Souvenirs from the 2017 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge

Mission accomplished!

In an earlier post, I mentioned our planned exploration of Chesapeake Bay lighthouses during the 2017 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge. I'm writing to say, 

"We made it! We have seen the lights!"

We visited 12 lights in 36 hours. We rode 540 miles to visit lighthouses from the northern tip of the Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace to the southernmost tip of Maryland at Point Lookout, and from Baltimore's Inner Harbor across the Bay Bridge to Cambridge. 

In addition to crossing the Bay, we traversed 5 tributaries including the Potomac, Patapsco, Severn, Choptank, and South Rivers. That is a lot of bridges, but bridges are the subject of a different post!

A map showing the twelve lights we visited around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries

By participating in the challenge, we earned a special prize at each stop we made during the two-day tour. The prize was a colorful coaster imprinted with a photo of the subject lighthouse.

We received a coaster as a souvenir at each stop. The top coaster commemorates the 2017 Challenge.
The second row contains coasters from the first three stops

Coasters from stops 4 through 9

Coasters from stops 10 through 12 plus the "Finishers" coaster at the bottom.

Do you like lighthouses? Have you ever just gone on a two-wheel tour of lighthouses around the Bay? We signed up for the challenge and I am glad we did! I highly recommend it!

The challenge is a fundraiser for the US Lighthouse Society to help pay for upkeep of the lighthouses. For more information, please visit the USLHS website here: http://uslhs.org/

The Lights of the 2017 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge

My proposed route for the Maryland Lighthouse Challenge

“I’ve seen the lights!”

The U.S. Lighthouse Society's Chesapeake Chapter presents:

2017 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge

The highly anticipated 11th Maryland Lighthouse Challenge will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17, 2017. An early bird date of Friday, September 15 offers additional, "unofficial" lighthouse appreciation activities on Maryland’s eastern shore.

Complimentary souvenirs will be given at each Challenge location. You are welcome to visit any number of lighthouses along the Challenge route, but you will have to visit all mandatory stops to be able to proclaim “I’ve seen the lights!” and collect a specially designed souvenir to mark your accomplishment.

The lineup of "Mandatory Lights" around the clockwise route includes these 10:
1. Concord Point, Havre de Grace
2. Seven Foot Knoll, Baltimore Inner Harbor, Pier 5
3. Lightship Chesapeake, Baltimore Inner Harbor, Pier 3
4. Hooper Strait, St. Michael's
5. Choptank River Replica, Cambridge
6. Cove Point, Lusby
7. Drum Point, Solomons
8. Piney Point Lighthouse, Piney Point
9. Point Lookout, Lexington Park
10. Fort Washington Lighthouse, Fort Washington


Bonus Lights include:
• Millers Island Lighthouse at Sparrow’s Point (between Concord Point and Inner Harbor)
• Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse at Annapolis (in Annapolis near the Bay Bridge)
• Blackistone Lighthouse Replica at Colton’s Point (between Point Lookout and Fort Washington)


Visiting these three bonus lighthouses is not counted toward event completion, but will take Challengers to three more beautiful Bay locations, earning them extra event souvenirs!

I'm excited to combine my passions for boating and two-wheeled travel on an early fall weekend. Toss in an overnight in lovely Annapolis, and this trip has the makings of a memorable treat. My plan is to meet the challenge in two days.

• Day One: ride from Alexandria to Concord Point, then bypass the optional Millers Island light in the interest of time, hit the two in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, then cross the Bay Bridge to Hooper and Choptank, then head back across the Bay Bridge to end the day in Annapolis. Option: visit Sandy Point Shoal if time allows.
• Day Two: Head south to complete the challenge in a clockwise manner, Cove, Drum, Piney, Point Lookout, optional stop at Blackistone, then on to Fort Washington before crossing the Wilson Bridge on I-495 back to Alexandria.

Just under 500 miles over 2 days, to see 10 to 12 lights, collect souvenirs, and earn bragging rights.

The Maryland Lighthouse Challenge…

Making Maryland memories–one lighthouse at a time!

Contact: Challenge Coordinator, Karen Rosage, (410) 437-0741, challenge@cheslights.org. Accessed Sep 3, 2017 from http://cheslights.org/maryland-lighthouse-challenge/.