather on the mainland across from tiny Nubble Island to count down to the lighting. It is quite the holiday tradition, complete with Santa, live reindeer, and thousands of cookies baked by locals.

'Nubble Light,' or 'the Nub,' is arguably the most iconic of Maine's 65 lighthouses. Built on more than two acres of granite island, the Nub has been protecting sailors since 1879. There's no better time to visit than when it's all dressed up for the holidays. And if you miss the winter display, you can come back in July, when it's relit for summer visitors.

节日的灯塔

这个经典的新英格兰场景是涅迪克角灯塔，缅因州最具标志性的灯塔之一，在节日期间灯火通明。每年感恩节后的星期六，数百人聚集在努布尔岛对面的大陆上，为灯光倒数。这是一个相当传统的节日，有圣诞老人，驯鹿和当地人烤的成千上万的饼干。

“纽伯灯”或“纽伯”可以说是缅因州65座灯塔中最具标志性的。 Nub建于2英亩以上的花岗岩岛上，自1879年以来就一直为水手们提供保护。没有比盛装过节更好的时间了。如果你错过了冬季的展览，你可以在7月回来，那时灯塔会为夏季游客重新点亮。

楠塔基特岛大点灯塔，麻萨诸塞州 Great Point Light on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (© Cate Brown/Cavan Images)

There once was a lighthouse from...

Nantucket is the island home of about 12,000 people. But venture to its sandy northern reaches, composed of narrow sand spits and only accessible via 4x4 vehicles, and you might not bump into many folks on your way to this historic—and still very important—lighthouse.

The Great Point Light on the island's northernmost tip traces its origin to 1784, a time when Nantucket was world famous—not so much for appearing in countless (often bawdy) limericks, but as the epicenter of the American whaling industry. Herman Melville wrote that Nantucket whalers once controlled two-thirds of the globe's waters, and to get home, all those whaling ships had to navigate the perilous shoals between the island's north shore and nearby Cape Cod. This lighthouse was the solution, first in the form of a wooden tower that burned in 1816, then a stone version toppled by a storm in 1984. The current structure, built partly with materials from the previous one, was dedicated in 1986 and has been in official operation since.

Celebrating 200 years of statehood

We're wandering out onto the striated coastal rocks of Maine's Pemaquid Point at sunrise to mark 200 years since Maine joined the Union as the 23rd US state. With roughly 5,000 miles of jagged, rocky coastline, Maine is studded with dozens of lighthouses, and the light at Pemaquid Point is one of the most celebrated—and historic. First, that history: President John Quincy Adams commissioned the lighthouse in 1827, but it needed to be rebuilt in 1835 after the original began falling apart. (Note: Don't use saltwater when mixing your mortar.) Maine residents chose the Pemaquid Point Light for display on their state's coin as part of the US 50 State Quarters Program.

Visitors to the lighthouse are invited to climb the spiral staircase of the 38-foot tower. At the top, they can see the beacon's original Fresnel lens, which is still in use. Gazing out the window offers a superb vantage point of the ridged coastline below. The ancient metamorphic coastal rock is striped with lighter igneous rock, creating banded ledges and lots of scenic drama.

星空迷