Crossing It Off The 'Bucket List'
Man's journey ended with 248 steps
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Recently, he and his wife, Barb, traveled to Rondanthe, N.C., for a vacation.
They drove 14 hours, leaving May 3 from their Winona Lake home and getting back on Mother’s Day, to enjoy what the Outer Banks of North Carolina have to offer.
And Jim went there to cross something off his “Bucket List.”
The Cape Hatteras Light has been around since 1870 and is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world at more than 200 feet.
Jim has climbed it before, but due to poor health in 2011 he couldn’t take the 248 steps up the spiral staircase to get to the top.
But this year Jim was determined to take the journey again before his 80th birthday, which he’ll celebrate today.
So Jim paid the $7.50 it costs to get into the lighthouse and he started climbing those stairs.
He said now it takes him about an hour and a half to get to the top and then back down. In his younger days, it was less than an hour.
But the payoff is still the same.
“On a clear day, you can see forever,” said Jim.
The Smelsers also enjoyed the beach, the ocean and the nice weather. But it was the trip up and down the stairs of Cape Hatteras Light that stands out for Jim.
Smelser’s passion for lighthouses has taken him to Michigan. The Wolverine State is home to more lighthouses than any other state in the country.
Of the 106 around Michigan, Smelser has been to 40.
But Cape Hatteras Light holds a special spot for Jim.
The Smelsers were in the Outer Banks in 1999 when the lighthouse was moved from its original location 2,900 feet southwest.
The move came as erosion threatened to destroy the lighthouse.
“If it hadn’t have been moved, it would have fallen into the ocean,” said Jim.
Lighthouses are a passion for Jim and, he said, many in the area.
And for those who aren’t into lighthouses?
“You don’t know what you’re missin’.”
Follow staff writer Daniel Riordan on Twitter at @TUNews_Riordan
He can be reached at 574-267-3111, ext. 246.[[In-content Ad]]
Recently, he and his wife, Barb, traveled to Rondanthe, N.C., for a vacation.
They drove 14 hours, leaving May 3 from their Winona Lake home and getting back on Mother’s Day, to enjoy what the Outer Banks of North Carolina have to offer.
And Jim went there to cross something off his “Bucket List.”
The Cape Hatteras Light has been around since 1870 and is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world at more than 200 feet.
Jim has climbed it before, but due to poor health in 2011 he couldn’t take the 248 steps up the spiral staircase to get to the top.
But this year Jim was determined to take the journey again before his 80th birthday, which he’ll celebrate today.
So Jim paid the $7.50 it costs to get into the lighthouse and he started climbing those stairs.
He said now it takes him about an hour and a half to get to the top and then back down. In his younger days, it was less than an hour.
But the payoff is still the same.
“On a clear day, you can see forever,” said Jim.
The Smelsers also enjoyed the beach, the ocean and the nice weather. But it was the trip up and down the stairs of Cape Hatteras Light that stands out for Jim.
Smelser’s passion for lighthouses has taken him to Michigan. The Wolverine State is home to more lighthouses than any other state in the country.
Of the 106 around Michigan, Smelser has been to 40.
But Cape Hatteras Light holds a special spot for Jim.
The Smelsers were in the Outer Banks in 1999 when the lighthouse was moved from its original location 2,900 feet southwest.
The move came as erosion threatened to destroy the lighthouse.
“If it hadn’t have been moved, it would have fallen into the ocean,” said Jim.
Lighthouses are a passion for Jim and, he said, many in the area.
And for those who aren’t into lighthouses?
“You don’t know what you’re missin’.”
Follow staff writer Daniel Riordan on Twitter at @TUNews_Riordan
He can be reached at 574-267-3111, ext. 246.[[In-content Ad]]
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